People who befriend you because they are profitable will also disassociate you because they are not profitable.

- Seneca (famous Stoic philosopher of ancient Roman times)

Two flowers, one on each branch; While the Augustus family and Hannibal were in a race against time, Carabes, who had completed the training and reorganization of the three legions, was facing a new challenge. Originally, when Calabes was stationed near the Alps by Flavies, he did not feel that it was a difficult task; Now, however, the problem is rising.

The Alps are located in south-central Europe, covering the northern part of the Roman Republic, Gaul, and Germania; It is arc-shaped, 1,200 kilometers long, 130 kilometers wide-260 kilometers, with an average altitude of about 3,000 meters and a total area of about 220,000 square kilometers. Among them, 82 peaks exceed 4,000 meters above sea level, with the highest peak being Mont Blanc at 4,810 meters above sea level, located on the border between Gaul and Rome.

There are only three places in the entire Alps that can now be massively navigated by humans: a passage northeast of Veneto in the east, a passage northwest of Milan in the center, and a passage in the west of Inner and Outer Gaul; Beyond the Eastern Pass is the independent kingdom of Norikum, and beyond the Middle Pass is the border between Gaul and Germania.

The first two passages are unlikely to have a large army to enter, at least for the time being, except for the last western passage, where a vengeful Gallic army may emerge at any moment; However, this is also relative, and it is not necessarily that there will actually be a Gallic army entering the Gallic region of the mountains to carry out the so-called revenge. This was mainly determined by the composition of the Gallic barbarians.

The whole of the Gallic barbarians was divided into several particularly large tribes, and the territorial boundaries between those tribes were apparently very clearly demarcated; This is also in line with the Roman way of defining provinces, so the major tribes of the Gallic barbarians are also called provinces. However, there was a great disunity among the Gauls; Even if everyone belongs to the same people, wars often break out.

Moreover, there will be many small tribes under every large tribe; In short, the power of the Gallic barbarians was very scattered and difficult to concentrate. Take, for example, the Gallic barbarians who are now outside the mountains of Calabes. The territory of the Gallic tribes outside the mountains is located at the exit north of the western passage of the Alps; The population of the entire Gallic tribe outside the mountains was as high as four or five hundred thousand, but the actual army that could be formed was only one or two thousand.

This is because the largest predominantly tribe of the entire extra-mountain Gallic tribe is the tribe located in Marseille; They were representatives of the entire Extramontane Gallic tribes, as well as the controllers of Extramontane Gaul and the owners of the Maasai. However, they do not control their subordinate tribes as they please; Those large tribes with a population of more than 10,000 will not obey their orders at all, and even use force to oppose them.

And the small tribes with a population of less than 5,000 will not obey their orders. As long as they want to resort to force; These small tribes will suddenly burrow into the deep mountains and old forests of their ancestral homes. Even if everyone was a Gallic tribe outside the mountains, it would be impossible for the big tribes to swallow up these small tribes in the deep mountains and old forests full of traps.

Therefore, this also led to the extremely scattered power of the entire Gallic barbarians, and it was impossible to organize a large-scale army to attack the Julius family; They don't even have to be able to defend well. As for why the two great tribes of Gaul outside the mountains were able to confront the Roman Republic in the north for hundreds of years; The reason is simple.

Because the two large tribes of Gaul outside the mountains had accumulated a great deal of experience through years of war with the Romans, and had also learned a lot of advanced things from the Romans; Perhaps the most important of these is that they learned the unity and cooperation of the Romans. This is also the key to the fact that these two Gallic tribes have been able to survive hundreds of years of warfare; The disadvantage in weaponry was always compensated for by individual prowess, and the tribesmen of the Gallic barbarians were already stronger than the Romans.

Another example is the kingdom of Regulia, which was itself a tribe of the Gallic barbarians; But under the threat of Roman force. Unite within themselves and build an independent kingdom, rather than in close union with other Gallic barbarians. This was true of the Gallic barbarians south of the Alps, not to mention the primitive Gallic barbarians to the north.

The reason why they are called barbarians is because they live a life of tribal division, without the concept of state and nation, only hatred and friendship; If you are Gauls with them, but you have a conflict with each other, then you are enemies. If you are a Roman. But there is no contradiction between you and them, and it is friendly. Then everyone is a friend, and this is the Gallic barbarians.

Needless to say, these barbarians living in the Alps were typical Gauls; Their ancestors were originally tribes living in Gaul south of the Alps or north of the Alps, but due to defeat in the war or other factors, they were forced into the Alps and lived a more difficult life than outside.

Of course. A hard life isn't necessarily a bad thing; At the very least, this life sharpened the tenacity and strength of the Gallics. However, they are full of malice towards people beyond the Alps because of centuries of hatred and persecution of life; So, since more than 200 years ago, they have been robbing pedestrians and caravans coming and going on this western passage professionally.

After each robbery. If the nearby Gallic tribes attacked them with force, they would take refuge in the interior of the Alps, and the Gallic warriors who hated their teeth would return in vain; But later, these robbers will take advantage of the unpreparedness of the samurai to attack their tribe. In this way, it is often those tribes who suffer, but they always do not take advantage; Gradually, no tribe dared to provoke them.

