"If the defenders are well-trained and ready to fight, it will be increasingly difficult for the attackers to defeat them." - A battlefield witness in the Hundred Years of War in Britain and France

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Curio was very confident in capturing Utika City. He had sent spies to mingle into the city. After hearing about the outcome of the battle outside the city, many people in the Chamber of Commerce and the Presbyterian Church began to quietly contact him, especially the leader of the Chamber of Commerce Galba, the respected old man, who encouraged everyone to give up their unnecessary resistance and prepare to drive away the Pompei Party at the right time and present the city.

But on the other hand, Curio did not dare to take it lightly, because he knew that Pompei and King Juba might appear at any time, so he sent a token officer to ask Marclus and Maximus from the old battalion to lead some oarsmen to ashore and connect the old battalion of Gonelus and the camps that had been seized from Tulas, because there were wheat fields, grasslands and salt ponds around, and the resources were abundant. He planned to build a huge position to attack Utica. Even if Pompei and King Juba came, retreating would be enough to defend until Caesar's main force arrived.

"Send a good news to the dictator. Even if I am not the governor of Sicily now, I still ask the remaining financial officer Ebro to recruit another army of recruits and several cavalry to cross the sea to send them, so that the war in Afiriga will end in my hands early."

Just as Curio was operating at the highway, King Juba, who was sitting on the throne wearing a lion-headed crown, was discussing with Pompey to send more reinforcements.

In this negotiation, Pompey came to the palace of Kilta alone. He had almost no troops. Except for a small number of entourages, both of his direct legions stayed at the border of the trenches in Massia, because Pompey was Pompey, and his fame in Africa and the East was well-known thirty years ago. "In Africa, even a lion must learn to obey the Romans' judgment!" This is Pompey's famous saying when he was young.

Now in front of King Juba, this Roman darling, "Alexander the Great" produced by the Tiber River, is still majestic, but he is indeed old. King Juba also knew from Spain and other places that during the Roman civil war, Pompey had lost most of his legions, in other words, he was almost at the end of his journey.

There were three chairs in the main hall of the palace. Pompei stood there and suddenly felt that King Juba did not trust him very much, but was wary.

It is because of the inexplicable meaning of these three chairs.

Numidia was a Roman vassal state, so it is logical that people like Pompei came to the palace. Their status was on par with the king, so King Juba could not sit on the throne to receive him. He had to put two extra ivory ring chairs, and the two sat down on each other and negotiated.

But King Juba made three moves, and then the young and powerful king with Greek braids slowly sat down on the chair on the left, then made a very respectful invitation gesture to Pompey, and quickly talked quickly with the queen standing next to him, the former Princess Selene of Mauritania, who was standing next to him.

Soon, Pompei realized that today was not the time to put on airs, because the most trusted Jewish slave around him, Demethlius, was familiar with local dialect and customs, because when he was young, he had dealt with ivory merchants in Mauritania on the coast of Galilee. Demethlius quietly and quickly stretched out a small piece of pottery in his sleeve. Pompeius glanced at the eyes, and only the Greek word "to the right" was scribbled on it.

Then, Demitrius quickly took back the small pottery piece. No one saw it. Pompei looked around, then held the edge of his robe in his hand and sat on the chair on his right easily.

The chair in the middle was empty, "Let the gods who witnessed friendship sit!" Pompei said politely.

When King Juba saw this scene, he laughed happily after hearing this. He said to Queen Selene in Greek that he could bring wine and delicacies to the kitchen in the rear. He was willing to sincerely entertain the king of Rome. Selene brought a large group of slaves to salute everyone, and then headed to the corridor on the side to the garden outside the palace.

There, Queen Selene saw her son, who was lying on the window of the garden wall with interest, and together with several slave playmates, looking at everything in the inner hall. After seeing the mother, the child asked in unusually fluent Greek, "Is that the great Pompey? He disappointed me a little. Legend has it that he is like a lion, but I think he is an old man."

"That was a smart old lion. Although the blood of this lion has weakened, it can still defeat young enemies with cunning and cruelty. Listen, go back after watching it. This scene is far less simple than you think, child." After Selene finished speaking, he patted his palms twice. At this moment, many people with swords and bows suddenly appeared in the bushes and secret doors of the garden. After the queen made two gestures to them, the group nodded and quickly dissipated into the night.

Juba immediately covered her mouth in horror and slowly retreated back to her room. Selene smiled twice and walked towards the kitchen with his followers.

If Pompey just sat down, the chair in the middle, then King Juba might have murderous intent. He is a supreme guy who has always been committed to the dream of the Great Numidian Kingdom. In fact, whether it is Caesar or Pompey, they must ensure the status of their kingdom. Even King Juba tried to annex Mauritania, Getulia and Cyprus and other emirates. Now the civil war between the Romans happened to be the best time, so he put out three chairs to imply that Pompey was not allowed to sit in the middle. Numidia and Rome were separated from each other, which was an equal relationship.

"Oh, my friend, I think what you have asked for is a bit heavy for our country. I have already sent free military forces on both sides of your Excellency. I have sent tens of thousands of cavalry in Leptis and Zeta, and I have three or four thousand volunteers in Utica." At the banquet, King Juba cunningly stated that he was no longer able to do so.

Demethlius replaced his master and talked to the other party in clear and fluent Greek. "No, Dirkutpopompei hopes that His Majesty will do all the strength of the whole country and dispatch 40,000 to 60,000 troops as soon as possible to go to Utica to fight Caesar's army with the decisive battle!"

"What a joke! Behind the city of Kilta, the Gatulians and the Mauritanians were eyeing my territory. If I had deployed so many military forces, who would have guarded the border and the palace?" King Juba expressed his negation readily.

At this time, Pompey turned his body and whispered a few words to Demethlius. Then the Jews officially announced to King Juba: "As long as your Majesty agrees to our request, it can guarantee that all the troops that Caesar would be annihilated before the end of spring. In addition, we will give the former site of Carthage, that is, the Uninia area, to you free of charge, and give you the power to conquer all the hostile tribes in the west." (To be continued, please search Piaotian, the novel is better and faster!
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