Chapter 668
Tapirus coughed lightly and said, "I have long heard that Rome is a powerful city-state with a long history and unique culture. Today, I have seen it with my own eyes. The City of Seven Hills is indeed as unique and magical as the rumors say!"
After hearing Tapirus' praise, Minusius smiled sincerely and said, "No matter how magical Rome is, it cannot be compared to Diónia. I heard that Diónia has only been founded for a little more than ten years, but you have defeated your enemies again and again, becoming the most powerful kingdom in Southern Italy. You have really received the blessing of Mars!"
"Mars?"
"Oh, Mars is the God of War of the people of Rome!"
"No, the reason why Diónia can be where it is today is because of the full blessing of the great Greek God, Hades, because our king is his descendant!" Tapirus said with a pious expression. His piety came from the bottom of his heart, because he was declared free by the King of Devers in front of the Temple of Hades, amidst the song of Hades. The blessing that Hades gave to the slaves was well-known in the Kingdom of Diónia. The slaves and the people of Diónia who were born as slaves respected this Hades wholeheartedly.
Minusius smiled awkwardly and pointed to the front. "That hill in front is Mount Esquerie. The earliest citizens of Rome, the Sabines, lived on it …"
Minucius explained as he led them to the Esquiri Hill, where they saw an archway that spanned both sides of the road.
"This is …?!" An official from the Ministry of Military Affairs pointed at it excitedly.
"This is the Arc of Triumph!" Minusius also introduced excitedly. "Rome will hold a triumphal ceremony for the generals who have won a major war for Rome. They will drive a chariot with four horses and lead the army into Rome. They will pass through the Arc of Triumph and go to the square to receive the cheers of the people of Rome and the commendation of the Senate. This is the greatest glory that every citizen of Rome yearns for!" Minusius looked up at the Arc of Triumph with a look of longing.
The official from the Ministry of Military Affairs of Diónia and the rest of the emissary group looked at each other with indescribable surprise in their eyes. Diónia and Rome had a lot of similarities in military systems. Looking at the mottled and old marble arch, it was at least a few decades old. Who was learning from whom this time?
Minusius led the Diónia emissary group to the left and passed through the Arc of Triumph. After walking for a while, a square appeared in front of them.
Tapirus furrowed his brows again. The square looked quite big, but there were many houses around it. Some even broke into the square, so it did not look like a square at all.
Ever since Tapirus stepped into the city of Rome, he felt that the people of Rome mixed public facilities and private houses everywhere. Even the square, which represented the heart of the city, could not be avoided. It was a little hard for him to accept.
Minusius obviously saw the unhappy look on Tapirus' face. Not wanting to be looked down upon by the people of Diónia, he said loudly, "This square is an old square. It has been around for about 150 years. It is mainly used for leisure and gatherings. There is an even bigger square in Rome. On the west side of this square, it can accommodate 100,000 people. It is used to gather troops. Sometimes, it is also used as a voting place for citizens' meetings. It is called Piazza de Mars! "
Piazza de Mars?! Hearing this name, Tapirus remembered that this young man had said before, "Mars is the God of War of the people of Rome." This name was similar to the Victory Square of Turií. This showed how much the people of Rome respected the military.
Minusius led the way through the square. Along the way, people greeted him from time to time. At the same time, they also cast curious glances at Tapirus and his group.
The Senate of Rome was located on the west side of the square. It was a tall building that looked like a temple.
Minusius asked them to wait at the steps in front of the Senate, then quickly walked into the Senate.
Other than the fact that other meetings were being held or the celebration of the gods, the Senate of Rome would normally convene at sunrise every day. As for when it would end, it would depend on how many matters there were to be discussed. However, it would usually not end after sunset. It was already dusk, so the senators must have already left. However, as it was a time of war, the Senate had a rule that there must be a military officer on duty at night to prevent emergencies from happening and to prepare in advance.
Minusius walked into the guard room next to the meeting place and found that the military officer on duty was someone he was familiar with. He shouted, "Paulus!"
