"Many citizens have to sail for eight months at full pay to learn and practice the seafarer experience." - Pericles, the ancient Athenian consul

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In the battle of the mountain pass and the swamp, all the veterans of Octavian were killed, Avinus was seriously wounded and escaped back, 2,000 recruits of Panza's forty-second legion were killed, plus the losses of the rest of the legions, only the six legions were still intact, and it can be said that Antony completely defeated the "dear little friend Turinus".

Later, the 12th Army abandoned the newly built camp, withdrew from the pass, joined up with the rest of Octavian's army, and closed the camp. Fearing that morale would be affected, Karenus ordered the withdrawal of his troops at night, and they did not even have time to collect the corpses of their day-time comrades, so they hurried down with the wounded and baggage. Fortunately, Antony's casualties were also severe, and Karenus had placed rearguard troops and difficult swampy terrain, so there was no room to pursue.

In the middle of the night, Octavian paid a private visit to the seriously wounded Avinus, who was lying on the marching bed, wrapped in linen, covering his eyes, eyebrows and forehead, only revealing one nostril and breathing hard, blood flowing everywhere, several medics and low-ranking priests were busy with it, as if he had a premonition in the dark, Avinus trembled and stretched out his hand, touched Octavian who was sitting on the edge of the couch, and then Octavian held his hand tightly.

"I was also promoted step by step by Caesar, from a commoner clan, and followed your adoptive father when he was very young. First was his campaign mobilizer. Then he followed him to the province as a low-level bureaucrat. It was not until I became his military tribune in Gaul that I was stripped of my military office, but I did not hate him, for without Caesar there would be no one for me, and true friends were not without quarrels, but without calculation and deceit, like the one-eyed Scavua, even if he was not killed by Pompey's army in Africa. In the end, he will not hesitate to die for Caesar, no matter when or where. Therefore, at the suggestion of Lybidaeus, I joined in with the others from the first moment you landed on the Italian land, young Caesar. With that, Avinus's breathing under the candlelight began to be difficult, and Octavian gently persuaded him not to speak so hastily, and to ease his injuries first.

But Avinus shook his head with difficulty, his eyes could no longer see, "Young Caesar, my fatal wound is not on my head. After so many years of service, I naturally knew - the enemy's sword had pierced my leg, and I could only bleed to death - no. It's not the enemy, they're all our comrades in the past, what makes us kill each other in the mud, young Caesar you should go and see it tomorrow after dawn, that miserable battlefield, Father and Mother. This is the Senate that is cheating all the Caesars, they are constantly instigating you and Antony, and Li Bida to kill each other, and they are the most sinister with their intentions. After the words fell, Avinus's body became colder and colder, and the warmth of life was rapidly draining, as if he was afraid that he would not be able to finish speaking, he sent it and clamped Octavian's arm, "Promise me, promise me, young Caesar." ”

"Say, say," Octavian choked.

"Unite the Caesar Party and avenge the death of the dictator," Avenus let go of his hand and died in a fit of rage.

The people around him gathered around, and Octavian looked at his body, silent for a long time, and sat still, then he wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, stood up, turned his head, and said to Panza, Herjus, Agrippa, Mecenas, Karenus, Angandinus, and other generals who were standing behind him, "Have you all heard the last words of Avinus?" Especially Panza and Hezyus, you are the consuls designated by the Senate, and now I have decided to listen to the words of Avenus, and unite all the former adoptive father's tribesmen to take revenge on the murderer group, nay, the entire Senate-Panza and Hezyus, I understand your duty, if you wish to bind me to the Temple of Concord, then please, or if you want to return to Rome with the Forty-second and Forty-third Legions, I believe that these two legions will still be willing to follow me, if the Six and Twelfth Legions are not willing to follow me, Then I will take the rest of my servants and my friends and go to fight Anthony, or persuade him, or I will rather die. ”

There was a brief silence for everyone, and Panza continued, "What Avinus said is what we think in our hearts, without Caesar we would not be where we are today, our honor and rank were identified by Caesar during his lifetime, and we are not grateful to the Senate in our hearts, nor do we owe anything. If necessary, I am willing to jointly elect you as dictator with Hejus. ”

Octavian nodded, he saw that on the issue of dealing with the Senate, everyone was highly unanimous, so he began to plan, "The election of the dictator is still postponed for the time being, and Antony, because of the previous big victory, I am afraid that he will not bother to shake hands with me, we must win allies, but my guardian four legions are still on the southern border of Italy at the moment, so I need more neighboring forces." ”

In the end, Octavian decided to give Dehemos in the city of Mutina, and tried his best to contact him, asking him to put aside his old personal grudges and fight Antony. Octavian then wrote letters to the surrounding vassal cities of Liguria and Aquilia, urging them to send troops to fight: Itassos, the chief executive of the Ligurian city-state, had two legions in his hands, and Aquilia, a stronghold on the border with Dacia in northeastern Italy, could send 3,000 Latin warriors.

Because Antony's military strength was limited and he could only do a focused defense, Octavian's messengers managed to deliver the secret message to the city after several defeats.

This action aroused the alarm of Curio, who then found Antony in the camp and said that it was enough to use the Eighth Legion to arch the outer line of the Acropolis, and that the rest of the legions would all gather and storm the city of Moutina, as soon as possible: it was really called Desimus to join forces with Octavian, and the situation was still not in my favor.

"What if you can't bear it alone?" Anthony paced back and forth for two steps, then asked.

"In the previous battle, Octavian's guards were all lost, and even the corpses of the group were cleaned by us, and the little friend's courage was already frightened, and as far as I know, the veterans of Karenus and Angandinus did not listen very well, and Panza and Herdyus had been civil servants by Caesar's side before, so as long as the Eighth Legion remained in the camp and set up a few cavalry ambushes on the main road, Octavian would not dare to act rashly - Marco, you see, since Octavian has reached the point of joining forces with Dehemoth, That also shows that he is at the end of his rope. Curio analysed as he cheered up.

After listening to this, Anthony nodded, and said, "Just do as you say, time is pressing, if the four legions of Li Bida's guy come, our situation will not be good." (To be continued......)