Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece - Chapter 125

[Chapter 24 New Roads]

The city of Amendolara, where Heracled once helped build a courtyard for a family.

In recent times, the name Amendolara has frequently appeared in the mouths of the free people in the port of Turii: the mercenaries who annihilated the Lucanian tribal coalition and won the prestigious name have all become citizens of Amendolara, their leaders Davos even became a consul, and they also turned their slaves into free people, and it is said that they will be granted citizenship in the future… With the resumption of trade with Amendolara these days, Amendolara A lot of what happened recently in Lara has been circulated among the free people of Turiyi, where some magical things happened that the people at the bottom of Tulii never dared to think about, but desperately longed for!

The numb and peaceful life of the free people and even the slaves in the city of Turici was like being thrown into a big fish that was alive and kicking, lifting up the silt and sand that had been deposited under the calm water for many years

… Heracled couldn’t help being moved: Since it was Amendolara’s invitation, their promise should be no problem, right?

!

So, Heracled asked eagerly: “Can I bring my son?! His talent in construction is no worse than mine!”

“Of course.”

Under the envious eyes of others, he and his son hurriedly packed Good luggage, he followed the man to Amendolara, and when he saw Alexis, Heraklid was excited by his first words: “I am Alexis, the prisoner of Amendolara. The builder is responsible for the construction, maintenance and supervision of all city-state buildings. The official position of the builder is not available in other Greek city-states. It can be seen that Amendolara attaches great importance to engineering construction. As long as you have this talent, you will be accepted Our reuse!”

Feeling Amendolara’s emphasis on engineering and construction, Heracled’s old heart rekindled the enthusiasm for construction when he was young.

The first task Heracled received was to design and build warehouses and hotels, which was not difficult for him, and his plan was quickly approved by the Senate.

Then he and his son led a dozen craftsmen and nearly a thousand Lucanian slaves to start construction under the city of Amendolara.

Don’t look at Heracled as a dry and thin old man, quite energetic and meticulous in doing things.

Every day, he wanders around various construction sites, supervising the construction speed, checking the quality of the project, severely criticizing if the work is slow, correcting the improper operation immediately, and even doing demonstrations in person. And the slaves both respect and fear the old man.

Today, Alexis found Heracled, handed him a sandpaper roll, and said: “This is the next construction task, to build a road from the crossing of the Sinne River to the foot of the city of Amendolara, and then to Sarace. The road for the ferry of the Nuo River, you need to prepare first. The consul asked that the road should be built like the road he drew.”

“Your consul knows everything!” Heracled couldn’t help but reply. , As a craftsman who has been engaged in construction for many years, he has his persistence and arrogance. What he hates most is ignorant others pointing fingers.

“Look at the blueprint of the consul first.” Alexis reminded him.

The ignorant others are the only lifelong consuls of Amendolara!

It is a key figure directly related to whether he and his son can become citizens of the city-state!

Heraklid suddenly remembered and broke out in a cold sweat. Decades of hardship had bent his waist. He thought to himself: As long as this Archon’s design is not too outrageous, just make a little modification and do as he asked. .

At this moment, survival triumphed over Qing Gao.

He unfolded the sandpaper roll and glanced casually with his eyes. Who would have guessed that his eyes seemed to be stuck and could not be pulled out.

Alexis saw that he was serious, smiled, got up and looked around: the construction site was dusty, the craftsmen and slaves were working in full swing, and the whole construction site had changed a lot after two days of absence…

This made him feel Excited: “Can it be completed in half a year at this rate?!”

“Half a year?! It only takes four months! If those Lucanians can be smarter, three months will be enough!” He said without raising his head.

“It seems that you are not very satisfied with these slaves.” Alexis laughed.

“They don’t know anything about construction, and they don’t know how much I have to speak, and my voice is hoarse. I’m not satisfied, can you give me another batch?!” Heracled complained.

“You know it’s impossible.”

“However, the Lucanians are not as scary as I thought. Maybe it can be said that they are more afraid of you, so they are so obedient!” Only people know what is the most important guarantee in troubled times.

“These Lucanians are not afraid of us, the main thing is that Lord Davos’s method worked!” Alexis sighed.

