"No, no, no!"

In the bright light of the fire, the axe of a Germanic warrior was about to fall on the head of Tretus, and the young Tretus panicked, he had expected the cruelty and bloodiness of war countless times, but when the real battle came to him, the panic, despair and helplessness still came to his heart. In a panic, Tretus grabbed the large shield of a dead Roman soldier beside him and protected his head.

The next moment, the barbarian's battle axe fell heavily, and the blade of the axe even pierced the shield slightly, and the power was so powerful that Tretus felt as if his internal organs were about to be squeezed out.

The shield was no longer safe, but the barbarian warrior's attack did not stop, he came up, kicked away Tretus's shield, and caught Tretus in the air, like an eagle catching a chicken, the young Tretus struggled helplessly, his feet kept kicking, but he could not step on the ground, and the barbarian held the axe in one hand, and was about to smash it again.

At this time, the Roman legionary cavalry attacked from behind the Germanic warriors, and the sharp knight's sword slashed quickly, only to hear the sound of iron weapons tearing flesh and bones, a faint layer of blood mist rose in the air, the barbarian warriors screamed and fell to the ground, and Teretus was also thrown down.

He looked at the scene in front of him in horror, the Germanic people in front of him were almost exhausted, the long sword cut through the skin, pierced the internal organs inside, he was dying, and soon, he could no longer spit out any warm breath in his mouth.

……

"Boy, do you see what the real war is? Your mother was right not to let you come, you should have been talking about politics in the villa, talking about business and wealth, not coming to such a dirty and bloody place. Alas, I really don't understand what Apis wants you to do here, but forget it, since you're here, feel the blood and barbarism here, if you want to enter politics through military exploits in the future. ”

After the battle, Maximus came to Tretus on his horse, covered in blood, and looked at the frightened boy and said in a comforting tone.

But the young and vigorous Tretus was clearly unhappy that Maximus looked down on him in this way.

"I'm going to keep fighting. I will hold out until this rebellion is over. ”

Tretus stood up and said, his armor stained with blood, from the fight with the barbarian soldiers, although in fact he had not killed anyone, but his companions, the ordinary legionnaires, had killed the enemy, and the blood splattered on him.

The Germanic rebellion was broken two days later, and Appis implemented a "benevolent government" at home, bringing the former loyal Germanic chieftains into Rome and into the Senate, and giving them many benefits, including no taxes on trade with the Romans, freedom to enter and leave Rome, and granting them enough land, cattle and sheep, and the abundance of Roman material goods. On the one hand, the number of troops stationed in the Germanic regions was increased. Under the combination of soft and hard, the tribe's resistance gradually subsided.

Then, on a sunny morning, Maximus and the Roman army stepped through the gates of Rome. Let Appis take over the legion again.

"Tell me what happened during this time, Maximus."

After the legion was settled, Apis and Maximus chatted about the war in the north at the Pompey villa on Capitol Hill.

"As we march through the cold and frost, and we hear all kinds of voices along the way, these Germanic people have become wiser, and they will even create illusions to confuse us and increase our useless marches, such as they will deliberately leave dense footprints and abandoned fires to attract us to pursue them, but the real main force is on the other side of the forest. Let a handful of people carry us around to make us tired and irritable. Barbarians should probably no longer be called barbarians, I think, some of their tactics are even more terrible than civilized ones. ”

Sitting in the grassy courtyard, Maximus, unarmoured, talked so eloquently. The servants were driven away and stood at a distance, and Appis did not let anyone hear the conversation.

"But you have finally overcome them, and I wonder how the two boys who I acquiesced in and sent to the barracks to accompany the army in this battle fared. Are they, as the GIs legend, frightened by the barbarians' axes. ”

Appis asked with a smile. From his face, Maximus could not find any emotion, and he did not know whether in Appis's heart was positive or negative for the two young men.

"It should be said that compared to their peers, they are already doing very well. It is true that Teretus was almost killed by the barbarians in a battle, and he was so frightened that he fell to the ground trembling. But considering that he is only sixteen years old, he is already very brave. Moreover, the way to defeat the Germans was also thought up by him, to be exact, by imitation of yours, and then proposed. ”

"And what about Tiberius? I heard that he was unknown throughout the expedition? ”

Appis then asked. The spring sun was a little warm, and Maximus picked up the wine glass on the table, took a sip, and replied—

"Tiberius, compared to Tretus, he is indeed a little dim, in the whole battle, he did not have the courage to rush to the forefront of the battlefield, always hiding behind the GIs, there are no bright spots. Ideas were also at odds with others, such as at that military conference, where Tretus offered to bribe the Germanic chieftains with money to divide them. Tiberius, on the other hand, offered the exact opposite. Do you know what his advice is? ”

"What is it?"

Appis asked.

"He even told me that if he wanted to eradicate the rebellious Germans, he would burn down their villages, rob their children and daughters, and make the Germans come out of the forest in anger and fight us. The gods are above, a young child is so ruthless, and his path in the future is very dangerous, I doubt that it is possible that his mother Lilia taught him, otherwise, how could a fifteen-year-old child have such thoughts? ”

Maximus replied, with dissatisfaction with Tiberius and disdain for Lilia. He blamed his mother for Tiberius' precociousness, which reminded Apis. But Tiberius's words made Apis feel a little relieved in his heart, and when everyone was saying bad things about Tiberius, Apis saw a different side of the boy from this incident. He is calm, cruel, decisive and bold. Although now, he is still unknown, and even after this battle, he is overshadowed by the light of Tretus.

"What else did he say?"

Appis asked, thoughtfully.

He also said that bribery could not be used to completely eradicate the rebellion, and that the rebellion could not be completely resolved. And it will make it a habit for the barbarians that the next time there is a rebellion, their leader will hide in the forest, waiting for us to send someone to pay them a bribe. ”

Maximus replied......