Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece

"Your Majesty, you don't know. In order to fight for time, Hilos has been urging us to rush for the past two days. We haven't rested so much. We didn't expect him to catch up." Henipolis interjected. .

"The opportunity is for those who are prepared." Daveus whispered thoughtfully, looking back at Hernipolis: "Come on, go to the big account with me and talk about what you said... …"

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Early in the morning of the next day, when Daveus led the army gathered from the former camp of Syracuse and the city of Asprostoum to march into the Siriting, the passenger ship Ansitas had already boarded Bypassing the southwest corner of Sicily, the strong south wind blew the sails, causing the passenger ship to quickly sail towards the mainland of Africa in southern Sicily.

Ansitanos set off with Seclian's fleet a few days ago and separated from the fleet after crossing the Strait of Messina.

There is no warship patrol in Siracusa on the north coast of Sicily, and passenger ships travel smoothly along the way.There are countless commercial ships coming and going on this route, which makes the helmsmen of passenger ships have to be highly nervous and carefully control the rudder to avoid collision.

It was almost noon, and the outline of the land appeared in front of it. At the place where thousands of ships converged was the powerful city-state, Carthage, established by the Phoenicians on the mainland of Africa.

Carthage is located on a peninsula constructed by a series of sandstone hills.

At the northeastern and southeastern borders of the city, two narrow, wing-shaped lands extend outwards, and the latter lands almost bisect the sea, thus enclosing a huge lagoon (now Lake Tunisia), a row The continuous and steep sandstone cliff wings protect the northern part of the peninsula, while the vast coastal flat principle to the south is protected by a series of strong walls, trenches and barriers.

There are two magnificent harbours in the northeast corner of the city and on the lagoon side.The outer side of the harbour is surrounded by a long and tall city wall, which also serves as a breakwater.The two harbours are connected to each other. The shared sea entrance is 21 meters wide and can be closed with iron chains.

The first harbour for merchant ships docked, and the dock area was built with huge sandstone materials, strong and durable.At the back of the pier is a row of tall and wide warehouses, and countless laborers are pushing pulleys to transport various goods between the pier and the warehouse.

After the merchant ships entered the commercial port, they stopped at the pier, and the middle channel was not allowed to be occupied for a long time, because it was left for the Carthage warship to enter and exit, and the military port was inside the commercial port. The wall separates it, only one water gate communicates, and its width is only for two three-layer paddle warships to enter side by side...

The passenger ship Ansitanos was watching from the bow while docking. Even when he landed, he looked in, but the tall and thick double wall blocked his view and could not see the inside of the military port.

However, when he last came, Ansitanos had already learned about the situation of the military port from the locals: It is said that it was a circular military port, a genius design made by the architects of Carthage according to the specific topography of the port He made the most flexible use of the available space. The military port surrounds a small island, and huge docks are located in the interval between the harbour and the island. The embankment is full of dry docks. It is said that it is very easy. Accommodate more than 300 three-tier paddle warships...

Ansitanos went ashore and led his entourage to the city with the bustling crowd.

In the noisy flow of people in the port area, there are various races of the Mediterranean, and even some races from outside the Mediterranean can be seen here, for example: the extremely tall and fair-skinned Germans, painted with indigo patterns on their bodies, Britain People, and tribes as dark as the night, said to be from the south of Afrika desert, the tribes near the dangerous peaks (now the Cameron Mountain) that the Carthage adventurers called the "two-wheeled chariot of the gods" )... These are the "outside worlds" unimaginable by the historian Ansitanos.

In the Mediterranean, only Carthage talents can do this!Ansitanos sighed, but also looked at the strange eyes thrown by pedestrians from time to time.

The Greeks did a lot of business in Carthage, and some even settled here, but several wars between Carthage and Syracuse caused Carthage citizens to suffer heavy casualties.Therefore, the attitude of the Carthage towards the Greeks has changed. It is said that the Greeks who settled in the city of Carthage were expelled, their property was confiscated, and some people were killed on the spot. Only recently has the situation improved.

Carthage's main city is built on a hill, Bilsa Mountain, and the top of the hill is Carthage's Acropolis.

