The caning of Appis kicked off on a sunny morning. When the chief DJ Brutus stripped off Appis's upper body, the soldiers were surprised to find that the scars on their commander's body were even more than those on the oldest soldiers, the dense scars were all over the back, and the strange and different imprints on the chest, everyone didn't know what kind of torture and destruction Appis had suffered, but from the heart, they respected themselves more as the former commander. After all, the Romans were a martial nation, and the worship of the brave was deeply engraved in the soul of this nation.

Syllable***

And when the whip struck the flesh with a terrible thunderclap, many veterans of the Tenth Legion were even willing to suffer for Appis. For many of them had received favor from Appis, even to salvation. Oscar once owed a gambling debt and almost became a slave, but it was Apis who paid for it himself and helped him settle the knights who collected the debt. Pioris, on the other hand, joined the army under the care of Appis, whose father had died in the Gallic Wars during the Narvian ambush against Caesar on the Sambur River. It was Apis who used his salary to support the veteran's family in Rome and to enlist Peoris Jr. in the army. Hilberas was an alcoholic who was rescued by Apis during a series of battles. And Crane, little Crassus, these people, at this moment, when watching Appis be tortured, their hearts are all crying blood.

"He has suffered too much, a civilian, at first just a slave, through his own efforts, step by step, and finally became the commander of the legion. Such an experience will be such a bumpy and tortuous experience. And now, because of his own intolerability and compassion, he has been dealt with by military law. What a poor child. ”

Lepida whispered to Octavian, who was beside him, at the scene of the execution. But no one knows about the origin of Appis, no one knows that he is the illegitimate son of the late Roman general Sabinus, and in the entire Roman legion, except for Caesar, only Cota knows about it, but even the only other person who knows, Cota, was killed on the battlefield of Gaul. Therefore, Appis's path to ascension seems to be based on his own efforts, but in fact, it is inextricably linked to his identity. Of course, it was better for the masses to be unaware, so that a legendary experience of the tenacious struggle of the common people was left behind, which was conducive to inspiring the people of Rome to be full of hope for their ideals and for the future.

A few days later, Caesar's legion arrived at the border of Pompey's forces, one step ahead of Caesar, and on the other side of the Croix, Pompey had deployed enough troops and fortifications to be here to stop Caesar's legions. Appis spent almost all the past few days on a stretcher, and the pain of whipping made the skin of his entire back open, and he was estimated to be unable to recover without a month of cultivation. Not to mention healing.

The Croix River is not turbulent, but it is already very cold in late autumn, and the soldiers need to lose a lot of physical strength to cross the river by sneaking to swim at night, and they are in danger of freezing to death in the river at any time. This tactic, apparently, Caesar would not have agreed. Another option was to build a bridge, but the dense sentry posts on the other side told Caesar that this conventional method no longer worked. As for whether Pompey placed the main force on the other side of the river, no one knows that the veterans of this republic had even more experience in warfare than Caesar. No one knew what he meant, including Caesar.

……

"The group of traitors stopped on the other side, but how do you know they will force their way across the river? Caesar wasn't the kind of person to be quick-tempered. ”

Cato the Younger questioned Gnaeus again in Pompey's barracks. He and a group of nobles in the Senate were always thinking about how to end the battlefield as quickly as possible, because for every day Pompey spent in Greece, more money would flow out of their pockets. The salaries of the army, the cost of daily maintenance, the rations and forage of the legions, and the conscription of the new army, these expenses were like a bottomless pit, and all the nobles of the Senate were in daily fear. Therefore, the Roman Senate, represented by Cato the Younger, the first thing they did every day when they opened their eyes was to find an opportunity for Pompey to have a decisive battle with Caesar.

"Caesar is not a man of a quick temper, I know, but his supplies will be much more difficult than ours. During our stay in Greece, Kventus had brought in a new fleet from Silesia and, a week earlier, had routed Caesar's navy at Corinth. Now, Caesar had no supplies of food and grass in Greece. In addition, the money he plundered in Gaul had been squandered. I suspect that Caesar at this time is like a beast trapped in a cage, and he has to look for an opportunity to fight us. Cross the river and capture Athens. That was his only way out. And you know very well in your mind, that you and your senators are only pitying you for the wealth you still have, and are not willing to invest more in this war, but the little money you have been stingy with is nothing to mention in terms of the outcome of this battle, and if Caesar wins, all of us will be doomed. Do you expect his mercy to keep your wealth and your life alive? ”

Pompey's strategy and tactics at this time can be said to be very correct and wise. He knew Caesar's strengths and weaknesses. All they wanted to do was for the ten wounded legions, from Gaul to Rome and from Rome to Greece, to end the battlefield as quickly as possible and enjoy the riches they had plundered. Therefore, at this time, Caesar, and his legions are sharp knives, and Caesar will cut off his own back road in the battle to fiercely contest the senseless courage of the soldiers, and this is exactly what Pompey does not have. His soldiers were new recruits, inexperienced, and without the courage to fight blood, and if they were cut off, they would not only not fight to the death, but would flee out of fear. So, in this case, Pompeo chose to be patient. At sea, first defeat Caesar's supplies, and then slowly deplete his forces. Use fortifications, and fend off the enemy's ferocious onslaught.

He knew the situation better, the Senate and the thoughts of the nobles. Therefore, at the beginning of the war, Pompey demanded that at that time, the Senate must support military spending free of charge, so that he could have a way to win the war.

"Well, you always have your reasons. Hopefully, before dark, I'll see the enemy move. ”

Cato Jr. said helplessly, and then withdrew from the military tent. (To be continued.) )