A life of fulfillment is a long life, and we are to measure life by that rather than by time.

- Seneca (famous Stoic philosopher of ancient Roman times)

With the mention of these sad topics, the atmosphere in the study began to become dull; It seemed that the thoughts of the five people had drifted into the distance. The first to come back to his senses was Ahmed, who looked at the pensive Turguta and Gaia and the other three, and sighed silently in his heart; Then Ahmed coughed with a determined expression and woke the four of them up.

Returning to his senses, Tsuguta glanced at Ahmet with a little embarrassment and gratitude, and then said to the four of them: "I called you here today, not only to inform you of the relevant information and Hannibal's movements, but also to discuss with you the next preparation plan. If we relied only on the Great Leptis and the existing army, even if we could defend against Hannibal for a while, it would be useless.

Therefore, we need to adopt a targeted strategic plan to improve our combat effectiveness as much as possible within a month; Even if we can't defeat Hannibal's superior army, we must at least maintain an undefeated posture. Otherwise, the kingdom of Numidia will be destroyed by Hannibal's attack! ”

Ahmet also nodded in agreement: "Yes, if we can drag Hannibal's army to the death for three months under the city of Great Leptis; Hannibal would have retreated without a fight. If we can achieve this strategic goal, even if our plan to dominate North Africa fails, we can still end this war undefeated; The capital province could also be recognised through negotiations. ”

This analysis puzzled Niptassan and Egklos, and Niptassan directly asked, "Your Excellency General Ahmed, why can we remain undefeated and invincible as long as we hold on for three months?" You must know that the current situation is completely unfavorable to our Numidian kingdom, and the kingdom of Hannibal and Carthage obviously occupy an absolute advantage! ”

"Yes, we have now lost not only all the cities we have taken in Baisasian, but also the capital and the capital province; Hannibal would soon be able to regain all of Baisassion. At that time, we were in an absolute disadvantageous position, and Hannibal not only had a stable rear and a strong army; And even a full-scale war against us, how can they give up a low-hanging victory? ”

This time, it was Gaia who raised the question. Although Ahmet has always praised Gaia as a future general, he still lacks experience; He also didn't understand the layout of Ahmed and Zuguta very well, or could be said to be completely incomprehensible. This is why he really doesn't understand why he can hold Hannibal for three months and remain undefeated.

When Tsuguta and Ahmed heard the second general's doubts, they looked at each other and smiled. Ahmet said to Gaia with a little relief: "Gaia, you said that Hannibal can still wage an all-out war against us; Then you will give me an analysis of how he launched a full-scale war? What is all-out war? Also, where is Hannibal's rear stable? ”

Although Gaia didn't understand why Ahmet asked himself such a question, he was always right to answer honestly; So, Gaia sorted out her thoughts. Calmly analyzed: "After Hannibal completed the annihilation of our army on the Western Front, as we retreated on the Southern Front, he could stabilize the entire Carthage territory without bloodshed.

Moreover, he sent fifteen thousand troops to capture our capital and capital provinces; Now that our main army is stationed at the Great Leptis, Hannibal is well placed to attack the kingdom of Gaturia from the province of Numidia. Not only that, but if Hannibal's ambitions were big enough, he could even march from the province of Numidia to Mauritania.

Coupled with Carthage's naval superiority, the total strength of our kingdom is scattered everywhere and cannot be rushed to help, and sooner or later it will be broken by Hannibal's army one by one. I don't know exactly what happened in Mauritania, but the garrison of Gaturia was no more than 5,000. It was simply not enough to defend against Hannibal's attack; Isn't this yet a full-scale war? ”

Gaia's analysis was well organized, and Niptassan and Egclos nodded frequently, while Ahmet and Zuguta shook their heads helplessly; The two of them involuntarily came up with the same sentence in their hearts: Gaia is still too young and inexperienced! Ahmed didn't want to let the three generals guess like this; began to patiently explain:

"It is impossible for a full-scale war to break out, and not to mention whether Carthage itself is stable or not, it is impossible for Hannibal to attack the provinces of Caturia or Mauritania from the provinces of Numidia; Because Gaturia was a pure desert area, it was difficult to march and supplies, and it was impossible for the Carthaginian army to exert much combat effectiveness in the desert, and it was impossible for Hannibal to do such a thankless task.

Secondly, the province of Mauritania is not controlled by us. It was a province controlled by Prince Adheba; In addition to the 3,000 elite cavalry already stationed there, there was also the elite Salah regiment under the personal command of General Salah. If that alone was not enough to stop Hannibal and Carthage; But Prince Adheba is no simple character.

After he took control of the province of Mauritania, he not only expanded the army within the province. He also had a relationship with the Augustan family in Rome; Judging by our intelligence, the Romans should have sent an elite army of hoplites in Mauritania. This legion was part of the combined legion formed by Adheba and the Romans, which also had an infantry legion of 6,000 men and a cavalry legion of 7,000 men.

