Chapter 38 The Visit of Athens

Lysias's eyes were fixed on a fleet of more than a dozen warships cruising in front of him. Behind the fleet, two huge white wave-stops could be seen faintly, like a pair of arms extending from both sides of the coast. , as if to keep the Krati River flowing into the sea.

"The current Turi is a completely different Turi..." he murmured.

The Athens passenger ship finally entered the port and docked at the pier.

According to Isocrates' conjecture based on the information he obtained about the alliance, he believed that the port of Turii was not located near the famous trade routes of the eastern and western Mediterranean, and that there was no natural good port of its own. It wouldn't be great, but what he saw turned his mind upside down.

Although it is not as prosperous as the port of Piraeus, it has exceeded his imagination, especially the huge wooden hangers erected on each pier attracted his attention: in several Under the operation of labor, it can easily hang the large cargo on the cargo ship that used to require more than a dozen strong men to lift, and then transfer it to the wharf.

Isocrates from Athens, a prosperous sea trader, immediately realized that if this device can be applied to the port of Piraeus, the dock's unloading capacity for merchant ships can be greatly improved!

So he leaned over to take a closer look at the detailed structure of the device, but was rudely warned by the operator of the hanger: don't get close, or the patrol will detain it.

Isocrates returned in disgust.

At this time, a few strong men appeared in front of Lycias, the first one with a flattering smile, said: "Hi, hello! I am the porter Sperian, this is my number, you Is there something we need to carry?" He then gestured to Lycias to show a small round iron piece pinned to his chest.

Lycias, who had not been back to Turii for decades, leaned in curiously and took a closer look: the dark iron plate had a scale pattern on it, and a string of strange symbols below it.

"What's the use of this thing?" He pointed to the iron piece and asked curiously.

Sperryan said with a little pride: "This can prove that I am a porter officially registered with the port management office. If there is any accident such as loss of goods during the transportation, you can complain to me at the port management office, just report it to the port management office. This number is enough, and the personnel of the management office will punish me and compensate you for your losses after verifying the situation, so you can rest assured."

"Is this a number?" Lycias pointed to the strange line of symbols in surprise.

"Certainly not Greek numbers." Spellian was happy to show his superiority in front of the old man who looked like a scholar: "This is a number invented by our consul Davos,

It is easy to remember and easy to use. Party members use it everywhere. The number engraved on it is 2410, remember? "

Lysias nodded, but his heart was churning. It's not because of this strange number. He is not a mathematician and is not very sensitive to it. He is surprised that Turui manages the port only from the porters, the most common and lowest labor in the port. With such meticulous management, the Dionysians' ability to manage their city can be seen, even in Athens, there is no such measure to regulate the labor market in the mixed port of Piraeus. And from this number, the sophisticated Lysias could feel the busyness of the port of Turii, perhaps more than what he saw in his eyes.

It is not a fluke that Dionia can rise in a short period of time! Lucias was alert in his heart, and then calmly reminded: "I hire you to carry the goods, but there are a lot of pottery in the goods, please be careful!"

"Don't worry, I can't even remember how many times I've transported things like clay pots." Spellian made a promise while negotiating a good price with the entourage of the Athenian mission.

At this time, Isocrates also rushed back.

Spellian and a few people carried the goods on wooden carts, and led the Athenian mission out of the crowded pier to the port avenue.

Isocrates was surprised that this avenue was wider and smoother than the avenue leading from Piraeus port to Athens, and looking at the ditches, sidewalks and other facilities on both sides of the avenue, it was obvious that Dionia People are strict and meticulous about road construction.

This made Isocrates a little frustrated: because this seems to be incomparable to the Athenians, their minds are more focused on participating in political affairs, courts and other city-state affairs.

Isocrates couldn't help squatting down, stretched out his hand, and touched the gray-white substance that tightly spliced ​​the stones together. When he knocked it, the texture was still very hard.

"Isocrates, are you ready to change careers to be an architect?" Lycias understood the reason for his actions, and couldn't help but joke.

"It's your first time in Dionia, right?" Spellian didn't find it strange to see his behavior, but said contentedly: "In Dionia's territory, avenues like this can be seen everywhere, but it's just that This road should be wider. Because more and more merchant ships come to Turiyi every year, this road has been rebuilt many times, and even the surrounding warehouses and bungalows have been demolished a lot. narrow."

