The battle between Zhang Heng and Terufelos was undoubtedly the most exciting performance of the day.
Both of them were top gladiators. The battle was intense, exciting, and full of twists and turns. It fully satisfied the audience's strong desire to watch an earth-shattering battle. In the end, Zhang Heng relied on his advantage of half a move to turn defeat into victory, and the jubilant atmosphere in the arena was ignited.
Although the performance was not over yet, in the eyes of the audience, there was no doubt that Zhang Heng would be the champion this time.
Even Terufelos, who had been "hiding his strength," could not pull Zhang Heng down from his high horse. How could they expect Sartonilos and the others, who were now in a mess, to suddenly become stronger?
And the final result was indeed as they had expected.
After defeating the only troublesome "strong opponent," Zhang Heng's battle became smooth again. He defeated his opponents one after another, and finally, he easily won the gladiatorial performance championship.
After the referee announced that Zhang Heng was the final winner, everyone, including the young emperor, stood up from their seats and cheered for the champion.
After a shower of rose petals fell from the sky, the referee sent the palm branches and laurel that symbolized victory to Zhang Heng.
Zhang Heng put on the laurel in front of more than 90,000 spectators. He then raised the palm leaves in his hand and circled the arena.
"Congratulations. You made a lot of money this time. I'm a little jealous."
Pompeo Nuss looked at Lucilla next to him. Since the latter was the first to place her bet, Zhang Heng's odds were relatively high at that time. Lucilla could earn almost double her income in just three days.
"That's why people sometimes have to take risks." Lucilla smiled.
Pompeo Nuss also smiled and nodded, "You are right."
"Do you know what I like most about you?"
"Huh?"
"Even if you disagree with a person's point of view, as long as it does not affect your interests, you will not refute the other party. Instead, you will agree with the other party's words. However, in your heart, you most likely think that the other party is a fool."
"What made my beautiful wife misunderstand me like this?" Pompeo Nuss smiled bitterly. "I really envy you. You have a unique vision and are full of courage. This kind of courage even surpasses the men around you. You just earned an income that even I would be jealous of. How could I …"
Before Pompeo Nuss could finish his sentence, Lucilla pressed her lips against his. Then, without warning, Lucilla kissed him again.
Unlike the other women Pompeianus had met, Lucilla's kiss was quite aggressive. Just like her, she was bold and unrestrained, and she did not hide her charm.
The two hugged and kissed in the stands as if no one else was around. During this period, one of Lucilla's eyes was fixed on Zhang Heng in the arena. At the same time, a playful smile appeared at the corner of her mouth, like a little girl who suddenly found a new toy.
…
When the cheers died down a little, the young emperor cleared his throat.
"Brave gladiator, come forward. Let me take a good look at you," Commodus said.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Zhang Heng acted as if last night's one-on-one training had never happened. He then walked to the young emperor's stand.
The more Commodus looked at Zhang Heng, the more he liked him. This easterner was strong, and what was even rarer was that he was very smart. He could always understand what Commodus meant. And now, Commodus lacked such people.
Of course, it would be more accurate to say that Commodus lacked all kinds of talents. Although his father had left a group of old people to assist him in politics, these old people were not as good as his own people. Commodus could feel that although they were respectful to him, they did not recognize his ability to govern.
In fact, those old men were basically following the traditions and regulations left behind by the Aurelius era. Instead of saying that they were protecting Commodus, it was more accurate to say that they were ensuring that Aurelius's legacy could be carried out smoothly. For this reason, they often criticized the young emperor.
Previously, Commodus's decision to stop the war with the Germanic tribe was strongly opposed by the military's senior officials. They felt that such a thing was a disgrace to the empire's honor. They could defeat the Germanic tribe in a few more years. Why did they have to negotiate for peace and pay the barbarian tribes?
However, Commodus felt that the empire had gone overboard with its military in recent years. Since he was born, he had witnessed his father fighting all over the world. However, after every battle, there would be another one. Those barbarians were like weeds in the field. After one batch was cut down, another batch would pop up. There was no end to them.
So what if they defeated the Germanic? They would come back again after resting in another place for a while. It was better to end the war now. Besides, Commodus also felt that the military had earned a lot of military merits after fighting for so long. However, the people's war-weariness was gradually rising. What he did was to comply with the public's will.
However, the military used Aurelius's legacy to pressure him.
If Aurelius was still alive, Commodus could still tolerate it. The problem was that he had now ascended to the throne, and he had tasted the sweetness of power. In the end, he found that it was difficult for him to issue any orders. What was the point of being the emperor then?
So it was his top priority to build a loyal and useful team that was willing to listen to his orders.
And right now, there was a good talent.
"My people, please tell me, how should I reward him for his wonderful performance?!" Commodus pointed at Zhang Heng in the arena.
At first, some people said that it was a bounty, and some said that it was a woman. Everyone shouted at the same time, but in the end, their voices were unified and converged into one word. It was also a word that made Mark Reuss's expression change.
"Freedom!!!"
This was what slave gladiators dreamed of the most. Without freedom, everything they had was just an illusion. However, according to the normal rules, ordinary gladiators would only be granted the status of a free man by the audience after they had worked for the arena for a considerable period of time and experienced dozens of exciting battles.
Perhaps Zhang Heng's performance was too amazing, but the majority of the audience now asked for his freedom. Of course, the most important reason was that Zhang Heng was not their property anyway. It was quite fun to talk about it. However, the problem was that Mark Reuss was in a miserable state.
Although Zhang Heng had won the championship on behalf of the Victor Arena and captured the hearts of the entire Rome in one fell swoop, the problem was that before Mark Reuss could cash in on these honors and attention, the hen that laid the golden eggs was about to run away.
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