1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 365: Legacy of the Punic Wars
The winter in Carthage is very pleasant. The warm westerly wind from the sea brings abundant water vapor, which is blocked near the Atlas Mountains and turns into rain, nourishing all things.

The Majerda River was filled with water again, and the farmlands in the river valley were full of lush green. From time to time, slave construction teams organized by the African provincial government could be seen on some river courses. They were responsible for building qanats and transporting the abundant water resources in the plateau mountains to the semi-arid plains, bringing vitality to more people.

On the hillside, citizens were organized to plant trees while there was plenty of rain. This was one of the important plans of the province of Africa. On the one hand, it could prevent wind and sand, and on the other hand, it could provide more raw materials for the Carthage naval shipyard in the future.

At the south gate of Carthage, a middle-aged man dressed as a businessman handed his identity documents to the guards and prepared to leave the city.

"Pirstro Atos, originally from Athens, currently living in Carthage, a member of the Carthage City Council..."

The guard handed the identification document back to Piersto and nodded slightly.

Members of Parliament are not nobles and have no direct power. They are ordinary citizens like everyone else, and common people do not need to perform formalities in front of them.

"Mr. Congressman, judging from your appearance, you must have just returned."

The guard looked at Piersto, who looked exhausted.

"Welcome to Carthage."

"Well, thank you. I just came back from that wild land of Iberia. The Spanish have no manners. It's better to be closer to our own people."

Piersto smiled and pointed to the road leading south.

"A newly constructed road? It looks good."

“Yes, natural asphalt gravel road.”

The guard said this with some pride.

"Do you want to go to the Acropolis of Ben Arus in the south?"

"Yes, there is a meeting."

Piersto nodded.

"In that case, why not try our stagecoach?"

The guard looked at Pierstor expectantly.

"The Carthaginian government has recently introduced a public horse-drawn carriage, which is a different brand from the one in Constantinople. It is said that it can carry more people!"

“Do you want to experience it?”

"No, I've experienced it before. I've already rented a car."

Piersto raised his eyebrows, with a hint of joy in his eyes.

"All right, that's all. May God be with you and me."

Piersto nodded to the guard, got into his carriage, and gave instructions to the coachman.

"Go south, to the Acropolis of Ben Arus!"

The carriage started moving. The rubber wheels and asphalt road made the carriage run very smoothly. The horses also ran very comfortably, and the speed was getting faster and faster.

There are large tracts of farmland and pastures along the road. Farmers are tending their crops, and ranch workers are driving cattle and sheep. There is a peaceful scene everywhere.

There was also a public horse-drawn carriage coming towards us on the road, and the citizens on the carriage were admiring it with curiosity.

"Have you ever ridden in a Carthaginian omnibus?"

Piersto asked the driver when he had nothing to do.

“I heard from them that it’s quite fresh.”

"My son took me on this ride once. Although the fare was cheap, the riding conditions were terrible."

The driver grumbled.

"I went to Constantinople to place an order last year and rode in their carriage. To be honest, it was much better than the one in Carthage."

"Look, can this be called a carriage? It's simply a prisoner's carriage!"

The driver pointed to a public carriage and spat on the ground.

"If you want to be comfortable, you still have to come to our cab agency."

Just as the guards said, this kind of public carriage was quite different from the one in Constantinople. Eighteen people were crammed into one carriage, comfort was completely abandoned, the body of the carriage looked very bloated, the driving speed was not very fast, and it could only be used on high-quality roads.

Of course, this type of public carriage also has its advantages. Not only is it sturdy and durable, it also uses modular assembly, is quickly manufactured, and has extremely cheap ticket prices, only half of those in Constantinople.

"If you ask me, the craftsman who invented this carriage is simply a devil, who came here specifically to destroy our carriage rental business!"

The driver cursed angrily.

"It is said that this carriage is the product of the Atos Carriage Workshop. The owner of the workshop is an Athenian. He is also a carriage expert and a genius. Ugh!"

"In my opinion, he is as bad as Typhon in ancient Greek mythology!"

"This Typhon is sitting in your car now."

Piersto said sternly.

"Also, although Typhon is currently only a member of the Carthaginian parliament, he will soon be granted nobility status for his outstanding contributions to carriage design."

The driver was so frightened that he could hardly hold the reins.

"Excuse me, sir, I mean... well, this kind of public carriage has many advantages..."

