Chapter 2 Cyrene Highlands (Part 1)

"Neither shield nor breastplate can withstand the power of arrows." - Byzantine historian Procopius

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After completing a series of religious rituals in front of the altar, some of the silent crowd, including warriors, women and children, as well as monks and priests, began to cry. As a result, the crying became louder and louder, becoming more and more uncontrollable. In the dirty muddy water, with steamy rain strands on his hair, David Anget was not wearing armor, but a teacher's robe, with his beard carefully trimmed, standing at the corner of the altar, and began to To give a speech.

In fact, people knew that once the weather cleared up, the Romans would quickly rebuild their siege equipment, smash the temporary wall, and turn the acropolis into a sea of ​​blood. All the meat and grain would be exhausted, and there would be no resisters left. To take up arms and fight again, the scholastic teacher and commander-in-chief, the "Sword of the Messiah" should have demanded that everyone who wanted to win the "Kingdom of Glory" should commit suicide in front of the temple.

But David Angett’s following speech hopes that all people can survive, “I have no right to ask anyone to lose their life. I am not the Messiah, a secular king, or a Roman governor. I am just a scholastic lecturer who fought against injustice. I am responsible for the survival of the entire Yazda Fortress, but you should not die. You have sacrificed a lot of blood in the defense of this fortress, and the names of those who died in the war will be forever remembered. chant, but the survivors have a right to live in peace for the rest of the day - I will die in a day. I commissioned Paon to sacrifice my head after receiving the order. To choose obedience like a true soldier, that is to lay down your arms, leave Yazda, return to the city of Cyrenaica, and tell the suffering people there to give up any extreme thoughts and emotions and wait for God's salvation." He lowered his head gently and prayed a few words quickly. There were wailing and reluctance from the crowd, as well as sporadic scoldings. A few people called David Ankit a coward, but after praying, this man's expression changed. Calmly walked into the apse of the temple...

The next day, Lepidus was standing at the coach's tent on the outer wall, with a solemn and respectful attitude. He took over David Anget's head, although he prohibited anyone from committing suicide indiscriminately. However, five scholastic students died with him. Paon was responsible for delivering the heads and relics. Lepidah opened the box without saying a word, and under the candlelight, counted the things left by the Hasidic general. The first thing is a note attached to the scroll, with a phrase written in Latin on it, "I have made my choice, it's time to go next." The remaining items were an Assyrian scimitar still stained with blood, a half-worn robe, two teeth left for his wife and children, and a dark linen money bag. Lepidah untied the rope and dropped it. On the box, there are thirteen drachma silver coins, plus nine Opo small silver coins. This is Ankit's final legacy.

"Saab, how many Hasidic men and women are there in the Acropolis? Have they been counted?" Lepidah's voice was a little trembling.

"All of them added together, there are still 2,200 people."

"I forgive you. Tomorrow we will all gather at the camp at the foot of the mountain. I will distribute enough food and luggage to you. I will not infringe on your property. You will leave on your own within the next three days, but you are not allowed to approach the Yazda Fortress. Within a radius of twenty miles, if you are caught by my attached cavalry, you will still be punished by beheading. As for my friend David Anget, I ask all the centurions and tribunes to allow me. Calling this heroic deceased like this, I will bury him properly according to the etiquette of a king."

The battle against Yazda lasted for nearly four months. Seven hundred of Lepidah's subordinates were killed and about 2,000 injured, so a rest period of one to two months was needed. However, this time Lepidah was uncharacteristically, and after the burial, After David Anget, he immediately led the Cyrene Army and the Serapis Army, which suffered relatively small casualties, to rapidly advance towards the north of the Tostone River, while the Thirteenth Army, which suffered relatively heavy casualties, was temporarily under the control of Petheneus. Take charge and be on standby in Yazda.

In the next war, according to Faobinas's opinion, after the Battle of Yazda, there will be no large-scale resistance in the north of the Torstone Valley: the order book Ankit gave to Sabo before his death, foreign With the residual power of the Battle of Yazda, the former fanatical believers gradually lost the courage to fight. Like the indigenous residents of the Maxius, they came to the gate of the Lepidah Camp to ask for mercy. And Lepidus kept his promise to Angit. He returned food, farming tools and livestock to everyone, ordered them to rebuild their homes on the spot, protect all temples, whether Jewish or Greek, and also exempted them from taxes for the coming year.

In the northern valley, more than thirty fortresses located in the cliff valleys all surrendered within two market days.

When the army came to the city of Cyrenaica, no one believed that the city still had any vitality. There were only a few sails and smoke. Lepidus sent a messenger into the city, and the Hasidic elders, of course, were still alive. The people quickly negotiated peace. In fact, they were not so much waiting to fight the Romans as they were waiting for rescue. "Immediately allocated some food and sent it to the city square to relieve all the people and pay attention to maintaining good order. Yes, with "Go in with weapons and shields." Lepidus ordered Antony. Later, he was not at ease with him and sent Sabo as a supervisor to "assist" Antony's actions.

Then, Lepidus led Alp's guards and rushed to David Anget's home in the west district of the city. His wife's eyes were so hungry that they bulged out. She leaned under the big tree in the courtyard and looked at this man. The ceremonial guard of the King of New Cyrenaica immediately confirmed her husband's fate. She tried hard to prevent herself from falling due to hunger and grief. She grabbed the tree trunk and dug her nails deeply into it. Several servants walked into the courtyard, and the children They were all skinny but still in good spirits. They sat in the shade of a tree or by the stove to save their energy, and the servants handed them bread and water.

"If any of you die, I will feel guilty for the rest of my life, madam." After Lepidah dismounted, she solemnly handed over her husband's belongings.

"It doesn't matter, we should still be able to hold on for half a year. Many people, men and women, who have returned alive from Yazda will come to my yard to provide some food relief. Unfortunately, their lives are precarious." Ankit's wife replied calmly, " But some people came to the door, wrote insulting words, and then left. Fortunately, they did not invade our home. "

"Your husband is a great soldier. When he fought with me, he did nothing to disgrace his troops and friends. He is a hero of Yazda. Your family will still stay in Cyrenaica, and I will do everything for you." If you buy a house and property, your children can follow me and enter the city of Rome in the future, and then go to Apollonia or Athens to receive education." Lepidus' words are indeed very sincere. (To be continued...)