Caesar listened to the debate between the two and asked, "How many of Pompey's soldiers have surrendered to us?"

"There are more than twenty thousand infantry, including the First Legion and the 15th Legion (previously reassigned from Caesar's command by the Senate and later merged into Pompey's army), but only more than 300 cavalry," Antony replied.

Caesar pondered briefly and said in a deep voice, "Antony, you lead the Ninth, 10th Legion and these more than twenty thousand surrendered troops, and quickly go to capture Dyrrachium! I believe that once the news of our victory in this war reaches there, the enemy will certainly have no heart to hold their ground. You should be able to successfully capture Pompey's camp and rescue your poor brother along the way."

That last remark made Antony feel a bit embarrassed, and he cursed inwardly.

"If he's still alive, have him lead a force north along the coast to cut off the retreat of the Nix people. If he is unfortunately dead, pick a suitable general to carry out this task yourself. Then, you lead the main force across the Adriatic Sea and rush to the Northern Italy Province to rendezvous with Trebonius. I will appoint him as your deputy general to jointly counter the invading Nix people.

Be aware that the Nix people are very different from ordinary Gaul tribes! As far as I know, they have a large population, are relatively wealthy, and have strong manufacturing capabilities. More importantly, their army seems to be organized according to our Roman military system, and their tactics are somewhat similar to ours—"

The crowd was quite surprised to hear this.

"It is evident that the Nix people are very aware of our Roman strength, yet they still dare to invade, indicating that they are well-prepared and confident that they can defeat us!" Caesar solemnly advised Antony, "So you must not be careless. If you find that the Nix army is indeed tricky, do not rush into battle. First, steadily defend Padua or Verona and Hostilia, keeping the Nix army blocked around Aquileia to prevent them from ravaging more of the Northern Italy Province!

Wait until I finish the war here, then head out to meet you and completely resolve the Nix threat! If you defeat the Nix army, remember! Do not risk crossing the mountains to attack their territory. Wait until I return, understood?!"

This last sentence, spoken with a heavy tone, made Antony's heart skip a beat, and he promptly responded, "Understood, Caesar!"

Caesar paced a few more steps, still frowning, "If the Nix invasion lets the Gauls know, it might lead to trouble. You must not relax your vigilance there! If the situation seems amiss, I permit you to temporarily form two more legions!"

"Yes, Caesar!"

After Caesar had finished speaking, the secretary quickly wrote down the command according to his intention. Caesar glanced at it without making any modifications, signed his name, and handed it to Antony, advising earnestly, "Once you reach the Northern Italy Province, act cautiously, consult frequently with Trebonius, and humbly listen to his advice…"

"Caesar, rest assured!" Antony nodded earnestly.

Caesar, in fact, still felt a little uneasy.

He understood Antony, recognizing that the young man lacked political talent. Previously, when left to manage Rome, his performance was not satisfactory. But militarily, his capability was commendable, including effectively organizing reinforcements to join him across the sea during the battle against Pompey...

However, his approach could sometimes be too straightforward; if he commanded independently, would the enemy exploit this weakness?… Despite these concerns, there was no one more suitable than Antony in whom Caesar could place his trust and who was capable of undertaking this heavy responsibility. Therefore, he could only suppress his lingering unease.

Caesar drew a deep breath and announced loudly, "Inform the 13th Legion and cavalry to complete their rest as soon as possible. After I finish my meal, I will personally lead them to pursue Pompey! The rest of the troops must catch up by tomorrow, just as Sula said earlier, we must relentlessly pursue Pompey, leaving him no time to regroup his army for a counterattack, thereby allowing us to capture him quickly and end this war!"

"Yes, Caesar!" everyone responded in unison.

Caesar surveyed the crowd, feeling both the surge of ambition and the profound weight of responsibility.

Indeed! Should he lead troops back to aid the Northern Italy Province? Or continue to pursue Pompey?… Caesar would certainly choose the latter first; he must personally capture Pompey, a great Roman general, to make the wider populace realize who the true power of Rome is! Furthermore, he intends to lead the army to destroy the Nix Kingdom, acquiring the wondrous paper printing technology, thus creating a new glory for Rome!

When that time comes, adorned with countless honors, what else could he not achieve?

........................

Antony led his troops back westward; however, news of Pompey's crushing defeat at Pharsalus reached Dyrrachium faster than he did.

