"If grain alms cannot continue, then the demise of the nation is coming." - Tiberius, Emperor of Ancient Rome

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After the two sides saluted each other on horseback, their guards lined up all around, and the clerk sat cross-legged on the sand under the tree, using a clipboard and a hook pen to record the memoirs of the meeting in Greek and Latin.

"Although your country is now in the midst of civil strife, we have no intention of being an enemy of your country." Saputaros first asked tentatively, for he was not sure what the current situation was on both sides of the war, and Pocus agreed, "It is said that the Hitius party is on the side of your enemy, and it will be very difficult for me to make my friends all along, and you must know that he came here twenty-five years ago to train my army. ”

Rabinus smiled and raised his hand, "I will give the two honorable kings a gift of five hundred talents each, and promise to divide the vast territory east of the Numidian Muruka River to the city of Kirta in the future. ”

When Pochus heard this, he raised his hand and asked to speak, "I suppose that you have not yet understood what we mean, and that we are not very interested in the future reward, for if war breaks out with the high priest of the Roman Republic whom you speak, you say it is a steal, and that Lybidaeus, if it is smooth, what we have conquered must be what we deserve, and we will not care if we do not get your approval." But if we lose, we lose the whole country. He said. Pocus retrieved the block from the royal slave next to him. "This is a letter from my personal friend, Hitius. In the meantime, he claimed that Li Bida led fifteen legions into Africa, and most of them were majestic marches since the time of Caesar, and the four legions brought by the previous Spanish governor Tellureas, were completely annihilated by Li Bida with a few men in less than ten days on the island of Sardinia, and two full legions surrendered. Listen, Rabinus, our tribe and kingdom are on the edge of the desert. My ancestors had only heard the name of the country of Rome when Jugurdah went to war with your country, and the truth of the facts we had obtained was vague and limited, in short, you should not use rhetoric to deceive us to death. ”

Rabinus laughed, and he took the reins and said to the two kings, "Hitius is lying completely, Caesar's veterans are nothing more than nine legions formed in the Gallic War, and this group lost nearly half of their men in the years of Gaul, and later a third in the civil war due to wounds." In the end, only a quarter or a fifth of those who can be resettled and discharged intact may be discharged. That's less than 10,000 people. In the previous battle in the city of Mutina, southern Gaul, half of the veterans acted as Antony and Octavian's guards, killing each other, and nearly 4,000 people were killed. So this is a very simple numerical calculation, even if Li Bida has all the Caesar veterans in his hands, it is only four or five thousand people, not to mention that the real situation is definitely not the case, there are still a considerable number of veterans who are loyal to Antony and Octavian. In fact, most of the men of this arrogueous high priest were recruited from Cyrene and Asia Minor, and most of them were farmers who knew nothing, neither as brave as you desert herdsmen, nor as tough as the Italian citizens, and who would have broken and fled at the slightest charge of cavalry. If even such a bluff letter has to be believed, then I really have to question whether the courage of the two Majesties is worthy of the status of kings. ”

Saputaros and Pocus exchanged words and whispered a few words, and then the former spoke, "My daughter, Selene, the wife of King Juba, is still in the city of Kirta, and how should her safety be ensured in the event of war?" ”

"If she can escape safely, it will be even better, if not, our army will not let her go lightly, and serve as a flagpole for Li Pida's conquest of Numidia - as far as I know, the great king of Mauritania has more than ten canonized queens, and a mere daughter should be nothing."

It seemed that Rabinus was right, and Saputaros shrugged his shoulders and quickly put his daughter's safety at risk, "I am willing to provide you with five thousand lightly armed cavalry, and Pocus is willing to provide a thousand cavalry, and four thousand lightly armed javelinmen." ”

"But this is not provided as an ally, and there is nothing in the memorandum of the meeting about you and me concluding an agreement, we just sent a considerable number of troops to secure the border, and as for where these troops have gone during this time, and what have they done? We don't know, maybe they were bought by you with money. The cunning Pocus added.

"Very good, very good, in addition, our army needs the grain hoarded in the farms and cultivated fields in the Muruka River valley, as a logistics reserve, and we will definitely give the corresponding reward." As if he had accomplished a great mission, Rabinus sighed and said happily, "Caesar has paid the debt for his ambitions, but great Pompey, your vengeance has not yet been avenged, and Lybidaeus is still at large, and the burden of restoring the republic is borne by me—I was swayed by private kindness, but now I have a higher goal in my mind." ”

Supported by 10,000 desert warriors, Rabinus decided to use a fierce offensive to win the subsequent greater support of the two kings, and he was absolutely familiar with the formation of this very characteristic group of warriors in the previous battles of Africa - he mixed light infantry and light cavalry in a two-to-one ratio, and placed the Spanish cavalry in the rear and on both flanks, this tactic would have a very significant surprise effect in the flat and endless desert terrain.

"Forward, forward, all warriors! Before Lybidaeus arrives, we will sweep directly to the Tumr River, where we will crush any enemy. ”

First, 4,000 light horsemen rushed directly to the city of Kirta, setting fire to the surrounding farmlands and villages, and then they split into two, one remaining to continue the siege of the royal city of Numidia, and the other continuing to advance, towards the city of Tara, the palace in the southwest, even if it had to cross a barren land that was thirty miles long, but it was nothing to the Mauritanian cavalry.

In a short period of time, most of the important stronghold towns in the west and south of Numidia fell under the blitzkrieg of Rabinus, and only the port of Hippo, which was defended by the Hipius legion, was still held on to like an isolated island in the ocean.

The Hitius party now had no cavalry, because all of them had been taken away by the chief, and only two thousand infantry remained, and hundreds of armed immigrants, guarding the walls and ramparts, and facing the enemy light cavalry that was moving around outside the city, and the enemy light cavalry who did not know the truth was simply panicked. Originally, there were still Ma Ge's troops, but the only thought of this general now was to run. (To be continued......)