Bad luck falls like a barrage of arrows and crossbows, and you can't avoid it.

- Gaius Julius Caesar (Roman dictator)

After the afternoon of distribution, Oscar returned to the Augustus family mansion with no interest; Although Oscar was very touched by the soldiers of the Recruit Legion, the more numb citizens of Rome made Oscar worried. The Roman Republic had a population base unmatched by any other country; However, Rome has this treasure trove and cannot use it. How to convince these unemployed vagrants and poor citizens of Rome to join the army became Oscar's heart problem.

Until the evening, when Prisca returned from the Maxentius family, Oscar was still alone in his study wrestling with these things; Unlike Oscar's closed-door work, Prisca is a person who has lived in aristocratic circles since she was a child, and she understands many things better than Oscar. So, when Oscar told Prisca that he had doubts in his mind; Prisca unexpectedly gave Oscar a valid piece of advice: "Oscar, you can't solve these things alone; Moreover, it is not a matter for you alone and Augustus to be in the same family. To-morrow you may call the general quintus of the house of Scipio, and you may discuss it together; To really solve these problems, you have to know everything that goes into the city of Rome, and the Scipio family is one of the oldest families in Rome, and Quintus himself has lived in various classes of Rome for many years, so he will definitely be able to help you in this regard. “

What a word to wake up a dreamer! Oscar found himself at a dead end, and these problems must have accumulated little by little over the centuries of the Roman Republic; It is impossible to solve these problems on your own in a short period of time, and you must enlist the help of others who are familiar with the history of Rome. Quintus was both his own ally and a nominal subordinate; Moreover, he also has a life-saving grace for him, and with his upright character, he will definitely teach himself.

Oscar, who figured this out, of course, had to reward Prisca for making the suggestion; So, Oscar grabbed Prisca by the waist and went to the bedroom despite Prisca's shyness......

The next morning, Oscar got up early; After ordering Licinius to go to the Scipio family mansion to invite Quintus to come to the house, Oscar waited for Quintus to arrive in his study. While looking through the books of famous authors that introduce the history of Rome. As the clock struck seven, Quintus was led by Licini to Oscar's study.

This time, Oscar didn't have any extra pleasantries; Instead, he directly told Quintus about his doubts. For these problems, Quintus also said that he could not do anything; Scipio the Elder, Quintus's father, thought about solving these problems. But in the end, it didn't happen. So, Quintus really didn't know how to solve these problems; However, Quintus also expressed his support for Oscar, and he will know everything about Oscar's problems with Rome.

In the face of Quintus's candour, Oscar can't blame Quintus either; Even Quintus's ability to answer Oscar's questions has made Oscar feel very satisfied. Thereupon. Oscar asked, "Quintus, I didn't know much about the city of Rome and the complicated relationships within it growing up; I would now like to learn more about the development of the city of Rome and the complex relationships within the city, so please explain it to me. “

Oscar's question made Quintus a little confused, and the question was too big, right? But Quintus replied stubbornly: "I can't tell you these things for a while; So be it, I'll say it little by little, and you listen little by little. If you don't understand anything and bring it up, I'll tell you everything I know, okay? “

Oscar also knew that the scope of his question was too large to answer; Naturally, he agreed with Quintus's suggestion. After Oscar's nod, Quintus began to slowly speak: "Rome is in the early stages of expansion. It was still a small city-state, and for a number of reasons, Greece was ahead of Roman city construction, building basic city-state layouts such as the Acropolis and the Assembly Square.

But Rome soon also built the Grand Temple of Capitoline and public assembly houses similar in function to the Greek city-states. The construction of temples, baths, gymnasiums, and theaters in Rome was imitated through contact with the Etruscans and the Greek city-states in the southern Apennine Peninsula. The city of Rome was an exception to the unification of cities, and the Romans themselves referred to it as 'the city'. From the time of the monarchy to the present day, it is undoubtedly the well-deserved capital of Rome; At this time, the city was inhabited by millions of residents.

The city has become thin and long with too many tall buildings, and the streets are thin and dusty. Wealthy Romans lived in private houses with garden courtyards. But most of the residents live in tall and narrow buildings called 'islands'. The buildings are like buildings, with a lot of small, low rooms. Most Latin towns and cities have only a few 'islands'.

