"Now the elephants are squeezed into a narrow clearing, and they do as much damage to friendly troops as the enemy." Arian describing Alexander the Great's Battle of Hydassis

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"We must guarantee that our manor house will get your manure at the best price - okay, let him go." Then, with a similar expression, Calabis put the plank back on the table, and everyone held the gold rings one by one and pressed their seals on them.

"By the way, we are not the only merchants in Rome." Another freedman, who always looked melancholy, reminded, "How can you make sure that other merchant groups don't go to Etrunia to make trouble?" Just by Caesar and Crassus? ”

"That's why I'm willing to recruit troops! I've spent five or six hundred drachmas here today to invite you here, is it weishenme? Calabis clenched his hands into fists and said to everyone, "My Fourth and Tenth Brigades, you are responsible for all the provisions, and each of them will pay 100,000 Seth retreats for me to take care of in the army." ”

The men immediately showed a look of pain on their faces, but the scheming was temporary, and soon they took off their gold rings one by one and pressed them around the terms on the board.

"Oh, look who's coming, my friend, Dmitrius!" Suddenly, Calabis raised his glass and cheered at the door.

Pompey's chief confidential slave, Demitrius, the fellow of the refugees who had become acquainted with Carabis and Poti in Minor, with good-looking curly hair, a handsome countenance, large shy eyes, and a white silk coat, walked in under the escort of several servants. Calabis brought him to the opposite side, greeted him warmly, and introduced to the crowd: "This is the chief slave of the great general Pompey, Demetrius of Galilee, and we will soon develop in the East, but we cannot do without his assistance. ”

As soon as he saw the handsome Demetrius, the male and female slaves who were cheering up, all dancing barefoot and surrounding, Demetrius, who was surrounded by pearls, had a shyness on his face.

"You and your master, the Admiral Gnieus. Pompey is becoming more and more like, and his emotions are hidden under a lovely countenance. Calabis laughed and quipped, and toasted his friend with a glass of wine, "I was able to establish myself in the city of Rome thanks to Demetrius, who gave me two hundred drachmas of silver." ”

When they heard what Calabis said, everyone exclaimed in a flattering tone.

"I should complain about your respect, shouldn't I? I've been in the city of Rome for so long, and this is the second time you've seen me by chance, apart from the last time you met me in front of the apartment of the Hebrida family. Demetrius bit his thin lip and took a sip of diluted wine with a frown, "Maybe Calabis you delay for a few more days, and I'll have to leave here for the East." ”

"How's Pompey's war in the East?"

Demetrius touched his sleeve, avoided the dripping wine on the table, and said, "It is very good, the master is no longer interested in Mithridates, the king of Pontus has become a defeated dog who hides everywhere, and runs around with his daughter and concubine, and the master has not only occupied Little Asia, but has now conquered Mesopotamia by the way, and the final destination is the red city of Petra." ”

"Then your life is also very good now, I heard that you have won the trust of Pompey, and you must have received a lot of rewards for keeping his secrets in order." Carabis's tone was tinged with a hint of flattery.

"Well, it's just three villas with columnar cloisters in Athens, Sardis and Sinop." Demetrius smiled nonchalantly, "But you and Potti, Carabis, as far as I know, have become a very rich family in this city of Rome." ”

"That's it." Calabis took a sip of the undiluted wine, and then said word for word: "Thanks to your help, my dear friend, Demetrius, just as you did to my patron Luculas. ”

Hearing this, Demetrius's expression immediately became unnatural, and then his body shook violently, and he heard the sound of the servants next to him clutching their throats and falling down, and several slave girls holding bloody daggers that had just slit their throats in their hands, resting on Demetrius's neck and shoulders, and the blood soon seeped everywhere on his clean clothes.

The Jew shuddered, and Calabis looked at him coldly with his glass, and then held his fingers up, and the other stunned business associates, as if they understood something, hurriedly put on their rings, shrank up, and squeezed out of the door of the Tavern in Domuchel one by one.

Then, Domuel closed the door and blocked it.

"I really didn't expect, Dmitrius, that you would dare to come to the banquet after receiving my invitation. But it's also very much like your style – taking everyone else for a fool. Calabis stood up, placed the jug lightly on the counter, then filled it, poured a full glass, and placed it in front of Demetrius, "But it doesn't matter, I already know that you are going to the East, and report to your master the news of the conquest of Catiline in the city of Rome, so I have a group of men waiting there at the post station and the city gate, and you should be lucky that you are now facing me, not them." ”

"Calabis, we don't have to"

"Oh, no, no, no." Calabis shook his finger and interrupted Demetrius' words, "Don't forget, I saved your life when you were in the Seventh Legion of Minor. I had entered this city of Rome with your friendship to make a living, and my ideals were very low, and I lived comfortably with Potty and the little pigeon. But—Langis, you actually hired him, didn't he? ”

"Don't say such unfounded words—ah!" Demetrius was answered by a slap from Calabis that addressed him directly to the left side of his face, and the Jew screamed in panic with a crying voice, his eyes and mouth swollen together.

"I'll find out, oh, I'm a little backwards. You were present when Langis assassinated Galba; Then you instigated me to appear in court to help Cicero identify Catiline; When I refused, you went to Catiline and betrayed me, probably like this; Langis died of poison, and in this city, it is estimated that only you can concoct it, because Timothy is not good at herbalism; Later, when I sent Porti and the little pigeon to Apilon, I only told Van Lunjuna and her mother in the city. At this point, Calabis slapped the Jews in the face again, "And you are the one who knows Van Lunjuna and betrays my woman's whereabouts to Catiline!" ”

"Fortunately, Longis is not a completely unconscious tool, he first infiltrated Catiline's ranks, and got the private signature amber board of the Roman dignitaries in favor of land reform, which is exactly what your master Pompey needs, Pompey and Cicero want this thing, to bring down their political opponents, but Langis considered his own safety, hid the amber board, and tried to leave a way back - of course, you did not force Langis, you induced him to assassinate Galpa, and told him that by doing so, he could blame Catiline and lead to chaos in Roman politics, Even the outbreak of commotion and civil war - your master Pompey will be able to lead the army in the light and return to Rome to seize power. ”