Chapter 1009
Speaking up to this point, he looked at Saterian and immediately put on a flattering smile. He nodded and bowed as he said, "Sir … Sir Saterian, if I tell you where the tunnel is, w-what reward will you give me?"
Saterian suppressed the displeasure in his heart and said with a smile, "If you can prove that what you said is true, you'll have made a great contribution to the Kingdom of Diónia. You'll become an official citizen of Diónia in at least two years and enjoy many rights granted to you by the Kingdom!"
"Two more years …" Karmilus was still a little dissatisfied, but when he saw Saterian glaring at him fiercely, he immediately said loudly, "Of course that tunnel is true! It's in Lampukuba's house! "
His words aroused the curiosity of the laborers. "Which Lampukuba?"
"Lampukuba from the Hanno Family, of course! The richest merchant in Lili, Lampukuba! "Karmilus straightened his chest, looking proud.
"You're lying! The Lampukuba Family is high up in the hierarchy. How could you come into contact with them? It's even more impossible for you to know such a secret! "The young Setonus expressed his doubt, which was agreed by many laborers.
"Of course it's true!" Karmilus saw that Saterian was also doubtful, so he hurriedly explained, "One night three years ago, I was bored and strolled around the port area … Hmm … I don't know how … I walked into Lampukuba's house."
At this moment, Setonus snorted coldly. The mockery on his face was obviously saying, "What do you mean by approaching unknowingly? You obviously wanted to go in and steal something!"
Karmilus was thick-skinned and did not care at all. He continued, "His house is too big. I got lost and couldn't get out for a while. I was also afraid of bumping into their guards, so I could only find a place to hide. In the end, I happened to overhear the steward of his house and his subordinates talking quietly. 'We're going to transport the military rations from the Southwest Barracks through the family's tunnel' … I heard that Lampukuba has a very high status and power in Carthage. No one dares to provoke his servants in Lili … I knew this big secret. If they knew, would I still be able to live? At that time, I was scared out of my wits. After I finally came out, I buried this secret in my heart. No one dared to tell me. They didn't know at all … "
He pointed at the labourers in disdain, then immediately put on a look of admiration. "I didn't expect you to be so powerful, my lord, to be able to get this secret from me so easily!"
The excited Secorian did not have the time to pay attention to his flattery. He immediately asked, "Where is Lampukuba's residence?"
"I know, I'll take you there! Many laborers scrambled to answer. They all wanted to make contributions and receive rewards.
"Wait!" Kalmulus shouted, "Sir Secorian, Lampukuba's house is very big. It won't be easy to find the tunnel! We might as well interrogate Lampukuba and his family directly! "
Secklian looked at him and felt that although this fellow had a bad character, he was quite smart. Thus, he turned around and said to the soldiers, "Take him and immediately capture Lampukuba for me!"
"Yes!" The soldiers replied loudly. They were already unable to contain their excitement. Sir Secorian's seemingly joking order had actually grasped the key to opening the door to victory!
… …
The warships of the 3rd Fleet docked at the dock one after another. Leotychides alighted from the ship and was about to gather the soldiers of the 8th Army who had come ashore. However, he saw the soldiers of the Mountain Ridge Reconnaissance Brigade running towards him hurriedly.
"Sekerian wants me to see him? What's the matter? "Leotychides was surprised to hear the words of the team member.
"General, it's a very important matter regarding the capture of this city. You'll know when you get there!" The team member said seriously, but it was difficult to hide the excitement in his tone. He even reminded, "It's best to bring fewer people to avoid attracting the attention of the enemy on the city wall."
Leotychides's interest was piqued. He asked Tagrou to be in charge of gathering the troops, while he brought a team of soldiers from the flagship and followed the Mountain Ridge Reconnaissance Brigade to the port area.
Although Lili Bay was an important military town of Carthage in Sicily, it was the only real town directly under Carthage in Sicily. For the past 20 years, the people of Carthage had poured a lot of funds and manpower into it, which also promoted the prosperity of its maritime trade. Therefore, the area of the port area was not small. There were rows upon rows of warehouses, shops, and markets. The streets were flat and straight, and the residences were densely packed but neatly planned. The further they went in, the larger and more luxurious the residences became. However, there was almost no one in such a large place. Most of the people in the port area had been driven to the vicinity of the city gate. Of course, this was not only the credit of the Mountain Ridge Reconnaissance Brigade, but also the contribution of the infantrymen of the Sicilian fleet.