The driver turned around and forced a smile that was uglier than crying.

"It doesn't matter. This is a country with freedom of speech. You can say whatever you want."

Piersto didn't have time to embarrass this commoner, so he shook his head.

"Since you are a citizen, you are under the protection of the emperor. Not only the parliamentarians, but even the nobles cannot attack you openly."

"Sir...please forgive me...you know, business has been bad recently..."

The driver breathed a sigh of relief and spoke to Piersto apologetically.

"That's fine. If you think there are any improvements to the carriages I designed, you can publish them in the newspaper or write to me directly. I will accept any suggestions. If your suggestions are valuable, you can also get a reward."

Piersto waved his hand.

"My house in Carthage is located on Hannibal Avenue, number three from north to south."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you for your understanding, dear sir!"

The driver laughed.

"I am only a commoner, but my son is studying carpentry at Carthage Technical College, and he has some ideas about carriage construction. I will talk to him about it."

"Well, it's nothing. The biggest advantage of my Atos brand public carriage is its low cost and low ticket price. It is mainly aimed at middle and lower class citizens, so that even the poor can afford to ride in the carriage."

Piersto said.

"As for you,"

Pierstow touched the seat of the hackney carriage, tapped on its plain frame, and shook his head.

"Your carriage rentals should be targeted at middle-class citizens and wealthy nobles. The most important thing is that they should be comfortable and luxurious. You should make the passengers feel that riding in your carriage is a very prestigious thing."

"You used rubber tires, but no springs or wool, your carriage was very light, and your horses were of the best quality. This shows that when you chose your carriage, you were more concerned about speed."

"Although your speed is the reason why I chose you, the passengers you serve usually don't pursue extreme speed."

"Listen to me, modify the carriage. Nothing else matters. The most important thing is luxury and comfort. The horses can also be replaced. We don't need fast and good horses. Just use the tallest and strongest draft horses."

"I heard that you charge by time and number of people now, is that right?"

Piersto pointed to the hourglass on the front seat of the carriage, which had the emblem of the Carriage Guild on it and was obviously officially made to avoid counterfeiting.

"If you do what I do, you can earn a lot more money, and your son may be able to go to a better school."

"But...but isn't this cheating the customers?"

The driver listened and became somewhat confused.

"According to what you said, my future passengers will be wealthy merchants, nobles and upper-class citizens, all well-known and good Christians. If I deceive them, the Lord will blame me!"

"Alas, you African converts are always so rigid-minded. No wonder you can't compete with us old Romans in terms of capital?"

Piersto shook his head disapprovingly.

"Don't think too highly of them, and don't think too lowly of yourself. Now we are all practicing capitalism, and the so-called rental is just an employment relationship. Both the employer and the employee are voluntary and equal."

"If it's a voluntary transaction, how can it be cheating? Why would the Lord blame it?"

Piersto became interested and patted the car body.

"In addition, you can also reach an agreement with some workshop owners or chambers of commerce, and they will paint advertisements on your car body, which is another way to make money."

"To tell you the truth, my public carriage is ready to accept advertisements. There is no other way. The government department has set the ticket price too low during the negotiation. I have to find another way."

"Okay, I'll try."

The driver nodded.

"But I don't have much spare money. What do you think? Should I borrow money from the bank?"

"Borrow, of course, until you have enough."

Piersto affirmed.

"The Royal Bank's interest rates are extremely low, and they're just for dreamers like you."

"Also, the war is about to end. If you are interested, you can go and play with securities. After the war, the empire's economy will undoubtedly usher in a wave of boom."

"Oh, forget it. I can't play these."

The driver smiled and shook his head.

"Others say you are a genius carriage designer, but in my opinion, you are more like a shrewd businessman and capitalist."

"Haha, that's right!"

Piersto laughed.

Ben Arus was located directly south of Carthage, not far from the city. The carriage galloped like the wind and soon arrived at the foot of the Acropolis.

Unlike the several acropolises in Constantinople, Ben Arus was originally a medium-sized city with a permanent population of nearly 10,000, which was larger than the capitals of many administrative regions of the Eastern Roman Empire.

After Carthage annexed Ben Arus, it designated it as its first acropolis and set development directions for every area of ​​the city.

The Eastern Roman Empire had a vast territory. In order to allow residents of every region to feel the glory and majesty of the empire and find their own sense of participation, the imperial government began to move some central agencies from Constantinople to other important cities. The newly established War Logistics General Administration was placed in the Acropolis Ben Arus in Carthage.

