Chapter 21 The Conspiracy of the Margonides

Due to the strong national strength and the prosperity of trade, Dionia's currency (Hades silver coin) is not only widely popular at home, in the allies, and throughout the Western Mediterranean. Because of its exquisite images and high purity of silver, its own It has also become a popular commodity, and people in other city-states like to exchange other coins for Hades silver coins. As a collection, they will not be used unless they have to.

In this way, the silver coins that have been circulated cannot be fully recovered, and the new silver coins that have been re-cast with other city-state silver coins will suffer from wear and tear. In this way every year, the total amount of silver coins in circulation in the country is decreasing, and the Hades silver coins become more valuable, which aggravates this vicious circle. In this case, to promote the prosperity of trade, it is necessary to have its own source of silver mines, which is why the Ministry of Commerce has been supporting Enona and Poseidonia in secretly trading with the people of Sardinia.

Now there is a new channel for obtaining silver mine in front of Ionis, if he can seize it, what does it mean? wealth! right! Even - Ionis imagined that King Dionysus personally received and praised him.

So he was moved, but he remained a little cautious: "Dionia has an agreement with Carthage, we can't trade here—"

"Cadis is definitely not good, the Carthaginians here are too strict! But in Huelva, my master has considerable power there, and can quietly avoid the inspection, on the uninhabited beach near Huelva Trading……"

This person is obviously prepared, and his plans are quite thorough, but after all, it is the first time to deal with it, whether it is worth trusting... Ionis hesitated again and again, but in the end he couldn't stand the temptation and decided to take risks.

After the merchant ship of Ionis was temporarily repaired, under the warning of Cadiz officials, he led the crew to smoothly drive the merchant ship away from Cadiz and sailed eastward. After the patrol ship of Carthage returned, he let the merchant ship again. Turning around, sticking to the coast of the African continent, sailing in a large circle, bypassing Risus and Cadiz, and reaching the vicinity of Huelva further west.

Huelva is located near the mouth of the Odile River. Before the rise of Cadiz, it was the Phoenician metal processing center throughout the Western Mediterranean. A large number of ore from the inland mines flowed down the Odile River and transported to the Welsh. Huelva, there are hundreds of smelting furnaces in the town, and even the ore from Sardinia is transported here for smelting. Even if Cadiz later shared some of the ore smelting tasks, Huelva's metal smelting output is still very amazing.

Ionis saw countless smoke pillars on the coast rising into the sky far away on the boat, and the excitement in his heart can be imagined.

Guided by the Huelva who was lurking among the crew, the merchant ship arrived at a remote deserted beach.

But when the Huelva went to inform his master, Ionis was nervous and a little uneasy, thinking in his heart: If he finds himself deceived,

He drove the boat and left immediately, but it was just a delay. Anyway, this time the trade at sea has already lost.

Who knows, things went very smoothly. After waiting for a long time, the mine owner appeared, he brought a lot of slaves, and a pack team full of silver bricks.

After negotiation, the two quickly reached an agreement: Ionis exchanged nearly 500 catties of silver bricks for a boatload of Turii wine that was intended to be sold in Sagunto.

Ionis obviously made a profit, but obviously the mine owner also gave Ionis sweetness for the sake of continuing transactions in the future.

Aionis suppressed the ecstasy in his heart, and agreed with the mine owner on the time, place and goods for the next trade. Only then did he get on the merchant ship contentedly. With the cheers of the crew, he prepared to leave the deserted beach.

At this time, several Carthaginian patrol ships suddenly appeared, completely surrounded it, and once again captured Ionis and his crew.

When a frustrated Ionis was taken aboard the patrol boat, he saw the man who had persuaded him to come to Huelva, who had been flattering before, now sneered at him.

Ioniston's heart sinks to the bottom: this is a conspiracy...

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Sexi, a Phoenician settlement in southern Iberia, east of the Pillar of Hercules, near the city of Malaga, it was the governor of Iberia appointed by Carthage The resident, its governor is Margo, the patriarch of the Margonid family. A few years ago, he had moved most of the family (including his daughter Dido) and supplies here, and Sisi has effectively become the private domain of the Margonides family, and the waters around the city are rich in mackerel , is also one of the main producers of Phoenician fish sauce.

In the study of the governor's mansion, the main members of the Margonides family were having an important gathering.

