Chapter 22 The Burning

"But this time it's very difficult for him to win again! Because we are in the war!" Hasdrubal said in disbelief.

"Once Dionysus fights with us in Carthage, what should we do if...the Carthaginian army wins one after another?" Kisgo asked cautiously again.

"On the basis of the Carthaginian army supported by Hanno?!" Hasdrubal looked contemptuous: "They only know how to bully the weak Numibians, even if the Dionysians meet Drought, it is very likely that there will be enemies on all sides, but after all, lions are lions, and how can they be dealt with by wild dogs, in the end, we have to rely on us!”

Hasdrubal held his head high, confident.

If Marco encountered an enemy infringing on Carthage's interests when he was still in Carthage, he would have actively requested to lead the army first, but after spending all these years on the Iberian Peninsula, his temperament has become stronger. Changed, nodded without hesitation and said, "That's it!"

Then, he looked around the three of them and solemnly instructed: "Haka, from now on, you need to stock up on more grains, build more weapons and equipment, and carefully prepare everything for the expedition."

"Okay, uncle."

"Hasdruba, you have to step up to recruit more soldiers and train the army!"

"Uncle, don't worry, leave this to me."

"Kisgo, you step up to contact the Celtic tribes in northern Iberia, sign a peace agreement with them, and hire their warriors to fight for us... Also, send envoys to the ally to the south, the Kingdom of Mauritania, Try to get them to send reinforcements to join us in the battle."

"Yes, Lord Governor!"

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After the meeting, Marco returned to the backyard, the excitement in his heart was still circling in his chest, so he said to the servant: "Go and pour me a glass of wine."

After a while, it was his daughter, Dido, who brought the wine. Dido, who was 21 years old, was extremely beautiful, like a fruit that was about to ripen. However, she was still unmarried, and she asked softly: " Father, have you made a decision?"

Marco knew what she was asking. Because of Dido's intelligence, Marco never avoided her in important government affairs, and sometimes asked her to provide advice: "Yes, it has been decided! I believe that in less than half a year, we will be able to meet the needs of the people. Return to Carthage with cheers, and your marriage can be settled by then!"

Since Dido was his only child,

Marco gave her a certain degree of autonomy in her marriage, and his daughter has a very high vision. In addition, the Iberia region is indeed relatively backward, and there are no outstanding characters. His daughter's marriage has become a problem for him. .

Dido didn't answer him, but frowned and sighed: "We are doing fine in Iberia, why do we have to go back to Carthage?!"

"Carthage is our root!" Marco said sternly: "Our ancestors have gone through untold hardships to build that city, how can we easily abandon it! Besides, Carthage has declined, and we are in Iberia. It won't be easy for Aya, so no matter what, we must keep Carthage prosperous!"

"But... the kingdom of Dionia is not so easy to deal with! It is much stronger than the old Syracuse, I am afraid that I will anger it and eventually bring us... disaster!" Dido frowned There is a little concern.

"Dionia is strong, but we are also strong in Carthage, not to mention that now is the best time to attack Dionia, don't worry! Besides, fighting is a man's business, so don't worry about it. If you have free time, go and help Haka, he will be the busiest in the next time, and he needs someone to help him share some affairs, otherwise I am afraid that his body will not be able to support." Marco said, raised his The wine glass, tasting the wine, obviously did not want to listen to Dido's persuasion.

"Okay..." Dido sighed faintly.

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Two days later, Ionis and his crew were escorted into the city of Carthage.

The people of Carthage, who had received the news in advance, were dispatched almost all over the city, and the people of Carthage were angry when they saw the carloads of stolen goods—silver bricks—that followed these criminals.

You must know that about half of the citizens of Carthage are merchants or engaged in business-related occupations. In the past two years, the Dionysians used "tricks" to break Carthage's commercial monopoly on Sardinia, and the previous paragraph Time's expulsion of Carthaginian merchants in Dionia made them dissatisfied, and now seeing all this, their anger can be imagined.

"Damn thieves!! Despicable and shameless Dionians!! How dare you steal the wealth of our Carthage!! Can't forgive them easily!!!..."

"Execute them!! Kill these thieves who are trying to steal our wealth!! Let the Dionysians know how powerful we are in Carthage!!!..."

...

