Chapter 153
"I will be like that in the future!" Cyrian shouted confidently, full of hope for the future. "Untie the ropes, let's go to the estuary!"
Lysias was also sizing up the patrol captain in front of him. "Are you citizens of Amendolan?"
The captain glanced at him and said, "No, we are citizens of the Tua Alliance!"
"Oh, I'm sorry." Lysias asked politely, "I would like to ask how the Crotone soldiers are doing now."
"I can't tell you where they are being held, because that is a military secret!" The captain said seriously, "But I can tell you that they are doing well now, and the Devers have even asked the hospital to treat the injured soldiers. But if your negotiation fails, their situation may not be so good. I heard that the Turií senators in the Senate strongly suggested sending them to mining! "
Lysias was shocked. Sending captives to mining was definitely a death sentence! He remembered that when the Athens army attacked Syracuse in Sicily and failed, about five to six thousand people were captured and sent to mining. After a few years, almost all of them died! This made him a little nervous.
After a while, the soldier rode back and whispered in the captain's ear, "Take the furthest road."
The captain immediately understood and said to the Crotone emissaries, "The Senate has agreed to meet with you. Let's go."
The group passed through the ruined port and entered the city. The Crotone emissaries could not believe their eyes. Compared to the deserted port just now, there were people everywhere. It was extremely noisy. Men, women, old and young were all busy. Some were clearing away the ashes, carrying stones and rubble; some had already started to consolidate the ground according to the instructions of the craftsmen, and started to lay down stakes on the ground. More people were building wooden frames, laying stones and piling up bricks by the side of the city wall. Some were making mortar, carrying bricks and wood, and pushing drinking water …?????? The entire main city of Turií had become a large construction site. People were sweating profusely and passionately rebuilding their homes. They were so focused that when the Crotone emissaries passed by, no one looked up.
Although thousands of men were working at the same time, it was noisy but not chaotic, and they were organized in perfect order. Lucias noticed that some people with red ribbons on their heads played an important role. They directed and coordinated the operation of the construction site, and the real person in charge was a skinny old man. He constantly patrolled the surroundings, stopping to refer to the drawings when he found any problems. Then, he would talk to the people around him, and soon, someone would rush over to correct it …
"Who is he?" Someone in the Crotone envoy group asked curiously.
"Heraclede, a disciple of the Greek master architect Hippodamus," the captain replied.
Heraclede had originally planned to direct the construction of the road from Amendolara to Turií after the warehouses and hotels were completed. However, when he heard that the Senate was preparing to rebuild Turín, he volunteered to design and preside over the rebuilding of Turín.
The Devers readily agreed, and put forward some of their own requirements for the construction of New Turín.
Heraclede had mixed feelings about this city that recorded the glory of Heraclede and where he lived for twenty years. He was too familiar with it. He could walk around the whole city with his eyes closed, and he could count the height of every place, the curvature of the river … He poured all his emotions into the tip of his pen, and finished the blueprint of New Turín in one night.
The Devers were impressed when they saw it. After that, Heraclede spent every day at the construction site. He was full of energy, and he meticulously supervised the operation of the reconstruction. His passion for work also infected the people who were already rebuilding their homes, and the progress of the reconstruction was constantly accelerated.
The Crotone envoys, of course, did not know how respected the skinny old man was in Turín, and they certainly did not remember who Hippodamus was. They responded politely and turned their attention to other places.
Lucias asked casually, "I'm afraid there are more than forty thousand people working here, right? There shouldn't be so many people in Turín, could it be that the Amendorians are among them? "
"We Amendorians do have some, but most of them are freedmen and slaves." The captain looked at Lucias, as if he knew what he was thinking, and said without hiding it, "You must be wondering why these freedmen and slaves are working so hard. It's not only because they may become residents of this city in the future, but also because the Consul Devers passed a temporary decree in the Senate, 'Widowed Turín women are allowed to marry freedmen, but only if the woman is willing.' "
"What?!" Lucias was shocked.
