Chapter 1 Legion Female Craftsman (Part 1)

“Demand makes every poor person unreal.”

——Pullius Seiros

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"Hang down the basket. I repeat again, hang down the basket." When the beating became more and more intense, Karabis mustered up the courage to issue this order. He believed that if the Agayan people really wanted to dig the city wall If so, they would have started working in the pipeline a long time ago. Why do they need to send out such signals for a long time?

A row of baskets was lowered from the top of the city. There was a soldier on standby beside each pulley, holding a dagger and an ax in his hand. He would cut them off instantly if something was wrong, as if the Achaeans would put poisonous snakes in the baskets. Suddenly, when the basket hung down, someone in the pipe grabbed the basket, and the pulley shook violently - the dagger in the hand of a recruit shook with excitement, causing the rope to twist. Everyone on the battlements looked at him with extremely nervous expressions. A veteran next to him slapped his helmet hard.

"Move the torch forward and see what's going on below." Pope suggested, but Karabis stopped him and said, "Let's pull up a basket first." Then several people kept pulling and pulling. The heavy one in the middle was carried in as quickly as possible, and he cut it open with his sword. It turned out that it was indeed wheat flour, chestnuts and some dried vegetables. Many people lit torches and shone their noses and tears. "Don't panic, this is just one of them." Karabis tried to tell his subordinates to stay calm, but his own tears were rolling. He remembered reading a sentence by Mr. Lao She when he was a university monk, and his impression was It was very deep, but now the impression is even more profound, "Hungry is the greatest truth, and women have to sell their meat."

What's more, now because of the disadvantage of surname, even the meat can't be sold!

After the Roman soldiers emptied the basket, they threw copper and silver coins into the basket amidst the more intense beating of the pipes below. This was Calabis's request. If the Achaeans really give food, we will give money. ,unambiguous.

Then, amidst the sound of knocking, baskets filled with grain were pulled up one by one, and coins were sent down one by one. The whole process was orderly. In the end, there was no need for the knocking sound to be used as a communication signal, and both parties reached a tacit understanding. In the early morning of the next day, the Roman soldiers were cooking in the temple of the Acropolis. Calabis strictly ordered not to light fires on the city wall or in the open air. This time the wheat porridge was finally enough, and the centurions and soldiers took it. The rice plate was licked so loudly that it made a slurping sound, completely ignoring the dignity and solemnity that should be expected in the Temple of the Goddess Minerva. Little Nicole, her mother, and El Capa also sat under the pillars in the corner, eating to their heart's content - this The feeling of being revived from death is really extraordinary.

Sitting on the steps, Calabis burped several times and watched several centurions using their sticks to draw plans outside the city. "The Achaeans still can't believe it too much, even though they have sent food." , but our army cannot be too close to their camp - we must act according to circumstances." Pope insisted, and Karabis had to respect it, even though he put a letter in the basket last night, inviting him. After seeing the signal, the Achaeans attacked the Bronze Shield Army outside the city together.

"Brother, I'm done with it a long time ago. The main attack direction is set at the siege equipment field of the Bronze Shield Men below the city. Kill them all and burn them all, and they will be finished." Hebrida kept poking at the steps with his cane, emphasizing. plan.

Calabis touched the stubble on his face and agreed with Hebrida, "It's been raining a few times this damn spring. It seems that Philiplon's successor team has to wait for Pompeii's operation before they can start again. Action will kill us. We can only rely on ourselves. Listen, defeat the Bronze Shield Army, kill Mithridates, seize six thousand talents of silver, and return to Rome in triumph. This is what we want. Made.”

Just as he finished speaking, there were several muffled thunders in the sky, and thin raindrops fell again. The centurions dispersed to gather and train the troops, preparing to choose a day to attack. Karabis walked to the corner of the temple, where Helenputina squatted and wrapped Nico in a blanket. Nico's little face was still exposed. "Good girl, do you still want the lamb?" Karabis said. The lamb that Bisi gave her before had sunk into the sea.

Little Nicole nodded happily, stretched out her little fist, and imitated the tone of the legionnaire, "The Romans never owe favors."

Karabis smiled and fist-bumped with his daughter. Then he looked at the queen and saw that the ambiguous look in her eyes had disappeared. Helen Putina gave Nicole's father a smile and said, "Should I Like any other ordinary Greek woman, she would give a kiss to a man who was about to go on a military expedition."

"You are much stronger than men though, if you wish."

Helenputina tilted her forehead and kissed Calabis gently, then gently raised her eyelashes and looked at him, "Come back alive, and you promised me to build a huge temple of the Hunting Goddess on this island."

When Calabis bid farewell to Helenputina and her daughter, and walked out of the temple in the drizzle, preparing to check combat readiness, an orderly soldier with his military shoes untied stepped on the puddles. , ran to the envoy of the legion, "Soldier, you should tie the lace, otherwise you will die on the battlefield." Calabis complained, then knelt down and tied the lace for the soldier. The soldier was very frightened, and for a moment he explained the situation in a stagnant manner, "A Pontic boat has docked, and inside... there is someone who wants to see your envoy, saying it is Achilles, the commander of the Pontic Navy."

"What?" Karabisna mumbled.

The towers on the long walls on both sides of the small pier all had their crossbows fully loaded and ready to fire. A small boat floated on the water outside the wooden piles, and the Pontic soldiers on it waved small flags nervously. Carabis was accompanied by several subordinates, who of course protected him closely with several shields.

"Excuse me, is the Latin legion envoy behind the shield?" an officer-like person on the boat shouted.

Carabis looked at the subordinates beside him behind the shield. The eyes of several subordinates clearly showed that they were calling the envoy, so why were they looking at us? Carabis coughed twice, poked his head out of the shield, and raised his hand to indicate that he was the legion envoy.

"Swear before the two gods Minerva and Mithra, Commander Achilles invites you to the ship over there to discuss some issues of war and peace. The noble Achilles is waiting for you there, and he will use his reputation to guarantee the secrecy and safety of the meeting."

The suspicion in Carapis' heart became even greater, so great that curiosity could kill nine cats. He pushed away the shield, and then asked the soldiers to push out the only small boat in the entire Acropolis (the one the queen sailed back) from behind the hidden wall. He sat on it, found a wooden stake that was not killed and used as a mark, pushed it down, and sailed out from the waters of the small pier. (To be continued.)