After all, the Dionian military camp is close to the city of Tarantum, and it is still far from the battlefield, so it does not need to be very complex and strong. Therefore, the next day, when Davers attended the operational meeting, the entire barracks was at rest. According to military law, one member of each squad in the barracks may be on leave and must return before sunset in non-war times.

And now it is in a semi-critical state of war, and it is not possible to determine when the army will go to the battlefield. Therefore, Antonios, who was also a military officer, issued an order that all soldiers who went out should only wander around the barracks and return when they heard the sound of the military horn.

The soldiers did not stay idle in the battalion, and most of them were keen on some confrontation games, which were organized by the upper echelons of the regiment, such as: tug-of-war, rugby, football...... Wait, the soldiers are having fun. But there is one article that is prohibited, gambling is not allowed, and once discovered, it will be dealt with by military law.

The few soldiers were given leave to see the famous city of Tarantum in southern Italy, after all, most of them were not merchants and wealthy people, and they had to work in the fields all year round, and did not have time to travel to Tarantum, which was only a bay away. But since it was stipulated that they were not allowed to enter Tarantum City, they could only stroll around the market in front of the barracks.

So, the merchants of Tarantum began to shout as hard as they could.

"Come and see! A sacred artifact from Egypt, a great country in the East, the skin of a hippopotamus! Look how thick it is! Double-stroke with a knife...... Lo and behold, there is no trace at all! If you use it to make leather armor, it is light and strong, so you don't have to worry about getting hurt in battle! ”

"Brother, have you ever seen a straight sword like this? Look, it's cut on both sides, and it's very sharp! …… It's okay, take it and give it a try...... Isn't it a little heavy?! This is a short sword used by the natives of the Iberian Peninsula, and I heard that the Carthaginians have not been able to conquer the Illyrian Peninsula, and they have suffered from this weapon! ”

……

Because of the money to earn the soldiers, the small market was dominated by vendors selling weapons, followed by food.

"Try this date palm from Libya, don't look at it small, it's very sweet, much sweeter than figs!"

"O salted ostrich meat from the Bedouins! If you haven't tasted it, come and try it! …… What is an ostrich? …… Well, let me tell you, it's the biggest bird I've ever seen, it's as big as a horse, but it can't fly, it can only run, and it can run faster than a horse in the desert! ”

……

It should be said that as a famous trading city-state in Greater Greece, Tarantum's goods are richer and more diverse than those of Turiyi, which can be seen in this temporary market.

The soldiers wandered around with great interest, they did not just wander and do not buy, as citizens and reserve citizens of Theoria, the land allocated again and again was enough for them to have enough food and clothing, and then the surplus grain and livestock were sold in the market to get extra pocket money, plus the sharing of the spoils after each victory, their pockets were still relatively bulging.

Oliver was also on leave, leaving military affairs to his adjutant for the time being, and he himself wandered around the makeshift market.

At this time, he stood in front of a stall of metal ornaments, picked up a palm-sized gold ornament and examined it carefully.

"This is an image of the Egyptian god Horus, from the hand of the famous master carver of the temple of Memphis. You see, how intricately carved it is! Wear it and you'll be blessed by Horus! "The businessman highly recommended him.

Oliver shook his head slightly, put the thing down, and said regretfully: "The thing is good, but it's a pity that I believe in Hades." ”

"Hades would not blame him for worshipping other gods once in a while, and the realm they ruled was completely different...... "The attitude of the Greeks towards the gods was close rather than infatuated, they believed in multiple gods, sang songs on any mountain, went to sea to worship the god of the sea, worshiped the god of war in battle, worshiped Hermes in business, and worshiped Apollo in competition...... That's why businessmen are so persuasive.

But Oliver shook his head and left the stall.

Angry, the merchant scolded behind his back: "The Dioans are all dead-brained!" ”

If it had been before, Oliver would have turned back and reasoned with the merchant, but now he felt that his identity was different, and he didn't care about it.

Further on, he saw several large tents set up in front of him, in front of which stood several delicate women, and a fat merchant shouted, "The cheapest price!" The most comfortable enjoyment! For five drachmas, you can be happy with the most beautiful girl in Tarantum......"

Oliver frowned, since the incident on the way to Persia, he had always changed his ways, and now whenever anyone mentioned the word "**", he suddenly felt disgusted.

He turned and walked back, but Timiath took a fancy to him, rushed over and stopped him, and shouted, "Don't go, seven drachmas, two girls, what do you think?" I'm losing a lot of money! ”

Without saying a word, Oliver's grabbed left hand waved vigorously, and Timias took a few steps back and sat down on the ground.

