Chapter 187 Oh, Carthage!

"Your Majesty, don't you know that Hiros has been urging us to hurry for the past two days in order to buy time. We didn't take much rest. I didn't expect him to catch up." Henepolis interjected. .

"Opportunities are for those who are prepared." Davos whispered thoughtfully, looking back at Henepolis: "Let's go, go to the big tent with me, and have a good talk about what you said... …”

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Early the next morning, when Davos led the army that had gathered from the former camp of Syracuse and the city of Asprostoum to set off and marched towards the Celestial Court, the passenger ship Ancitanos was on had already arrived. Bypassing the southwest corner of Sicily, the strong south wind whipped up the sails, making the passenger ship swiftly head towards the African continent south of Sicily.

Ancitanos had set out with Sekelian's fleet a few days ago, and was separated from the fleet after crossing the Strait of Messina.

The northern coast of Sicily is not patrolled by the warships of Syracuse, and the passenger ships move smoothly all the way. There are countless merchant ships on this route, which makes the helmsman of the passenger ship have to be highly nervous and carefully control the rudder to avoid collision.

Near noon, the outline of the land appeared ahead, and the place where thousands of ships converged was Carthage, a powerful city-state established by the Phoenicians on the continent of Africa.

The city of Carthage sits on a peninsula framed by a series of sandstone hills.

On the northeast and southeast boundaries of the city, two narrow, wing-like pieces of land extend outwards, the latter nearly bisects the sea, thus enclosing a large lagoon (today's Lake Tunis), a row of Rolling and precipitous sandstone cliffs flank the northern part of the peninsula, while the vast coastal plain to the south is protected by a series of fortified walls, ditches and ramparts.

In the northeast corner of the city, on the sea side of the lagoon, there are two magnificent harbours. The outer side of the harbour is surrounded by long, high walls, which also function as breakwaters. The two seaports are connected to each other, and the common sea entrance is 21 meters wide and can be closed with iron chains.

The first seaport was for merchant ships, and the quay area was built with huge sandstone blocks, strong and durable. Behind the wharf is a row of tall and wide warehouses. Numerous laborers push pulleys to transport various goods between the wharf and the warehouse, and the flow is endless.

After the merchant ships entered the commercial port, they stopped at the wharf one after another. The middle channel was not allowed to be occupied for a long time, because it was reserved for the entry and exit of the Carthaginian warships. The military port was inside the commercial port. A wall separates it, only one water gate is connected, and its width is only for two three-deck oars to enter side by side...

The passenger ship Ancitanos was on had been observing the bow during the docking process.

Even when he got ashore, he still looked in, but the tall and thick double-layered walls blocked his sight, and he couldn't see the situation inside the military port.

But when he came last time, Ancitanos had already learned something about the military port from the locals: it is said that it was a circular military port, which was a genius design by the architects of Carthage according to the specific terrain of the port. , He made the most flexible use of the available space. The military port surrounds a small island, and the huge piers are located in the gap between the harbour and the island. The embankment is full of dry docks. It is said that it is very easy to Accommodating more than 300 three-deck oars...

Ancitanos went ashore, and with his entourage, walked into the city with the bustling flow of people.

In the noisy flow of people in the port area, various races from the Mediterranean have gathered, and even some races from outside the Mediterranean can be seen here, such as: extremely tall, fair-skinned Germans with indigo patterns painted on their bodies, Britannia People, and tribes black as night, said to have come from near the precipitous peaks south of the African desert, called "the chariots of the gods" by Carthaginian adventurers (now Mount Cameron). )... These are the "outside worlds" that Ancitanos, as a historian, could not imagine, but was full of yearning for.

In the Mediterranean, only Carthaginians have the ability to do this! In addition to sighing, Ancitanos also turned a blind eye to the strange eyes cast by pedestrians from time to time.

Many Greeks did business in Carthage, and some even settled here, but several wars between Carthage and Syracuse caused heavy casualties among Carthaginian citizens. As a result, the attitude of the Carthaginians towards the Greeks has changed. It is said that the Greeks who settled in the city of Carthage were expelled, their property was confiscated, and some people were killed on the spot. Only recently, the situation has improved.

The main city of Carthage is built on a hill, namely Mount Pilsa, the top of which is the Acropolis of Carthage.

