Chapter 29 Acting Command (Part 1)

"Tonight, we can go to Hades, the god of the underworld, to have dinner." - Spartan King Leonidas said to his soldiers at breakfast before the battle at Thermopylae

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This was simply miraculous. The entire camp, including Caesar, began to cheer and praise after being astonished. Cleopatra, who was holding an oak branch in her hand, also stood at the place where the spring water came out. She turned her head and looked like Like a true girl, she smiled proudly like a flower under the rising sun. Her eyes seemed to be falling on Caesar, but she quietly passed a Roman ruler behind his shoulder to another man.

When the troops and horses had enough drinking water, the angry soldiers of the Tenth Legion elected four forward officers and came to meet the dictator and the cavalry commander, claiming that they could now take revenge on the hateful Egyptians because they were actually outside the camp. On the street, a cloak was lifted high with a spear, claiming that it had been dropped by Caesar when he was swimming to escape in the previous naval battle, and they had picked it up.

But Caesar never swam. This was probably captured by the cavalry of the Gorta legion after capturing a Roman officer on land.

This cloak further aroused the anger of the tenth legion, so they took the initiative to invite Ying to fight.

"Now must be the time to counterattack, and General Thecydelius will personally lead you into battle." The reply of the cavalry commander Lepidus standing on the steps of the theater aroused the soldiers to shout happily. By the afternoon, the Egyptian strongholds that besieged the Roman camp were destroyed and cleared one after another. In the sky-high fire and smoke, their siege towers also collapsed one by one. The trumpets of the elite tenth legion. Directly delivered to the city square. There, their advance elite soldiers engaged in a fierce battle with a thousand "elite soldiers" of the Gorta Legion previously selected by Septimius. After about an hour, the opponent completely collapsed, and the blood flowing from the fallen corpses, It spreads directly to the upper part of the base of the sailboat sculpture, making it look like the sculpture is really floating in the sea of ​​blood. The Tenth Legion, whose anger had not subsided, rushed directly into the large library where many enemy defeated soldiers were hiding. Use torches to light thousands of papyrus scrolls stored inside, trap the defeated soldiers inside and burn them all to death.

But the Great Library of Alexandria also turned into a huge burning brazier, and all the thousand-year-old essence treasure books in it were burned. The great library was burned in the fire and the collapsed fragments destroyed the surrounding streets. All the houses in Rome.

In the walled corridor of the Coliseum, Cleopatra saw this scene through the window, with tears in her eyes.

This library was the glory of the Ptolemaic Dynasty. Unexpectedly, it would be destroyed at this moment. She has made great ambitions since she was a child to end the tragedy of internal strife in the royal family that has weakened the country. Unexpectedly, he would now become one of the protagonists of this tragedy. "As one of your father's friends during his lifetime, I can't excuse myself by saying that war is ruthless when I see this scene. Some people say that burning a book is killing a noble soul, so I can only express my heartache and regret for such consequences. "Under the light of the fire, Caesar stood behind and said comfortingly. Then he asked Lepidus, who was having a quick meal with his generals over there, "Is there any way to avoid a similar tragedy from happening again?"

"Bypass the city, enter the city gates by land, and then force Ptolemy out of the city for a decisive battle." Lepidus tore open the dough in his hand, sandwiched a layer of dill seeds in the middle, and responded while chewing.

"Dear Cavalry Commander, can you command all the current legions on my behalf to complete this mission?". Caesar raised his hand and asked.

Lepidus stood up and gave a military salute, expressing his duty to do so, but then he added, "But now is the time for your Excellency to formally express your stance on the issue of the Egyptian throne."…

"Oh." Caesar seemed to suddenly realize it, and raised the wrinkles on his forehead, and then tapped the barbecue spit. As a result, all the generals and centurions stared over.

"I know there is a new term called 'Caesar's luck', but I personally think it's better to refuse such praise, because in the case of Alexandria, I can't be called lucky at all. I originally hoped Mediate the disputes between the children of my old friend, but now it is obvious that some children are relying on some self-righteous advantages to wantonly kill the Luolu officials, imprison the Roman generals, ignore the peaceful goodwill of the Republic, and adopt deceptive means to besiege and attempt to kill the dictator. I have endured enough, and it’s time to support a good pharaoh and defeat an evil pharaoh. On behalf of Dictado and the Senate in Rome, I officially recognize Cleopatra’s authority to rule the Kingdom of Egypt and oppose the trespass! Power, Ptolemy XIII declared war against his father's will. I hope I can see him alive after the war is over."

"Poor child!" cried all the Roman officers, banging their spoons and spits.

When Lepidus' fleet came over, the palace of Ipos was once again in chaos, especially the fireworks in the Great Library, which made people under Ptolemy Thirteen even more panicked. It seemed that the strategy of cutting off the water could not trap Caesar. ——Some eunuchs offered to cover the Pharaoh's escape as soon as possible and flee to the desert in the south. Ptolemy XIII himself also yelled or cried nervously at the generals, asking them what they should do?

Shebekhu remained silent. Mortanmenes knew that he was the culprit and could not avoid it, so he tried his best to urge everyone to fight to the death. In the end, it was the previously deposed Serapion who gave a suitable solution. The Pharaoh should leave Alexandria and seek refuge in the desert tribes bordering Libya before more of Caesar's troops arrived. After all, Caesar's goal was only to plunder and tie Egypt to his chariot. He did not have the energy and courage to execute the orthodox Pharaoh. He still had Pompey to eliminate. As long as we avoid the sharp edge, we still have room for maneuver.

"Going to the desert is too dangerous, not to mention that it is not in line with the dignity of the Pharaoh." Diotusus began to veto, and then he proposed to the Pharaoh that there were many old but still usable rowing boats in the royal dock, and craftsmen and people should be mobilized to repair them, and then the patrol boats used to collect taxes should also be armed, "Because I judge that the Romans will first try to blockade the city and the palace at sea."

Diotusus made such a judgment, of course, he had his confidence, because this was what Lepidus sent to tell him, so the chief of the palace guards then said a seemingly reliable plan in response to the hesitation of some generals, that is, to load small and fast patrol boats with dry firewood, fire, etc., and let them rush along the Seven Mile Dike to burn the Roman fleet on Pharos Island, so that the enemy will suffer extremely heavy losses, and it will also boost our morale and win the victory.

The chief guard's call was immediately supported by the chief eunuch, and the Pharaoh also mustered up his confidence and ordered everyone to prepare for this matter.

.

,