Chapter 31: Blindfolds (I)

"This war (for Athens) was the destruction of the whole of the navy, the army, all of them." -- Thucydides on the defeat of Athens on the Sicilian expedition

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Li Bida admired the mechanics of the statue of Pompey, this bust is simply lifelike, with exaggerated eyes, funny curly hair, and riotous clothing, it is almost indistinguishable from a real person, it is the overconfident Gnaeus on the battlefield. Pompey, "Be careful, be careful. "The bust was slowly placed on the pedestal in front of the Colelumbo by a large number of slaves with improvised lifting equipment, where sculptures were lined with statues of Gallic nobles killing their wives and reliefs of the kings of the East riding in chariots, all of which were enemies of the Republic, but now without exception, became the inspiring decoration that the Roman people saw before they entered the Colosseum, and became part of the pride and pride of the country.

"In Caesar's eyes, Pompey is about to become a loser," and after he had done so, he went to Caesar's pre-appointed mansion, which was the house of Brutus' mother, Seville.

The atmosphere of the dinner was very cold and awkward, Seville was dressed in a long dress, but she sat on the couch with a blank expression, playing the harp for Caesar, and Portia sat next to her with red eyes and did not say a word. Occasionally, only servants and servants walked back and forth, adding plates and drinks to the guests, and whispering and cautiously exchanging words.

It is said that at Claudius's old house, Anthony was also having a banquet with two widowed widows, Claudia and Frivia. But the scene there should be much more frenzied and enthusiastic. Because Anthony is said to be after Fulivia. He would have received a rich dowry if he had married this young, beautiful and proud widow, but Claudia now saw a young and handsome man like Anthony, and like a crocodile in a river seeing a wildebeest, she was eager to pull it into the "river" of the boudoir's bed, and chew his flesh and bones to pieces.

"You mean, Brutus is now in the city of Ephesus, and is under the flanking of your army. Likely to suffer the same fate as my brother? Seville, after hearing her lover's euphemistic narration, stopped playing the harp and said softly, and then her eyes shifted to Li Bida, "The world is really in vain, I didn't expect that it was you, Lipidaus, who besieged Cato to death in the end, and the civil war divided the most harmonious family and turned the closest friends against each other." This statement seems to be true. ”

"Dear Madam, such a tragedy has happened. I myself feel sorry for you, and even more so for my friends and my friends Brutus, and here is Portia, who did not hesitate to hand over the legions to Brutus when he risked his life to meet me across the Syrian desert, even though I was in command and in a different camp, believe me - but the battlefield is far more cruel and ruthless than you think. Li Bida had to explain, even in his mind, that telling a woman about the battlefield was pure frivolous and superfluous.

Posia still couldn't hold back, covered her face with her hands, and began to cry, her originally red and plump face was now haggard because of worry and sadness, and she choked up and said to everyone, "I'm really sorry, I still can't get used to being in the same room with my father's killer, even if Brutus is now on the same front as Pompey, this is probably the fragility of women!" With that, Bosia ran to the inner chamber crying.

Leaving Li Bida, he sat in place very embarrassed, saying goodbye is not, toasting is not, Caesar saw the appearance of his deputy, so he eased the atmosphere and said, "The fragility of women is not necessarily not a good thing, so we have always said that women live longer, because their love will be vented with water, and men can only use blood, so I am more worried about my child Brutus than this, he is working with Pompey's group, he is a philosopher, he is a young student, with the group of murderous soldiers, Still in the far and wild East," Caesar himself got up excitedly, pacing back and forth in place, apparently expressing his feelings to a certain extent.

Sevilla couldn't calm down, and his eyes flowed silently down his eyelashes and cheeks, "Do you remember that even though he and you are not related by blood, you have long regarded each other as father and son?" So Caesar took the opportunity to step forward and comfort the woman he loved the most, and Li Bida felt depressed, so he walked to the ventilated terrace of the restaurant, and looked at the deadly silence of the martial law street in the night, and then Caesar's personal slave quietly stepped forward and handed him a note.

Li Bida secretly glanced at the inner restaurant, Caesar's back happened to block the hostess's vision, then turned around in the firelight, unfolded the note, the handwriting on it was very clear, it was Caesar's own handwriting: "The triumphal ceremony is fake, it is a trick, time must not be delayed, if it is delayed, the soldiers will sooner or later provoke a greater mutiny, and they cannot be given time to breathe and think - in three days, the legions will all be mobilized to meet the twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth legions of Brindisi, and prepare to go to Greece to fight with Gabinus and Marcelas, You continue to act as the governor of Sardinia, divide part of your army, and join forces with Curio to go to Africa. ”

After a quick reading, Li Bida quietly quickly wound the note, threw it off the terrace, and soon burned into ashes in the mid-air wind, and scattered one by one.

In the next three days, Li Bida continued to enter and exit the streets, squares and sculpture workshops as a temporary construction officer, and some soldiers in bright armor also kept going in and out of the city gate, discussing things with the construction officials on the conspicuous streets at any time, as if planning the route of the triumphal procession, and the number of grain ships coming to the Tiber River port also increased, bringing precious bricks, spices, wine and other things from various places, "Caesar is going to hold a grand triumphal ceremony, look at those large and gorgeous ceremonial vehicles that stop outside the city gate!" "On the streets, for people of any status, the central topic these days, that's it.

"I don't want a thousand drachmas of silver, because I don't want the dinars, because the quality is insufficient, but I have seen the world, and only you who are nested in the city still recognize this kind of money. You must know that I have obtained four gold chains in successive battles, and I deserve so much bounty. Sometimes, a certain centurion with a big waist and a round waist, under the city gates, boasted of his adventures and bravery in various battles, and longed for a triumphal bounty, "No one should be left behind, or we shall make up the rhymes of Dick-Tuidor into a song when we enter the city, and sing it from the age of twelve to the present day." ”

The whole city was immersed in such a cheerful atmosphere, and only in the plains on the outskirts of the city, the shepherd's children could see that among the hidden paths mixed with the woods, a group of soldiers took off their feathers from their hats and helmets, and covered their shields and flags with cloth, so that it was impossible to judge their number identities, and they were rushing towards the south one after another. (To be continued......)