In late autumn, the Lucombi River is cold and bitter, and the woods on both sides are like devil's minions, fading away from the bustle of summer, leaving only bare branches stretching out into the gray sky. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

It is a river that is too small to be smaller, and it is more like a river than a stream, and the stream is very shallow, shallow enough to wade directly through it to the other side. However, it was such a stream that could not be more tiny, but it had a special meaning for Rome. For, to cross it, is to enter the territory of Rome, where the general of the expedition must surrender his military power, otherwise he will be considered treason. By this time, Caesar and his legions had reached the edge of the river.

"Caesar, this is the realm of Rome. Beyond it, we can't go back. ”

Anthony rode his horse against the banks of the Lucombi River and said with a grim expression. The cold and biting water of the river made the war horse linger on the bank, unwilling to enter the water, and its owner, too, hesitated to make the last wandering. Once he stepped into the river, there was no turning back, and the Roman Civil War broke out in earnest. It is possible that I will have to spend the rest of my life in the chaos of war.

"I know, Anthony. But we didn't have a choice. ”

Caesar sat on his tall white horse, his eyes fixed on the other side of the river. There, too, is a barren forest. The temperature was suffocatingly cold.

Finally, under everyone's gaze, Caesar was the first to ride his war horse and wade into the icy Lucombi River. The horse's hooves slowly stepped into the river, splashing with bursts of icy water. It was a historic moment, and Apis knew that the time had come for Rome to truly change the world.

The narrow Lucombi River did not stop Caesar, he crossed the icy stream, and then rode his horse back and looked at the crowd on the other side of the river, the soldiers. Their faces were heavy, and today, for every Roman soldier of the Gallic legion, it was a difficult choice.

"Soldier, forward!"

Seeing that all the people present were across the river from Caesar, Apis was the first to shout, breaking the heavy atmosphere. Now, without Octavia in Rome, Apis no longer has any worries in his heart, or rather, the woman who once poured all her feelings into her, is now temporarily imprisoned by Apis. He couldn't think of Octavia anymore, and every time he thought of her, his heart ached, like countless sharp knives stabbing his heart, and he couldn't stop cramping. Emma's comfort is also limited, after all, she can't replace the little feelings that Octavia once had with herself.

The autumn wind swept across the river and seeped into Appis' armor, and between the armor and the cotton, the cold air kept flowing and made people feel cold.

Appis dismounted, took the reins of his horse to Sekras, and then, alone and fully armed, stepped into the icy waters. The stream kept flowing, drowning the ankles. The infantry of the 10th Legion then followed their commander, the former centurion, into the icy Lucombi River.

The mighty procession, in this way, stepped on this icy river on a late autumn morning. At the same time, the Senate Cato the Younger and the General Pompey, who were far away in Rome, were arguing over whether to abandon Rome.

"Since the founding of Rome, no Roman has chosen to abandon Rome, it is a sacred city, a sacred place for the soul of the Romans, it can be taken, but it must not be abandoned! Do you understand? Pompey. You can't do this. ”

Caesar's army overwhelmed the city, and the nobles and wealthy merchants of Rome began to frantically pack up their belongings and flee the city, while at the same time, Cato the Younger and Marcellus of the Senate were also trying to convince Pompey to stay and defend the city with his soldiers, rather than leaving him to be left to the desolate and easily taken away by Caesar's traitor.

However, Pompeo was not only a politician, but also a military man. He knows what war is -

"Cato, you must know that Caesar's current strength is ten legions, sixty thousand men, plus the auxiliary armies of Gaul and Germania, and the soldiers he brought back may be as high as one hundred thousand. And now, I only have two legions. There were no auxiliary regiments, twelve thousand people. And Rome did not have strong walls to defend the enemy army. The army that followed Caesar fought against the barbarians, and eight years of bloody fighting made them experienced and fearless. Even bloodthirsty. How do we respond to such a disparity between our enemies and our enemies? By asking me to use two legions against Caesar's army of 100,000 is to dash our only hope. When the time comes, we will all die here. I don't want to die a foolish death with all of you who talk about political beliefs. ”

In the face of Cato Jr.'s questioning, Pompey's attitude was very hard.

"So what are you going to do? Pompey? ”

"Go to Greece. Go there and gather my legion. When the time comes, you will have to provide the money necessary for the recruitment of the legions, as well as the funds necessary for the maintenance of the army. ”

Pompey replied in a threatening tone, and little Cato had an embarrassed and angry look on his face. The originally weak three-headed balance relationship was completely destroyed by the arrival of Caesar. Moreover, most of the people in the Senate did not even have time to think about what would happen after the war, if Pompey had won, how would the Senate have balanced relations with him, and perhaps Pompey, after defeating Caesar, would also become another new dictator?

Little Cato didn't have time to think about these questions, but swallowed his own saliva, and then asked—

"What about Spain? It's still our power, so how do you make sure that when we go to Greece to conquer the army, Spain won't defect to Caesar? Or, how will the local army stand up to Caesar's mighty army? ”

"I've thought about it for a long time, Cato. I will send my son, Sextus, to go there, with the most elite legion of male lions in my hands now. There, there will only be a subordinate battlefield, delaying Caesar's attack on us. The longer Caesar dragged on in this war, the more favorable the situation would be for us. Because the rich aristocrats and rich merchants will support us. Caesar will be left with deserted cities and tens of thousands of poor people waiting to be fed. They want to reform, but without the cooperation of the aristocracy, I see how they carry out this reform. ”

Pompey's words rang like a wake-up call in Cato's heart. Let the last guardian of this republic suddenly understand that war is not such a simple thing, it needs to take into account logistics, money, politics, social status and other factors. (To be continued.) )