Speaking of Davos, Heracled’s eyes turned back to the blueprint, pointed to the pattern on the paper, and said seriously: “The road construction drawing drawn by the consul has more steps, and it is much more complicated than the usual road. But when you think about it, it makes sense. First, the soil road is compacted, then a layer of sediment is laid, and then a layer of gravel is laid on the sediment, and finally a more tightly-stitched stone slab is laid. There is a ditch, and an earth-prevention wall is built outside the ditch… It is conceivable that if such a road is built, it will not only be waterproof and sand-proof, but the road itself is strong and resilient, and the trucks carrying goods are not easy to damage it. Never seen a road like this, what an amazing design! If this is what your Archon thinks, then he is an amazing road builder!” This time, Heraklid was telling the truth.

Alexis was numb to Davos’ repeated miracles, and since Heracled approved the drawing, he was relieved, so he said: “So, you agree to build the road according to the procedures on the drawing. Hello.”

“Of course! I also want to see what the constructed road looks like sooner!” the wrinkled old man said excitedly.

But then he pointed to a passage on the paper and asked suspiciously: “We all know that the mortar used for construction is made of limestone mixed with water and decomposed and then added with sand. But the drawing emphasizes that the mortar used for splicing the gaps between the slates , not only use limestone mixed with water and sand, but also add a certain amount of volcanic ash. Lord Archon calls this mortar… water… mud, does it really work?”

“The citizens of Amendolara all know that the consul Davos is the patron of Hades. This must be the inspiration given to him by Hades. I believe that after you try it, you will understand the magic of this kind of thing.” Alexis said solemnly.

“You’re right, how do you know if you don’t try it!” Heracled became interested: “I remember that there are many volcanoes in Sicily and its nearby islands. It is said that in ancient times, Hephaestus, the god of fire, cast it. We can send a boat to pull a boatload of volcanic ash back to the place where the magic weapon is used, and it shouldn’t cost much.”

“Heracled!” Alexis suddenly became serious: “According to you and your son For your previous performance, Lord Davos proposed a proposal. With the approval of the Senate of Amendolara, you and Little Heracled have become reserve citizens of the city-state of Amendolara. During the two-year inspection period, if you perform well , Continue to contribute to Amendorara, then you will be an official citizen of Amendorara, congratulations!”

Heracled was startled, his dry lips wriggled, but he was speechless.

In the blink of an eye, turbid tears flowed.

Alexis was touched by it, and his tone became softer: “As a reserve citizen of Amendolara, you must know that the consul Lord Davos repeatedly instructed me, ‘The method of making cement is Amendolara’s The city-state’s top secret!’ Don’t tell anyone except you and your son. If there is a leak, the Senate will send an inspector to hold you accountable, and may impose heavy punishment. I hope you can come up with a solution. If you want to use it, you must protect its secrets!”

Heracled immediately became nervous, and he hurriedly shoved the blueprint into his arms…

……………………

18-year-old Alcines This is the second time I have participated in the training of the military camp, UU reading www.

sonicmtl.com As a young adult, it is also the second time in his life that he has participated in military training.

In the past, he only learned to hold a shield and wield a stab gun under the guidance of his father. In the rest of the time, he was either studying words or exercising in the arena with other friends.

Since the war between Turii and the Lucanians, his life has changed dramatically: his father died in battle, his mother died of illness in custody, and eighteen-year-old Alcines inherited the family property.

According to the “City-State Military Service Act” promulgated by Davos after serving as a lifetime consul, adult city-state citizens must attend military camp training every six days during the busy farming season, and every three days in the slack time after the autumn harvest and before the spring sowing. once a day.

Alsinis can’t wait to learn his skills so that he can gallop on the battlefield as soon as possible and defeat the Lucarians to avenge his parents.

But in the first training, it was beyond his imagination of the military camp. Except for the rugby game taught by the consul at the last moment, which was very interesting, the training was not only arduous and tedious, but also boring.

The second training was still the same as the last: the recruits first donned Corinthian helmets, linen breastplates, bronze greaves, pierced shields with lances, and sabers on their waists, and walked five kilometers in full armor. Slow down, I have to suffer the instructor’s stick.

Last time, he saw several free civilian recruits being beaten by the instructor and screaming “Ow Ow”. Although the equipment weighed nearly 40 pounds, the innate genetics and acquired training made Alsinis not feel too burdened. .