Chapter 679
"But this time, it will be difficult for him to win again! Because we are participating in the war! "Hasdrubal said, unconvinced.
"Once Diónia starts a war with Carthage, what if … Carthage's army wins consecutive victories? What should we do then?" Kisgo asked cautiously again.
"With the Carthage army that Hanno fostered?!" Hasdrubal said with a look of disdain. "They only know how to bully the weak Numibians. Even if the Diónia were to encounter a drought, it is likely that they will be surrounded by enemies on all sides. But a lion is a lion after all, it is not something that wild dogs can deal with. In the end, they still have to rely on us!"
Hasdrubal held his head high, full of confidence.
If Margo was still in Carthage in the past, he would be the first to actively request to lead the army into battle when an enemy infringed on Carthage's interests. But after staying in the Iberian Peninsula for so many years, his temperament had changed greatly. He nodded without hesitation. "Let's do it!"
Then, he looked around at the three of them and solemnly said, "Hakkar, from now on, you have to stock up on grains, forge more weapons and equipment, and carefully prepare everything for the expedition."
"Yes, Uncle."
"Hasdrubal, you have to speed up the recruitment of soldiers and train the army!"
"Don't worry, Uncle. Leave it to me."
"Kisgo, hurry up and contact the Celtic tribes in the north of Iberia, sign a peace agreement with them, and hire their warriors to fight for us … Also, send envoys to our ally in the south, the Kingdom of Mauritania, and strive to get them to send reinforcements to fight with us."
"Yes, Lord Governor!"
… …
After the meeting, Margo returned to the backyard, the excitement in his heart still lingering in his chest. He said to the servant, "Pour me a glass of wine."
A moment later, it was his daughter, Dido, who brought the wine. Already 21 years old, Dido was unusually beautiful, like a fruit that was about to ripen, but she was still unmarried. She asked softly, "Father, have you made a decision?"
Brother Mara knew what she was asking about. Because of Dido's intelligence, Brother Mara did not avoid her when it came to important government affairs. Sometimes, he even asked her for advice, "Yes, it has been decided! I believe that in less than half a year, we will be able to return to Carthage amidst the cheers of the people. At that time, your marriage will also be settled! "
Since Dido was his only child, Margo gave her some autonomy in her marriage, and his daughter had very high standards. In addition, the Iberian region was indeed relatively backward, and there were no outstanding people, so his daughter's marriage became a worry for him.
Dido didn't reply to him, instead frowning and sighing, "We're doing quite well in Iberia, why must we return to Carthage?!"
"Carthage is our root!" Margo said seriously, "Our ancestors went through a lot of hardships to build that city. How can we abandon it so easily? Besides, if Carthage declines, our days in Iberia won't be any better, so no matter what, we have to protect Carthage's prosperity! "
"But … the Kingdom of Diónia is not so easy to deal with! It is much stronger than Syracuse in the past. I'm afraid that if we anger it, it will eventually bring us … disaster! "There was a lot of worry between Dido's eyebrows.
"Diónia is strong, but our Carthage is also strong. What's more, now is the best time to attack Diónia, so you can rest assured! Besides, war is a man's business, so you don't have to worry about it anymore. If you have free time, go and help Hakkar. He will be the busiest in the next period of time, and he needs someone to help him with some tasks. Otherwise, I'm afraid his body won't be able to hold on. "As Margo said this, he raised his glass and sipped the wine. Obviously, he didn't want to listen to Dido's persuasion anymore.
"Okay …" Dido sighed faintly.
… …
Two days later, Ionis and his crew were escorted into the city of Carthage.
Almost all the citizens of Carthage who received the news in advance were mobilized. When they saw the carts of stolen goods — silver bricks — following closely behind these criminals, the citizens of Carthage were enraged.
About half of the citizens of Carthage were merchants or engaged in business-related occupations. For the past two years, the people of Diónia had used "tricks" to break the commercial monopoly of Carthage in Sardinia, and the expulsion of Carthage merchants in Diónia some time ago had already made them resentful. Now that they saw everything in front of them, their anger could be imagined.
"Damn thieves!! Despicable and shameless people of Diónia!! How dare they steal the wealth of our Carthage!! We can't let them off so easily!!! … "
"Execute them!! Execute these thieves who tried to steal our wealth!! Let the people of Diónia know the power of our Carthage!!! … "
…
Curses filled with hatred resounded throughout the city. Ionis and his crew were like small trees in the wind, trembling in fear.
