Chapter 1096
Heniboris smiled even more brilliantly. "It is my honor to receive Lord Hakkar's praise! If there is a chance in the future, I must chat with you more … Err, His Majesty and the elders are still waiting at the pier. Lord Hakkar, please board the ship with me and hurry to the inner city! "
"Alright!" Hakkar replied straightforwardly.
Heniboris glanced behind him and asked, "Where is Lord Hasdrubal?"
Hakkar replied calmly, "He drank too much on the way here and is now sleeping soundly in the cabin. I think it will be difficult for him to wake up once we reach the inner city."
"Oh …" Heniboris nodded and was about to speak.
At that moment, the river official came over and whispered a few words in his ear. Hakkar immediately showed an understanding expression and said, "Then let Lord Hasdrubal rest well. I shall not disturb him."
Heniboris led Hakkar up the ship and up the wooden building. Hakkar looked into the distance and immediately felt that his vision had broadened. He could look past the pier on the shore and see the layers of houses and the bustling crowd behind him.
Just as the surrounding ships intentionally or unintentionally drew closer, curious to see what kind of noble person the king's flagship would welcome, the twin-headed dragon ship had already turned around. Two fast ships in front opened up a path, and under the full power of a few hundred sailors, the ship began to move upstream. The passenger ship that Hakkar was originally on also followed closely behind.
Turií was different from Rome. Rome was tens of miles away from the mouth of the river, and the river was winding. Ships going upstream from the mouth of the river had to rely on towing to reach the river port outside the city. On the other hand, Turií was only five or six miles away from the mouth of the river, and the main body of the city was located downstream from the confluence of the Krati and Koseni rivers. The river was wide and the water was gentle. Under normal circumstances, ships did not need to rely on towing to go upstream and reach Turií.
Hakkar stood on the wooden deck of the ship and had a clearer view of the situation on both sides of the river. Indeed, just as the river official had said, the Turís had transformed both sides of the river into docks. Not only were all the riverbanks covered with solid stone slabs, but there was also a five-meter-high trapezoidal stone platform on the riverbank every ten meters or so. There was a stone ring at each end of each stone platform, and a wooden machine was placed on each stone platform. It extended a long wooden arm towards the river. There were pulleys, ropes, and an iron hook hanging down from the wooden arm. The end of the wooden arm was clamped by two huge wooden wheels, and the other end of the rope was tightly tied to the ground, making it look like a huge snail …
Hakka knew that this was the crane invented by the people of Diónia. It had long been famous in the Western Mediterranean, just that it hadn't spread to the port towns of southern Iberia.
Hakkar carefully observed the entire unloading process of the cargo ship. The cargo ship would slowly stop by the riverside in front of the stone platform. Then, laborers from the shore would go over and tie the mooring ropes on both ends of the ship to the holes on the two ends of the stone platform. This way, the cargo ship would stay close to the dock. The personnel operating the crane would lower the wooden arm, loosen the ropes, and hang the hook down. The crew members would hang baskets of goods on the iron hook, and then, the slaves in the wooden wheels of the crane would step on the wooden wheels with great effort. The wooden wheels would rotate quickly, tightening the ropes, and the iron hook would pull the goods up high, separating them from the cargo ship. At this time, the personnel on both sides of the crane would pull the ropes, control the wooden arms, and slowly park the goods on the flat ground in front of the stone platform … The entire process was fast, labor-saving, and highly efficient. It didn't take long for half of the cargo to be unloaded. Regardless of whether it was the crew or the laborers on the shore, they all seemed to be very relaxed.
Hakka also noticed that there were semi-open warehouses not far behind these stone platforms. The goods that were unloaded from the ship would be transported to these warehouses by the laborers.
Behind these simple warehouses, there were rows of huge, rectangular, enclosed warehouses. Each of them had a roof that was about six meters high, and an arched door that was four meters high. The area of each warehouse was not smaller than two arenas. Moreover, through the small window at the top, one could see that the walls of the warehouses were quite thick. Only such a high quality warehouse could allow the owner of the goods to be at ease with the safety of the goods. At the same time, more goods could be stored, and the goods could be transported out more easily …
Hakka, who had led the administration of the southern region of Iberia for many years, was very clear about the process of the cargo ship entering the port. After the laborers at the dock unloaded the goods and parked them in the temporary warehouse, the owner of the ship would immediately go to the port to rent a warehouse for storage, and then pay the laborers to transfer the goods to the warehouse for storage. Then, he would go to the market in the city to contact a buyer … This process would usually take two or three days. Of course, if the buyer was contacted beforehand, then the situation would be much better.
