Chapter 30 The Crown Falls to the Ground (Part 2)

After the Ipos palace declared its fall, Ptolemy XIII, who lost his crown and seal, fled from Alexandria in a hurry under the protection of the border guards and a few palace attendants. He originally planned to escape to the Idaoui Fortress. But news and intelligence came that the Hormarch army there had officially rebelled, so the Pharaoh could only panic and rush out of the city gate towards the Nile River continent.

Unfortunately, Ptolemy XIII's army encountered two legions that had just landed and were heading towards Alexandria, namely the Thirty-three and Thirty-fourth legions, also known as the "Pontic legions" and the "Black Marine Corps", Ptolemy XIII hurriedly ordered the army to attack these two legions.

But Adiana's men were by no means idlers. They were very familiar with Roman tactics and immediately began to dig trenches and erect fortifications along river banks and sandy areas. When the Egyptian army rushed up, the commanders of these legions He asked the soldiers to hide behind the wooden fence and observe the opponent's movements. They found that Ptolemy XIII's men were completely unprepared when they approached the position, so they immediately sent out a large number of harpooneers (the Black Sea region is rich in such elite soldiers). The lightly-armed troops (light infantry) rushed out with shouts and quickly and violently threw javelins at the enemy. Then the cavalry troops also launched attacks from all over the fortifications. Many of the Egyptian rabble were killed and drowned, and they were miserably defeated. Motamenes was at a loss, unable to break through the defense of the Pontic legion, so he had no choice but to ask the old centurion Septimius who was accompanying the army for strategies. As a result, the other party asked for another five thousand drachmas, and then said sincerely Tell the Egyptians: It’s a priority. It means choosing a dangerous place for all the troops and horses to set up camp to resist the Roman attack. You can also wait for an opportunity to rush out.

At this time, the veteran Serapion suggested that we must not listen to this foreigner again. He is very treacherous. Since the enemy already has two legions here, we must go south immediately and then take a detour to the border desert. . Neither Thebes nor Nubia can go, so even if the army moves quickly, it will suffer heavy losses. But Pharaoh's safety can still be guaranteed.

"However, I still have to wait here for the chief of the palace guard to arrive, because the crown and seal are in his hands, otherwise I will flee to a remote area. How will I be able to order the leaders of each Nome in the future?" Ptolemy Thirteen said dissatisfiedly, and Serapion became even more angry. He immediately accused Pharaoh and said, "You are surrounded by people like this, eunuchs and foreign traitors, but you have never listened carefully to your loyal subordinates. Suggestion: When Caesar first came to Nochias with his lone army, you couldn't hold back for even one night and launched an attack in advance recklessly and irrationally; then Diotusos tricked you into thinking that he would destroy the whole thing first. The Egyptian fleet has now defrauded you of your crown, scepter, and seal. He is a spy planted by the Romans. How stupid can you be to bet the fate of the entire country on this man? "Ptolemy! Thirteen immediately howled like an aggressive rooster, saying that Serapion, as an imperial man, dared to offend the pharaoh's sanctity on the spot, and immediately called the eunuch to take him down and execute him. But Serapion couldn't hold himself any longer, and his followers angrily drew their swords to protect their general. Stabbing and slashing at the Pharaoh's seat, Ptolemy XIII was so frightened that he crawled around on the ground of the tent.

General Xiebeikehu on the side was still silent.

then. Serapion took his border guards and all withdrew.

After nightfall, Shebekhuye and his tribe abandoned Pharaoh and left.

By the next day, there were still more than 10,000 people left around Ptolemy Thirteen, but most of them were palace personnel rather than troops. They could only follow Septimius's subordinates and find a place between the plains and rivers. On the isolated high ground, the camp was well erected. Many high-level slaves who had previously been pampered in the palace, wearing silk clothes and playing musical instruments, also started doing menial work out of loyalty to the Pharaoh.

"This camp is well set up. There are high slopes on both sides, and there is also a gentle slope facing the swamp. Then building a section of fortifications in front of the swamp can well contain the enemy's attack. In addition, the only way out is that It is a small river with very steep banks, and the decisive battle in the future will take place here." Septimius's comment made the Pharaoh and the eunuch feel temporarily relieved.

"As long as we can win a few defensive battles, we can continue to negotiate terms with Caesar and surrender." Motenmenes said to the young pharaoh with a tearful voice.

About noon that day, Lepidus personally led a large number of cavalry and archers, and the smoke billowed down the river. "Sabo, go and quickly observe the situation of the enemy on the opposite side!" The cavalry commander quickly jumped off his horse and joined the guards. He ate on the floor and asked the young staff to complete the task.

After finishing a simple meal, Sabo returned on horseback and said, "On the other side of the river, the enemy has a large number of cavalry and light infantry guarding the front, trying to prevent us from passing!"

"Can you go around it?"

"No, because this tributary goes straight forward and flows into the Nile. We cannot bypass it. The enemy's camp is in a very good position. They have also set up towers and ships on the side facing the Nile. They can intercept us at any time. military."

"Then let's attack from the front, Sabokemus. I'll sit behind and leave the front line to you." After saying that, Lepidah leaned under an isolated big tree, wrapped himself in his cloak, and snored. Over there He turned a deaf ear to the whistling arrows and the cries of battle.

As a result, before he had even napped for half a day, Li Bi Da suddenly felt his face burning. He woke up with a grunt and realized that the shade of the tree above him had disappeared. The scorching afternoon sun of the Nile River pierced his skin directly. Then he brushed off the dust on his armor and looked back, only to see that the trunk of the big tree he had been leaning on had been cut down and carried away by the soldiers running around.

"Hey, leave me at least one!" Lepidus shouted to the soldiers who were running forward holding the tree trunks, but no one paid attention to him. This was another order from Sabo. Then the cavalry commander stood up with a gilded baton and found that all the trees he could see were cut down in a short time. Then he saw the soldiers lined up in a protective team and clamped the cut trees in a relatively low place on the river bank. Then the brave selector led the soldiers encouraged by the high reward and bravely stepped on them to attack. More and more tree trunks were placed on them. Later soldiers covered them with willow branches and soil. After stepping on them, the cavalry also crossed over.

After the close-range field battle, the Egyptian army collapsed instantly. Lepidus's army bravely pursued them, killing more than 600 enemies and seizing 200 war horses. They stopped in front of the enemy's camp fortifications.

Soon, the two legions of Pontus also rushed over to join the group, and Lepidus completely surrounded Ptolemy XIII on the high ground.