Chapter 29 The Abenerum
Today, among the bustling pedestrians, a group of men wearing red short-sleeved coats, golden-yellow belts around their waists, short black hair and short beards, bare feet and thick faces are quite noticeable. You must know that with the rapid development of the Kingdom of Dionia, even the poor Brutians and Lucanians in the past have been freed from the terrible situation of freezing and starving. In the hinterland of the kingdom, pedestrians have never I have seen a group of people dressed in such shabby clothes, and their appearance is a little strange, so the surrounding pedestrians are whispering.
Finally, a man on horseback came out of the herdsmen who were driving a group of cattle and sheep in front. He came to the group of red-clothed men and asked carefully in Greek, "May I ask if you are Samonais?"
The few men in red obviously understood what he said, but they didn't answer immediately, but turned their attention to the only man in the center wearing a short-sleeved white robe.
The man in the white robe stepped forward and said in Greek, "We are Samonites from Abenerum, what's the matter, Potentians?"
Although the Potentians look the same as the Lucanians in other regions, it has been more than ten years since other Lucanian regions have been incorporated into Dionia, and the people are increasingly accepting Dionia's culture, religion, Under the influence of customs, not only the daily life and clothes have begun to change, but even the name of the newborn child has begun to have a Greek flavor. Only as a "free city" who joined the Kingdom of Dionia at the latest Potentia, its people still basically maintain the cultural customs of the Lucanians.
But the Dionysians were able to tell the difference. Why were the Samonaids, who rarely appeared in Dionia, so easy to tell the difference? Although the man on horseback had doubts, he did not rashly ask. Although the peace between Samone and Potentia has been maintained for ten years since the South Italian War, and one has joined the kingdom of Dionia and the other has become an ally of Dionia, the peace may continue. keep it up. But the man on horseback understood the temperament of the Samonaites, so he didn't say any more, he just said with a smile: "I just came over to get acquainted, and then we can take care of each other on the way to Turii." After that, he said it seriously. The etiquette of a Samonite, and then rode away.
After the other pedestrians knew that the men in red were Samonais, they did not feel too panicked even though the Samonais were famous, so they avoided them because they were in Dionia. , the powerful kingdom of Dionia has allowed its people, including its affiliated allies, to enjoy ten years of peace. No force dares to provoke its majesty, and even mountain bandits are almost extinct in the territory.
A traveler took a boat from Catane to Lijim, and went north through Greater Greece, the Bruti Mountains, the Lucania Mountains, and then to Campania. Other dangers, and even difficulties, he could turn to the Temple of Hades in any city in Dionia.
Safety, this is the greatest benefit that Dionia has given to the people living in this land after the unification of southern Italy, and it is also what makes these people who often travel and do business feel the deepest point, so trekking in this mountainous area,
The only thing they need to worry about is the wild beasts in the mountains, but in fact, this road has been crowded with people for many years, and the beasts have also avoided it. In recent years, there has been no news of wild beasts attacking people and livestock.
In the rest of the time, the horse-riding man in front would take the initiative to come over to chat, and even warmly invited these Samonites to dine together. How could the bacon jerky and hot mutton soup be carried by the Samonites? The enthusiasm of the man on horseback was what could be compared with the cold and hard crumb bread, and the enthusiasm of the man on horseback finally dispelled the guards of the Samonites.
"Leader Gellney, after passing the foot of the mountain, you will arrive at the mountain pass fortress!" said the man on horseback excitedly.
Gellny, the son of Vilani, the chief leader of Shirpini, the former head of the four major tribes of Samona, was defeated in the invasion of Potentia by the Samones ten years ago, and his father died in the rebellion. , and he himself was eventually captured by the Dionysians and spent nearly two years in Potentia and Lucania.
Gellney looked forward, trance-like, familiar with the mountain pass ahead, for he was taken to Turii, the central city of the Dionian kingdom, before he was released back to Samonay For several months, they were also received many times by the King Davos who had defeated them...
At this moment, a complex emotion rose in my heart, and Gellney said loudly: "Hurry up, we are about to get out of the mountains!"
The subordinates shouted excitedly, helping the Potentia herdsmen drive the cattle and sheep, carry the goods, and walk forward together.
After these two days of getting along, pedestrians found that the Samonais are actually very easy to get along with. As long as you are sincere to him, he will definitely do his best to help you.
After crossing the foot of the mountain, the speed of the advance slowed down, because there was a long queue in front of the mountain pass fortress.