Inside the Acropolis is the Temple of Esmon, which is famous throughout Africa, but it is not the supreme god of the Phoenician city-states in the Eastern Mediterranean, Melkat, but another high-level god, Bar Harmon. In the eyes of the Carthaginians, Baal Harmon was the king of the furnace, the lord of the new moon, and the guardian of Carthage. A huge bronze statue with a spear, palm up, and a gesture of blessing stands in the center of the Acropolis, overlooking the city of Carthage. The wife of Baal Harmon, the lesser god Tanit, is not in the hearts of Carthaginians under her husband. She is the female protector and guardian of the city and is also enshrined in the Temple of Asmon. among.

With the Temple of Esmond as the center, the urban areas of Carthage are arranged radially down the mountain.

Ancitanos walking towards the center of the city is like climbing a mountain. Narrow streets, sloping steep slopes, and crowded people forced him to be careful not to fall.

Compared with the bad roads, the houses of the citizens of Carthage are almost all six-story high-rise buildings. They stand in rows on both sides of the street. Most of them are made of huge sandstone strips, and the surface is painted with white plaster. , not only can guarantee against the erosion of the natural environment, but also under the sunlight, its appearance is as shiny as marble. The exterior walls of a few houses are directly built with marble, with gorgeous colors and peculiar patterns, which are amazing. The further you go into the city, the more obvious this situation is, and the wealth of the Carthaginians is evident.

Passing through the narrow street, the front suddenly opens up, and the Carthage City Square is in front of you: this square is actually behind the military port, not far from the location where Ancitanos landed, but because you have to bypass the military port, you have to walk more. For a while, the square is surrounded by the Senate of Carthage and the Temple of Melakat.

Ancitanos did not go to the Senate, but went straight through the square and reached another block. This is different from other blocks. Not only are the roads wide and there are no high-rise buildings, but they are all courtyards, and each courtyard occupies a large area. .

According to his memory, Ancitanos came to the door of a luxurious mansion, which lived in one of the two Sufis of Carthage (the highest consul), and now the real ruler of Carthage - "the great " of Hanno.

The last time Ancitanos visited Carthage, he also came to visit Hanno first, but unfortunately Hanno was in the manor outside the city and could not meet, so this time Ancitanos hoped that he would have good luck.

In fact, Hanno has been staying in the city for a while, because the news of the victory of the Syracuse army in Great Greece has made the elders of the Carthaginian Senate feel uneasy, and they are always concerned about the progress of the Great Greece war. When the servant came in to report, Hanno was lying on the roof platform, lying on the comfortable sofa in the warm sunshine, with a young maid next to him rubbing oil and massaging him.

The messenger of Dionia asks! Hearing the servant's words, Hanno fell into deep thought. Today is not the same as in the past. As the only force in Greater Greece that is still fighting against Syracuse, the news that the Dionysian Fleet defeated the Syracuse Navy in the Turii Sea has just arrived. Confirming their strength, the Carthaginians had to abandon their previous contempt to face up to this new alliance of Greek city-states that they didn't know much about.

"Take him to the living room and wait for me," Hanno said.

When he put on a gorgeous robe and walked into the living room, he saw Ancitanos standing in front of the statue of Bal Harmon, staring intently at the god.

"Do the Greeks also have respect for our Carthaginian gods?" Hanno said, walking to his throne.

"Respected Lord Hanno!" Ancitanos hurriedly saluted him solemnly, then returned to his seat, and said neither humbly nor arrogantly: "I am a little curious about the god of your kingdom, Bar Harmon, because Sophocles It has been mentioned that 'your god Baal Harmon bears a great resemblance to Kranos' (Sophocles, a famous Athenian playwright, deceased)."

Hanno snorted, with a layer of anger on his face: "Stupid Greeks, when the Phoenicians created trade prosperity in the Mediterranean hundreds of years ago, you Greeks were still huddled on the poor and barren land. Come on. And when we Carthaginians sent fleets across the Pillars of Hercules and voyages across the ocean, you Greeks just established city-states in the Western Mediterranean. If you have a little brains, you can tell it's your god like our god..."

"What you said may be right. It would be better if there was more evidence to prove it! Can you show me some information on this?" Ancitanos did not refute, but asked earnestly.

Hanno was a little stunned. He thought that the Dionysian messenger would argue with him angrily because of this, but the serious and realistic attitude shown by the other party made him a little favored and curious.