Paulus Valerius Spotitus was letting the slaves light the candles. When he heard the voice, he turned around and asked in surprise, "Minusius, why are you here? What happened? "
As the chief of the city guards, Minusius definitely did not come to the Senate at this time to chat with him.
"There is an important matter." Minusius did not beat around the bush and said directly, "An emissary from the Kingdom of Diónia has come to Rome. They said that they have something important to discuss with the Senate."
"Diónia?!" Paulus was not a civilian military officer. He knew a lot about Diónia. He immediately said with a serious expression, "Why would the Greek Kingdom of Southern Italy send an emissary to Rome at this time?"
Minusius was no longer smiling. He said solemnly, "On the way here, I tried to ask them why they came, but every time, the emissary avoided my question. Clearly, they are not here to establish a friendly relationship with us!"
Paulus fell into deep thought. After a while, he raised his eyebrows and said with uncertainty, "A few days ago, Carthage's people warned us that Wolsey's emissary is suspected to have gone to Turií. Could it be that … they are here for Wolsey?"
Minusius was shocked. "Diónia wants to protect Wolsey?!"
"We can't make a rash judgment. Minusius, bring them to a place to stay first. I will now inform Pantius and the other senators to urgently discuss countermeasures. After all, Diónia is no weaker than Carthage. We must be careful! "Paulus said in a low voice.
… …
Tapirus and his entourage were arranged to stay in a public hotel that was under the jurisdiction of the Senate. The hotel was near the old square and not far from the Senate.
The emissaries originally wanted to take a walk around the city of Rome after dinner. However, before leaving, Minusius warned them that it was best not to go out at night. This was because during the war, the city had to implement a curfew at night to prevent chaos. It would not be good if they were caught by the Rome patrol and caused a misunderstanding.
Tapirus sensed the young man's sudden wariness towards them.
After dinner, Tapirus and some of his entourage went up to the roof of the hotel.
Night had fallen on the city, but the noise did not disperse. The laughter of the people of Rome, the crying of children, the fighting of men, the whistling of the patrol, the barking of the dogs … Even though this was the center of Rome, these sounds still gathered from all directions …
This was truly a messy but vibrant city. Tapirus thought to himself.
"That's probably Capitoline Hill," an official from the Ministry of Military Affairs said softly as he looked towards the west of the Senate.
Under the cover of the night, only the silhouette of a hill in the distance could be vaguely seen.
Although Minusius did not mention this hill, Tapirus knew how important it was to Rome because it was regarded as the abode of the gods by the people of Rome. Most of the temples of Jupiter and other gods revered by the people of Rome were on that hill. That was where the Acropolis of Rome was located. That was why the people of Rome still held on to Capitoline Hill after the Celts occupied Rome. They actually held on for several months until victory came. This showed how steep the hill was. This was probably what the Ministry of Military Affairs was most concerned about. Was it possible for Diónia to go to war with Rome?
Tapirus looked at the entourage, then turned his eyes to the Senate in the night. No matter what, he had to complete his mission first.
… …
The next morning, Tapirus was invited to the Senate of Rome.
It was a circular hall. The dark red wooden chairs were like the seats in the arena. From the front to the back, they were closely arranged in rows. Senators of Rome dressed in white robes sat there. There were nearly 300 of them, including two magistrates. In recent years, due to the increasing conflict between the nobles and the commoners in Rome, the commoners refused to elect a magistrate in the Citizens' Assembly in protest against the nobles' monopoly of power. However, the military situation around Rome was quite bad. In order to ensure the safety of Rome and the smooth implementation of internal affairs, the nobles and the commoners negotiated and had to agree to elect six magistrates every year. Three were from the nobles, and the other three were from the commoners.
Half of these senators in Rome were white-haired old men. Most of them were the patriarchs of the major clans in Rome. Of course, the other group of senators were also nobles. They had previously held high-level positions in Rome. Because of their achievements or political achievements, they were recommended and selected to finally enter the Senate. Entering the Senate made it easier for them to hold high-level positions in the city.
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