Chapter 14 Admonition (Part 2)

On the second day, Caesar rode alone to the northern defense camp and specifically requested to inspect the 9th and 11th Legions, accompanied by Lepidus and the injured Decias. &

Caesar seemed to have a deep meaning in doing this. The two legions suffered a shameful defeat in the battle the day before. Many tribunes and centurions were trampled to death, and the soldiers discarded more than 30 team flags and camp flags. Judging from their previous performance, these two legions have become the biggest "shortcomings" in Caesar's entire war machine.

"Now the 9th Legion is the last in the regular legion sequence, and the 11th Legion is the last in the auxiliary legion sequence. If we consider the performance of the former in the Gallic War and the latter in the former Bosporus Kingdom War, and compare it with the current situation, it is really heartbreaking." These are Caesar's original words. In other words, he needs to concentrate on admonishing and give these two legions, no, even the entire army, a spiritual baptism.

In the camp, surrounded by forests and sandy land by the sea, amid the roar of the sea, the remaining 2,000 soldiers of the Ninth Legion and the remaining 1,800 soldiers of the Eleventh Legion (the rest were either killed or wounded in battle, or disappeared) gathered together in dejection and fear. They did not even dare to hold up the eagle flag and team logo, because many people believed that Caesar would punish and disband these two legions that were always defeated. Caesar rode a white horse in front of everyone. He asked everyone in the two legions to raise their heads first. "The battle of the day before yesterday is over. Those who survived will face the future. Those who indulge in emotions will only be cowards who will never get courage. Now some people are always thinking about this failure. Yes. The Ninth Legion and the Eleventh Legion did suffer a disastrous defeat. Twenty experienced centurions were killed, and the eagle flag of the Ninth Legion was almost taken away by the enemy. The situation of the Eleventh Legion was even more disturbing. Almost half of the people saw the enemy coming from behind, and they didn't think of resisting firmly, but fled!" Hearing this reprimand, the soldiers lowered their heads again, and Caesar sighed and said. "This scene reminds me of the battle between the ancestors of the Republic and the Punics at Cannae. Perhaps you have seen many accounts of how we Romans died heroically in that desperate situation, but that was not the case. Some people went to clean up the horrible battlefield at that time. Most of the Roman soldiers who died in the battle dug a hole in the earth with a small pickaxe and buried their heads in it, allowing the enemy to slaughter them - this is the sad end of cowards. Bravery and decency always belong to the few elites who persist in fighting. Therefore, I implore everyone present to continue to fight for me and use the subsequent glorious victory to wash away the past shame. Now there is another group of people who think this way. They always feel resentful about a failure. Didn't we win so many victories in difficult environments? In Gaul, in Germany, in Italy, and especially in the two Spains, we destroyed three legions at a time, but we still eliminated the enemy's most elite troops and the most strategically experienced troops with perseverance and fighting spirit. , so it is not terrible to fail once, but it is terrible to let this failure offset the pessimism of the previous ten victories! "

Caesar's words mobilized the emotions of all the soldiers. They shouted in unison, asking the dictator to give them the latest combat orders. Even if they could die on the spot, they would accept it without reservation. Many people shouted "Julius, Imperato", but Caesar suddenly shouted loudly when he was waiting for them, interrupting them with a stern voice, "But in the end, I still want to ask you, who is responsible for this war?"

The dictator's tone was extremely severe, which made Lepidus feel puzzled, because in the previous joint meeting of generals and officers, Caesar had generously taken all the responsibilities for the defeat on himself, admitting that he was arrogant and rashly surrounded Labinus' superior forces without sufficient logistics and military strength. If Lepidus had not arrived in time, it would inevitably lead to a disastrous defeat.

But in front of the soldiers, Caesar's tone and attitude changed obviously. He continued to put on a frightening face and scolded the soldiers present, "Aren't you lucky enough? When the enemy fleet covered the entire sea, you can still arrive here safely instead of being buried in the belly of the fish. So complaining about the goddess of luck is useless. If you think you are unlucky, see if you have put in real hard work. I, Julius Caesar, have led the troops to defeat the enemy again and again, occupying favorable terrain, water sources and camps, and firmly holding the enemy. We are trapped in the city of Cocura. It is entirely because of your cowardice and negligence that the enemy succeeded in the surprise attack. Therefore, none of the responsibility for the failure of this battle should be blamed on me, Caesar, but all of it is your fault!"

"It is all your fault" was like a thunderclap, shocking the remnants of the two legions. They felt ashamed as death. Many people wondered why they let unnecessary fear occupy their hearts. If they took up their weapons and defended the camp and fought hard, would Pompey's soldiers really have one more pair of hands and one more pair of eyes than those Gaul barbarians?

"I declare that the designations of the Ninth Army and the Eleventh Army will be temporarily retained for another year, because the war against the national traitor Pompey is not over yet, and you still have a chance to restore your honor. But today's battle still requires accountability to the end, that is All team standard bearers, due to their inability to protect the flag, were all transferred to the centurions to serve as ordinary soldiers, and all extra salary and allowances were revoked." After Caesar finished speaking, he extended his hand to all the soldiers in a military salute, "Now you are united. The front is under the jurisdiction of General Lepidus, because the old supreme commander here, Dichias, has also been dismissed. I wish you good luck." After that, the dictator rode away.

Decias was so ashamed that he didn't even dare to ride the horse. He subconsciously covered his wound as if it was a mark of shame. But Lepidus ran up to him and said, "On the Egnatia Avenue, Pompey square." The four legions also quickly fled towards the east. The supply line from Illyria to here has been restored. I suspect that Libo, Sextus and others will soon leave with Rabinus's army, so the hard days are about to end. ”

The other party looked at Li Bida and didn't understand the deeper meaning.

But Lepidus did not have any deep meaning. He just said, "Cities such as Sarona and Issa raised a batch of wheat from the barbarians. In addition, Epirus and Aetolia also obtained sheep cheese and Pork - the soldiers of our legions can finally relieve their hunger and fatigue!" (To be continued, please search, the novel will be better and updated faster!