Augustus Road

"The whips are loud, the wheels are rolling, the horses are kicking, and the swords are fighting for the lead." - "The Book of Nahum" describes the assault of ancient Assyrian chariots

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"Why not? Pompey will definitely install many pirates in your country anyway. The status of the Kingdom of Eubotia under Roman law is between the alliance members socii and the surrenderers dediticii. Adiana, you don't have it. You must have the diplomatic power of reading and accept the supervision of the city of Rome. You must imitate the Roman city-state in setting up the Curia Senate, the town assembly and officials, and you must also provide blood tax (auxiliary army and navy) to Rome. What you can do now is It is to turn an unfavorable situation into an advantage. Since Pompey is willing to move pirates over, you can take advantage of the placement of pirates, absorb them into Curia and the army, and enrich your own strength." Calabis said.

At this time, the princess sitting next to Calabis looked at him and whispered: "It doesn't matter, I still have the dream of reviving the empire." Then she coughed twice seriously, quietly took Calabis's hand, Someone said in a softer tone than before: "Let me entertain you for a midsummer in Eubotia. I am very familiar with it. It is a new city built by my father during his lifetime. It is under the Anatolia Mountains in the interior. There are rivers and salt lakes, as well as palaces and paddocks, and the scenery is very steep and beautiful. Although the Romans looted it before, the main buildings are still there. I can entertain you with the money given by Pompey. "

"You say that, as if I was spending money like water." Calabis smiled, stretched out his legs, and rested comfortably on the wall and deck. Adiana closed her eyes and rested on his knees. , the two of them quietly listened to the drumbeats and trumpets of the oarsmen, as well as the sound of the undercurrent of the sea. It was rare to enjoy such a simple and peaceful time at this moment.

"Hey, do you know why my father built Eubotia? Because the alpine saltwater lake Hattusa there is the real cemetery of our Mitra family."

"You mean the royal cemetery in Sinop..."

"It was just a palace for priests to carry out activities and people to pay respects. We buried the fake corpse there, and then took the pottery urn containing the bones of my father and brother-in-law and placed it by the lake on the Hattusa Plateau, where There is also a sacred field, which is the holy land of the Mitra family. Please don't go back to Rome for the time being. Let's spend this rare summer on the cool plateau, just the two of us, without any chaos of thrones and struggles - yes How about I teach you how to ride a horse?" Adiana's long eyelashes trembled slightly, and she clasped Calabis's hand in hers and placed it on her cheek, "Or, we can bring a picnic and drinks. Rafting on the Salt Lake.”

"I am not qualified to enjoy these. Maybe I will have to leave in half a month."

"Calabis, are you working so hard to become a king?" The shadow of a cloud swayed over Adiana's fair face.

"In order to live and let the people you love live better in this world, when it comes to this, I once said that I would give you a thousand talents, right?"

Adiana chuckled, turning her face to Calabis's chest, "Maybe you can serve in my court for fifty years in exchange for this money."

"No, you come with me."

In the bottom cabin of the white sailboat, Calabis pulled the princess slowly down the narrow ladder. Then Adiana saw that at the end of the bottom cabin opposite, there was a space that was cut off by an iron fence, and there was some dust inside. Can, Karabis walked there, moved the fence, raised his hands, "Now you know, when you were negotiating with me on this ship, why did it take me so long to find food, and what did I just do?" After taking you ashore, I will hit the ship with a ballista until it runs aground, and why go to Colchis, I must insist on repairing this white sailing ship and ride on it. This iron fence was added by me later, and I added it. Rowers and craftsmen are never allowed to come here."

Adiana's body trembled. She pointed at the dusty jars and said in a low voice: "You mean..."

"Yes, you are too spoiled, Adiana, so the right to discover these things belongs to me, because I am the first person willing to search for food on this ship for you and feed you." Calabis He opened the dusty cover of one of the marked clay pots, and from the hay and linen wadding inside, he took out one after another agate-inlaid gold wine glasses, a total of twelve. Then he took out another clay pot, and took out four expensive wine ice vessels worth at least one talent, followed by rhinoceros horns for drinking, ivory and pure gold statuettes, scepters, and daggers, all inlaid with Diamond bridles, and chests full of musk bags and agarwood... "These things are worth at least **hundred talents. The gift is your father's, the discovery belongs to me, and the ownership belongs to you." Owned by Queen Eubotia Adiana." Calabis made a polite gesture of invitation.

Adiana threw herself into his arms and almost knocked him down, "Stay and be the king of Eubotia!"

"Impossible things don't need to be repeated a third time. Adiana, protect and develop your country well. The current situation is the best for you. You are no longer constrained, and you don't need to live under the influence of your father's greatness. In the shadow of the enemy, maybe three or five years later, will you still join forces with me to fight? "

When the white sailboat docked at Sinop Harbor, Adiana held up an ivory-gold-inlaid scepter and sat on an eight-pillar sedan chair carried by thirty-two people. Behind her was a team of several hundred people, including pirates, carrying boxes and pottery jars. The people and chiefs from all over Pontus, including the Charas, waved the flowers in their hands in front of the sedan chair team and knelt down to pay tribute to the princess. They still admired the authority of the princess of the Mithra family, even though the family had lost its power. "The war is over, and the Mithra family accepted peace, but I have to admit that the Pontus Empire failed and perished. It has been divided, and the owner of Alexander the Great's cloak is now the Roman general, the great General Pompey. Our country has now become a Roman province like Bithynia and Cappadocia. But the glory of the family will continue in the hands of Adiana, in the Kingdom of Euboea where the snow and wind are howling. As for you, please enjoy this hard-won peace slowly and for a long time. Please don't talk about war anymore. Now I just want to bury my father's body properly. "Adiana on the sedan chair held up the gorgeous scepter and kept saying.

The fake corpse impersonating Mithridates Eupater, after being placed in a coffin, was placed in the temple of Sinope Palace under the guidance of the priests on a starry night, side by side with the coffins of other Pontic monarchs. This was also specially allowed by Pompey. Adiana walked out of the temple with a little sadness, looking at the palace with only ruins left. The summer stars were spread all over the night sky. A few lonely columns stood like silhouettes in her perspective. Looking down from the hill of the temple, there were only the lighthouse on the seashore and a few lonely fishing lights in the distance, as well as the roar of the sea tide crashing against the breakwater.

"Farewell, Queen of the Black Sea, Sinope, Adiana is going back to the land of her ancestors. May your face be prosperous forever, and I hope that the god Mithra will bless us and we will meet again one day." (To be continued.)