Destiny Only Han

North Africa.

The southern coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

The Roman military camp and the city of Carthage are far away from each other.

The slightly salty and slightly humid sea breeze blows towards the face, bringing warmth instead of the previous gloomy coldness.

As night fell, except for the few high-priced calcium carbide lamps imported from the Han Dynasty, the Roman military camp was hidden in the night, and the noise of the day was no longer there.

All great deeds are accomplished silently, just as all successful events are deliberate, and the Roman legions built up the walls of Carthage during the rainy months in Africa. A city wall.

A city wall that is higher and stronger than the city wall of Carthage!

Titus Claudius Cicero, one of the commanders of the coalition forces and one of the Roman consuls, galloped from a small town where military craftsmen and merchants gathered in the distance, with a drunken and empty face on his face.

The most notable characteristic of the Romans is that they learned warfare in battle.

For example, their fighting style with short swords and large shields, and warships born out of Carthage and better than Carthage.

But now, their learning target is the Han army.

The Han army was being normalized. To be precise, after Liu Bang became the king of Han and built an altar to worship Han Xin as a general, he abandoned the loose military law inherited from the Chu State and followed the Qin State's inhumane but more capable military law. The military law of winning battles.

The two points of difference between the two lie in the ban on alcohol in the army, and the prohibition of female concubines from approaching the barracks.

Nu Lu is the lowest type of brothel.

Although the Romans didn't know what the truth of "a woman in the army will make the army confused", but this did not prevent them from imitating the Han army brainlessly.

After all, for the army, the most important thing is to be able to win battles.

For example, the Mamluk cavalry, in order to concentrate on defeating the enemy, did not hesitate to give up eternal rule...

Therefore, the Romans blamed the defeat of the last battle on the women who haunted the barracks and brought warmth and comfort to the confused soldiers.

The Romans obviously couldn't do what the Mamluks did, they just drove the prostitutes who accompanied the army out of the barracks.

But the Romans also had a proverb that prostitution is the oldest profession in the world.

The so-called existence is reasonable, and the ancient profession naturally has tenacious vitality. Therefore, the prostitutes who were driven away did not leave the barracks too far. They lived in huts next to the barracks and continued to operate as usual.

After all, legionnaires who come across the sea away from their hometown must have a place for entertainment and leisure.

The coalition commander Cicero is no exception.

However, as a member of the noble Cicero family in Rome, he went to relatively high-end venues, and the wine he drank was not wine that was not much better than water, but grape schnapps, which was golden in color, sweet in taste, mellow and flawless.

Well, it's brandy.

This is a new high-end product launched by the Egyptian Governor's Palace, aiming to meet the needs of those wealthy people in countries around the Mediterranean Sea.

People's tastes are actually fixed at a very young age, which is why many private restaurants focus on 'mother's dishes'.

So did the Roman nobility.

Because of the climate, wine is a large-yielding drink that is many times cleaner than river water, and it also contains sugar to supplement calories. It is basically a must-have drink for every Roman after weaning.

Their tongues have long been accustomed to the sour taste of wine. Naturally, rum, which is popular in other places, that is, sugarcane shochu, is not sold well in the Mediterranean.

For this reason, brandy, a high-grade wine made by fermenting, distilling, and storing grapes, came into being, and became a must-have product for nobles in Greece, Rome and other countries to meet the needs of luxury and money fans.

Well, it's a luxury item!

A small bottle is worth five hundred denarius (dinars)!

Denaeus is the currency unit of the Romans today. An ordinary legionnaire earns 112.5 denaeus a year.

And this is also the reason why the Roman war faction represented by Cicero wanted to attack Carthage.

Without him, maintaining the dignity of the nobility is too expensive.

After all, at the banquet that Cicero just attended, at least hundreds of bottles of brandy were used up. If the courtesans and other various expenses are included, the total expenditure was at least [-] denarius!

At this moment, Cicero on the horse was blown by the wind, and the drunkenness gradually dissipated. He looked up at the sky, and suddenly laughed wantonly.

It is cloudless tonight, and the Northern Cross hangs high in the sky, with its arms wide open, gradually becoming the most dazzling existence in the night sky.

The Northern Cross refers to the constellation Cygnus.

According to legend, this is the incarnation of Zeus.

In Greek myths and legends, Zeus was attracted by the beauty of the princess Leda, so he came up with a trick to transform into a swan and fly to Leda.

Princess Leda, who didn't know how to make a roast goose, took the swan as a pet and slept with it in her arms. As a result, she became pregnant and gave birth to the Greek heroes Castor and Pollux who later became the twin constellations.

After Zeus returned to the heaven, he was very happy. To commemorate this romance, he left his swan in the sky and became the constellation Cygnus.

But the story has little to do with Cicero's wanton laughter at the moment.

