Merchant ships from Greece, Alexandria, Cyprus and other places bound for Rome sailed the seas in the name of free trade, however, upon entering the Tiber, there were private docks and warehouses of Apis. Smuggling, a way of making money that was unsightly in the past, is now being strictly protected by Apis, and even "carried forward".

Merchant ships laden with wine and wheat docked on the banks of the Tiber, and then the dock workers skillfully dragged the goods into the designated warehouses, and the calculated price was stuffed directly to these foreign merchants. Instead of having to pay customs duties, the profits went to Appis and these merchants from all over the Mediterranean, and they were not happy. Of course, normal business should still be preserved, and Anthony cannot be allowed to see the flaws at once, and if the trade volume on the books drops sharply, fools will know what is going on.

The benefits of smuggling not only allowed a large amount of money to flow directly into Appis's pocket, but more importantly, after getting acquainted with these foreign merchants, Appis could inquire about the events on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and Egypt through them, which was equivalent to obtaining a lot of useful information on the other side of the sea without spending a penny.

Then, in the management of the city, Apis had a special interest in teachers and doctors, and could not underestimate the role of the literati, although they could not take up arms to fight, but their ideas, their writing, were excellent weapons for agitating the people. Apis was kind to the scholars and poets of the city, as well as to the literati who came to Rome to study. They are even given free accommodation to ensure that they have three meals a day, and after all, there are not many literate and thoughtful people, and it is still easy to ensure this ration.

For doctors, Apis is also particularly fond of them, wars will cause people to bleed and be wounded, civil war every year, there is a shortage of doctors, and the value of good surgeons has skyrocketed. Because once the soldiers were wounded by the sword, it was easy to die because they could not be treated, Apis encouraged people with medical skills to come to Rome to practice medicine, no matter what country or nationality, as long as you have skills and good medical skills, you can live a good life in the city of Rome. Because Apis treated the doctors, as well as the teachers, by giving them free shelter and rations, and even, if they did not have the trust of the people in Rome at first, had no income, and had no income, Apis provided them with a little bit of funding, real policy inclination and support. Because some foreign doctors use very strange medical methods, and even use poisonous snakes to treat diseases, this method must have been unpopular in the city of Rome at the beginning, but it does not mean that they have no real medical skills.

As a result of these measures, there was a steady stream of outstanding scholars and doctors from all over the world, from all regions and nationalities to Rome. They are only a small part of the total population, but they have led to the rapid development of Rome again, where ideas and cultural exchanges have made Rome once again the most shining pearl on the west coast of the Mediterranean. When more outstanding social elites came here, they did not want war here, and hoped that the city would always be peaceful, and the anxiety about Antony's attack on Rome became the consensus of the whole society. This also became a sight that Apis loved to see.

……

"Anthony, there's a phenomenon that's so serious that I think it has to be taken to your attention."

In the elegant Anthony Brindisi residence, Cleopatra was sitting on a chaise longue with a big belly, flipping through the tax statements sent from Rome the other day, staring at the copy, frowning.

"What did you find? My beloved Queen. ”

Anthony sipped his wine and said irrationally.

"Rome, Rome's taxes should not be so small, I mean, judging by the number of ships and goods that depart from Alexandria, when they arrive in Rome, the city's trade duties should not be so small at the rates in force in Rome. Summer is the busiest time of the year for trade, with abundant supplies and relatively calm seas, which are conducive to the navigation of ships. The main trade of Rome came from the East, and I counted the ships that had departed from the ports of the East in the last month, and the amount of trade they had generally loaded, so that the revenue from customs duties alone was about the same as the capital sent by Appis, so what about the goods that arrived in Rome from Aphia and Spain? What about the goods that arrived in Rome from Marseille and Sardinia? Don't they all have to trade? ”

Cleopatra said with a frown. Even when she was close to giving birth, she was still energetic, sensitive to numbers, and proficient in mathematics, which made her discover the trick hidden in this report sent by Appis. And Anthony is almost a layman about it.

"You mean to say that Apis is hiding some of his tax revenue from us?"

After Cleopatra finished speaking, Antony suddenly realized the seriousness of the problem.

"It's even more serious than that. Judging from the report he sent, the trade volume, tax rate, and amount are all matched. But according to my calculations, it doesn't work. In other words, Appis may have privately contracted a portion of the trade volume, which was not included in the customs duties. That is to say, this part of the trade, even tariffs are saved. ”

"Appis himself involved in smuggling?"

When Anthony heard this, he became furious. He originally wanted to rely on economic exploitation to crush Apis, but now it seems that Apis actually made a small move in private in order to compromise and protect himself, that is, Apis played himself as a pet. This made Anthony, who had a lot of self-esteem, feel disgraced.

"It's possible. But Anthony, you can't be angry now, because we don't have any evidence that Apis colluded with Eastern merchants to smuggle goods. This is just our guess. ”

Compared to Antony's short temper, Cleopatra is much calmer. She put down the document in her hand and said calmly and elegantly.

"Then go and check, if you can't find me, you will lead a large army and attack that city directly! Apis, damn it, I've been patient with him for a long time, my original plan, in two months, he would go bankrupt due to lack of funds, and now, it's been four months! But he was still alive and well, and he was in control of Rome. The legion didn't mutiny, he didn't go bankrupt, damn it, he can wade through anything, he's a bedbug that can't be stepped on! ”

Anthony paced back and forth impatiently, economic control, now it seems to have become a dead letter, and even if this matter spreads, he will be ridiculed. The great Mark Anthony would rather be heroically defeated than fooled by a guy from a slave background!