Under the wave of protests and curses against Diónia, Pretacuba and a few other senators proposed in the Senate to "hold a public trial for these criminals of Diónia". This time, Hanno did not go against the trend to stop it, and the proposal was passed.
Soon, the court of a hundred people set up their formation in the square.
Ionis plucked up his courage and applied for the court to arrange for officials of Diónia to be present to hear his case in accordance with the agreement signed between Diónia and Carthage. However, he was rejected.
Next, the mine owner who sold him the silver bullion became the plaintiff, accusing Ionis of colluding with his own miners and slave leaders to sell the silver bullion privately.
Another Carthage slave with a wretched figure whom Ionis had never seen before became a witness. He regretted how he was bribed by the people of Diónia with a large sum of money and betrayed his master. Furthermore, this was not the first time such a transaction had taken place.
The captain of the patrol ship in Vilva and his sailors unanimously identified that they had found the silver bullion on Ionis' merchant ship and witnessed the transaction with their own eyes.
The evidence was so clear that the matter was clear at a glance: this Diónia merchant deliberately violated the agreement between the two parties and repeatedly stole and sold the silver bullion, an important resource of Carthage.
In Carthage, the people shouted in unison, "Execute this man of Diónia!" Amidst the roars of anger, Ionis was sentenced to death along with his crew during the entire trial without even a chance to defend himself.
Ionis and his crew were pale as they were pushed to the execution ground by the soldiers of Carthage in a daze.
Although it was called the execution ground, it was actually the temple of Baal Harmon, the protector of Carthage. Baal Hamon was a god revered by the Phoenicians. He controlled fire and was also known as the Lord of the Furnace. It was no wonder that the Carthaginians, who relied on metal processing and smelting as their main industry, would worship him. They would also sacrifice living people (mainly children) to him during certain celebrations or special occasions in order to obtain his protection.
This time, sending the people of Diónia to Mount Birsa to be sacrificed was the idea of Protakuba and the other elders. They believed that if the proposal to support Rome was passed, Baal Harmon would curse the enemy and give them the greatest protection in the upcoming war with Diónia.
When Ionis and his crew were escorted to the huge bronze statue of Baal Harmon, they saw a huge pit filled with flames at the bottom of the bronze statue. Standing at the edge of the pit, the hot air that blew against their faces seemed to be able to singe their hair …
"Push them down! Push them down! " The people of Carthage, who followed them, shouted in a frenzy.
"The people of Carthage want to burn us to death!" Amidst the sorrowful cries of his crew, Ionis recovered from his stupor. He bitterly regretted his greed and hated the shamelessness and cruelty of the people of Carthage even more. In a situation where death was inevitable, he glared at the people of Carthage and roared in a stern voice, "Despicable and shameless people of Carthage! In the name of the Hades, I, Ionis, hereby curse all of you. One day, your homes and your cities will be burned to ashes by this raging fire! "
After Ionis finished cursing, he loudly chanted the hymn of the Hades.
The crew who were originally terrified gradually calmed down when they heard his voice. They also chanted loudly, "Just and strict Lord of the Underworld, I fearlessly accept death. I come to your temple full of hope …"
The people of Carthage became even more furious. When the priest finished his prayers, they could not wait to push the people of Diónia into the pit of fire. They watched as the 'criminals' became flaming men, dancing and screaming in the pit of fire. The people of Carthage cheered excitedly. However, although the hymn of the Hades was weak, it still continued, "Under your cross, all sins will have nowhere to hide …"
… …
When the news that "Legio III defeated Cayutini" reached Turií, it really surprised the Devers. His initial hope was that Legio III could teach the Cayutini a lesson and deter the few disobedient tribes of Sammonae. However, he did not expect to achieve such a great result. He had to reconsider whether to change the strategy against the Sammonae.
A day later, he once again convened a meeting of the heads of departments (including the five rotating presidents of the Senate) in the palace.
"The Cayutini violated the covenant and invaded the territory of the Campanian Alliance without authorization. They must be severely punished! We accept Cayutini's negotiation and release the captured soldiers on the condition that 'in order to prevent Cayutini from attacking the territory of the Campanians, the allies of Diónia, in the future, Cayutini must hand over the three towns of Capua, Lora, and Sassella to Diónia; Segovani must be judged by the Campanians, and the leader of Cayutini must be re-elected and must be recognized by Diónia …' "
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