[Count of Monte Cristo] Love and hatred

r057

Mei Tess followed a group of Greek soldiers transporting military supplies, crossed the vast Albanian mountains, all the way east, and finally came to the border of Yanina Pasha.

All the soldiers rode horses, but Mei Tess rode a little black donkey.In fact, she could have steered a good horse, but because of her new identity as a fisher girl from Milos Island.In order not to show her flaws, she had no choice but to ride on the donkey that the soldiers had specially found to take care of her.

Perhaps because of the favor of the gods, Yanina is a beautiful place like heaven.The peaks on both sides gradually become gentle, but the top of the mountain still retains unmelted snow.Cloud-like flocks of sheep walk on the great plain between the mountains, and the sparkling Laos River rushes down from it.

On the way, another troubadour, Childe Harold, joined them.He was wrapped in the brightly colored turban of the locals, but he looked like a genuine British man.It is not surprising that the scenery here has attracted foreign poets, but Yanina is actually not a place suitable for visiting, after all, wars will soon ignite here.

That night, they camped on the banks of the Laos River.In the distance, countless towering minarets shine with bright lights, like stars in the night sky, that is the main city of Yanina.

It used to be the hometown of Olympias, the mother of Alexander the Great, the Macedonian king. Now the ancient glory is gone. Yanina was ruled by the Bulgarian Empire, the Byzantine Empire, and the Serbian Empire. Now it is under the iron heel of Ottoman Turkey. Enslaved for hundreds of years.

Since Turkey is the empire of the new moon, then Yanina can barely be said to be the "land of the moon" in Wu Ji's prophecy, Mei Tess thought secretly.If this guess is correct, she should leave here without hesitation.

But she couldn't, the Duke forced her to take a drug to control her.She has already tried the pain caused by the drug withdrawal, and the Duke said that when she successfully completes the task, he will give her the antidote.But if the composition of that medicine is as she thought, then it has no antidote at all.

While Plum Tess was immersed in her own thoughts, someone offered her a cup of local specialty honey tea.It was Harold, the troubadour who traveled with them, who had been courteous to her all the way.I have to say that Harold is an interesting person, especially when he said that he came to Yanina to find the fairy with blue eyes, which made Mei Tess laugh.

Of course, Mei Tess knew that this was not the purpose of the poet. Like her, he came to visit Ali, Governor of Yanina.

The poet claimed that he had met Ali some years ago.When Maisie Tess asked what kind of person Ali was, his description was almost exactly the same as the Duke of Buckingham, "Ali was a cruel king. I have heard that he massacred several people in two areas of Albania that opposed him. Hundreds of male descendants, and young Greek girls chosen at random, fabricated charges, tied in sacks, and sunk in Lake Pamvotis. It was a human tragedy.”

"Why would he do that?" Mei Tess asked in surprise.

"I think he rules by fear," Harold explained.

Plum Tess frowned.Of course, she would not simply believe the words of the poet. For a moment, she even suspected that this Harold was someone the Duke of Buckingham placed beside her.

But Harold went on, "But this Albanian, cruel as he is, is not lacking in every virtue. His will is as strong as his fortress, and he is indomitable in the hardships of war. Ever seen them run away afraid? Though the war against the Turks was fought hard, they could throw their heads off for honor. They were fierce, but their friendship was sure, and under Ali's command they charged forward without sacrificing hesitate."

"I've never seen the same person get such a polarizing evaluation from another person," said Mei Tess with a smile.

"Because Ali was a man with two faces," the poet explained, "he was a tyrant, that's right. Yet Ottoman Turkey committed more crimes than anything he did. Greece over 300 years ago Under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, her people suffered from pain and suffering, and countless people died in slavery and massacres. This place, once blessed by the gods, is now like hell. The appearance of Ali radiates freedom into the vast dark world The light of God. The Peloponnese, Crete, the Aegean islands, Lumaili and Macedonia, they all look at Ali, all look at Yanina..."

Seeing Plum Tess's thoughtful look, the poet handed her his hookah, "I shouldn't say this, it's too heavy. Try their hookah, take a puff, it will make you feel better .”

"No, I don't know this," Mei Tess shook her head.