"People of Crotone, you should know that not counting the citizens of Turín who were massacred after the Crotone took over, more than ten thousand citizens died in the war with Lucania. Almost all of the people in Turín are widows, and I heard that the Turín were going to issue a decree to 'allow citizens to marry more than one wife'. You can see how much men Turín is lacking." The captain revealed a faintly discernible smile. "It's great now. In order to gain the favor of the Tuliyi women who are busy rebuilding their homes, these freedmen are naturally working hard. You should know that once a Turín woman takes a fancy to them, not only can they marry a wife, but they can also immediately become a citizen of Turín and get a house. Although they can't get any land, as long as they join the army in the future, it won't be a problem. Come to think of it, these fellows are really lucky to have so many cultured and beautiful Turín women to choose from. Back when we were in Amendola- "
"Captain, stop complaining. Your wife is a famous beauty in Amendolaand Persia. Don't you know how much the other citizens envy you?" A soldier could not help but say.
"Ha! Ha! Ha! … "The captain laughed shamelessly," Of course! Of course! My wife is the most beautiful woman in all of Amendolaand other than the consul's wife! Beautiful and cultured! I'm just complaining on your behalf. You didn't come at the right time! "
"My Lucanian women are good! Not only are they passionate, they're also tall, and this place is huge … "A soldier patted his chest and said in an intoxicated manner," The Greek women can't even compare! "
…
A group of soldiers began to argue about which family's women were more beautiful. The more they talked, the more vulgar they became. Lucias was no longer interested in listening.
The laws issued by the Tua Alliance were completely rebellious to the orthodox Greek nobles like Lucias. In Crotone, a city-state that had been built for hundreds of years, and the clans and phratries were extremely stable, it was impossible to implement them. But he had to admit that for the Turín who had lost their homes and a large number of strong citizens, it was a good way to quickly boost the power of the city-state. But a Turín that could quickly recover its strength and prosper, and a Turín that was a sworn enemy of Crotone, was not what Lucias wanted to see!
Thinking of this, Lucias followed the team out of the city worriedly. On the way to the camp, he 'happened' to see a dozen groups of soldiers training: they seemed to be playing a game. There were about fifty people on each side (in fact, it was a squad). They used long wooden sticks wrapped in coarse cloth as spears, and crude wooden boards as round shields. Both sides charged and stabbed like they were in a real battle, until one side was forced to retreat behind a white line drawn with lime powder, and the game ended. The soldiers of the losing side had to crouch down with their hands behind their back and jump around the field (known as frog-jumping) as punishment.
The scene was quite fiery and intense, and it was obvious that this game was a simulation of actual combat. Lucias saw with his own eyes that several soldiers were stabbed and were immediately bandaged and treated, but the enthusiasm of the soldiers did not diminish at all. They kept clapping and cheering, fighting to enter the field. The soldiers' blood and desire to fight were evident.
Someone in the emissary group asked curiously, "Is this how you usually train?"
The patrol leader chuckled and said, "We train once every five days, and each training session lasts from morning to evening. There are many training programs, and this is just one of the less intense ones."
The Crotone people of the emissary group looked at each other. It was obvious that the military training of the Tua Alliance was much more intense than that of the Crotone militia who spent most of their time in the arena.
Lucias did not completely believe the captain's words, but he could tell that Amendola's troops were strictly trained and experienced, or else they would not have been able to defeat the Crotone army so easily, even if it was just a sneak attack.
Entering the camp, they came to the big tent in the center. The patrol leader went in to report while Lucias and the rest waited outside.
At this moment, a person came out of the big tent. Lucias glanced at him and felt that he was familiar, but he could not remember who it was.
The person did not expect to meet Lucias at this time either. He was stunned for a moment before regaining his composure. He smiled at Lucias and immediately turned to leave.
Lucias stared at his back, trying to remember who he was.
"Sir Consul, you are invited in!" The patrol leader's voice came from behind.
Lucias composed himself, opened the tent flap, and walked in.
… …
The patrol leader led the soldiers out of the camp, and his serious expression immediately turned into a smile. "Brothers, how was my performance just now?"
"Captain Olivers, you performed too well! Very serious and serious, completely different from your usual self! "a soldier praised.
"I think it was a little lacking. There was a part in the middle where you made jokes about women. It's too unbecoming of you!" Another soldier raised his objection.
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