"Damn the weather, it can't even make me fuck my slave to my heart's content. Pen %Fun %Pavilion www.biquge.info helmsman, how long will it be before we can land? ”

On the rickety boat, Anthony drank with a bottle of wine and yelled impatiently. As winter approached, the Mediterranean breeze became stronger and the waves became more rough, and Antony's fleet tried to get closer to land several times, but was blown away from the shore by strong sea winds. And when the sea breeze weakened, there was no place to land, and the front was full of high cliffs and dangerous peaks.

"I can't be sure, Commander, the sea breeze is too strong at this time of year, and there is no regularity, and the exact time of landing cannot be guaranteed."

The helmsman replied honestly.

"Damn, Poseidon, are you with your mistress **? King of the Seas, your. ”

On the bumpy deck, Anthony yelled angrily. provoked the soldiers around him to look shocked and did not dare to say anything. Poseidon is their god of the sea, and his own commander is so disrespectful.

After a week of raging storms, Anthony's battleship finally landed. However, the landing site was far from what he had expected. Originally, Antony's plan was to land in the vicinity of Brindisi, conquer the largest city in southern Italy, ensure the smooth flow of shipping, and let the soldiers spend the winter in the city until next spring, and then send troops to fight Octavian.

However, the rough waves and strong winds of late autumn in the Mediterranean sent them to Apulia, a small town northwest of Brindisi. But by mistake, there weren't many defenders in this small city. Because Octavian, like Antony's conception, believed that Brindisi was the gateway to southern Italy and that it was necessary to strengthen the defense. So Agrippa and two regiments of heavy infantry were stationed directly in Brindisi, waiting for Anthony to go ashore and fight with him, but Anthony followed the sea breeze and arrived farther away. As a result, Anthony took the seaport town without much effort. Solved the problem of food, clothing and accommodation for the soldiers.

……

"You are all well-known and wealthy businessmen in the province, and I have summoned you here today, not for anything else, but to hope that all of you here can do something for me."

The Italian peninsula was turbulent, and the war between Octavian and Antony was tense. To the west, in Far Spain, Apis stepped up his plans to drive Sattorius's Afrika Korps back into the desert.

"Tell me, General, if you need anything, as long as we can do it, we will definitely help you do it."

The Knight representative of Burundi Sims responded loudly. It's like a chamber of commerce in a province near Spain, and this pot-bellied, bloated knight merchant is like a representative of this chamber of commerce. He also had the largest market share in the entire trade of Near Spain. Since Apis had taken possession of the province of Near Spain, the position of these men had also changed, and they had wittily sided with Apis. Businessmen are always in pursuit of profit, and profit must be based on cooperation with the government, so no one dares to argue with Appis.

"Actually, it is not a very difficult request, and I hope that all of you here will buy for me tomorrow a large amount of food in Córdoba and in its surrounding markets. Raising the price of cereals in the Córdoba region. ”

Sitting on the rostrum of the conference table, Appis said slowly.

The knight merchants present began to be uncalm and discussed. There is a price to be paid for raising the price of an area, and Apis is asking them to raise not only the price of a city, but also the price of the area around it. This requires a huge financial commitment......

"Don't worry, I know what you're worried about. I will help you solve the problem of funds, and I will compensate you for the difference in the price of grain in the later period. All you need to do is buy as much food as you can from around Córdoba before the winter arrives. Reduction of food reserves in this area. Once the goal is achieved, I will grant you a three-month tax holiday at the ports of Kalman and New Carthage. ”

Seeing that there was a lot of discussion on the field, there was a commotion. Appizla said in a raised voice. As soon as the words fell, you could see the heartfelt grateful eyes of everyone present. Obviously, following Appis will not suffer, this is the consensus that everyone has reached.

And what Appis wanted to do, even if he didn't say it, everyone knew it in their hearts. Appis wanted to take advantage of the arrival of Certorius' legions in Spain to buy up the food reserves in the south, and by the time Certolius arrived in Spain with his Afrika Korps, he would find that the provinces and regions under their control were already starved of food. Even, Appis's idea was to make it impossible for Certorius's legions to survive the winter in Córdoba, forcing Certolius to send troops in the winter.

Apis speculated that Certorius's expedition to southern Spain would bring a large number of Numidian auxiliaries from Africa, and that these people who had lived in desert areas for a long time were accustomed to the heat and dryness, and that fighting in winter could not make them adapt. And the auxiliary legions under his command, most of which are northern Gauls and Germans, the winter in Spain is like the autumn of the Germans, which is suitable for the soldiers of these northern barbarians to fight and kill. As for the regular Roman army, both sides had similar physique and stamina, and their own legions endured the cold in winter, and the opposing Roman citizen soldiers also had to endure this pain.

Of course, every region has a red line for grain reserves, and Appis also knows that it is unrealistic to completely buy out the grain stocks in Córdoba by free trade. It only raised the price of the valley and made the upcoming opponent unable to make ends meet during the winter. Take the initiative before the battle meets.

As for the difference in the price of supplying these knights and merchants, it was only a fraction of the profit he had made during the drought in Italy before.

A few days later, Cordoba, the largest city in southern Spain, and surrounding villages were looting for grain. In just one week, the price of cereals has doubled. Before the military conquest, economic penetration had already made Valerius, the governor of Corbado, feel the embarrassment of the impending rain.

Valerius knew that Cordoba was a large city with well-fortified fortifications, and Apis could not conquer it in a short time, and in order to capture the city, he would consume his troops and sharpness, and if Certorius's army arrived in the middle of the siege, then Apis would face both the defenders of the city and the army outside the city. Therefore, at this moment, Appis can only rely on this means to suppress the upcoming Certolius.

For this reason, the governor of Valery issued a decree prohibiting the resale of all grain inside and outside the city. All the grain from outside the city will be delivered to the city overnight, and those who do not carry it out will be forcibly taken into the dungeon. However, driven by huge profits, many people outside the city still took the risk and sold their grain to Roman merchants from the north and south......