Manius grabbed Catiline's arm and said bitterly: "Don't trust these unrighteous barbarians, as long as you send a can of wine, they can pay you their son at any time, even what happened to Turus in Rome now, we don't know at all, only that he failed to get up." Catiline, my comrade-in-arms, I plead again, charge the blockade in front of us one more time, and we are done, instead of following these ill-intentioned brutes, and turning back to what Feysmalbo is, as far as I know, already by Marcus. Metra's legions are occupied, and we are followed by Neruda, so it is dangerous, we will be attacked and broken at any moment! ”

"Neruda, I have an agreement in advance, he will not embarrass me too much, his previous performance has proved that this old friend's heart is still on my side." At this time, the Gallic envoy held up the papyrus scroll in his hand, on which Catiline saw very clearly that there was indeed the seal of Liantulus and this tribe of Alobrogis, "Look, this is the proof, we can really go to Modier, we should have gone to Gaul a long time ago, yes - there are a vast number of warlike foreign warriors who are dissatisfied with the old Roman government, at my disposal." Manius, blame me for trusting Liantulus too much, and he kept assuring me in his letters that he could start a successful revolt and help me to take Rome, so that our stay in Etrunia had been in vain. Now, since our friends in Gaul have made it clear that they are willing to assist, we must abandon our illusions, change our ways, and go to Gaul steadfastly. ”

"It's you who should give up your illusions!" Manius couldn't take it anymore.

At this moment, a large man with blond hair and an ugly face in the rebel ranks confronted one of the Gallic envoys. Slightly winked.

In front of the blockade ramparts. Hundreds of soldiers guarding the party. Lined up in a rectangular formation, the flag bearer and the trumpeter were playing a sentimental tune in the midst of the smoke and dust, and Milu, Tagus, Pop, and Calabis, whose mouths and noses were still bleeding, stood at the front of the line, their faces stained with black dust. He carried a fighting sword dripping with blood in his hand.

"As long as we hold on for another half a day to a day, Catiline must retreat." According to the previous estimate, Calabis said to the comrades next to him.

"The premise is that we can hold on for so long under the attack of the veteran front line on the opposite side, and now we can only go head-to-head with them." Milou replied.

Calabis rubbed his nose again and muttered, "Isn't that why we're at the top of the line?" ”

Then, standing in the sea breeze, they had been blown for a long time, and the Catiline position, which was a few flems away, began to retreat gradually. I couldn't believe my eyes, and thought it was an illusion of light caused by the sea and the blue sky. Everyone stood at their combat posts, watching, but still did not dare to move, until the enemy on the opposite side retreated safely in waves, with the huge golden eagle flag.

It was only two exactly two hours after the departure of the Catiline brigade that Calabis sent a ten-man squad to spy on the outpost.

At night, they stood still in the sea breeze, their legs stiffened, until the spearhead reported that the enemy had indeed withdrawn, and had turned back to the valley. Everyone didn't say a word, and they all sat down on the ground

About half a market day later, Catiline's illusions were finally shattered, and the messengers of the so-called Alobrogis tribe slipped away on horseback from the mountain road in the confusion of the march. And by the time all the rebels reached the Fijumalbo Pass, as Manius had said, there were already five battalions of elite soldiers, all of whom were Marcus. of the Metra Legion, and had already built a well-groomed camp.

The Neruda army behind was not at all as soft as an "old friend", and pursued relentlessly, and the rebels of Zuihou Catiline were surrounded between the mountains and the enemy's positions, a narrow plain sandwiched between the mountains, called Pistoria. At this time, many people who were not strong-willed, who only wanted to follow Catiline to kill Rome and plunder, including many slaves and even veterans, quietly slipped away with their weapons halfway, and Catiline entered the army at hand, leaving only thousands of loyal supporters, still living and dying, but in addition to their blood and bravery, their combat effectiveness was really worrying.

Catiline stepped on the makeshift meadow, and the reservant next to him erected the morale-boosting "Cimbri" eagle flag, this Roman reformer and radical, although he had hesitated and hesitated before, which had led to the present desperate situation, but in this poor way, burst out to fight to Zuihou, and he exclaimed impassionedly to the whole army: "Yes, my friends, my warriors, the responsibility for the present disadvantaged situation lies with me. I trusted the promise of Lentulus and rejected the advice of Manius, which led to the tragedy of the whole army now being encircled. I also know that words do not make a man brave, and the words of a commander do not free a languishing army, but I believe that it is in your blood to take up arms and fight, because we are engaged in a noble cause, we are fighting for the republic, for freedom, for life, while they are fighting for a handful of powerful people, and cowardice and despicability are their nature, should we be afraid of such enemies? You could have died in exile, or you could have returned to Rome to beg for your life, but we are all true men, and we cannot bear this humiliation. Xenophon once said: 'If a man chooses to flee if he wants to live, he is simply insane, for only the victor survives, and the cowards who flee are far more likely to die than the warriors who hold their ground!' ”

With that, he drew his sword abruptly, "Let bravery be your strongest bulwark!" Even if we fall here today, then let the enemy pay the saddest and heaviest price, do not be a prisoner, do not be slaughtered like an animal, let the enemy tremble at your proudly fallen corpse! At this time, all the rebels burst into tears, drew their swords or spears, and shouted in unison.

After speaking, Catiline strode up to his mount, untied its reins, and stabbed it in the back of the buttocks, and the horse roared twice, and ran twice around its master, and when he understood his master's wishes, he flicked his tail and ran toward the distant hills—and the rest of the generals followed suit, and drove away their mounts and pack horses, and the valley was filled with the echoes of horses galloping, to show their determination to fight to the death. (To be continued......)