Soloimorti, alfinedigoderedipacepermanente (Only the deceased can enjoy eternal peace)

- Plato (one of the three great philosophers of ancient Greece)

After everyone left the conference room, the huge conference room was empty and only Oscar and Quintus were left. Looking at Quintus, who was still a little depressed, Oscar silently lamented for Quintus in his heart; As Oscar, who also has a vendetta against Hannibal for killing his father, the moment he meets Hannibal, he awakens an unforgettable hatred in his blood.

Perhaps, the revenge of killing the father is the greatest hatred of this era; What is even more tragic is this: on this day, Quintus watched his father and brother die in battle, and watched the two elite legions belonging to the Scipio family go to ashes; Now, the province of Upper Sicilia of the House of Scipio was about to be destroyed. For Quintus, the blow of the day was too great!

Of course, it was not only the Scipio family that was a great blow; It was a great blow to any Roman family. As far as the Augustan family is concerned, the most elite and loyal to the Augustan family of wolf legions are basically wiped out; The death of the commander of the Belice army and the two generals also brought the number of generals that the family was already in dire need to the bottom again.

Moreover, the loss of each family is not crucial; It was the decisive battle that had a fatal impact on the entire Roman Republic. As long as the Roman Republic existed for one day, the losses of the various families could be slowly compensated for by time; Therefore, how to defend the republic at this moment is the primary issue that everyone should consider.

So, Oscar comforted the silent Quintus: "Captain Quintus, the matter has come to this, you should also mourn and change." I can understand your feelings, more than four months ago; My father, the leader of the House of Augustus, was also killed by Hannibal. Now, not only the legions of the Banu Scipio were wiped out; All the elite Roman legions were annihilated by Hannibal. It is imperative that we find a way to solve the biggest crisis in Rome at the moment! ”

Quintus figured it out before he heard Oscar say that; "Your Excellency Oscar, you are the last Supreme Commander of the Roman Combined Legion appointed by my father on his deathbed; Until the Senate dismisses you from office, you are still my commander, and Quintus will not dare to disobey the orders of the Supreme Commander. ”

Oscar hurriedly excused himself and said, "Big Brother Quintus is too serious! The old general's imminent order Oscar naturally did not dare to refuse, but this was just a helpless move on the battlefield. You and I are all part of the republic, so why should we prioritize in this time of crisis? Whether it's my house of Augustus, or your house of Scipio, or even the Republic; It's time for survival to be at stake, and we need to work together to get through the difficulties! ”

Oscar's sincere words did not make Quintus fully approve of Oscar in his heart; However, at least it also made Quintus's heart feel a lot more comfortable. After all, before Oscar became the head of the House of Augustus; Oscar himself, neither in the Republic nor in any other, can be compared with Quintus, who had already been the head of the Boar Legion for several years.

Therefore, Quintus was very resistant to obeying Oscar's orders; Now it just so happens that Oscar is willing to talk to Quintus on an equal footing, which is good for Quintus so that he will not be too embarrassed. So Quintus said calmly: "I naturally understand the impact of the present situation on us, the families of the republic, and the whole republic; But I really don't have a solution. Oscar, if you have any way, just say it; I, Quintus, will do my best to listen to your Oscar! ”

Quintstan's words made Oscar, who had been thinking about his own little calculations, feel a little ashamed; However, the family's interests are above all else. Oscar could only hold back the shame in his heart, and pretended to be embarrassed and said: "It's not that there is no way; There is indeed a solution to the current dilemma, but ......"

"It's nothing, Oscar, just tell me. No matter what I need to do, as long as I can solve the crisis of the Republic and our family, I, Quintus, will definitely cooperate with you! ”

"However, this solution does not only require our two families to be united; I even need you to be under my command for the time being, Brother Quintus, which really makes me panic! ”

"What's there to be afraid of? You were the supreme commander of Rome, appointed by my father on his deathbed, my commander; You've given me face, and you've made me happy to call me Brother Quintus. What are your plans, just tell me, as long as the current crisis of the Republic and our family can be resolved, I, Quintus, will definitely not say a word, and will do what you command!" ”

The kind and simple Captain Quintus has made our Oscar almost cry with excitement; It's a lucky star from heaven for the Augustus family! As long as Quintus cooperates with Oscar's plan, Oscar can not only resolve all the crises in the Republic at this moment; Even the Boar Legion belonging to the Scipio family and the reconstructed legion of the Fourth Legion can be quietly controlled by the Augustus family, this is the wisdom of Joan of Arc!

So, Oscar disguised himself as embarrassed; Said slowly: "Actually, the solution is also very simple. Before the decisive battle broke out, the Senate had already recruited five fully armed legions; Soon, these five legions will become the new five legions. At that time, the newly formed army of bulls will immediately march to the border between the Republic and the Gauls; The Legion of the Horses entered the Aprian province of the Brutus family and garrisoned the south.

