Chapter 1095
Standing at the side of the ship, Hakkar could see the long white breakwater at the mouth of the Krati River from afar. Countless ships were passing through it, making it look like a busy beehive.
When the ship got closer, he realized that there were many water gates on the breakwater.
"All cargo ships have to pass through the water gate on this side and obtain a wooden sign indicating that they are docking at the dock before they can enter. The water gate on the other side of the breakwater is responsible for inspecting cargo ships leaving the dock. If they don't have the wooden sign, they will be fined. However, large ships like ours don't need to pass through the water gate on the breakwater. Instead, we walk through the wide waterway in the middle and accept the inspection of the patrol ships, "the captain explained to Hakkar in detail.
"Why do we have to make the inspection process so complicated? It's too much of a delay for the trading ships to enter the port to deliver the goods! " One of Hakkar's subordinates pointed at the long line of cargo ships outside the water gate and raised his objection.
"Letting them delay outside the water gate is better than letting them swarm in and cause congestion at the mouth of the Krati River, wasting even more time. There are many ships outside the water gate, right? In fact, there are even more ships in the estuary. Without effective management, it will be a disaster! "the owner of the ship said with a serious expression.
"You're right." Hakkar nodded in agreement.
"The owner of the ship directed the large passenger ship to bypass the long line of ships in front of the breakwater and enter the middle waterway.
In the middle of the waterway, there was a large wooden platform. A wooden house was built on it, and the flag of the Kingdom of Diónia fluttered high in front of the wooden house.
The passenger ship stopped in front of the platform, and an official came out of the wooden house. He asked the owner a few questions and looked at the documents the owner had handed over. Then, he was surprised and immediately jumped onto the passenger ship. He strode in front of Hakkar and bowed respectfully, "Greetings, Master Hakkar!"
Hakkar nodded politely in return.
"We received news that the passenger ship you're on might not arrive until tomorrow or the day after. Therefore, His Majesty and the Senate might not be prepared today. I have to send a fast ship to the inner city port to inform them. Therefore, I have to ask you to wait here a little longer. I hope you can forgive me!" the official said apologetically.
"That's not a problem," Hakkar agreed.
"We didn't want to come at first, but we only agreed after your king sent several letters inviting us! Now that we've come all the way from Iberia, you don't want to let us in. Is this how you treat your guests? Since you don't want us in, then we won't go in. Let's go back! Back to Iberia! " Hasdrubal was swaying at the entrance of the ship. He of the ship of the ship of Iberia of the ship of the ship.
Hasdrubal of the captain of the port of the ship.
"Don't worry about him. He's drunk too much. Let's just follow the procedure and do what we have to do!" Hakkar comforted him as he gave his subordinates a look.
Very quickly, his, and a few strong soldiers of the captain helped, and forced of Hasdrubal into.
The passenger ship docked behind the wooden platform. The captain of the port stayed by Hakkar's side, chatting with him to pass the time.
Hakkar stood at the bow of the ship, watching the ships pass by from the front, back, left, and right without stopping. He suddenly realized that the position of the Estuary Ship Control Center was very ingenious. The front was the estuary, the left and right were the breakwaters and water gates, the north bank was the entrance to the main port of Turín, and the back of the ship led to the city of Turín. All the ships converged here, so the Estuary Ship Control Center had ten fast ships with eye-catching signs on their sails. They were in charge of directing and clearing the river.
Even though the frequency of the ships and the clamor of the river made Hakkar feel uncomfortable, he didn't hide in the cabin again. Instead, he asked with interest, "How many ships enter the Estuary of Krati every day?"
"On average, about five thousand ships." The captain thought for a moment and said, "At most, it can reach ten thousand ships, but that's usually during the Hades Celebration."
Even though Hakkar had expected this, he was still shocked by the number. "That many ships?!"
"Of course, this is only the number of ships entering the Estuary of Krati. It doesn't include the ships from other ports along the Sebari Coast. For example, there's a large fishing port not far north of the estuary. Every day, thousands of fishing ships enter and leave the port, providing fresh seafood for the people of Turín. Next to the fishing port, there's another port that's used to transport livestock. To the south of the estuary, the former naval base of the 1st Flotilla has been transformed into a port for the people. Many of the residences in the naval base have been transformed into hotels, and the place is overcrowded. Every day, more than a thousand passenger ships enter and leave the port.
