"He wants Sicily?"

"Yes. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info”

"Then cede to him in exchange for the grain of the hundred ships."

In the summer, in the hot Roman residence, Octavian's face turned pale. But he said to Macinus with a surprising calmness.

"But ......"

"No, however, you have been gone for more than two months, you do not know the situation in Rome, we are running out of food, Brindisi, Capua, Syracuse are all suffering from severe drought and famine. Apis told me that he didn't have any food in stock, but he made a lot of money by selling it among the people, and the price was ridiculously high. If this continues, Italy's financial resources will be emptied by him. But we must not be left without food, otherwise the people themselves will riot without waiting for Antony or Apis to bring troops to fight. Hunger is far more terrible than anything. ”

Octavian said with a serious face. This was arguably the most significant setback he had faced since he inherited Caesar's legacy.

No amount of trickery or conspiracy can withstand the blow of a natural disaster.

……

Godonus, Serradius, Levius, Burens...... On a hot July day, while Octavian in the south was struggling with a prolonged drought, in northern Gaul, where the climate was relatively mild and cool, Apis had gathered resources and set up a new cabinet for himself. Some of these people were born from commoners, some were from nobles, and some were retired veterans of the legion, a total of more than twenty people, which was the prototype of the power structure of Appis. The regular affairs of Gaul, northern Italy, Spain, Germania, and Britain were to be gradually placed in the hands of these people. In addition, each person is in charge of a section, the retired centurion Berens is in charge of military affairs in various places, while the merchant Serradius is in charge of all kinds of financial and economic copywriting, and Li Weius is responsible for reviewing difficult lawsuits and cases in various places. These tasks will be communicated and assigned to be completed step by step. Two dozen people make up the real body of power.

And in order to limit this organization from setting itself up, Apis will personally review some public documents and copywriting from time to time to prevent the people below from secretly doing tricks. Corruption and bribery. In addition, Crassus the Younger oversees this institution. If someone wants to escape Appis and collude directly with the people below him, then he must buy the manager, and he must also buy the manager of the manager, as well as everyone on this line, and finally buy little Crassus, the difficulty of which can be imagined, as long as a layer of relationship is not handled well and is exposed, then the whole plan will fail. Although it may seem cumbersome, it is conducive to anti-corruption, although it is impossible to control it absolutely.

In this way, Apis was able to take care of more and more important matters from the clutter of daily life. For example, the military conquest of Italy and southern Spain, and even to Africa, will be carried out in the future. The war machine of the Legion cannot be controlled by anyone, it must be controlled by itself.

The Janissary was followed by another centralized organization that followed the formation of the Cabinet. This is a special army, whether in wartime or in peacetime, it is under the orders of only one person, and that is Appis. No one has the right to interfere with his actions. To put it bluntly, it is the sword of Damocles hanging over the head of the cabinet. Since his actions were unpredictable, everyone did not know what Appis would do in the next moment, and they did not dare to betray him.

Of course, the management and control of this army must be carried out with great care. In history, countless Roman emperors were killed by their own Praetorian Guards, and in the later period of the Roman Empire, the Praetorian Guards almost became the professional household of slaughtering the emperor, and the emperor's throne was even clearly priced, and whoever wanted to buy the emperor's head had to buy the Praetorian Guard. In the selection of the Praetorian Guard, Apis also tried his best, and the twenty members of the Hidden Commando became the veterans of this army.

They must be fast, combative, and loyal. Moreover, the selection of soldiers should not be left to the selection of their subordinates, otherwise it will lead to gangs and factions, which is not conducive to the loyalty and stability of the army. To this end, Appis made the soldiers in the barracks play fair. Those who have the ability come first, rather than relying on relationships and going through the back door.

Praetorian Guards are paid three times as much as ordinary legionnaires, and they live in luxurious city barracks, enjoy quality food, and more importantly, be able to be a Praetorian Guard, which is a symbol of glory and glory. Human beings are like this, if you are given a limited thing to compete, the person who gets it will think that you have more face, and this is the origin of the sense of honor. In fact, thinking about what the Praetorian Guard does, Apis felt that it was not glorious. Because it is used to kill one's own people, not to fight against foreign enemies.

……

"Well, yes, I promised to send those hundred great ships full of grain to Rome. Once promised. ”

In the heat of summer, when Masinus traveled between Italy and Alexandria like his grandson, Antony, sitting in a luxurious palace, changed his mind again. The devastation of Rome has spread throughout the Mediterranean. Antony learned about the situation in Italy and knew that Octavian was already burning his eyebrows and asked for help everywhere. I thought of taking this opportunity to blackmail Octavian.

"Ever promised? Dear Honorable Mark Anthony, what do you mean by this? ”

Macinas asked dissatisfied. For Antony's unsubtle reversal, he only felt a feeling of nausea in his heart, but he had no choice but to ask him for both himself and Octavian at the moment.

"I have changed my mind, Lord Masinas, I now want Sicily and Carthage. Well, that's just two places. I don't think the wise Octavitanus would have refused such an offer. A hundred ships of grain is not a small amount. ”

Anthony crossed his legs and nibbled on the sweet purple grapes. Replied casually.

"You know it's impossible, a hundred ships of food you know it's enough to buy it in a city's tax for a month. Now, Lord Anthony, you want to exchange it for two provinces, and it makes no sense. ”

Masinus was indignant, and if he could, he wished he could hold the sword and plunge it into the heart of the barbarian. Yes, in the eyes of Macinas, Anthony was not much different from a barbarian.

"Oh, really? That's the end of our deal. You could have gone back again like this, and I suppose Octavian would have cut off your head and use it as a glass for drinking. ”

Anthony then replied in a foul voice. Still looking careless, he was originally a soldier, and his elegant and generous demeanor was not his personality, and he had been suppressed for so long, which was enough to give Masinas face.