Chapter 524
"Your Majesty, you don't know this, but Hilos has been urging us to hurry up in order to buy time. We haven't had much rest. I didn't expect him to catch up with us," Henepolis interrupted.
"Opportunities are for those who are prepared," the Devers said thoughtfully. He turned back to look at Hennepolis. "Let's go. Follow me to the main tent. We'll have a good talk about what you've said …"
… …
Early the next morning, when the Devers led the army gathered from the original Syracuse camp and the city of Asplustum to march towards Sirityn, the passenger ship that Ancitanos was on had already bypassed the southwest corner of Sicily. The strong south wind billowed the sails, causing the passenger ship to sail quickly towards the Afrika continent south of Sicily.
Ancitanos had set off with Therian's fleet a few days ago and separated from the fleet after crossing the Strait of Messina.
There were no warships from Syracuse patrolling the north coast of Sicily, so the passenger ship sailed smoothly. There were countless merchant ships coming and going on this route, so the helmsman of the passenger ship had to be very nervous and carefully control the rudder to avoid collisions.
When it was almost noon, the outline of land appeared in front of them. The place where thousands of ships gathered was the powerful city-state built by the Phoenicians on the Afrika continent — Carthage.
The city of Carthage was located on a peninsula formed by a series of sandstone hills.
On the northeast and southeast borders of the city, two narrow, wing-like pieces of land extended outwards. The latter piece of land almost divided the sea into two, enclosing a huge lagoon (today's Lake of Tunis). A row of continuous and steep sandstone cliffs flanked the northern part of the peninsula, while the vast coastal plain in the south was protected by a series of strong walls, trenches, and ramparts.
In the northeast corner of the city, on the side of the lagoon near the sea, there were two magnificent harbors. The outer side of the harbors was surrounded by long and high walls, which also served as a breakwater. The two harbors were connected to each other. The common entrance to the sea was 21 meters wide and could be sealed with iron chains.
The first harbor was for merchant ships to dock. The dock area was built with huge sandstone stones, which were strong and durable. Behind the dock was a row of tall and wide warehouses. Countless laborers pushed pulleys to and fro between the dock and the warehouses, transporting all kinds of goods.
After the merchant ships entered the commercial port, they all docked at the dock. The middle channel was not allowed to be occupied for a long time because it was reserved for Carthage warships. The military port was inside the commercial port, separated by a very high double wall. There was only one water gate that was connected, and it was only wide enough for two three-decker warships to enter side by side …
The passenger ship that Ancitanos was on had been observing from the bow of the ship while it was docked. Even when he was ashore, he still looked in, but the high and thick double walls blocked his view, making it impossible for him to see the inside of the military port.
However, when he came last time, Ancitanos had already learned something about the military port from the locals. It was said that it was a circular military port, which was a genius design by a master architect of Carthage according to the specific topography of the port. He had made the most of the available space. The military port surrounded a small island, and huge docks were located in the gap between the port and the island. There were dry docks everywhere on the embankment, and it was said that it could easily accommodate more than 300 three-decker warships …
Ancitanos went ashore, and with his entourage, he walked into the city with the bustling crowd.
In the noisy crowd at the port, various races of the Mediterranean Sea were gathered, and even some races from outside the Mediterranean Sea could be seen here, such as the tall, fair-skinned Germanic, the Britons with indigo patterns on their bodies, and the tribes near the steep mountain (today's Mount Carmelon) whose skin was as dark as night, said to be from the south of the Afrikaans Desert and called by the adventurers of Carthage as "God's Two-Wheeled Chariot" … These were the "outside world" that Ancitanos, as a historian, could not imagine, but he was full of yearning for.
In the Mediterranean Sea, only Carthage had the ability to do this! While Ancitanos was sighing, he also turned a blind eye to the strange looks that the passersby cast at him from time to time.
Many Greeks did business in Carthage, and some even settled there. However, the several wars between Carthage and Syracuse had resulted in heavy casualties among the citizens of Carthage. Therefore, the attitude of the people of Carthage towards the Greeks had changed. It was said that the Greeks who settled in Carthage were expelled, their property confiscated, and some were beaten to death on the spot. It was only recently that the situation improved.
The main city of Carthage was built on a hill, Mount Birsa, and the top of the hill was the citadel of Carthage.