This department is mainly responsible for the overall dispatch of wartime logistics, the control of military granaries, the centralized procurement of military supplies and the selection and ordering of new equipment. It is directly responsible to the emperor and must also coordinate information with the shogunate's staff. Its goal is to centralize the logistics rights of each legion and avoid corruption and organizational chaos.

The carriage drove into the Acropolis and stopped at the door of the War Logistics Bureau. Piersto paid the fee and got off the carriage.

The main building of the War Logistics Bureau was converted from a villa and looks magnificent.

Opposite the War Logistics Bureau is the more dignified Army Supreme Military Court. The military police at the door hold long spears and face the Logistics Bureau. The Logistics Bureau is a first-class "good department" that is extremely lucrative, so they must be closely watched and always have a sword of Damocles on their shoulders.

Piersto looked at the two departments that were at odds with each other, smiled, and walked into the General Logistics Bureau.

After walking through the corridor and climbing the stairs, Piersto sorted out his documents and walked into the meeting room under the guidance of the clerk.

The conference room was already full, and all the participants were senior military officers from the General Logistics Bureau.

"You're late, Councilman Pierstow."

The director's voice reached Piersto's ears.

"I am so sorry, gentlemen."

Piersto bowed deeply.

"My ship was two days late, and I tried my best to get here."

"Is the war in Iberia going well?"

Someone asked with concern.

"I don't know. I just did what I could."

Piersto replied.

"I was first a workshop owner and capitalist, and then a carriage designer. I couldn't understand where the war was going."

"Okay, let's get started."

The director said, picking up a document.

"Resolution No. 15 of the High-level Meeting of the General War Logistics Bureau, regarding the purchase of war carriages from the Atos Carriage Workshop,"

The director raised the hammer and held it high.

boom--

"Officially begin!"

……

It was already the second day after Fernando's cover-up plan, when the Mora camp received a message from Baron Jose via pigeon, and all the soldiers began an emergency mobilization.

On a high platform, Justinian and Gonzalo stood side by side, watching the soldiers busy lining up.

“Fernando really took action.”

Gonzalo sighed.

"Is this part of your plan?"

“I guess so, but I didn’t expect Fernando to sneak across the Tagus River in this way.”

Justinian said calmly.

“It really brought me a lot of surprises!”

"I mean, use the nobles' private army as bait, show the enemy weakness, and lure Fernando to find the weak point."

Gonzalo continued.

"On the one hand, you want to break the strategic deadlock, and on the other hand, you want to kill someone with a borrowed knife. Is this also your plan?"

Justinian was silent for a moment, then spoke slowly.

"If they obey my military orders, they will not allow Fernando to succeed in his surprise attack. If they do not, they will be traitors."

"There is only so much land, and Carlos needs to cultivate his own confidants."

"My father believes that it is enough to put Carlos on the throne and prevent Iberia from forming a unified and powerful regime, but we can't really leave Carlos with nothing."

"If he fails to secure the throne, won't our efforts be in vain?"

"Okay! No matter what, I will always stand by your side!"

Gonzalo nodded firmly.

"Give me the order!"

Justinian was about to speak when two strong soldiers brought Father Mendoza over.

"Your Majesty, this old man tried to escape, but we caught him!"

Justinian smiled and waved his hand, and the soldiers let Mendoza go.

"Have you been well these last few days, dear priest?"

Justinian asked in Latin.

"You have successfully conveyed the situation in the military camp to Fernando. I believe you must be very happy."

"You-you knew?"

Mendoza was a little stunned, but then he returned to normal.

"I did not write any military secrets. The letter also advised the king to negotiate peace. Unfortunately, he did not accept my advice."

"Haha, military secrets? Actually, you have already seen it."

Justinian waved his hand, and the soldiers on the road boarded the carriages and threw the luxury supplies on them down. Other soldiers brought horses and harnessed them to the carriages.

This type of carriage looked ordinary and had no roof, but the rear cabin was a bit too wide. Some of the carriages had rubber installed on their wheels, which clearly showed signs of modification.

"Fernando dared to take the risk because he had calculated the shortest distance between Talavera and Mora's camp. If he could successfully take the ferry, he could send all his troops to the south bank before we arrived, and he could wait for us to tire ourselves out."