Sitting in the center is Margo, the patriarch of the Margonid family and the Iberian governor of Carthage. This 55-year-old old man has completely white hair and hair, and his face is full of ravines. It was the attack on Thira that year. Kuza's fiasco, the suicide of his brother, the next defeat in Dionysius' attack, the loss of the Margonid family's dominance in the Senate... A series of setbacks engraved on his face the vicissitudes of life . It was not until he came to Iberia, with power and no restraints, that he regained his former ambition and authority.

On his right is Hasdruba, the eldest son of his brother Himilko. This young general who only knew how to rush and fight at the beginning has become a little prudent and restrained after more than ten years of hard work. The fierce eyes looked at Shenghao.

On the left is Himilko's second son Haka. Before he came to the Iberian Peninsula, he was still a thin and childish teenager. Now he is approaching his thirties. He is slender and strong, but his face is a little pale. He looked a little tired. He has become Margo's most indispensable arm. Now he is mainly responsible for the internal affairs of the Iberian territory. The Margonid family's rule here is stable, and he has contributed a lot. .

Sitting at the foot of Margo, Kisgo is a member of the far branch of the Margonid family. He stood out in the process of expanding his territory and fighting against the natives. He was highly regarded by Margo. People raided the rear of the territory several times, but he saw through them, and finally repelled them, ensuring the safety of the Iberian territory.

"Uncle, there is news from Huelva that what we planned has been successful. The greedy Dionysian merchant and his merchant ship full of silver bricks have all been captured. Will they be sent to Jia? Taiji?" The wooden chair Haka sat on was specially made, and the back of the chair was reclined, so that he could talk half-lying, and when he spoke, the exhaustion on his face faded, and his eyes shone brightly.

A smile finally appeared on Marco's serious face, and the long-awaited excitement flashed in his eyes, and he said in a deep voice, "Just follow your plan, and notify Pretakuba at the same time to let him publicize the matter. Go out and let everyone in Carthage know that the Dionians are not only coveting our silver mines, but have already begun to do so!"

"Will that old guy really give in and support Rome against Dionia?" Hasdrubal, however, did not have much confidence in the Carthaginian Senate, and asked uncertainly.

"Brother, now the city of Carthage is full of dissatisfaction with Dionia. Whether it is the people or most of the elders, they hope to teach Dionia a lesson, but Hanno has been slow to make a decision-" Hakkar sneered: "It's just a little bit of poor self-esteem for him to claim to be the most powerful person in Carthage, and this matter will be pouring another spoonful of oil into the burning stove, if he dares to delay, Then this Sofitel of his should come to an end!"

"I hope this old guy will continue to block the passage of the resolution in the Senate, and let him experience the pain of being sacked by the people!" Hasdruba said gloatingly.

"Don't underestimate Hanno, he will not easily give up the dominance of the Carthage senate! We still need to remain vigilant and keep an eye on the development of the situation in Carthage!" Margo reminded, for Hanno He has a deep understanding of how powerful it is, otherwise he would not have reluctantly chose to quit Carthage and leave Iberia.

"Once Dionia and Carthage go to war, uncle, when will we send troops?" Hasdrubal looked at Marco with a look of eagerness on his face.

"I think it's better when the army of Carthage has suffered defeat, and the people remember and appeal to us, the Margonides, and the senate, begging us to send troops!" Haka suggested.

Hakkar's words lifted the spirits of the other three. This time, the Margonid family has been preparing for so long, and its purpose is to restore the family's glory and regain its dominance over the Senate.

"What if the Dionysians backed off because Rome was supported by our Carthage?" Kisgo asked cautiously.

Margo and Hasdruba were stunned for a moment, but Hakkar said with certainty: "Dionysian won't back down! Because Dionysian's king has always claimed that he is the one who keeps his promises the most, and that he has always kept his promises from Dionysian. Asia has basically done this since its establishment, so the people of Dionia and its allies have always trusted him. If he chooses to back down this time and let Rome annex his ally Volsi, this will not only make him Dionysian allies are heartbroken, and it will also make the people of Dionia lose their trust in him. King Dionia is a wise man and will never make such a mistake!"

After hearing this, Marco nodded again and again, and sighed: "Although King Dionia is young, in order to fulfill his covenant, he had to fight against powerful enemies several times over the years, and he finally won, which must be admired! "