The conservative elders staying there were panicked, and even the soldiers started mutinies.

Cato wanted Cicero to take command, using his prestige to stabilize Dyrrachium's situation.

Cicero refused outright.

Seeing the chaotic and irretrievable situation, Cato finally decided to lead a part of the garrison still loyal to him and flee to Cyrenaica by sea.

When Antony's army arrived at Dyrrachium—Pompey's camp, they found the camp gates wide open, and the remaining soldiers lined up to surrender, led by none other than Antony's brother, Lucius.

"Lucius, by persuading the soldiers to surrender, you not only avoided compatriots slaughtering each other but also secured Dyrrachium stronghold for Caesar, definitely a great merit!" Antony declared loudly in public.

In truth, Lucius played little role in the garrison turmoil and eventual decision to surrender to Caesar. Once they learned it was Antony leading the forces, the officers pushed Lucius forward to avoid incurring too much wrath from Antony.

Antony simply went along, attributing this success to his brother.

"Tsk, tsk, Antony, you've improved in the few months we haven't seen each other!" a voice with a sarcastic tone emerged from the crowd.

Antony recognized the mockery in the words and was furious. Upon seeing who spoke, he suppressed his anger and retorted, "I wondered who it might be, turns out to be Pompey's most loyal subordinate—Lord Cicero, why didn't you flee with Pompey?"

"My loyalty lies only with Rome!" Cicero approached Antony, speaking neither arrogantly nor humbly, "I followed my heart and joined Pompey, but his incompetence saddened me! Now I'm preparing to return to Rome, of course, you can arrest and detain me!"

Antony extended his right hand, spread his fingers, and deliberately grabbed at the air in front of Cicero's face, seeing Cicero instinctively move back, he laughed heartily, "Rest assured, I'm not interested in you. Go wherever you wish, just don't linger before me."

Antony was acutely aware that although Cicero stood with Pompey, his relationship with Caesar remained close. Even after civil war erupted, they continued corresponding occasionally. Therefore, any hasty punishment towards Cicero might incur Caesar's displeasure, better to leave this smooth-talking fellow for Caesar to handle.

Antony turned away from Cicero, surveyed the surrendered soldiers, and shouted loudly, "Roman citizens, you were previously deceived by those foolish Roman Elders, following the rebellious Pompey against Rome! Reality has proven that justice will ultimately triumph over evil, great Caesar has achieved victory in this war, and the disturbing Pompey is on the run. He will soon be captured, and order will return to Rome! You have made the right choice at this moment, which is good, but it doesn't absolve you of your past mistakes!—"

He paused deliberately here, making the surrendered soldiers feel tense.

"Fortunately for you, your luck has turned; the Barbarians from the north are invading the Northern Italy Province right now, and Caesar has ordered me to repel these invaders of Roman lands and murderers of Roman citizens. If you're willing to fight for me, head to save the residents of the Northern Italy Province, you will no longer be Romans' sinners but heroes in people's hearts! If you exhibit bravery on the battlefield, you will be rewarded! I ask you one last time, are you willing to follow me to the Northern Italy Province to fight?!"

"Willing!! We are willing!!!…" The eager shout from the surrendered soldiers, desperate to escape their embarrassing predicament, was in unison.

Meanwhile, Cicero, standing on the side, felt quite astonished since the Northern Three Provinces had deliberately concealed this, he hadn't learned about the "Barbarian invasion of the Northern Italy Province" until now. Unwilling to face the tensions in Rome until the old order is restored, Cicero resolved to follow Antony's army to the Northern Italy Province and have a look.

.....................

Compared to a month ago, Aquileia City has undergone significant changes, not only are the city walls dilapidated, but a Dragon Flag flutters prominently on the ramparts.

Inside the city, in the original Roman Legion Council Hall, gathered the leaders of the Nix Army. Amidst the noise, the voice of the Germanic leader Icaroby was the loudest: "Recently, our Germanic warriors had just breached Padua, yet before we could seize much, Maximus compelled us to return and attack Aquileia!

Finally, having taken down Aquileia City, as we led our troops nearly to Padua, we received orders again, insisting we hurry back! If the King of Nix doesn't clearly explain why we're being tossed around, we're ready to disband!…"

"King Maximus has arrived!!" The guards outside the hall announced loudly, abruptly halting Icaroby's complaints, bringing a profound quiet to the hall.

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