Chapter 79 Hard Work in Construction
◎ So healthy that it seems as if there is a young life pulsating in it.◎
It's snowing.
Elena raised her hand and grasped a snowflake. Her breath condensed into a white mist, blurring her vision. She opened the door and took a few steps, then thought for a moment before returning to pull a coat off the rack.
Ding-ding, clang-clang, the door was filled with the clang-clang sounds of carpenters. They stopped what they were doing and nodded in greeting when they saw her passing.
Melia invited more and more people. They brought large pieces of wood from other places and built houses with a strange structure, which was said to be called "mortise and tenon structure", which was light and strong.
Elena glanced over the building that was almost repaired and walked quickly towards the square: Melia had someone bring in sandy soil, which was dug directly from her family's original artificial beach.
The workers spread the sand and soil on a spacious, flat ground so that they would not easily fall during training.
Ding-dang-dang, the crisp sound of copper bells came from afar.
"Mei...is it you?" Elena turned around and looked at the young girl who fell off the horse with some surprise.
Sunny smiled brightly and brushed off the wolf tooth beads on his chest. "It's me. What? Did you think it was my sister? I was looking for her too."
The intimacy in her tone was a bit irritating. Elena frowned and suddenly noticed the horse beside Sonny:
What a fine horse! With its sleek coat and steady demeanor, it must have been the favorite mount of the nomadic chieftains near Persia. Since they hadn't formed a nation, each had its own name for this kind of horse.
Their distinguishing characteristics are their stable nature, their fearlessness of iron or thunder in battle, and their excellent long-distance running abilities. Their only drawback is their slightly smaller size, leading them to be mixed with various large horses.
Purebloods, which are expensive and not strong enough, are not very popular in the military.
If it was just a good horse, she wouldn't think too much about it, but Sunny also brought some Hun nomads. Each of these nomads rode a very good horse and drove a few empty horses.
"Are you going to sell the horse?" Elena reached out and touched the horse's blue-gray fur, reluctant to let go.
Sunny's eyes flickered in the sunlight, and he hooked the horse's neck back with a "Hey" sound: "I'll sell it, but it's a pity you can't afford it."
Elena did not object. Compared with cavalry and good horses, what was more important now was to expand the legion to its full strength: a legion that could follow Caesar and cooperate with nearby garrisons must have at least 3,000 people, and preferably 5,000 or 6,000.
This is of course the number of infantry. Even if Rome was rich in iron, it would not be able to provide each of these people with a set of iron armor and a war horse.
Whether there is war or not, soldiers need food and wages, and of course pensions - every death or injury is a loss.
Judging from her current financial situation, she could only support five or six centuries at most, and then mix them into other legions to participate in the war.
She glanced at the fine horses with reluctance, then looked away: "Are you planning to sell them to Melia?"
"Of course!"
"It's not for the gold."
As soon as he said this, Sunny's smile faded a little: "Not bad, you know our price too."
Just as Rome always tightened its control over salt and iron for nomads, the horses in the hands of nomads would not be easily handed over to the various city-states, and a tacit understanding of indifference was maintained between them.
They walked forward in a loose group, guided by the carpenters, searching along the stones.
Finally, I saw a sparse group of people a few miles away, and a young girl was jumping around in the fields.
"Wow, leeches! Leeches! Why are there leeches here—" Melia ran desperately holding up her robe. The hateful insects bit her calves and refused to let go no matter what.
"Miss, please stop! If you don't stop, we can't do this..."
"Wow." Melia screamed and rolled over, with Ronnie and Taffy holding her head and legs respectively.
Puff, cough, cough, Elena coughed twice, and walked over with a look of both distress and amusement: "Who has wine? Salt and honey will also do."
Splash~ Sonny opened the wine bag and poured the wine on it. The leech quickly relaxed its mouthparts and fell down along the wine stains.
Melia let out a long sigh, and before Elena could question her, she spilled the beans: "Don't scold me, I also know that I shouldn't be so close to the swamp lake. Aren't we surveying the paddy fields..."
"Paddy fields? Can you grow crops in water?"
As Sonny asked, he squatted down by the water and picked up a few leeches and threw them back as if nothing had happened.