After learning that the tunnel was hidden in Lampukuba's house, he sent his men to capture those who knew about it. At the same time, he also quickly sent out a thousand infantrymen from the Raven Warship to chase the civilians away from the port area to prevent the news from leaking.
Therefore, Leotychides and the others walked in the empty streets. As there was no light around and it was too dark, they tripped over the dead bodies on the road from time to time.
"Why aren't we there yet? Where are we going? " The captain could not help but ask. Along the way, he tripped twice, his helmet was crooked, and his nose was swollen. It was inevitable that he had a lot of resentment in his heart.
At this moment, Leotychides did not stop him. He was still thinking about what the mountain scout had said about "attacking Lilibo" and did not notice that they were approaching Lilibo's city walls.
The mountain scout who was leading the way said, "We're almost there! We're almost there! "
After walking another ten meters or so, he stopped and pointed at the open door on the side of the road. "We're here. Let's go in. Sir Secorian is still waiting for you inside."
However, Leotychides stopped in his tracks and carefully observed his surroundings. He suddenly realized that the walls of this house were much higher than the walls of the other houses. They were more than four meters tall, and although he could not see the material of the door, it was very thick. The people living inside were definitely not ordinary! … "
At this moment, someone came out from inside. "Sir Leotychides, you're finally here. Sir Secorian has been waiting anxiously for you!"
This person was the captain of the infantry of the Sicilian fleet. Leotychides had seen him before. Only now did he feel completely at ease. He walked forward and said, "What did Sekerian find out? Why are you being so secretive?"
"A tunnel that leads to the city!" The captain said excitedly in a low voice. "Sir Secorian found out about it from the workers at the docks. He specially sent the mountain scouts to capture the people in this house and killed a few captives before he was able to force the information out of them."
So this was the method that His Majesty had mentioned! Leotychides's spirit was lifted. He immediately said, "Quick, bring me to have a look!"
The area of this house should not be small. The captain brought him into the courtyard. They did not walk into the main courtyard, but passed through a side door. There was a tunnel here that was wide enough for a large carriage to pass through. The tunnel stuck to the wall of the courtyard and headed straight east.
Leotychides looked at the city wall that was getting closer and closer. He could even hear the deafening shouts coming from the side in front of him. He seemed to have understood something.
After walking for tens of meters, tall buildings that looked like warehouses appeared in front of them. The captain pointed at one of the buildings and said, "Sir Secorian is inside."
Leotychides did not enter immediately. He carefully looked around again, then pointed to the left and asked, "Is the gate that leads to the city over there?"
The captain did not expect him to ask such a question. He turned to look to the left and said, "Yes, it's over there. There are thousands of people gathered there. The mountain scouts and our fleet's infantry have spent a lot of effort to drive them away, but the effect is obvious. Before you arrived, Carthage's men did not dare to open the gate …"
Leotychides then turned to look to the right. The flames were still burning on top of the city wall a few hundred meters away. That should be where the gate of the tower was.
Leotychides recalled the map of Lili city that he had drawn after interrogating Carthage's men. He could now make a clear judgment that the southwestern military camp of Lili was probably behind the city wall in front of him.
Leotychides looked at the twinkling torches on top of the city wall tens of meters away. He subconsciously took off his helmet and used his body to cover the purple and red striped crown. At the same time, he said to the captain beside him, "Go and guard the courtyard gate. If any troops want to come in later, tell them not to light the torches or make any noise. They have to advance in a column formation and take off their helmets …"
After Leotizides's solemn reminder, he followed the captain into the warehouse.
There were many things piled up in the warehouse. A dim light flickered in a corner in front. Secorian and seven or eight soldiers stood in a circle. There were also a few soldiers guarding two captives.
Hearing footsteps, Secorian turned to look and said proudly, "Prososus, come and see. I've brought you a great opportunity to make a great contribution!"
Leotychides ignored his pride and strode over.
The soldiers hurriedly made space for him. What appeared in front of Leotychides was not a pitch-black hole as he had imagined. Instead, it was more like a cellar. There were stone steps, wall lamps, hard ground, stacked stone walls, and iron pillars supporting it. A straight underground tunnel led straight to the pitch-black front …
Leotychides stood at the entrance of the tunnel, which was wide enough for three adults to walk side by side, and observed for a while. Then, he stepped on the stone steps and went up to the warehouse. The first thing he said was, "Such a tunnel cannot be dug in a short period of time."
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