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Chapter 666

Tapirus disembarked in Ostia with the members of the emissary delegation that accompanied him.

Soon, he was surprised to notice that most of the people who appeared in this prosperous port were not the black-haired and black-eyed Latin people, but the familiar Carthage merchants from the south of Diónia. They docked here with a full load of goods, and then were given priority to be unloaded by the port staff before being transported to Rome in the east by pack wagons. Compared to the merchants from other city-states in this port, they were much faster. The process was orderly, and it was obvious that they had been operating for a long time.

In addition, Tapirus also saw merchants from Diónia in the port area. Over the past decade or so, the expansion of the Kingdom of Diónia, the rapid expansion of its territory, the increase of various resources, the construction of roads and bridges in the kingdom, and the implementation of various measures that were conducive to the development of trade and commerce, led to the prosperity of trade and commerce. Many merchants sprung up in various cities, and it also attracted foreign merchants to actively apply to join Diónia. This caused the footprints of Diónia merchants to spread throughout the entire Western Mediterranean. Of course, this excluded the regions that were under the strict control of Carthage, such as Sardinia, Corsica, and southern Iberia.

A few years ago, some Diónia merchants came to Rome to do business, and they also became an important source of information for Diónia's intelligence department to understand Rome. However, compared to the Carthage merchants who had established a close relationship with Rome, they could not get any more preferential treatment.

Rome was somewhat similar to Diónia. Neither was a port city, and both were located in the middle of a large river. But the difference was that Rome was farther from the coast, more than 40 miles away, so it was very difficult for a ship to go against the current and directly into the city of Rome. Therefore, it needed the port of Ostia for the transfer of goods.

Tapirus and his party left Ostia and headed north along the south bank of the Tiber River.

At around three o 'clock in the afternoon, they saw the city of Rome towering in front of them.

"Rome is a city built by the Latins and the Sabines 300 years ago. It is said that at that time, this place was full of tidal flats and swamps. Many powerful forces in the surrounding area looked down on this place, but this does not mean that the people of Rome can develop quietly and steadily. It is invaded by foreign enemies from time to time.

The Etruscans once ruled it, and the Gauls destroyed its cities. The Walsis, the Acquis, the Sabines, and even the Latin League of the same race as the Rome. However, the people of Rome gradually grew stronger in the constant setbacks and wars. Until today, it has become the most powerful city-state in central Italy. "

When Tapirus heard these words from the mouth of the King of Devers, he deeply felt the respect that the ruler of Diónia had for Rome. At the same time, it also made him feel that the people of Rome must be a tough, tenacious, and brave race to be able to grow to this point despite having so many hostile forces around it!

With great interest, Tapirus observed the city of Rome that was getting clearer and clearer as he searched for information about it in his memory.

Rome was called the City of Seven Hills because there were seven hills in the city, and they were all concentrated at the bend of the Tiber River. Due to such a series of river bends that went west, then east, and then west, it was easy to form a depression when there was a flood during the rainy seasons of spring and summer. Therefore, the original people of Rome lived on these hills.

The city of Rome that Tapirus was looking at now was a new city. It was built by the people of Rome on the ruins after the Gauls were driven out ten years ago. It was said that the people of Rome only took a year to build it. How could they build a big city in such a short time?!

Tapirus was surprised to find that the walls of Rome standing in front of him were not straight and smooth like the walls of the inner city of Turín. Instead, they were curved, and the bricks and rocks were pieced together in a disorderly manner. Therefore, the walls were rough, had large gaps, and even protruded outwards. Of course, the walls were tall enough, so it could be judged that the walls were thick enough. Otherwise, such a bad wall would not have been able to hold up …

Of course, this was only Tapirus' personal opinion. The more professional people were hidden in his emissary group. They would quietly and carefully observe the city, recording the situation of Rome and the surrounding areas in detail from various aspects, such as military, politics, commerce, and society. They would also summarize the information and report it to the King of Devers.

