Chapter 16 Lepidus Castle (Part 1)

"You can hardly tell the difference between an invitation and an order from the emperor." - A proverb from the Roman Empire

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But Adiana also wrote a letter to the other party of the siege, Marcus Brutus, telling the philosopher general the outcome of the war in Coracula.

Brutus put the letter dejectedly on the small table beside the couch and groaned in pain. He couldn't even find someone to discuss with. The officers and soldiers of the Ninth Legion of Macedonia only obeyed the orders of Cassius. They respected him on the surface, but they still regarded themselves as literati in their bones. "Brutus? Sir Brutus should be in a city like Athens, studying some geology, plants, or topics about republican monarchs. Letting him lead the troops is no different from torture for everyone." Sometimes, the chief centurion of the legion teased like this in front of the soldiers and the flag officer.

Therefore, the actual command of the front line was completely in the hands of several tribunes and centurions, and Cassius commanded the fleet to block the sea between Asia Minor and Greece. Therefore, he was the only one left on the entire Tacton front line, and he had no real power. He was just a rubber stamp, stamping the order boards sent by his subordinates every day.

What's more, the so-called friendly army Menander brought a full 10,000 bronze shields this time, which were reorganized in the Bosporus, plus 2,000 Scythian and Sarmatian mercenary cavalry. He didn't take his legion seriously at all. In terms of joint operations, Menander simply regarded him as a "vassal ally", and was domineering to the Macedonian Ninth Legion, making things difficult in the camp, logistics and combat missions. The officers and soldiers of the legion thought that they were the number one legion in the Syrian province before. Now they are not only inferior to others in terms of numbers. They are also looked down upon by the monarchs of the Roman vassal states. Everyone is angry, and Brutus is the role of being bullied in the middle. After reading Adiana's letter, Brutus was sad. He felt that Pompey's camp had no way out. Pompey himself and the remaining legions were living in Africa, and were surrounded by Spain, Sicily, and Cyrene. The war situation in Greece and Asia Minor. Now there were only three legions of Scipio, one legion under him, Cassius' fleet, and Menander, a vassal who was still on the same side. Their fate was "unknown".

However, due to the conflict of ideas and the blood feud of his uncle, Brutus had to persist. He grabbed Adiana's letter again and thought hard about how to break the deadlock, but in the end he secretly sent an urgent letter to Cassius at the port of Caria:

"Pompey's elite troops in Greece and Macedonia have all been annihilated. I believe you will also know this news soon. I am not going to intervene in the internal strife of the Pontic Empire. These barbarian monarchs, whether male or female, are all taking advantage of the civil war in the Republic to make a profit. I decided to withdraw the Ninth Legion as soon as possible. This is almost the only bloodline of the true Republicans. You must gather the fleet. We must rush to attack the East before Caesar and Lepidus attack. General The team was pulled to Crete, and then brought to Africa as safely as possible. This would involve great risks, because do not underestimate the speed at which the Greek and Asian city-states changed their flags. I look forward to your reply, my dear friend Longinus. "

Then, Brutus heard the earth-shaking sound of battle. He walked out of the tent and saw Menander's army padding the catapults with rolling logs and advancing towards the wall of Tacton. However, the jagged tower terraces on the city shot interlaced and tricky stone bullets, which easily smashed Menander's siege equipment one by one. The light infantry of the Bronze Shield Army was about to approach the wall with a ladder, but was hit by a series of arrows shot from the crossbow arrow holes in the dark lower level of the tower, killing and wounding the ground.

This is the outstanding creation of Philo, a Greek engineer hired by Adiana. The noose-style continuous-shooting belly bow has a power between the Roman scorpion crossbow and the ordinary belly bow. Although the range is not far, it can fire continuously and shoot forward, which is very effective in dispersing the enemy's light soldiers attacking the city.

"It's just a stubborn, ritualistic and stupid war. I can't continue to accompany it!" This was the only thought of Brutus after seeing this scene. Then he didn't want to wait for Cassius's reply, so he summoned the centurions on duty and asked them to issue an order to withdraw the camp, "Go back to Ephesus first, settle down, and then go directly to Cartier to meet our fleet!" This order of his was the only time that he was deeply trusted by the entire camp, so soon the soldiers in the entire camp carried their luggage and left the city of Taktun at night when Menander was fighting and bleeding under the city.

After Brutus left for no reason, Menander realized this. While angrily cursing the Roman general for being unfaithful, he could only discuss whether to stay or go. However, many generals and officers worriedly suggested that if so many troops were stranded under the city of Tacton and retreated hastily, they would be pursued by the treacherous Adiana.

"Don't worry, I will lead the Bronze Shield Army as the rear guard, and the light infantry and cavalry will escort the baggage and retreat to Sinope first. Then our army will rely on Sinope to resolutely resist the enemy's counterattack - this is my secondary plan. Since we can't swallow Eubetnia and Cilicia, we must also hold on to the old land of Pontus, so that we can show the impression that my husband and I are the heirs of the Mithraic Empire. Sinope is rich in resources and supplies, and with the support of Achilles' fleet, we can quietly observe the direction of the Roman civil war. There will always be a way."

In this way, Menander, who "always has a way", arranged six thousand bronze shield soldiers in a strict formation in front of the camp in the early morning of the next day, with spears like a forest, and each soldier wore exaggerated and gorgeous feathers. Decorated and carrying a brass shield, Menander and his generals sat on a gorgeous chariot and were responsible for calming the entire army. Then according to the prior plan, the remaining infantry teams and packhorses began to retreat one after another.

"Her Royal Highness, do you want selected cavalry to pursue you?" Biduita knelt down in awe and asked Adiana, who was watching the battle on the tower.

Adiana raised her beautiful eyebrows, looked at the battlefield situation for a while, and said, "No, the Battle of Taktun was completely a glorious victory for our Royal Army. As long as the Roman cavalry commander's men arrived in Minor Asia, instead of If we join forces, we will easily defeat the arrogant and rebellious kingdom of Bosporus."

At this time, after resting for about two market days, Caesar's army in Cocula had begun to march eastward according to the two predetermined routes.

Lepidus' five legions raised up, deliberately three days later than Caesar. After offering sacrifices to the gods, they walked along the old road of Thessalia towards the province of Macedonia again. The mighty team It was about ten Roman miles from beginning to end. Among them, Lepidus led 3,000 elite cavalry and galloped all the way. After hearing the news about the battlefield of Cocula, the towns along the way did, as Brutus expected, and Lepidus. The horses' hooves raced at the speed of defection. Next, Lepidus' five legions seemed to be conducting a grand armed parade - food, servants and money were provided everywhere. The army did not stop until the Macedonian city of Pella. steps. (To be continued...)