Although they foresaw that such a reconciliation would not be for their advantage or for that of the country, but would be merely an assistance to Octavian against Brutus and Cassius, nevertheless, they gave their approval and assent to it as a matter of necessity. So the decrees declaring Antony and Lepidus, and the soldiers under them, public enemies, were repealed, and others of a peaceful nature wereº sent to them. Thereupon Octavian wrote and congratulated them, and he promised to lend assistance to Antony against Decimus Brutus if he needed it. They replied to him at once in a friendly spirit and eulogized him. Antony wrote that he would himself punish Decimus on Caesar's account and Plancus on his own,
and that then he would join forces with Octavian.Such were the letters which they exchanged with each other. While pursuing Decimus,Antony was joined by Asinius Pollio with two legions.Asinius also brought about an arrangement with Plancus, by virtue of which Plancus passed over to Antony with three legions,so that Antony now had much the strongest force.Decimus had ten legions, of whom four, the most experienced in war, had suffered severely from famine and were still enfeebled;while the other six were new levies, still untrained and unaccustomed to their labours, so, as he despaired of fighting,he decided to flee to Marcus Brutus in Macedonia.He retreated not by this side of the Apennines, but toward Ravenna.
But since Octavian was travelling by this route, Decimus proposed another longer and more difficult one — to cross the Rhine and traverse the wild country of barbarian tribes. Thereupon the new levies, bewildered and fatigued, were the first to desert him and join Octavian; after them the four older legions joined Antony, and the auxiliaries did the same, except a body-guard of Gallic horse. Then Decimus allowed those who wished to do so to return to their own p135homes, and, after distributing among them the gold he had with him, proceeded toward the Rhine with 300 followers, the only ones who remained.As it was difficult to cross the river with so few, he was now abandoned by these also except ten.