With such a simple calculation, Adheba already has 40,000 elite divisions under his command, and it is impossible for Hannibal to take the initiative to provoke Adheba; This means that the so-called all-out war cannot be fought at all, and Hannibal can only attack us who are stationed in the Great Leptis. More importantly. In fact, the internal stability of the Carthaginian kingdom is not very stable, and they also have their own open and secret battles.

The Senate of Carthage and Hannibal were already full of contradictions, and when Carthage was facing an existential crisis, they might be able to unite together; But this crisis has now been completely resolved, and the contradictions between Hannibal and the Carthaginian Senate will soon erupt. So, Hannibal's rear was not very stable either. ”

At this point, Ahmed stopped; You can't leave Ahmet alone, and Tulguta should show himself properly. Of course, Zuguta understood what Ahmet meant to stop, and he also tacitly agreed:

Of course, these are not the main reasons why we were able to hold out for three months and go undefeated, the real reason was the ambition of the Romans; Our war with Carthage must have been watched by the Romans at all times, and they certainly did not want Hannibal to complete the conquest of us. Because that would have contributed to the strength of Hannibal and the expansion of Carthage.

With the relationship between the Romans and the Carthaginians, the Romans would certainly try to find a way to delay Hannibal's attack; Even they may launch an attack on Carthage for this. What do you think the Augustans of Rome collaborated with Adheba for? It was nothing more than trying to get war horses from Mauritania and win over Adheba to deal with Carthage.

So, as long as we can successfully hold Hannibal's attack for a maximum of three months; Whether it was the Senate of the Carthage land, or the Romans far beyond North Africa. They will all do anything to help us end this war. Otherwise, once Hannibal grows into a giant that no one can control; Not only us, but they will not escape the judgment of fate!

The three-month period is the maximum period that Ahmed and I have speculated, and it may not take us three months to end this war; But only if we hold on to Hannibal's fierce offensive for three months. Otherwise, even if they had the intention of holding Hannibal back. We won't have a chance to seize the moment. ”

After the analysis of Turguta and Ahmed in turn, Gaia and the other three really understood the current situation; It turned out that the form of Numidia was not as bad as it had been imagined, and Hannibal's advantages were not as unrivaled as imagined. Perhaps, as Zuguta and Ahmet analyzed, as long as Hannibal was able to withstand Hannibal's attack for a maximum of three months, everything would be better.

Based on this idea, the atmosphere in the study room began to slowly become positive; Anyway, that's everyone's hope, isn't it? In many cases, people can always burst into a stronger potential when they can see hope; The three of Gaia are not as pessimistic as they were at the beginning, and this is the time for everyone to discuss the specific strategic arrangements.

It's not so much a negotiation. It's better to say that it's an announcement; Tulguta and Ahmet had already come up with a rough plan when they came to the Great Leptis, and tonight was mainly a concrete arrangement. As for why all the information was communicated to Gaia and the other three generals, wasn't it to prevent possible accidents during the battle?

The rest of the ordinary soldiers would have said that if Hannibal, in his attack on Leptis, had made known the predicament of the kingdom of Numidia at this time; The unsuspecting commanders of the army knew the news, and the consequences were unimaginable. Now inform these commanders of all this information in advance, and if something unexpected happens, they will not be too passive.

Now that Gaia and Niptassan and Egkolos had received this information, and had decided to hold on; Then the time has come when the new appointments should be specifically announced. Once again, Tulguta showed the majesty of his king, and commanded to the generals present:

"General Ahmet, your mission is to be the commander-in-chief of the frontal walls of our army. All the armies defending on the walls belong to you, regardless of the type of troops; Your immediate forces are 7,000 elite infantry and 3,000 light infantry from the former Ahmet Legion. As for the other 4,000 shield cavalry of the Ahmet Legion, they were temporarily withdrawn.

General Gaia, your mission is to lead 10,000 light infantry to defend the city walls; Before the order of General Ahmed. Your army is responsible for defending the other three walls. If Ahmet gives you other orders during the siege, you take General Ahmet's order as your first order and must obey it!

General Niptasan, your task is to lead 10,000 young men to serve as a reserve for the defense of the city walls; Whether General Ahmet needs support or General Gaia needs support, you must send reinforcements as soon as possible. If both parties need support at the same time. You must put General Ahmed's needs first; I believe that General Ahmet will coordinate the defense of the walls.

General Egclos, your mission is to lead eight thousand javelinmen as a mobile unit; If something unexpected happens on the battlefield, or if we need to take the initiative to relieve the pressure on the defenses on the walls, your cavalry unit will act as the active force. I hope you can do your job well and don't let us all down!

Generals, before Hannibal's army reached the Great Leptis; Ahmet, Gaia, and Egkrus are tasked with coordinating the training of your army for war. As for Niptasan, your task is to train the young and strong while leading them to strengthen the city walls; We had to complete the reinforcement of the walls within a month! ”

Looking at the serious expressions of the four generals, Zuguta threw out a piece of good news: "Of course, we are not the only ones who defend the city; At the time of the decision to withdraw here, I had already sent an emissary to the Libyan provinces. In half a month at most, the most elite garrison of 5,000 troops in the Libyan province and the newly recruited 10,000 lightly armed infantry will come to the Great Leptis to support us! (To be continued.) )