The remaining three legions, except for the Wolf Legion controlled by our Augustus family and the Boar Legion controlled by your Scipio family, are the Eagle Legion of the Maxentius family. In fact, after guarding against the north and south ends; With the current naval strength of the Republic, neither Carthage nor the Greek Peninsula could launch a large-scale attack on the Republic itself.

So, we can join forces to convince the Senate to put the Eagle Legion under our command for the time being. The Legion of the Wolves, the Legion of the Boar, the Legion of the Eagles, plus the First Legion of our House of Augustus stationed in Sardinia; All four legions were assembled in Sardinia, and the Carthaginian navy was restrained by using Sardinia as a forward base with a superior navy, so that it could not launch large-scale cross-sea operations.

In this way, we can confine Hannibal's legions to the death in Sicily. At the same time, we can also use our superior navy to launch an offensive against the Balearic Islands of Carthage; On the one hand, this can weaken the overall strength of Carthage, and on the other hand, it will also allow us to achieve the purpose of running in new legions and training legions for joint operations. Even, when the timing is right; We can also launch an offensive against Carthage's possessions in the Iberian Peninsula.

By the time we had trained the new legions to become elite legions, most of Carthage's overseas territories had been almost occupied by us; At that time, we will completely encircle the whole of Sicily with a superior navy, and cut off all communication between Hannibal's legions and the Carthage lands. In the end, the overwhelmingly superior Roman legions launched another decisive battle against Sicily and Hannibal's legions; That's all I planned! “

Oscar's grand plan did not receive immediate approval from Quintus, and Oscar was not in a hurry, just waiting for Quintus's thoughts; After thinking for a long time, Quintus asked suspiciously: "The problem in the south of the republic should not be very big, but can the north block a possible attack of the Gauls with only two corps of recruits?" Also, when we transfer all the native legions; What if Hannibal desperately launched a cross-sea campaign to attack the mainland of the Republic, and the home fleet failed to intercept it?

Our navy should not be enough to defend the Greek Peninsula and Carthage at the same time. Moreover, if a war is waged against the overseas possessions of Carthage; With the naval strength of the republic, it is simply impossible to draw many more warships. The previous expansion of the five legions had depleted the Republic's weapons and equipment reserves, and the newly built legions certainly lacked a large amount of weapons and equipment; These problems can't be solved in a year or two! “

Quintus is indeed worthy of being the leader of the most elite boar legion of the Scipio family, and the most perfect captain praised by old Scipio. Although he did not see the sinister intentions of the Augustan family against the Scipio legion in this plan, he accurately pointed out many practical problems that needed to be solved in the plan. Oscar had to continue to explain: "First of all, there is the problem of insufficient armament and the number of warships; Before our decisive battle, the Carters family, the largest weapons and equipment family in the Republic, and the Richard family, the largest shipbuilding family, had already relocated more than half of their family's production workshops to Sardinia and carried out a new round of expansion to better cope with the Republic's external expansion. Soon, they will be able to go all out to produce more weapons and warships for the Republic.

In this way, when we are conducting the basic training of the newly formed corps; The weapons and equipment they themselves needed and the warships they needed for expeditions were already in production. I can assure you that the rate of production of weapons and ships will never be lower than the rate of training of the legion. As for the security of the homeland, then you and I don't have to worry about it.

The Navy of the Republic will give priority to the blockade of Sicily; Moreover, Hannibal did not dare to launch an attack on the Republic itself easily. Because without the support of a superior navy, even if his legion landed on the mainland of the republic, he would not be able to return. Moreover, the Republic will soon begin a second wave of military recruitment; The new Second and Fourth Legions, as well as several other legions, will soon be formed. These newly formed legions will be tasked with defending the homeland and supporting the North; Our task is to deal with Carthage and Hannibal and never let them endanger the safety of the Republic! “

Oscar's tireless explanation finally impressed Quintus, who finally made up his mind to unite with the Augustus; Moreover, Quintus himself agreed with Oscar to support him as the supreme commander of the Roman army against Carthage after he returned to Rome. Actually, this point is a bit of a stretch; With Hannibal's current prosperity, the entire Roman Republic, and even the Mediterranean countries, are still thinking about how to deal with Hannibal and his legions all day long, and only Oscar and Quintus are left.

Coupled with Oscar's status as the leader of the Augustan family, and the favorable position of the Augustan family in the Mediterranean Sea at the moment, the decline of the Scipio family at this time; It is even possible to take into account the dying death of Scipio the Elder. Needless to say, although Oscar is younger than Quintus; However, Oscar was more suitable for this supreme commander.