The ships that enter and leave the Estuary of Krati mainly provide daily necessities for the people, such as wine, olive oil, cloth, wheat … "The captain explained in detail. When he saw that Hakkar still looked doubtful, he explained," My lord, the reason why the Turín ports are so busy is because if they don't do this, Turín would not be able to survive. "
"Why?" Although Hakkar had his own guesses, he still wanted to get to the bottom of it.
"Because Turín has too many people. According to the statistics from the Census Department at the end of last year, Turín and its surrounding areas alone have a population of about 300,000, and the entire Turín region has a population of more than 400,000. There's no other city in the Mediterranean Sea that's as big as Turín!" The captain's face was filled with pride as he continued to say, "But with such a large population, we need to consume a lot of resources every day, such as food, olive oil, wine, meat, fish, and so on. The goods transported by the ships are recorded in tons. It's far from enough to rely on the food, olive oil, and other resources produced by the Sebari Plain and its surrounding areas. We need the entire kingdom or even the entire Western Mediterranean to supply it.
Furthermore, there are many wealthy citizens in Turín. Not only do they need to eat and dress well, but they also have a higher demand for life. For this reason, many precious goods are transported here from other parts of the Mediterranean Sea, such as spices from Persia, luxurious cloth, and exquisite gold and silver jewelry, perfumes and cosmetics from Egypt, ivory from Africa, and marble from Greece … That's why there are so many merchant ships coming to Turín every day, causing our original main port to be unable to accommodate them. We can only build docks on both sides of the river to meet the demand … "
As he listened to the captain's explanation, he looked to the left at the corner of the main port on the north bank of the Krati River. There were masts and oars there, and not a trace of the color of the sea could be seen.
Hakkar could not help but recall the scene of Carthage's port in the past. In his impression, even when Carthage's sea trade was at its most prosperous, it was far from the scale of Turín's port today. This was not only the result of meeting the needs of a huge city with a population of more than 400,000, but it was also a display of the comprehensive strength of a powerful kingdom. This made Hakkar even more certain that the decision he had made back then was correct.
As the two of them spoke, the noise around them suddenly became louder.
The river captain glanced behind him and immediately revealed a look of joy. He said, "Lord Hakkar, the ship that will welcome you is here!"
Hakkar turned his head and saw a large ship sailing towards him from upstream. Its hull seemed to be made up of two warships, and there was a wooden building in the middle of it …
Double-headed dragon! The name immediately flashed across Hakkar's mind, but it was obvious that this ship was different from the flagship of the Carthaginian Navy. It had a black hull and a red wooden building. The two bows of the ship did not have horns, but two wooden statues that looked like dog heads. Around the wooden building, there were palace guards dressed in velvet and purple robes standing on the railings. The flag of King Diolia was fluttering on the towering mast.
After the war in the Western Mediterranean, the Ministry of Military Affairs considered building a special ship for the King of Devers, so that he could use it when he went out on patrol or when he led an army. Otherwise, it would be too simple and crude, and not befitting of his noble status as a king.
After the shipsmiths received the task, after much discussion, they finally decided to use Carthage's Double-headed dragon warship as the blueprint to build the King's ship. Considering that this ship would often enter and leave the Krati River, they even reduced the size of the entire warship.
In the end, this was the image that appeared in Hakkar's vision. Although there were not many opportunities for it to sail after it was built, and most of the time it was docked at the pier in the inner city, it was already a household name among the Turís. Therefore, the ships in the river would try to dock on both sides as much as possible, and the entire central waterway quickly became wide and unobstructed.
The ship quickly stopped next to the passenger ship that Hakkar was on, and then a wooden ladder was set up. A middle-aged man wearing a white Bolton robe embroidered with black patterns walked up the passenger ship. He was tall and thin, and had a refined temperament.
At this moment, the river captain immediately went forward and bowed respectfully. He said, "Greetings, Lord Heniboris!"
The middle-aged man smiled and returned the greeting. "Thank you for your hard work!"
He was Heniboris … Of course, Hakkar had heard of this senator of Diónia who followed the King of Devers all year round.
Just as he was sizing up the King's confidant, Heniboris came up to him with a smile. "Lord Hakkar, welcome back to Turín! I am Heniboris, the clerk of the King of Devers, and I am here to welcome you on behalf of His Majesty the King and the Senate! "
"I have read Lord Heniboris' War of Southern Italy 'many times, and it is very interesting! I have long wanted to meet you and have a good chat. Now that I have seen you today, it is indeed as I imagined … "Hakkar intentionally paused, and then said in a more serious tone," Gentle and refined, as expected of a historian! "
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