Inside the Acropolis is the famous Temple of Esmond, which is not the supreme deity of the Phoenician city-states of the Eastern Mediterranean, Meerkat, but another senior deity, Bar. Harmon.In the eyes of the Carthaginians, Bal Harmon is the king of the furnace, the lord of the crescent moon, and the guardian of Carthage. He is wearing a robe, wearing a conical headdress, with long beards, holding a long hand. A spear, a huge bronze statue with the palm of one hand and a blessing gesture stands in the center of the Acropolis, overlooking the city of Carthage.Bar Harmon’s wife, the secondary god Tenita, is not in the heart of the Carthaginians. She is the city’s female protector and guardian, and is also enshrined in the Temple of Esmond Among.

With the Temple of Esmond as the center, Carthage's urban areas are arranged radially down the mountain.

Ansitanos walked towards the center of the city, almost climbing a mountain.Narrow streets, steep slopes, and crowded crowds made him have to be careful not to fall.

Compared to the bad roads, the houses of Carthage citizens are almost six-story tall buildings. They stand in rows on both sides of the street. Most of them are made of huge sandstone stones, and the surface is whitewashed. Not only can it be protected from the erosion of the natural environment, but under the sunlight, its appearance shines like marble.And a few of the houses' outer walls are directly made of marble, with colorful colors and peculiar patterns, which are amazing.The more we go into the city, the more obvious this situation is. The wealth of the Carthaginians is evident.

Passing through the narrow street, the front is suddenly wide, and the Carthage City Square is in front of you: this square is actually behind the military port, not far from the shore of Ansitanos, but because you want to bypass the military port, you have to go more For a while, the square is surrounded by the Carthage senate and the Temple of Melaka.

Ansitanos did not go to the senate, but went straight through the square to another block, which is different from other blocks. Not only is the road wide, there are no high-rise buildings, but all are courtyards, and each courtyard covers a large area. .

According to memory, Ansitano came to the door of a luxurious mansion, where one of the two Sofitels of Carthage (that is, the highest governor), now the real power of Carthage-"Great "Hanno."

The last time Ansitanos visited Carthage, he also first visited Hanno. Unfortunately, Hanno was unable to meet at the manor outside the city, so this time Ansitanos hoped he would have good luck.

In fact, Hanno has been staying in the city for a while, because the news of the continuous victory of the Syracuse army in Great Greece has made the veterans of the Carthage Senate uneasy and they are always paying attention to the progress of the great Greek war.When the servant came in to report, Hanno was lying naked on the comfortable sofa in the sun on the rooftop platform, and there was a warm sun, and a young maid rubbed his oil and massaged him.

The messenger of Dionysia sees!Hearing his servant's words, Hanno was in deep thought.Today is not the same as before. Dionysia is the only force in Greater Greece that is still fighting against Syracuse. The news that "The Dionyan Fleet defeated the Syracuse Navy in the sea of ​​Turij" has just come. Confirming their strength, the Carthaginians had to abandon their previous contempt and face up to this emerging Greek city-state alliance that they did not yet understand.

"Take him to the living room to wait for me." Hanno said.

When he put on a gorgeous robe and walked into the living room, he saw Ansitanos standing in front of the statue of Bar Harmon, staring at the god with a concentrated expression.

"Do the Greeks also pay tribute to the gods of our Carthage?" Hano said as he walked toward his throne.

"Respected Lord Hanno!" Ansitano salutes him in a solemn manner, and then returns to his seat, not humble and said: "I am a little curious about the god of the country, Bar. Harmon, because Sophocles It was mentioned that "Your Barr Harmon is very similar to Kranos" (Sophocles is a famous playwright in Athens and has died)."

Hanno hummed, and his face was filled with anger: "Stupid Greeks, when the Phoenicians created trade prosperity in the Mediterranean hundreds of years ago, you Greeks also shrank on poor and barren land Go ahead. While our Carthaginians sent a fleet across the pillars of Hercules and sailed to the ocean, your Greek talents had just established a city-state in the Western Mediterranean. If you have a little mind, you can tell you are your gods Like our God..."

"You may be right. If there is more evidence to prove it! It would be better! Can you show me some information in this regard?" Ansitanos did not refute, but asked seriously.

Hanno was a little stunned. He thought that the Dionysian messenger would argue with him angrily. The serious and realistic attitude shown by the other party gave him a touch of curiosity and curiosity.