Hateful swearing resounded throughout the city, and Ionis and his crew trembled like little trees in a gust of wind.

Under the wave of protests and abuse of Dionia in the whole city, Pretakuba and several other elders proposed in the Senate to "put these Dionia criminals on trial". This time, Hanno did not go against the trend. Blocked, the proposal passed.

Soon, the court of 100 took up positions in the square,

Aionis dared to apply to the court, in accordance with the agreement signed by Dionia and Carthage, to arrange for Dionysian officials to be present to hear the case about him together, but was rejected.

Next, the mine owner who had sold his silver bullion became the plaintiff, accusing Ionis of secretly colluding with his miners and slave chiefs to resell the silver bullion without permission.

Another wretched Carthaginian slave he had never seen became a witness, regretting how he was bought by the Dionysians with a lot of money and betrayed his master, and this transaction happened more than once. .

The captain of the Huelva patrol boat and his sailors unanimously identified that it was from the merchant ships of Ionis that they found the silver nuggets and witnessed their transactions.

The evidence is so clear that the matter is clear at a glance: the Dionian merchant deliberately violated the agreement between the two parties and repeatedly stole and sold Carthage's important material - silver.

Amid the roars of the Carthaginian people chanting "Death to this Dionysian!", Aionis was sentenced to death along with his crew without even having a chance to plead throughout the interrogation process.

Ionis and the crew turned pale, and were pushed to the execution ground by the Carthaginian soldiers in a daze.

It was said to be the execution ground, but it was actually the temple of Baal Harmon, the protector of Carthage. Barr Harmon is a main god revered by the Phoenicians. He controls the flame and is also called the Lord of the Furnace. It is no wonder that Carthage, whose main industry is metal processing and smelting, will worship him, and Human beings (mainly children) were sacrificed to him at certain ceremonies or at a special moment in order to obtain his blessing.

This time, sending the Dionysians to Mount Pilsa for sacrifice was the idea of ​​Protacuba and other elders. They believed that if the proposal to support Rome was passed, it might happen with Dionia in the future. During the war, Baal Harmon would curse the enemy and give them the greatest blessing.

When Ionis and the others were escorted to the huge bronze statue of Baal Harmon, they saw a large pit full of flames under the bronze statue. Standing on the edge of the pit, the hot wind blowing towards the face seems to scorch one's head...

"Push them down!! Push them down!!..." The Carthaginian who followed him shouted frantically.

"The Carthaginians want to burn us to death!!..." Amidst the sorrowful cries of the crew, Aionis recovered from his ignorance. He regretted his greed, and hated the shamelessness of the Carthaginians even more. Fierce, when death was unavoidable, he glared at the Carthaginians around him and roared sharply: "Despicable and shameless Carthaginians! Hades above, I Aionis curse you here, always One day, your homeland, your city will be burned to ashes by this fire!!"

After Ionis finished scolding, he sang the Hades hymn aloud.

The terrified crew members gradually calmed down when they heard the voice, and also sang loudly: "Just and strict Lord of the Underworld, I accept death without fear, and come to your temple full of longing..."

The Carthaginians were even more angry. When the priests had just finished their prayers, they couldn't wait to push the Dionysians into the fire pit, watching the "criminals" turn into firemen, dancing and screaming in the fire pit. , the Carthaginians cheered, but Hades' carols, although weak, continued: "Under your double fork, all sins will be hidden..."

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The news that the "Third Army defeated Kautini" came back to Turii, which really surprised Davos. His initial hope was that the Third Army could teach the Kautinis a lesson and shock Sasha. These disobedient tribes of Monet did not expect to obtain such a big victory, so he had to reconsider: whether to change the strategy against the Samona people.

A day later, he again convened a meeting of department heads (including the five rotating presidents of the Senate) at the palace.

"The Kautini people violated the covenant and invaded the territory of the Campania Alliance without authorization, and must be severely punished! We accept Kautini's negotiation and release the captured soldiers on the condition that, 'In order to avoid Kautini's In the future, when they invaded the territory of Dionia's allied Campanians again, the Kautinis must hand over the three towns of Capua, Lola, and Sasella to Dionia for management; Segovani must To accept the trial of the Campanians, the chief Cautini must be approved by Dionia for a new election...'"