The theater owner of Tarantum, after a long time of hard work and no business, finally became popular, stood up and yelled: "Damn the Ionians! A bunch of hillbillies! I don't know how to enjoy happiness! What military law stipulates! Never heard of in the Tarantum army, it's just a piece of shit that your lowly consul came up with to rule you so easily! He wants you to have no freedom, no democracy, and obediently obey his orders! You don't know how to resist, and you deserve nothing more than to be ruled by a dictator, to obey him like a slave! ……”

Oliver listened, furious, and strode over.

When the other soldiers on the side heard this, they were all indignant: this fat man not only insulted them, but also insulted their great commander!

In an instant, Timias was surrounded by water.

He looked at the angry faces in horror, and shouted in a fierce scream: "What do you want to do?!" This is Tarantum! ——”

Before he could finish speaking, Oliver said, "Beat him!" "First out of the right fist and hit him directly in the fat face......

The Tarantum people in the market heard the screams of the crowd surrounded by Dionian soldiers, but no one dared to step forward to dissuade them.

"Woo! Woo! Woo! ......" The bugle sounded at the right time.

"It's the rendezvous number!" The soldiers exclaimed.

All the soldiers in the makeshift market put down their things almost at the same time and quickly ran back to the barracks, and in the blink of an eye there was not a single Ionian in the market.

The Dionian soldiers returned to the camp as quickly as if the previous excitement was just a dream, and only the theater master who was lying on the ground was still groaning......

When the camp gates opened again, out came heavily armed troops. They marched out of the camp at the same time from the eastern, northern, and southern three camp gates, thus speeding up the camp.

The merchants of Tarantum were equally relaxed at the sight of the Ionian soldiers who had been laughing in the market, but this casualness did not affect the neatness of their march and the speed of their movements.

The two legions left the barracks, and the camp was not left unmanned. There were also some soldiers of the baggage battalion and a reserve of more than 1,000 Dionian freedmen, who supplemented the legion and served as guards and miscellaneous servants of the baggage battalion in peacetime, and also participated in battles at critical times. As a result, the tasks of the reserve soldiers are equally complicated and arduous, but each expedition is filled with the desire of countless freedmen to join them, as it allows them to accumulate merit and shorten the time it takes to become reserve citizens.

In fact, in addition to the seven brigades of soldiers in charge of combat, there was also a medical battalion, an engineering battalion, a baggage battalion, and a reconnaissance team...... The real number is well over 7,000. If the march was to Dionia, Davers would try to arrange a marching column, which would have been long and long, but the flat, sturdy system of avenues would have quickened the march. But the outskirts of Tarantum, the richest city-state in southern Italy, are all dirt roads, and the effect is the same everywhere you go, as long as you don't step on the farmland. As a result, Davers simply divided the army into four columns, each with five columns, and marched in unison with a wide frontage.

The road was dusty and noisy.

Many Tarantum people watched from the roadside, and the Tarantum people had mixed feelings in the face of Dionia's mighty military appearance, but in times of crisis in the city-state, such a large number and such a number of reinforcements also gave them a sense of security in fear.

It didn't take long for the Dionian army to arrive outside Tarantum.

When Eumacus was notified, he was taken aback by the speed with which the Dionian army was massing, knowing that the citizen soldiers of Tarantum were still gathering in the square one after another.

Although Diomilas was also a little irritated, he retorted: "The Diomonian soldiers are all in the barracks, and they can set off as soon as they blow their trumpets, unlike us who have to inform every town and every street ......"

Eumacus had to drive him out of the city, apologize to Davers, and ask the Dionian army to wait outside the city for a while, and at the same time invite Davers into the city, drink some wine and rest at his mansion, after all, it was early autumn noon, and the sun was still hot.

Davers politely declined the kindness of Eumacus, how could he leave his suffering men behind and go to comfort alone.

It wasn't long before Trifias led a thousand Heraclian soldiers out of the city to join the Dionian army.

After a while, two thousand Metapontum soldiers led by Tud Pres also arrived.

It took more than an hour for the gates of Tarantum to open again, and the cacophony of voices came out......

"Oh! Oh! Is this going to the battlefield, or to the cemetery! One by one crying like this, as for it! Isn't it just a fight with the natives! ......"Olivers, because of the events of the morning, did not have a good impression of the Tarantum people, and when he saw this messy farewell scene, he sneered vigorously.