Within the citadel was the famous Temple of Esmond, which was worshipped not the supreme god of the Phoenician city-states of the eastern Mediterranean Sea, Merkat, but another high-level god, Balhamun. In the hearts of the people of Carthage, Balhamun was the king of the furnace, the master of the new moon, and the protector of Carthage. He wore a long robe, wore a conical headdress, and had a long beard. He held a spear in one hand, and his other hand was facing up in a gesture of blessing. A huge bronze statue stood in the center of the citadel, overlooking the city of Carthage. Balhamun's wife, the Lesser God Tanit, was no less important than her husband in the hearts of the people of Carthage. She was the female protector and guardian of this city, and was also worshipped in the Temple of Esmond.
With the Temple of Esmond as the center, the city of Carthage was arranged in a radial pattern along the hill.
Ancitanos walked towards the center of the city, and it was as if he was climbing a mountain. The narrowness of the street, the steep incline, and the crowd, compelled him to be careful lest he should fall.
Compared to the worse roads, the houses of the people of Carthage were almost all six-storey high-rise buildings. They stood in rows on both sides of the street, and most of them were built with large sandstone slabs, and the surface was painted with white plaster. Not only was it protected from the natural environment, but it also shone like marble under the sun. The outer walls of a few houses were built directly with marble. The colors were gorgeous, and the patterns were strange. It was amazing. The further he walked into the city, the more obvious this was, and the affluence of the people of Carthage was evident.
After passing through the narrow streets, the front suddenly widened, and the city square of Carthage was right in front of him. The square was actually behind the military port, not far from where Ancitanos went ashore. But because he had to go around the military port, he had to walk a little longer. The square was surrounded by the Senate of Carthage and the Temple of Malecat.
Ancitanos did not go to the Senate, but went straight through the square to another block. Unlike the other blocks, not only were the roads wide, there were no high-rise buildings, and there were courtyards everywhere, each of which occupied a large area.
According to his memory, Ancitanos came to the door of a luxurious mansion, where one of the two Sufits of Carthage (i.e., the highest consul) lived, and the real ruler of Carthage — "The Great" Hanno.
The last time Ancitanos visited Carthage, he first visited Hanno. Unfortunately, Hanno was in his manor outside the city at that time, so he could not meet him. So this time, Ancitanos hoped that he could have good luck.
In fact, Hanno had been staying in the city all this time because the constant news of Syracuse's army's victories in Great Greece made the elders of the Senate of Carthage feel uneasy. They were constantly paying attention to the progress of the war in Great Greece. When the servant came in to report, Hanno was lying naked on a comfortable sofa on the roof platform, basking in the warm sunshine, and a young maid was massaging him.
The messenger of Diónia asked for an audience! Hanno fell into deep thought when he heard the servant's words. Things were different now. Diónia was the only force in Great Greece that was still fighting against Syracuse. The news that the Dionysian fleet had defeated the Syracuse navy on the sea of Turií had also proven their strength. This forced the people of Carthage to abandon their previous disdain and take the newly emerging Greek city-state alliance seriously.
"Bring him to the living room and wait for me," Hanno said.
When he put on a luxurious robe and walked into the living room, he saw Ancitanos standing in front of the statue of Balhamun, staring at the god attentively.
"Do the Greeks also respect the gods of Carthage?" Hanno asked as he walked to his seat.
"Esteemed Lord Hanno!" Ancetanos bowed solemnly before returning to his seat. "I'm a little curious about your god Balhamun because Sophocles once mentioned that your god Balhamun is very similar to Kronos" (Sophocles was a famous Athenian playwright who has passed away). "
Hanno snorted, and his face was covered with a layer of anger. "Stupid Greeks, when the Phoenicians created a prosperous trade in the Mediterranean hundreds of years ago, you Greeks were still hiding in your pitiful and barren land. When we, Carthage, sent our fleets through the Pillars of Hercules and sailed across the oceans, you Greeks had just established a city-state in the western Mediterranean. If you had a brain, you would be able to tell that your god is like our god … "
"Perhaps you're right. It would be better if there was more evidence to prove it! Can you show me some information on this? "Ancitanos didn't refute Hanno's words and instead requested earnestly.
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