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They'd understand that history always fought on the side of Rome.
羅馬人自知自己占盡天時(shí)
The trouble was, geography didn't.
卻未料到他們毫無(wú)地利之便
Not once but twice, Julius Caesar's plans were sabotaged by that perennial secret weapon of the British, the weather.
不止一次而是兩次 凱撒大帝的入侵 被不列顛天然的秘密武器所阻 天氣
On the first go round in 55 BC,a cavalry transport that had already missed the high tide and got itself four days late,
公元前55年的首次入侵中 一騎兵團(tuán) 在錯(cuò)過(guò)滿潮的四天后強(qiáng)行登陸
finally got going only to run directly into a storm and be blown right back to Gaul.
最終卷入狂風(fēng)巨浪之中 被迫返回高盧
A century later, Claudius,the club-foot stammerer,on the face of it, the most unlikely conqueror of all,was determined to get it right.
百年之后 一個(gè)名為克勞蒂亞斯的口吃的跛子 乍看之下 最沒(méi)有可能的征服者 立志開始其征服之旅
If it was going to be done at all, Claudius reckoned,
克勞蒂亞斯暗自忖度 此次征服之旅
it had to be done in such massive force that there was no chance of repeating the embarrassments of Julius.
定要出動(dòng)大規(guī)模羅馬兵團(tuán) 并絕不能重蹈凱撒的覆轍
So Claudius's invasion force was immense, some 40,000 troops.
所以 克勞蒂亞斯集結(jié)起四萬(wàn)入侵大軍
The kind of army that could barely be conceived of,much less encountered in Iron Age Britain.
數(shù)量之龐大超乎想象 是鐵器時(shí)代的不列顛無(wú)法比擬的
Claudius did succeed where Julius Caesar had failed,
克勞蒂亞斯絕妙地運(yùn)用胡蘿卜加大棒策略
through a brilliant strategy of carrot and stick.
完成了凱撒大帝未完成的夢(mèng)想
Yes, he would seize the largely undefended oppidan or towns
他大可用兵蕩平不列顛不設(shè)防的城鎮(zhèn)
and strike at the heart of British aristocracy,its places of status, prestige and worship.
痛擊不列顛貴族的腹地 這片象征地位與威望 萬(wàn)人膜拜之地
But for the chieftains sensible enough to reach for the olive branch rather than the battle javelin,Claudius had another plan.
然而 對(duì)于這些部落酋長(zhǎng) 強(qiáng)攻遠(yuǎn)不如智取 克勞蒂亞斯早已心生它計(jì)
Give them, or rather their sons,a trip to Rome, a taste of the dolce vita,and just watch their resistance melt.
讓他們或更準(zhǔn)確地說(shuō)是他們的子嗣 盡享一次羅馬縱欲之旅 必將讓其樂(lè)不思蜀
