Chapter 23 Meeting with Kalenus (Part 2)

Initially, the city of Corduba sent four priests wearing wolf skins, holding spears tied with olive branches, leading a white sheep, standing at the gate of Lepidus' camp, and demanding an audience with the high priest.

Lepidus was not polite. He directly sent several centurions to pull in the priests who represented the sincerity of peace, broke their spears, tore their clothes and robes, and then took off the olive branches. Each of them was tied to a wooden pillar in the square of the camp and whipped fifty times, making them bleed. "Go back to your city. It seems that the elders of Corduba don't know how serious their crimes and mistakes are. This time I just whipped you. If you make me dissatisfied again next time, I will cut off the right hands of all the messengers and all the men in the city." Then, the soldiers in the camp kicked the four out one by one.

A mule cart, carrying four priests who were beaten and bleeding from their mouths and noses, returned to Corduba in a miserable state. Soon, the elders who were in despair held an emergency meeting. They once again sent a delegation of 15 nobles to the camp of the high priest, waiting for any punishment from the honorable high priest with an "absolute attitude of apology" and "absolute humility and silence".

This delegation came to the solemn camp tremblingly, facing the walls and towers lined with sharp stakes, which were full of fully armed soldiers. The smoke coming out of them added to the mystery and terror. Several centurions with fleshy faces came forward with murderous intent, and then stood silently in front of the trembling delegation, never saying anything. After a long time, the trumpet of the military camp sounded. Two cavalrymen holding staffs ran over. They said, "The high priest has allowed the delegation to meet." Then one of the centurions turned his head and signaled the envoys to enter the camp.

Several military slaves wearing small hats ran out of the secret door of the camp first, and then pushed open the gate of the camp with a groan. The fifteen nobles of Corduba could only bite the bullet and slowly walked in under the scolding and intimidation of the centurions in front and behind.

After entering the door, standing on both sides of the camp gate. First, the infantry and cavalry of King Lius and Numa's legion were neatly arranged in columns. The infantry wore round helmets, fluffy and exaggerated colorful feathers, and held neatly long swords and lances in their hands. The cavalry wore pointed Persian or Gaul helmets, loosely led the quiet horses, and held maces and battle axes in their hands. Many people held high the "Mom" brass pipes whose reputation was now spreading throughout the Iberian Peninsula. This made the fifteen nobles who were negotiating instinctively shrink their necks and involuntarily speed up their pace.

Go forward. They were veterans from the 12th and 15th Legions. They all had ferocious faces, scars all over their bodies, and eyes full of murderous intent and disdain. They deliberately made their armor and cloaks dirty to appear different from the new recruits. The nobles who were negotiating were uneasy, fearing that they would offend these murderous devils somewhere, so they hurried their steps faster.

Finally, they came to the commander's tent. The weapon rack in front of the wall was full of whips and fascist axes for chopping off the heads of criminals, as well as the elite black warriors of Medjet standing in front of the door. "Take off all your robes." This was the order of the leader Alp.

What? This is the treatment for defeated prisoners. But if there is any word of defense now, it will bring disaster to the whole city. After thinking it over, the nobleman who led the group stripped naked first, and the others followed suit. Soon, fifteen "naked pigs" wore olive branch wreaths on their heads and filed into the high priest's tent.

Lepidus sat in an ivory armchair, using a baton to tease a Spanish dog that was roaring and howling around. Then he looked up and saw fifteen naked messengers lined up in a row. He pretended to be surprised and asked who was doing such a thing to make the noble person in Corduba receive such treatment?

As a result, the high priest deliberately went back and forth in anger and looked for the person responsible for the matter everywhere, while the naked messengers trembled, miserable and ashamed. Finally, the staff in charge of the documents finally confirmed: This is the order issued by the high priest yourself yesterday.

Li Bi Da pretended to be stunned for a while, then laughed, patted his forehead, and shouted, "Look at my memory, it's starting to show signs of decline, "Hahaha!" Then the high priest continued to laugh heartily, and sat down on the armchair, and the fifteen ** men also laughed with him, and the laughter immediately filled the tent. And the Spanish dog, with its vicious black eyes, walked around in front of everyone, as if staring at everyone's key parts, ready to bite them at any time.

Until then, the high priest also nodded slightly with his baton, and the attendants beside him returned the clothes and robes to the fifteen nobles and asked them to put them on collectively.

"I was furious yesterday, so I issued this irrational order. But today I was busy with military affairs and forgot to cancel it. I'm really sorry." The high priest explained with a little apology, and then he snapped his fingers again. The Spanish dog with a hot tongue snorted again and ran back to the high priest. "But there's no need to be hypocritical, right? So I will directly announce the resolution on the disposal of Corduba City, okay, gentlemen?"

The envoys collectively nodded hurriedly, "The city of Corduba does not need to hand over hostages, but it must pay a fine of 20 million sesterces and bear the supplies consumed by our army from now on, such as cheese, wheat flour, One-third share of fodder, olive oil, etc. - these, my scale masters will issue a list to you soon. Also, the city of Corduba, and the other eight surrounding towns, will be released from now on. From now on, all city defenses will be handed over to the Thirteenth Legion, and the city walls will be demolished, trenches will be filled, and fortifications such as deer villages will be built. I will return eternal peace to the residents and tribes of all Spanish provinces."

Three days later, the city of Corduba suddenly opened its gates. Polo led two brigades of the Thirteenth Army into the city and took over the garrison work.

At this point, Lepidus's five legions had taken control of the first-line town barriers such as Corduba and Uriah. Along the Baibatis River, they divided the military strength of the two legions of Raus and Sextus into north and south. Two parts that don't depend on each other.

Next, it was just a question of who to strike first. Lepidus decided to attack Rous first. The only two remaining legions of the opponent were Spanish local auxiliary legions. As long as they adopted repressive and intimidating tactics, Rous's troops themselves Those who know how to disperse will no longer have to go through any hard battles. (To be continued...)