Chapter 31 Apollo's Fountain (Part 2)
In the coach's camp, after handing over their sabers, the envoys came to Lebida. They all had beautiful beards, but their eyes were sharp, as if they wanted to see Lepidah through.
"Is the city of Barka still in the hands of the city-state?" Unexpectedly, Lepidus was the first to ask such a question. He was very concerned about the few months that his own army had stayed in the southern kingdom of Libya. Calgary, is it holding on?
At this time, one of the messengers was thin, wearing a black robe, and his beautiful beard was carefully trimmed, extending to his ears. He replied to Lepidus in fluent and steady Latin: "The city of Barka has been captured by us. The hundreds of remaining mercenaries inside have all surrendered. We will release them all with a forgiving attitude. They should be heading towards the Torstone Valley at this time. I hope your army can take them in so that they will not be left in the river. Starved to death in the endless desert of the south.”
"Is this what you mean? Do you think that the five-city country of Cyrene is owned by you Hasidis?" Lepidah's words contained a touch of sarcasm, but he didn't know how arrogant these people in front of him were. Can the Jews understand that now I have 20,000 soldiers on hand, and in the name of the Egyptian Ptolemaic and Republic double conquests, you must know that if you try to stop me in vain, you will suffer the same fate as the Garamantes.
The Jewish envoy with the prettiest beard rolled his gray eyes twice, and then explained, "No, we Hasidis naturally do not want to be enemies with the Republic or the Ptolemaic royal family. In fact, our riot is against Cyrene. As can be seen, the Hasidic Jewish believers living in this kingdom are not the same as those in other areas. They are mostly engaged in animal husbandry and local trade unions. After working hard for a year, all the animals we raised were taken to pay taxes, but those bureaucrats in the city-state with high hats use drachmas or dinars as the yardstick to measure our taxes. The price of agricultural products was reduced to an astonishingly low level. Each family had a tax of fifty dinars a year, and the tribute tax to Rome was divided into five dinars per person and a chicken. Only three ass are converted, and one cow is converted into one sesstus. If the tax burden cannot be solved this year, it will be extended to next year. Maybe the commander will laugh. In the city of Cyrene, we Hasidim are usurers. The victims are mostly Cretan and Greek merchants, so our children cannot survive. Now, children, I must destroy this unjust city."
Lepidus was speechless after saying this. The people who rebelled against tyranny were inherently righteous, so he took a sip of wine and whispered, "I heard that there are dignitaries in Rome who are supporting you behind the scenes." Riots, I think if you can identify who it is, then I will consider solving the Hashidi problem in a peaceful way.”
Naturally, Lepidus's words definitely refer to something, and that is Pompey's most trusted servant Demetrius, who was the leader of the "four lands" in northern Judea (Edom, Judea, Samaria and Galilee). Le) was born in Galilee. According to Lepidus' investigation, he was also a Hasidic believer, and had provided some money through Pompeii to build temples and scholastic schools for the Hasidic sect. However, in fact, he secretly sent 800 Tallent buys weapons for Hasidis to riot. The person who caused the situation in Cyrene to get out of control was Lepidus himself. At this moment, he hoped to coerce the Hasidids and let them come forward to accuse Demetrius and leave a huge stain on Pompey's political career, so that he could legitimately control Living in the protruding corner of Cyrenaica, Crassus's eyes are now focused on the east. Caesar has been staying in Gaul. The one who can cause interference here is none other than Pompey, and he must be cleared out.
"Sorry, I don't know what to say, but I have to tell you honestly, Your Majesty the Commander-in-Chief. We Hasidis do not recognize your title of King of Cyrenaica, and your supporters in Rome will also The people will accuse you of arrogance." The messenger's confidence was actually stronger than Lepidah's. "As for the donors, there are our believers all over the world who are selflessly devoting themselves to building the true Messiah's kingdom. Can you identify them one by one? We can first build a beautiful temple in Cyrene, and then return to the Promised Land to establish the most righteous Jewish kingdom without oppression and guided by the Messiah.”
"Your vain utopian fantasy can only poison your believers in the end." Lepidus blurted out the word "utopia" with some excitement, and then suddenly realized that this word had not appeared in the era, so he cleared his throat and continued, "I have 20,000 people under my command. Of course, the commander is not bragging about anything. Among these 20,000 people, there are Cretans, Cypriots, Romans, and even Egyptian natives and Nubian blacks. In terms of weapons, some of them are good at using swords, some are good at using spears, some are good at naval battles, and some are good at archery and stone throwing. I came from Cyprus. To Pelusium, to Alexandria, Thebes, and then to the southern desert of Libya. So you should be wondering why these people of completely different races, customs, and beliefs are willing to follow me all the time? Nothing, because I used power and money, and on this basis built a base of their loyalty, and then restrained them with strict drill and military discipline, just like putting a bit on a wild horse and using a whip to drive them. Governing a country is the same as commanding an army. What great things can be achieved with fanaticism and ideals alone? Emotionally I pity you, but in reality I laugh at you. So I sincerely I hope to reach a compromise with you on rights and interests - identify someone I have chosen and hand over the city of Cyrene, so that you can gain the support of the powerful political factions in Rome and be free from war and slaughter. I will forgive all the participants in the riots, protect and support you in building your own temple, and expel the local tax farmers to reduce your burden. Such conditions should be very generous, right! "
"I am not bragging about anything. I just want to say that the money given to us by the sponsor has forged a large number of sharp weapons and equipment, and the army of believers who are willing to sacrifice their lives in the Messianic War has exceeded 50,000. Now the fortified city of Cyrene is also in our hands. You only have a small foothold in the Apollo Spring, with a ragtag army without any faith. I am afraid that you, General Lepidus, will be punished by Rome before us. I think we can also reach a deal with your army on rights and interests, that is, the north and the south will be divided, the north will belong to us, and the south will belong to you. You can continue to be the legitimate king of Cyrenaica, and we can pay you some symbolic tribute every year. "After saying this, the envoy who spoke Latin fluently bowed to Lepidus and said goodbye. (To be continued...)