In fact, what Tapirus did not know was that seven years ago, after Camillus drove away the Celts, the city of Rome was already in ruins. The people of Rome were debating whether to move this city that had suffered misfortune because of the curse of the gods. Or to rebuild a new city on the ruins? The questions were debated endlessly, and finally, a citizens' assembly had to be held to decide.

Just as the voting was about to begin, a centurion who had become a hero in the previous battle brought the flag bearer to the stage and suddenly shouted, "Stop! Put up the flag! This place is the best place to build a city!"

His words immediately received the support of many former comrades. Immediately, Camillus and a few other highly respected senators quickly declared in a pious manner that this was a divine omen!

In fact, the citizens were already tired of this long debate and anxious. Under the guidance of the senators that they trusted, their mood quickly changed. Everyone cheered and demanded that Rome be rebuilt here.

In order not to waste the passion that the people had worked so hard to incite and cause another unforeseen event, the construction work was carried out quickly. Since there was basically no normal planning and construction division, the construction process was completely arbitrary or convenient. Therefore, whether it was the city walls or private buildings, the construction was quite poor. However, to ensure the speed, the reconstruction of Rome was completed within a year. One could imagine how effective it was.

If it were not for the "Celts occupying Rome" incident that gave the people of Rome a painful memory, coupled with the years of war, the people of Rome would repeatedly repair the city's defenses during the slack seasons to ensure the safety of the people in the urban areas. Otherwise, if Tapirus had come to Rome five years ago, he would have seen an even more unsightly state of the city walls.

There was already a long queue in front of the western gate of Rome. Tapirus and his entourage only stood in front of the city guards at dusk.

The city guard of Rome looked at Tapirus and his entourage standing in front of him in surprise. "Are you messengers from Diónia?"

After listening to his entourage's translation, Tapirus calmly said in a loud voice, "Yes, I am under the order of the King of Diónia to come to Rome to discuss important matters!"

The city guard no longer hesitated. He said to another soldier next to him, "Go and get Minusius!"

After a while, a young man in full military uniform with a red crown on his helmet walked out of the city. After listening to the city guard's description, he was equally surprised. Diónia was a kingdom as powerful as Carthage! Why did its messengers come to Rome?!

With this doubt in mind, Minusius walked forward and said in fluent Greek, "I am the chief of the city guard of Rome, Minusius. Are you a messenger from the Kingdom of Diónia? "

"I am a diplomat from Diónia, Tapirus. I have an important mission for the kingdom to discuss with the Senate of Rome." Tapirus bowed.

"Rome welcomes you, noble messengers from the Kingdom of Diónia!" Minusius smiled and said apologetically, "I am sorry to have kept you waiting. During this time, the citizens of Rome were fighting against the invading Volsci, and another army was sent to quell the rebellion in Tusculum. In order to prevent the enemy from launching a sneak attack, the Senate has stipulated that only the citizens of Rome are allowed to enter and leave the city. "

Tapirus expressed his understanding.

Minusius led them into the city.

After entering the city of Rome, Tapirus realized that his previous judgment was correct. Not only were the city walls crooked, but the large and small residences in the city were also the result of the hasty construction of a large city within a year. These residences, which were definitely not planned as a whole, grew wildly like weeds on the ground, making the streets narrow and crooked. Garbage was piled up everywhere, and dirty water flowed on the ground. The air was filled with a strange stench, and one could step on feces and urine if they were not careful.

Minusius saw that Tapirus and the others were frowning, and some were even covering their noses. How could he not understand the problem?

His face was slightly red as he explained, "More than ten years ago, the Celts invaded our city. When we drove them away, we discovered that more than half of our city of Rome had been destroyed by them. When we were rebuilding the city, we encountered the betrayal of our allies and the invasion of the enemy. Our main focus was on how to repel the enemy, so we did not have enough time and wealth to rebuild the various districts. We could only let the citizens solve the problems themselves, which is why it has become like this.

A few years ago, the Senate made a resolution to widen the roads in each district. However, the war that happened every year made us unable to find the time. During this period, we did not even have enough manpower to transport the garbage in the city. "