As a well-educated Roman aristocrat, Cicero knew that the time when Cygnus was lit was autumn and summer every year.

In other words, the rainy season around the Mediterranean is coming to an end!
This also means that the time of death for the Carthaginians has arrived!

....................................

Carthage city.

At the same time, the Carthaginians, who were staring at the bright Cygnus constellation in the sky, didn't need anyone to say anything, they already knew that a decisive battle was coming.

It's a pity that the heroes of the Argonauts who carried their hopes have not yet returned! (Note 1)

So they decided to hold a ritual at once to pray to the gods such as Baltamon and Merkle to bless them.

Especially Baltmont.

This is the god of the gods believed by the Carthaginians. Every year when the Carthaginians worship this main god, they even burn newborn babies on the altar as sacrifices to the gods!
Today, of course, is no exception.

After receiving the order, the temple guards quickly ransacked the entire city, and quickly found more than a dozen suitable sacrifices from the homes of the common people in the city.

Although the newborn's parents were reluctant, their cries gradually became more subdued when they thought of their child's sacrifice for everyone.

The central square of the city.

Empty alleys.

Whether men, women, old or young, civilians or slaves, all gathered in the square at this moment.

Outside the temple near the square, flames shot into the sky, and all the Carthaginians knelt on the ground, listening to the incomprehensible incantations of the priests of the main god.

The flames carrying the hopes of tens of thousands of Carthaginians instantly devoured the babies who were sacrificed. Under the light of the flames, the shadows of the priests wielding magic weapons were like giants and dancing demons.

The night was getting darker.

After the last ray of fire was extinguished, the entire city of Carthage was plunged into darkness.

At this moment, no one spoke, the surroundings were silent, and everyone was waiting for the dawn.

They waited with mixed emotions.

Waiting for the imminent death, or the new life under the blessing of the gods.

..............................

Dawn broke.

Although the coalition commander Cicero was still hungover, the soaring adrenaline made him full of energy.

Under his orders, the general offensive began.

The eagle flag of the Romans fluttered in the wind, and the legionnaires, who had recuperated for the whole winter and spring, were full of energy. Guided by the sound of drums, horns and whistles, they walked out of the barracks and walked towards the impenetrable city of Carthage surrounded by them.

Killing, looting.

This is the desire in the heart of every legionnaire.

However, it was not the legionnaires who attacked Carthage first, but the Geturians and Galamantes who were captured by them before and did not die of exhaustion when the city was built.

No one believed that these small, dark-skinned slaves could conquer Carthage.

But the value of their existence is to consume the defense weapons of the Carthaginians.

Such as crossbow arrows.

Carthage was a merchant nation, and there was plenty of money.

After the Han Dynasty gained a firm foothold in Egypt, it began to phase out those old weapons in the country in a planned way.

Such as crossbow.

An old-fashioned crossbow left over from the Qin State.

To be precise, it is the inheritance and congratulatory gift left by the Seven Heroes of the Warring States Period to the Han Empire.

The Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period were turbulent for hundreds of years, and those who have blood must fight for their hearts. Even weak countries like South Korea and Yan have weapons and armor in their arsenals that can equip hundreds of thousands of people.

There are countless bows and crossbows.

After the survivors of Qin Shihuang Fen VI swept Liuhe to unify the world, the former six kings and families did not give up the hope of restoring the country. Therefore, before the city was destroyed and the family was destroyed, they not only transferred the fire of restoring the country, but also in the arsenal of the city. Qin Jun's weapons and armor will not be left behind.

But the crux of the problem is that times have changed, and sometimes even they themselves forget where they buried the armor and the treasures of the restoration of the country...

Therefore, it is cheaper for Han.

After the Han Dynasty established itself, not only did it obtain a large amount of old-style armor from the arsenal of the former Qin Dynasty, but almost every now and then, counties and counties reported that it was the swords, guns, swords and halberds that the peasants in the countryside dug out when digging the ground to build houses. Ax, ax and hook...

Therefore, after refurbishment, these junky things were shipped and sold to the boss who paid the starting price.

Carthage is one of them.

Therefore, when the scorching sun rises and warms the defenders on the city, you can see rows of neatly stacked Chinese crossbows, as well as crossbow arrows almost like copy and paste.

Shiny and bright, murderous!
These are the confidence of the Carthaginians.

"Come on, we can guard this wall until we die of old age!"

"God bless Carthage!"

……

Note 1: The heroes on the Argo ship come from the Golden Fleece in Greek mythology.

Jason (Jason) is the son of Ason (Ason), the heir of the kingdom of Aiolkas.

But Aeson was cowardly and indecisive, so the throne was taken away by his younger brother Pelias.

When Jason grew up, in order to get back the throne, he embarked on a glorious adventure, leading the Greek heroes to Colchis on the big ship Argo to get the golden fleece. (end of this chapter)