"If you pursue too high a moral code, tranquility will become mad, and right will become wrong." ———— Horace

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"But." Peternius, who was sensible, was still ready to persuade the commander-in-chief, "Marcelia is indeed a very glorious city, and Caesar has told us many times not to destroy the city of Miè, let alone Cato the Younger." ”

"Caesar said this on the premise that before Ilarda had suffered defeat, eighty percent of our wooden siege engines had been burned because of the treachery of the Masserians, and the surrounding trees had already been cut down, and the Liguria region was running out of supplies—would you want me to wait another ten years for the trees here to re-establish before we could conquer the city?"

So all the generals fell silent, ready to start a strong attack, anyway, the city's nobles were also killed, and the city defenses were almost destroyed, so it was not very difficult to capture the acropolis. But Marclus, who had been standing in the corner, said in a very calm tone: "I advise you, Your Excellency the Commander and Governor, that it is better to keep the city of Marcellia. Because the policy of excessive cruelty is not applicable in this time when the two are fighting, after all, it is not to raid foreign cities, it is a vassal of the Republic, and you are driving the neutral forces to the enemy's side. ”

"What kind of neutral force is Massella, it is a crime of treason to be an enemy of Caesar and close the gates, not to mention that it deceived me who was ready to accept surrender! There is a limit to my kindness, and perhaps there is some misunderstanding. It can only be eliminated with a sword. Your Excellency the Attorney-General. Now in such a world. Perhaps your set of rules no longer applies, and now there is nothing but ruining it to calm the anger of me and my soldiers; And what could have alleviated Caesar's crisis? After the servant next to him bandaged Lypida's arm, the governor generously offered, "Invite the commander of the Ligurian army, Itassos, to come." ”

When Itassos shrewdly figured out what was going on with him, he changed into a full uniform. Riding in the busy barracks, he galloped from the camp on the shore of the old port east of the city to the camp of the commander, and immediately went in, and very respectfully asked the governor what instructions he had.

"If I destroy Miè Massella, can you answer the question of yes or no, on behalf of your state?" Unexpectedly, Li Bida came to such a sentence.

In other words, Li Pida was actually asking the entire Ligurian city-state to destroy the city in front of him. Whether it will make them happy - if it is an affirmative answer, it is likely that the commander-in-chief will immediately mobilize the elite troops. Raze it to the ground.

There was still lightning outside, and it was raining densely and misty, but Itassos was obviously dumbfounded, he thought for a while, and raised his eyes to look at Li Bida, who was pacing around, and the other party didn't seem to have much patience to wait, so he muttered, "Can I ask the Council of Elders of the Despicable State?"

"No, it's too late, please decide now." Li Bida vetoed it without delay.

Finally, after thinking about it, Itassos finally put together his thoughts: "If you want to destroy Miè Marcelia, please save as many walls as possible, docks, and warehouses." ”

"This is natural, I will immediately petition the consul to appoint three hundred veterans to serve as sentinels, so that Massella's vassal status will not change."

"And what role will our army play in the siege of the horse?" Next, Itassos understood that he must be cool.

"Because the capture of this city is in the greatest interest of your state, the Ligurian Legion is in the vanguard position, and the personnel in the city are at your disposal, but if you encounter little Cato, you must leave his life and leave it to me." Li Bida was satisfied with Itassos's answer, "And Triari, it seems that he has retreated back into the city, and I don't know where he has gone, and I need him to avenge Claudius." ”

Itassos repeatedly agreed, and of course he began to reciprocate, because Libida gave them the benefits of the city-state, such as asking for a corresponding price, "Liguria will soon emigrate three thousand to five thousand families to revive the city here." In addition, the city of Marcelia will then become a bridgehead and supply port between Caesar and Spain, and we will build docks, warehouses, and granaries for your army, and provide fleet support in the event of war! ”

Very good, then there is no need to delay, Li Bida decided on the spot that the Ligurian Legion would draw six brigades to serve as the vanguard, and after three days, they would attack the city with all their might, and the Sixth Army Corps and the Sixteenth Army Corps would also draw five brigades each to serve as second-line troops. In addition, eight wild donkey stone throwers, twenty cavalry cannons, and the fifteenth legion were concentrated in the positions around the siege towers of the giant beasts, and when the time came, they would strike a destructive blow to the city defense of Massella.

Within three days, the city of Marcelia was in chaos, most of the elders and nobles had died in the previous melee, and those who survived had lost the courage to lead the city-state, and all of them were feasting on their own doors, hiding in the altar and basement, shivering surrounded by armed slaves, waiting for the bloody apocalypse. And the common people were even more miserable, those who had no rations were like rats and died in the corners of drains and temples, and those who had little rations were huddled in the darkness of the city, and the eyes of fear and hatred stared at the alternation of night and day from time to time, and everywhere were the cries of babies, ominous cries.

Cato the Younger gathered the remaining two or three hundred soldiers and broke into the temple of the immortal god in the city, who was now completely radicalized, and could not understand why he had come to the city to defend himself against Caesar's rebellion, but in the end, the city and the entire army had to turn away from his beliefs and ideals. Am I not qualified to integrate a vassal autonomous city?

"It's the people of the city who are at fault, they are too selfish, too cowardly, and after a few frustrations in battle, they go back on their word and have no courage to resist. And I, I can't escape, just as my great-grandfather threatened to destroy Carthage every time, yes Carthage, a hundred years ago, when this magnificent city fell, the nobles and lowly in it were about the same as I am now, full of powerlessness of a rat in a bag. I can't break out of the ocean, and the hope of the Renus River is slim, and the cavalry of that bastard of Li Bida will catch up with me, or Caesar's men, in short, I will do what they want, become a prisoner, and suffer contempt and insult, the Cato family will never have such a thing, never! In front of the flames of the altar, Cato drew his shining dagger and secretly held on to his senses.

But the soldiers who followed him soon plundered everywhere, and they did not have the same high ideas as Cato the Younger, but only knew that they needed food and military supplies for street fighting, which was the most natural thing. So right in front of the temple, these people began to kill and rob, and the cries shook the heavens and the earth. (To be continued......)