Originally there was only one checkpoint at the pass, and the west exit of the mountain road was already guarded by the La River fortress. The Dionysian Senate did not plan to build another fortress here, but since the construction of Turii-Neutum Avenue , in the following years, this road has been extended to Lucania, the Potentia region has been merged into the kingdom, the Samonites, the Campania people's active alliance... The influence of the Dionysian kingdom in the north In the increase, naturally, the trade and cultural exchanges and exchanges between the Dionian center Turii and the central west coast of Italy have become frequent.
On this road every day, not only are people crowded, but carts and livestock often walk on it. In addition, when there are strong winds and heavy rains in the mountains, broken trees and falling rocks will block the road. Therefore, this road needs to be frequented from time to time. maintain. In addition, the "Dionysian Law" also stipulates that "all cities should do their best to ensure the safety of the people's travel." The roads in this mountainous area are tortuous, and it takes three days to complete the journey at a normal speed. In addition, the location is remote and there are many pedestrians. Robbery, wounding and other incidents also occur from time to time, and there are also beast attacks... Therefore, since the senate assigned the security of this mountainous area to Turii, the Turii City Hall has asked the Kingdom Road Works Office and patrol The staff are regularly stationed here to patrol the avenues every day, repair the roads and protect the safety of pedestrians. In order to allow them to work with peace of mind, the checkpoints were expanded and converted into fortresses.
There are more and more people walking on this road, and the businessmen in Turui have also discovered business opportunities. Because of the three-day trek on the mountain road, after coming out, it will take half a day to arrive at Turui at the fastest, and in the mountains There is no good food or sleep, and most pedestrians will not be able to continue their journey without a good rest, so businessmen have built hotels, restaurants, and shops here... After a few years, the fortress has turned into a It became a lively town in the mountains.
Finally, it was the herdsmen's turn in Potentia. The soldiers who were checking in front of the city gate looked at the herds of cattle and sheep calling behind them, and frowned and asked, "Are there any responsible people among you?"
"Me!" The man on horseback squeezed in front of the soldiers.
"Where do you come from? What do you do in Turii?"
"From Potentia, near Copsa, to sell cattle and sheep in Turii."
"How many cows? How many sheep?"
"12 cows, 108 sheep."
The clerk next to him did a mental calculation and said, "You have to pay 12 Opals to pass the border."
The man on horseback was taken aback and asked, "Why do you have to pay?"
"This is the first time you've taken this road to sell livestock in Turui. Road maintenance in the mountains is inherently difficult. There are many cattle and sheep, and they will eat the grass and trees along the road. When it rains, it is easy to block the road with mud. The feces are all over the road, and it is very troublesome to clean up, and its smell is easy to attract wolves, so the Ministry of Roads stipulates, 'For every ten cattle and sheep passing on this mountain road, one opal will be charged as a road maintenance fee. And the extra pay for the road repairers', there is a notice posted on the wall over there, and there is the seal of the Senate, you can see it if you don't believe it." The soldier said with reason.
Twelve Opals are actually not much money, and the man on horseback is quite happy: "No need, I believe you."
After paying the money, the herdsmen drove the cattle and sheep, and passed the city gate slowly.
Gellney and the others stood in front of the city guard. Before he could ask, Gellney replied directly: "We are from Samona, from Abenerum, and were invited to participate in this year's rugby game." He also took out a letter: "This is a letter of certification issued by Kosima, the Chief Executive of Kopsa."
In fact, he had already experienced it once when he passed the La River Fortress. The soldier looked at Gellney and the other Samonais next to him, and said politely: "You wait here for a while, and welcome you to the athletes The camp staff will be here soon."
After a while, I saw a young man walking into the city cave. He had short blond hair, thick eyebrows and big eyes, and a slender body. Although his face was childish, he was full of high spirits. He hurried towards Gellney and the others. , with excitement and curiosity intertwined on his face, he walked up to him, still looking at them carefully.
Garni was slightly displeased.
At this time, the youth showed a smile: "Turiyi welcomes you, brave Abenirum warriors! I was assigned by the Senate to take you to the camp."
His smile was very bright, and it immediately relieved the unhappiness in Samona's heart.
Today's Dionysian Kingdom Rugby Finals is no different than when the league was established, with more than 50 teams participating in the game, plus the Hades Celebration and the subsequent Goddess of Harvest Celebration. There are too many affairs. Lie City Hall did not have enough manpower to deal with such a large scene, and later Daves gave the governor of Turui a suggestion: recruit volunteers from the people of Turui to make up for the shortage of manpower. This recommendation was adopted and has been implemented.