New Carthage, at this time in the chamber of the Senate, everyone watched as Fetanius sat in the middle of the silence, here Fetanius is the biggest official, and only he can have the right to decide on the next action.

"The smoke came from the fort stationed on the western road, and it was certain where the soldier chief was."

"According to the news from the conscripts, the Vandals have made peace with the Alans, and they have surrounded the western fortress, and it seems that the chief soldier is asking for help from us!"

"But we can't find a capable general to lead the soldiers, and the soldiers defending the city will tremble at the sight of the Vandals' banner!"

There was a heated discussion in the council chamber, and only Fetanius was solemn, his face was covered with beads of sweat, like the cold rocks of the waves crashing on the seashore, and even slightly pale. His hand, hidden under Toga's robe, was a piece of parchment that was soaked with sweat from his hands, and he looked around, but no one noticed him, and they were all discussing how to save the soldier Luga.

Matteorius was in the crowd, and he didn't take part in the argument, because in his eyes such a waste of words would not help the scene at all.

"Flavies. Luga, I didn't expect it, you will also have today! He sneered, his eyes locked on Fetanius, his eyes sharp as eagle's eyes, keenly aware of his Fetanius' discomfort and the hands he had hidden under Toga's robes.

"He must be hiding something, these goddamn bureaucrats!" Matteorius thought to himself that he couldn't change anything, but he knew that the situation was getting more complicated and far more than they expected.

The argument soon broke up, but to the surprise of the crowd, it was Fetanius, who did not say anything, but was the first to get up, leave his entourage, and hurried out of the meeting as if fleeing.

"He must be hiding something!" Matteorius muttered to himself, and a man sneaked behind Fertanius.

Fétanius walked in a hurry, and from time to time he looked back to see if there were any people following him, but Matteorius was not clumsy, and he was able to dodge every time Fetanius turned around.

When he was sure that no one was following, Fetanius was relieved and bold, and instead of returning to his house, he trotted all the way to Sebastianus's room.

"What is he doing here?" Puzzled, Matteolius followed closely, and the moment the door closed, Matteolius stepped up and held on to the hidden door, and then put his ear to the door and listened carefully.

"Sebas, we're really in trouble this time!" The first thing to hear was Fetanius' complaint.

"What's the matter, Fetanius?" This was followed by Sebastianus's puzzled tone: "What kind of big thing can make you so uneasy?" ”

"As you can see, Gaisaric has surrounded Luga, and now another letter has been delivered."

"What did it say?"

"If we want to save Luga and his besieged soldiers, we must negotiate with Augustus and ask him to release Gaisaric's eldest son, the same captive who had been captured six years earlier after the Carthaginian crusade." Fétanius paced back and forth in the room, looking very anxious. "Let's not say that we have such a long time, but let Huneric go back, so what leverage do we have to bargain with Gaisarik?"

"What?" At this time, Sebastianus asked in the room, "Are you going to hide it?" Don't forget that Luga was a Roman soldier, not just an ordinary general. ”

"I mean, we can send reinforcements to meet them, and in general, we can't afford to lose the Huneric bargaining chip, it's the only way to restrain Gaisarik!"

"But we have Huneric, but as you can see, Gaisarik is still roaming Roman land! After all this time, our soldiers are suffering in the siege, and you are here to think about how to bargain? ”

"Remember, Sebas, I'm not Augustus, what I said doesn't count."

"Now that Luga has been trapped for almost five days, we have to find a way to get out, and we can't be so indifferent anymore. And the big problem is that we have a fort on the Avenida Augusta leading to Córdoba, but we don't get any news that they have encountered an enemy, so where did Gaisaric come from? ”

"I don't know, Sebas, I don't know anything about this, maybe Gaisaric spared a long way, you know, he is not afraid to rush to achieve his goal!"

"Our expeditions clearly saw them passing by the Roman fortress, and the Romans guarding did not resist at all!"

While Fetanius and Sebastianus were arguing fiercely, the conversation was interrupted by a cold message from the door, and the two of them turned their heads sideways to look at Matteorius standing in the doorway.

"What did you say?" Sebastianus stood up and asked Matteorius.

"Matt?" Fetanius stared at the uninvited guest standing at the door in front of him with wide eyes, he didn't know what to say, only surprise, "How did you end up here, could you hear our conversation clearly?" ”

"You panicked, Lord Fetanius." Matteorius sneered and looked at Fetanius, "The defenders in the Roman fortress didn't even resist, the Vandals obviously passed in front of their eyes, it's obvious that they were bought!" ”

"What nonsense are you talking about? Matt! Fetanius jerked to his feet and glared at Mateorius.

"Oh oh! Calm, calm, Lord Fetanius. Matteorius stretched out his hand and waved it at Fetanius and said, "Why do I say that you have such a big reaction when I say Roman officers stationed in the fortress, I dare not talk nonsense, Lord Fetanius." ”

"I wish you knew exactly what you wanted to say before you spoke, Matt!" Fetanius sat down slowly, but his eyes were still fixed on him, watching Matteorius's every move.

"I don't mean to offend." Matteorius bowed slightly, and then said to Sebastianus, "We are pressed for time, Your Excellency Sebas. After all, the Vandals will make peace with the Alans, and their armies will be difficult for us to contend with. ”

"So what's your best idea?" Sebas asked.

"Prepare with both hands, Sebas." Matteorius shrugged his shoulders, "Money, and iron sword, be prepared to solve the problem as soon as possible while Luga is still able to hold on, if necessary, I believe Luga is willing to cooperate with us!" ”

Half a month has passed, and the food stored in the fortress has bottomed out, but without the reinforcements here, the morale of the Roman soldiers inside the fortress has fallen to the extreme.

They seemed weak, and in the face of the repeated provocations of the Vandals outside the wall, the soldiers began to become insensitive, as if everything was on their minds. One or two are like walking corpses, so tired that they can't open their eyes all day long, and they can fall asleep with a hole as they walk.

The Vandals were alive and kicking, they had fun playing tricks on the Romans, and watching them jump up and down like clowns was their quest.

The fortress that protected them had become a shackle that bound them, and they were eager to rush out, but so far they could do nothing but look at the Vandal barracks in front of them.

But early in the morning, I heard a "bang", and the Roman soldiers who were awakened opened their eyes suddenly, although they were spiritless every day, but they still maintained their usual tense situation in the face of sudden situations.

The voice came from the room where Luga was, and everyone followed the voice, only to see Luga striding out in a military uniform, the open door behind him creaking and groaning. It seems that Luga's strength to open its legs is really not small.

"I'm really fed up!" Luga roared in the sky, but at that moment, the sound of Roman trumpets was heard outside the fortress.