Recently, because of the outbreak of war between the Julius family and Gaul, the caravans and pedestrians passing through the Western Passage disappeared at once; As a direct result, the Alpine bandits had no target to rob. However, in addition to the caravans and pedestrians, there were some Gallic tribes living near the Alps who could continue to feed them.

Unfortunately, the good times were short-lived; After the victory of the Julius family, the tribes south of the Alps were relocated by the Julius family and replaced by the 24,000 army of Calabes. The tribes north of the Alps also migrated north to join the Gallic tribes outside the mountains, fearing the advance of the Julius family.

This can make the barbarians living in the Alps worried, after more than two hundred years of development. The barbarians living in the Alps are no longer the thousands they once were, they have multiplied and grown to tens of thousands; There are so many young and old people who have to eat on their stomachs, and the crops in the Alps alone can't feed so many people.

Moreover, they have become accustomed to living by robbery; It's too late to make a temporary change. As time passed, the Alpine tribes of tens of thousands of people gradually ate up their last stockpiles; If there is no new food, tens of thousands of people will starve to death in the Alps.

But. Where else is there food beyond the Alps for them to plunder? Except for the barracks in Karabes, where the smell of food wafted every day, there were no more people in the rest of the place. Forced to desperation, the Alpine barbarian tribe decided to attack the grain convoy of the large battalion of the Calabesian army in order to obtain enough food and grass.

The real decision was made by Brigo, the tribal leader of the Alpine barbarians, and Magglo, the military commander of the tribe, who, after careful reconnaissance, finally discovered how to sneak up on the grain convoy; According to reconnaissance, they learned that the food of the Karabes military camp was transported every seven days, and the size of each transport was about five hundred people.

But the mere 500 men carried enough food and grass for 25,000 people for 10 days. Perhaps it was because the Julius family felt that this was to transport food and grass within their own family's territory, and they did not need enough guards at all, and only sent five hundred people symbolically. When it was shipped the first few times. Calabis feared that robbers would be present on the way, and once sent cavalry to meet them.

But as time passed, each transport arrived at the barracks unharmed; Therefore, Calabes gradually relaxed his vigilance and no longer sent cavalry to respond. This gave the Alpine tribes a chance, as the military camp of Calabes was stationed near the western pass, that is, in the southern part of the Alps; And when the food convoy arrives at the barracks, it must enter the barracks from the flanks.

This meant that a small part of the way of the convoy had to pass through the vicinity of the Alps; Bandits who were well-versed in the various terrains of the interior of the Alps immediately found a trail. This trail allowed more than 3,000 tribal warriors to suddenly kill and plunder grain and grass from the path that the grain caravan had to pass.

Now that it has been decided to rob the grain convoy, and a way has been found. Brigor and Margelow certainly won't waste this opportunity; Although they did not want to offend the army of Calabes, they were even more reluctant to be starved to death. Moreover, even if Calabes wanted to encircle them, it would not be possible to send a large army into the interior of the Alps, and in the end he would have to do nothing.

Just do it, and three days later, another grain convoy happened to pass through this journey; Brig and Marglo set out with three thousand carefully selected warriors. The plan to rob the Karabes grain convoy was an unexpected success. Brig and Marglow not only succeeded in plundering enough food and grass for 25,000 men for ten days, but also took away the weapons and equipment of 500 Roman infantry.

However, they were also afraid of offending Karabes, so they only plundered the food, grass, and weapons and equipment, and did not harm anyone's life; Five hundred convoys and more than 1,000 transporters were all released unharmed. The Alpine barbarians have provoked a hornet's nest right now. Neither the recently high-spirited Julius family nor the powerful Carabis can easily let go of this barbarian force.

After quickly replenishing a batch of supplies to Calabes, Flavies ordered the three main battle legions of the Julius family and the corresponding auxiliary legions to immediately go to the southern Alps to stand by; Originally, Calabes did not recommend sending a large army against the Alpine barbarians. For these barbarians are barbarians who live in the interior of the Alps, and they are well versed in the terrain and arrangements of the interior of the Alps; It is impossible for superior forces to play a role, only a small group of elite troops needs to be dispatched.

However, the good generals of the House of Julius refuted Carabes's opinion; Insist on using a large army to crush the Alpine barbarians in order to maintain the prestige of the Julius family. Out of the mentality of showing off his strength, Flavis agreed to the advice of his family generals, and finally sent an army of nearly 30,000 men from three legions to attack the Alpine barbarians.

Flavis also rejected Calabes's suggestion and empathetically asked Calabes not to participate in this siege and annihilation, but only to watch; As soon as Karabes saw this order, he knew that this was a way for the generals of the House of Julius to worry about taking credit for their own merits. Fortunately, Carabes himself was not optimistic about the attack; Therefore, I was happy to accept the order.

In this way, Carabes continued to train with his soldiers in the barracks; Gallerius, the general of the House of Julius, arrived in the southern part of the Alps with a strong army of three legions, ready to launch an attack on the Alpine barbarians. The Alpine barbarians, on the other hand, had long anticipated a retaliatory attack, and they had already begun to prepare for war. (To be continued.) )