"As we all know, the Eastern Empire values ​​infantry, and their marching speed is slower than that of ordinary cavalry. From a tactical point of view, Fernando's prediction is completely correct."

Justinian spoke slowly.

"However, in a war long ago, there was also an army composed mainly of infantry. Under the command of two famous generals, they created miracles of marching speed on the blood-stained European continent."

"This war was called the Punic Wars. The two warring parties were Rome and Carthage. The two generals who created this miracle were Scipio Africanus and Consul Nero from Rome."

"Also on the Iberian Peninsula, in order to break the disadvantageous situation, Scipio Africanus led 28,000 people to attack the Carthaginians at Cartagena, the most important port in Iberia. It took only seven days to complete the 38-mile journey."

"Four years later, Roman consul Nero led 7,000 infantrymen and crossed the entire Apennine Peninsula from north to south in less than eight days."

Justinian looked at the carriages that had formed into a column.

"And they all made extensive use of light chariots in their armies. In particular, Consul Nero used a large number of chariots to transport infantry, creating a great tactic called "chariot march", which greatly enhanced the mobility of the Roman infantry corps and enabled us to compete with the barbarian cavalry in terms of marching speed."

"It's been too long. The military tactics of the entire Western Europe fell into a serious decline after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. No one can create such a miracle anymore. The heroes of the past have only been remembered in a few words in history books and have been forgotten by the world."

Justinian turned his head and looked at Father Mendoza with a mocking look.

"understand?"

"No wonder you collected so many carriages. You obviously have the ability to build them, but you didn't build ships. It turns out that you invested all your money on carriages..."

Father Mendoza had a blank look in his eyes and was muttering to himself, while Gonzalo looked normal.

Apparently Justinian had told him of his plan.

Justinian waved his hand, and the soldiers dragged Mendoza away.

"Roman soldiers!"

Justinian drew his sword and raised it to the sky.

"The carriages in front of you have all been professionally modified. A talented carriage designer from Athens and his followers have spent more than a month in the wartime workshop behind the scenes making improvements. They don't have any special abilities, but they are durable and have a large passenger capacity. Our rubber wheels can maximize the marching speed on dirt roads!"

"Now, I ask you to get on the carriage, obey the command of General Gonzalo, and rush to Talavera as quickly as possible to push Fernando into the Tagus River!"

Justinian shouted.

"Back then, our ancestors created unprecedented glory on this continent, and the thousand-year foundation of the Roman Empire was established!"

"Now, it's time to restore the glory of our ancestors!"

"Gonzalo!"

"exist!"

Gonzalo shouted in response, getting down on one knee.

"In the name of God, in the name of Rome, and in the name of your ancestors, I give you the sword of Rome."

Justinian took off his sword and handed it to Gonzalo.

"I hope you can help me clear out the remaining enemies like Scipio did in the past!"

"I will serve you till death. Fernando must be destroyed!"

Gonzalo roared and took the sword.

Justinian nodded heavily and faced all the soldiers again.

"I know you have been fighting for years and haven't been home for a long time. After fighting Granada, you fought Fernando. You have worked hard along the way."

After bowing slightly, Justinian raised his head.

"But we are playing a big game, a game for world hegemony. Iberia is a crucial part of this game. This is not only for my son, but also for the future of the Romans!"

"Now, the horn of the decisive battle is sounding. The Aragonese are shamelessly breaking the rules. This does not show that they are resourceful, but only proves that they are at the end of their rope!"

"My name is Justinian Palaiologos, grandson of Constantine, son of Isaac, co-emperor of Rome and the Romans, your sovereign and commander!"

"I ask you to fight with all your might and sweat. After the war is won, I will share all the wealth and money with you!"

The soldiers were silent. Years of war had indeed made them very tired, and many of them still had old wounds.

"Your Majesty, we are not poor, nor are we mercenaries. We join the army and fight not just for money."

A young voice spoke.

Seeing the soldiers looking at him expectantly, Justinian was stunned and seemed to have some realization.

"Very good, I am glad of that answer."

Justinian licked his lips.

"Then, for the glory of the Roman Empire, charge!"

On December 1475, 12, after Fernando sneaked across the Tagus River, Justinian and Gonzalo adopted the military tactic of "chariot march" in the Mora camp, loaded more than half of the main soldiers onto modified chariots, and charged towards Talavera in the west in a mighty manner.

Operation codename: Scipio Africanus.

(End of this chapter)