"I didn't know anything when I first came here," the poet shrugged. "I just like to try new things, because they always bring surprises."

"Maybe it's a shock," said Plum Tess, but she took a sip dubiously. "Fruit?"

The poet nodded and winked at her.

Early the next morning, the convoy transporting military supplies successfully entered the city through the magnificent round arch of Yanina.All the wagons were pulling munitions except the last one, which was dragging a huge wooden box just behind Maize Tess.

In order to get the contents of the wooden box, the Duke of Buckingham did not hesitate to open fire with the French at sea.However, after he defeated the French fleet, he deliberately lost to the Greeks who heard the news.The contents of the box became trophies logically, and they were brought to Yanina together with the "discoverer" Mei Tess.

Due to the highly developed handicraft industry and commerce, Yanina became not only the main economic center of Epirus, but also the main economic center of Tuscalia.The poet Harold said that Yannina was extremely rich, beautiful and learned compared with other Greek cities. When she arrived at the square, Mei Tess really understood what he said.

In the castle's wide square, bustling bazaars are hung with carpets of Ankara cashmere, sapphires from Sri Lanka, and teas from the farther east.A party of riders, wearing hats as pointed as the top of the tower, passed through the doorway that echoed with the sound of hooves, and Harold said they came from the far east.

"What about them?" Plum Tess asked, pointing to a man in a red scarf peddling woolen fabrics.

"They are Macedonian businessmen," Harold introduced enthusiastically to her, and those in knee-high shorts were Albanians, their clothes were embroidered with gold thread, they carried diapers behind their backs, and their heads were wrapped in brightly colored turban.The dark-skinned ones were their Nubian slaves.There are also Turks, Greeks, and Moors, and the colorful clothes complement each other.

A local kid runs up to Plum Tess to give her a pendant that looks like a blue eye.She was about to reach out to pick it up, but Harold, who was beside her, pushed the boy away.

Plum Tess looked at the poet suspiciously.

"It's the evil eye of Turkey. It can absorb evil energy and ward off disasters for its owner, but when the evil energy is full, it will bring bad luck," said Harold. "You can't just throw it away, you have to find a new owner for it. .”

"Thank you," said Mei Tess heartily.

"Remember, here you can trust the Albanians, you can trust the Greeks, but not the Turks," the poet cautioned, "and those Westerners, they always have evil intentions."

Plum Tess froze for a moment, and then realized that the poet was not talking about her, but referring generally, because he himself is a Westerner.But a part of her was ashamed of the poet's trust; after all, she had come to Yannina on a mission for the Duke of Buckingham.

After the group of Greek soldiers transported the military supplies back to the warehouse, Ali, the governor of the Yanina Pasha Kingdom, received them on the high terrace of the palace.He is a majestic monarch. Although his white beard hangs down to his chest, his eyes are still as sharp as a falcon. On his waist, there is a scimitar studded with diamonds, which he got from a Turkish general. snatched.

All eyes were on the large wooden box as the captain of the cavalry ordered a troop of soldiers to present their prize.

Ali immediately ordered the soldiers to open the wooden box, and what appeared in front of them was a statue of Venus found on Milos Island.Mei Tess didn't know if it was the Venus with Broken Arm, the treasure of the Louvre Museum in later generations, because the arm of the statue behind her was indeed intact, with her right arm drooping, her hand stroking the lapel, and her left upper arm stretched over her head. , gracefully holding an apple.

Mei Tess suddenly remembered that in "Homer's Epic", it was the apple "dedicated to the most beautiful goddess" that caused the dispute among the three goddesses. In order to get the apple, they each promised the referee Prince Paris.In the end, Venus won the Apple and helped him abduct Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world, according to the agreement, which triggered the famous Trojan War.

And now, only Mei Tess knew that this statue was not a trophy at all, but another Trojan horse.

Many young soldiers present blushed and averted their eyes, but Ali stared at the statue for a long time.In the end, he ordered his subordinates to put the statue into the warehouse. He had to admit that Venus was beautiful, but this naked statue was really shocking to his people.

And when he finally noticed the so-called statue "discoverer" Mei Tess, the granddaughter of a Milos farmer, he suddenly burst out laughing, "My Vaseriki, I have finally found a worthy of your maid."