"Yes, someone from Annie's side contacted the Babylonians. They have rice seeds, but not many people like to eat them. They prefer to grow wheat." Melia spread her hands and said, "It just so happens that Caesar has rewarded me with such a large piece of land. It would be a shame not to grow something new."
"Sister, is it possible that not only do they not like to eat it, but the climate is also not suitable for growing it? Paddy fields definitely need a lot of water. If it doesn't rain, they will dry up." Sunny patted the mud on his hands and stood up.
"Yes, only the moist lakeshore and some fertile land in Egypt are suitable..." Melia said, then closed her mouth. The next discussion would have to bring up water conservancy projects, so don't make empty promises without a clear idea.
She looked at the herdsmen and horses following Sunny, her eyes lit up: "Do you still remember the experiment I was going to do last time?"
"Of course I remember~" Sonny smiled and patted the horse's back: "Saddle, stirrups and reins, I like this story."
…
In the afternoon, the workers who were pushing the wood pushed in a few strange objects.
The U-shaped horseshoe is quite normal. Many people are familiar with horseshoes, but the appearance is slightly different. The most important thing is the combination of saddle, reins and leather stirrups.
When the craftsmen were about to install this set of equipment on the blue-gray horse, the surrounding herdsmen were quite excited.
Especially when holding down the horses to have horseshoes nailed, the herdsmen wanted to block the terrible nails with their hands, but they let go of their hands in disappointment after being glanced at by Sunny.
After the saddles and bits were equipped, their eyes gradually widened and they banged on the saddles in surprise, as if they understood something.
Sonny was the most eager, flipping effortlessly onto the horse's back.
The curvature of the saddle supported her body very well. She was an experienced rider, and sitting on the horse was almost like sitting on a chair.
After his two feet stepped into the iron ring under the leather, Sunny could still feel the change in balance, and couldn't help but smile: "Sister, how much are these vests?~"
"Vest? Call it what you want." Melia held up two fingers. "Single price. 200 sets for 20 good horses, good for breeding~"
"Wa ...
Sonny exaggeratedly let go of the reins, rolled to the ground, and pretended to be scared to death: "Do you know how expensive a stud horse is? When we get married in our place, the bride and groom can exchange the best horses in the family."
Melia thought about it carefully and felt that it was right.
Although Rome and various countries were wary of nomads, fearing that they would one day invade the city, they imposed certain restrictions on iron tools.
But in reality, there is no explicit stipulation: business must be done. If Rome doesn't sell, then the various Greek city-states won't sell as well?
Finally, everyone reached a consensus: sell. All necessities sold to nomads must be doubled or tripled in price. Salt, iron, spices, and herbs all change in price every year. "You won't buy? I don't want to sell yet."
But in the final analysis, 200 sets of horse harnesses can only equip one cavalryman. If they buy them and make them themselves, they still have to find someone to continue production. It will be meaningless if the total amount cannot be increased.
She nodded: "Then make an offer?"
Sunny suddenly perked up, got up from the ground, and raised a finger: "For the price just now, I am willing to provide two more Ferghana horses, the best horses. But sister, you have to sell me the craftsmen, and sell me 1,000 iron pots and 200 kilograms of salt at the market price -"
"Wait, let's not talk about the iron pot and salt at the back."
Melia winked at her desperately. Elena was right next to her, and she dared to ask for salt and iron. She was asking for her life. The battle between the nomads and the Romans was not described in detail in "The Rose Princess." It can be glossed over in fiction, but not in reality.
"Oh~ What about the craftsman? Our people are also very skillful, learn a craft!"
Looking at Sonny's clasped hands, Melia pondered for a moment. "Artisans are also human beings. I can't sell them. But you can let your artisans come here to learn. As for other conditions, we can discuss them another day."
He emphasized the other conditions, and Sunny nodded in understanding. "Okay, sister. These horses are our deposit, please keep them."
She said a few words to the herdsmen, and they led the horses over and put them on the pasture, but the blue-gray horse equipped with a full set of harnesses was taken back.
Deposit, deposit, do both sides need to make a deposit?
"Sister, I want to see 200 sets of vests within two months~" Sunny mounted his horse and ran happily in the midday sun. Soon he and the group of chasing and laughing Huns disappeared at the end of his sight.