However, in a situation like Turií, where the unloading dock, temporary warehouses, and warehouses were all close together, it was undoubtedly much more convenient. From this, Hakka deduced that with the way the Turií people did things, the famous Turií market in the entire western Mediterranean might not be far from here (and this was indeed the case).
He could not help but let out a sigh, which attracted the curiosity of Heniboris, "Master Hakka, what are your thoughts about coming to Turií?"
Hakka pointed to the dock by the shore and sighed sincerely, "Look at the stone docks where the cranes are placed, the temporary warehouses, and the cargo warehouses. They are neatly lined up side by side on both sides of the Krati River like an army, extending all the way forward, the end almost impossible to see. How spectacular! I believe that any outsider who sees such a scene would be in awe of the power of the Kingdom of Diónia, and would not dare to have any thoughts of going against it! "
Heniboris looked at him, and then turned to look at the shore, "Let me tell you an interesting fact. There was a famous scholar in the kingdom, Lysias. One time, he was preparing to write an article describing the docks by the Krati River. He decided to first investigate the docks by the river, and returned not long after.
His friend asked him, 'Why so fast?'
He said, 'When I reached the river, I found that the docks were full of people, and it was extremely noisy and ear-piercing. The cranes were creaking, oxen and donkeys were neighing incessantly, and the irascible workers were shouting loudly … The air was terrible, mixed with the smell of wine, olive oil, and the sweat of people … I stood there for a while, and felt my head was swollen. With the help of my servants, I had to push aside the people who were blocking the way, and with great difficulty, I managed to walk out. And in the process, I stepped on donkey dung twice … '"
Hakka could not help but laugh when he heard this.
Heniboris sighed, and gazed into the distance in a daze, murmuring, "I still miss the Turií of ten years ago, especially this Krati River. It was clear and serene, inviting wild and fanciful thoughts … Sigh, but now, not only is the river crowded and noisy, the water has also become muddy, and there are many boats sailing at night …"
Hakka sighed, "But no city or country doesn't want their city to be like this, because it means prosperity and power."
Heniboris patted the railing with both hands, and smiled again, "That's why I'm just a clerk, and you're the governor! But I suggest that after you settle down in Turií, it's best to buy a piece of land in the northern mountains, build a villa, and stay there a few times a month. The air there is fresh and quiet, and it's good for your health … "
As the two chatted, a huge building in the distance entered Hakka's eyes. A stone bridge that was a hundred meters long lay across the wide Krati River, like a giant beast overlooking the passing boats.
This should be the Great Stone Bridge of Turií, and it was said to be the first stone bridge built in the western Mediterranean. It was truly spectacular! Hakka looked ahead, and heard Heniboris say, "We're about to enter the inner city's docks."
Following the direction in which Hennepolis was pointing, Hakkar saw the city wall that lay between the layers of buildings.
"There used to be an iron chain blocking the river here …" Heniboris pointed at the tower by the riverbank in front, but his eyes looked at Hakkar beside him. He said in a seemingly casual manner, "It was abandoned more than ten years ago, but … when the war with Carthage broke out, it was urgently used again. But now, it's completely abandoned, because there are no longer enemies that threaten the kingdom from the sea. "
Hakka nodded calmly.
"In recent years, there were even elders who suggested to tear down the entire inner city wall. Fortunately, most of the elders objected, and it wasn't passed. Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to stay in this city of Turií! "
Hakka observed for a while, and understood why Heniboris said this. He could already see that the streets within the city wall were not as dense as those outside, and the houses were neat and spacious. There were fewer pedestrians, but it seemed leisurely, as if the city was another world …
But there was only one place that was more lively, and that was the inner city's dock that the ship was heading toward.
Compared to the long river docks that he had seen before, the inner city's dock seemed too small. There were only six trestles, but each berth was extremely spacious, and there was more than enough space for a large ship that was dozens of meters long. Furthermore, the trestles were paved with stone slabs, and could accommodate two carriages passing side by side. There were also several stone platforms and cranes …
There was a rather large waiting area behind the dock, and it was specially set up with long, colorful cloth canopies. This was both for shade and for aesthetic purposes. There were rows of comfortable seats under the canopies, and they were all filled.
Hakka's gaze quickly searched the crowd by the shore. When he saw a man who was dressed the same as the others, and only had a small dazzling golden crown on his head, Hakka was excited, but he also suddenly felt a little nervous.
When the Devers in the waiting area saw the ship enter the dock, they immediately stood up and led the elders to the trestles.
After the wooden ladder to disembark was set up, Hakka refused the help of the servants and slowly walked down the ship. He came before the Devers, bowed deeply, and said, "Your Majesty, the former governor of the southern region of Iberia, as well as your loyal student, Hakka, has arrived!"
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