Is this too narrow? ! Lycias was speechless.

Because most of the people on this avenue are carriages, and pedestrians often walk on both sides of the road, Spellian has to remind: "You guys retreat to the side of the road first, wait a while, and I'll bring the carriage. But beforehand, I have to To explain, I talked to you before about the price that is only responsible for the delivery of goods. Turii City is more than ten miles away from the port. If you choose to walk, we will deliver the goods to the gate of the city and wait for you. If you choose to follow us Let's go and ride in my carriage together, then we'll have to pay a little more for the fare."

Spellian is shrewd, and Lysias is also not confused. Although he is a literati, he has been relying on writing litigation defenses on behalf of others to make a living in Athens. His life is relatively poor, and he is still relatively familiar with things such as firewood, rice, oil and salt: "Is there a problem? Isn't there a carriage specially designed for people to travel?"

"Of course there are, there are many more." Spellian said truthfully: "When you leave the port, there are those carriages specially designed for passengers. It is more comfortable to sit than my pack car, but it is expensive. And I take it with you. You only charge a small amount of hard work for your journey."

For the wealthy Athenians, money is not a problem, but Isocrates is obviously a little tired and afraid of trouble, but he still reminds: "We are five people, can your carriage fit?"

"You can rest assured." Spellian didn't lie, and soon he led two carriages.

When Spérian and the others carefully loaded the goods into the carriage, Lycias couldn't help but ask, "Is this the carriage you rented?"

"No, it's my carriage." Spellian emphasized the word "I" and said proudly: "As a prospective citizen, I can apply for a loan from Cristoia Bank. Now a car The loan and interest on the carriage has been paid off, and the other one is coming soon."

Soon, the two carriages started.

Spérian accompanies Isocrates and Lysias in the first wagon, a wagon without a canopy that gives an unobstructed view of the port avenue and its surroundings, just in line with Isocrates's Mind. He noticed: Although there are many carriages and carts on the avenue, they follow a certain rule, so they appear to be numerous and not chaotic. Even when there is a problem that causes congestion, a patrol will come quickly to clear it...

Lycias, on the other hand, paid more attention to the wagons and pack wagons, because they were all pulled by horses. In Lysias' memory, Turii was not a city-state rich in horses, and he saw such a large number of horses in the port, so he asked, "What is the price of your horses here?"

"30 drachmas for a mare and 22 drachmas for a stallion."

"How can it be so cheap?!" Lucias was startled.

"It turned out that the price of horses in Turii was more than double what it is now, but since Bruti was incorporated into Dionia, the Bruti people have provided a large number of pack horses to the Turii market in recent years, and the price of horses has naturally increased. It's down." Spellian said, patted the buttocks of the pack horse, the horse let out a gentle neigh, and said proudly: "Blutima is a good horse, with great strength, stamina, and temperament. Lijim people have also begun to come to us to buy horses, and it is estimated that the price will have to rise in the future..."

When Spellian spoke, the carriage had already reached the exit of the port, waiting for the inspection by the sentinel of the checkpoint before passing.

Originally, when Isocrates’ boats entered the mouth of the Krati River, as long as they directly indicated to the patrol boat that they were the messengers of Athens, they did not have to enter the port at all, but would be led by the patrol boat to the pier in the city of Turii and directly into Dionia. The Senate, but Isocrates had other considerations and did not do so.

At this moment, he looked up at the tall city wall standing in front of the carriage and firmly surrounded the huge port, and couldn't help but sigh: when Athens was strong in the past, it also used the city wall to bring infinite wealth to Athens Port of Piraeus Protected and connected all the way to Athens. Unfortunately, after the failure of the Peloponnesian War, the Spartans forced the Athenians to demolish the city wall, which made Athens and Thebes unite against Sparta this time. The isthmus, then the completely defenseless port of Piraeus is a piece of fat in the mouth of a hungry wolf. The Citizens' Assembly proposed several times to rebuild the city walls, but this was a huge project, and it was undoubtedly difficult under the current situation that Athens was fully engaged in the war, and it was eventually shelved due to endless disputes.

When will the walls of the port of Piraeus be rebuilt, that's when Athens will rise again! Isocrates had a deep understanding of this.