The crowd gradually dispersed, and the craftsmen had already returned to their camp to eat and rest. When the houses were finished, they still had to bring over blankets and charcoal for the winter.
The soldiers lived in crudely repaired houses, huddled around fires for warmth. Since the houses were drafty on all sides, there was no need to worry about poisoning.
Elena took Melia's hand and put her coat on her shoulders: "You have worked hard these days. You can leave the work to the employees in the future and stop blowing the cold wind all the time."
Melia's face was flushed. She was wearing a thick, round sweater, but her legs were still protected from the wind and rain by a robe like other Romans.
"Okay~ I...will..."
Her legs suddenly gave way, and Melia staggered forward. What was going on...was this another assassination attempt?
Sura's leech army...
…
My ears were filled with the crackling sound of flames, as if someone was grilling corn in an iron pan.
"It's so noisy... Wow!" Melia's eyelashes fluttered slightly as she forced her eyes open. When her vision stabilized, the enlarged faces of Elena and Ronnie were directly in front of her.
She leaned back, feeling a dull pain in her abdomen: "It's so scary... What day is it now? What time is it?" Was she rewound, or was she rescued?
Judging from the surrounding furnishings...it's my own villa, so it should be safe.
"The witch doctor is here! The witch doctor is here!" Taffy suddenly opened the curtain and saw Melia woke up. He rushed to the bedside and said, "Miss, come and see the witch doctor!"
Her tears of joy looked like she was mourning. Melia patted her head comfortingly and said, "Okay, let him see, let him see... No bleeding! No leech therapy!"
The witch doctor had just walked to the edge of the curtains. He put down the jar with a look of surprise and opened it to show her: "Don't worry, young lady, there are no leeches in it. Let me check if you are poisoned first."
Inside the jar was some clear ointment that looked magical.
It's not about bloodletting. Maybe it's because ancient Rome was too early and bloodletting was not yet popular?
Although the leech probably sucked away less than five milliliters of blood, Melia was still highly suspicious of the small wound and directly stretched out her calf.
The doctor took out the gel and applied it. After examining it for a moment, he shook his head and said, "Miss, it's not poisonous. You probably didn't faint because of this wound."
Melia looked around inquiringly: "Did I faint? How long has it been?"
Elena held her fingers in her palm and looked at the doctor: "She has been dizzy since this morning and has not eaten lunch or dinner."
The doctor nodded, asked Melia to open her mouth and examine her tongue, and then suggested listening to her heartbeat. Perhaps understanding the nobles' taboos, he said sincerely, "Miss, you may find this unreliable, but I swear to any god that I have no intention of teasing you. This is a method passed down from my master's master. He summarized the symptoms of many patients..."
"No, it's fine." Melia handed him her wrist. "Can you feel for a pulse? Later, you can listen to a female patient's heartbeat using a hollow wooden tube with the ends shaped like a trumpet to hear the vibrations."
“Yes…thank you for your suggestion.”
The witch doctor took these words to heart with doubt, touched Melia's wrist gently, and closed his eyes.
Just now it had seemed like modern medicine, but now it was slowly entering the realm of witchcraft. He reached out his other hand to the jar filled with ointment, as if feeling for a heartbeat... or the pulse of something else.
After a long while, the witch doctor uttered a cry of "Excuse me, young lady."
He was very perceptive. He looked around and walked to Melia's back to make sure that Ronnie could not kill her with her scimitar: "Are you pregnant? I think..."
"Hahahahaha." Melia laughed and waved her hands: "It's okay, doctor, I just thought of an old joke, hahaha."
She paused, laughing, and calculated the time of the original owner's death before suddenly feeling relieved: "Great, it's impossible that he ran away with the baby. If the original owner had left a child behind, that would be a hellish joke."
Under the doctor's suspicious gaze, Mili walked out from behind the curtain and whispered, "Miss, your periods have been normal over the past few months, just less frequent."
"Oh, that might be due to poor sleep. Miss, your source of life is very healthy..." So healthy that it seems as if young life is pulsating in it.
The room was filled with an awkward yet relaxed atmosphere until a guard burst in.
He was accompanied by the family's slaves, who held up sheepskins and shouted, "Your Highness Elena, Your Majesty, Your Majesty wishes to see you, immediately!"
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