But in the city of Rome, due to the sharp increase in population, in order to solve the population problem. There are many such tall 'islands'. The higher up in the 'island' the conditions are worse, and the rooms on the top floor are the smallest and the structure is the worst. Cutting corners during construction and being too tall make these 'small islands' very unsafe and collapsing a common occurrence, which also leads to an increasingly intensifying conflict between the rich and the poor.

Regardless of whether it is a 'small island' resident. or the inhabitants of private houses, they all use stoves for cooking, charcoal basins for heating, and oil lamps for lighting; So fires are frequent. In order to prevent fire, the Senate instituted a night patrol system. The inhabitants of the 'island' can store water in their houses in case of a fire, but it is too difficult to transport water to the 'island'.

About a decade ago, Crassus, the young richest man in Rome, came up with a way to make money by putting out fires, and when a building caught fire, the owner would ask them for help; Although it was unlikely, the owner still wanted to salvage something. At this time, Crassus would send a construction team of slaves, and after clearing the ruins, he would build a new house and profit from it. Due to frequent fires, the houses built by Crassus have taken up a considerable part of the city of Rome.

Later, the most important invention in Roman history brought good news to the city, and it was also a major breakthrough in the history of Roman engineering - the insurance water supply system consisting of aqueducts. As early as the reign of the king, the city was built with aqueducts; After entering the republic, the first sewers were built. Sewers are effective in preventing flood damage and can also flush away public toilets and dirt from the ground. In the city of Rome, there were hundreds of baths and public toilets, which greatly improved hygiene and recreation throughout the city.

on the streets of Rome. Hawkers fill the road, blocking traffic, and the cries of merchants, the constant sound of ping-pong, the clanging of smashing things, and the hissing of saws mingle with each other. And that's not all. Heavy traffic makes the streets extremely congested, the road surface is uneven, and you have to walk with extra care.

When I came to the Augustus family mansion just now, it was dawn, and the inhabitants of the city had already begun their day's work. There are those who have public office themselves, but who have a lucrative share of the business. They usually go out into the streets early to solicit business and make a few extra bucks before the start of public office. The daylight hours were twelve hours a day, and most Roman citizens worked six hours a day, seven days a week, six days a week.

Most shops are usually open in the morning, and may open at dusk or in the afternoon, but they will all close before nightfall. In this way, the average Roman can go to the public bath after their lunch break. Men generally go out to work, and although I have heard of some women in occupations (such as teachers, doctors, etc.), most women stay at home. Noble women, in particular, are never allowed to go out to work.

In addition to housework, women in ordinary households also help their husbands take care of the shop. Most of the storefronts are open with a large window on the wall of the house facing the street, and they are open there; At night, put on a sturdy grid and lock it with a lock. The owner's family and the hired staff lived in the rooms at the back of the workshop or upstairs.

The local inhabitants cooked, ate and lived there, and the conditions were not as good as those of the tenant farmers who lived on the 'island' and belonged to the same class as them. During the day, the sales staff in the store will receive customers behind the counter, while some workshops. For food processing, shoe repair, and making wood or metal utensils, the stalls are set up directly facing pedestrians.

In the city of Rome, it seems that no one wants to make their own bread. There were about 300 bakeries throughout the city of Rome, and mills flourished as a result. Mills usually have a large waist-high grinding stone. The millstone is turned by animal power or a slave so that it revolves around a smaller millstone on it. The wheat kernels are poured from above and crushed between two millstones.

In the city of Rome, a particularly important industry was rinsing. Fur garments are made through a series of processes such as pressing, beating, bleaching, brushing and combing, and rinsers generally work as laundry workers. They employ a certain technique to renovate old clothes, which requires some bleached earth and lime. Human urine is also often used to get grease on clothes that go out. And its source is a jar placed on the side of the road for the convenience of passers-by.

In a letter to his son, Cicero, the famous orator of the Republic, spoke of his contempt for all manual labor for profit, and considered it a form of depravity. He said that petty vendors were deceived to make money. He believed that those who were lowly people, such as fishmongers, butchers, cooks, actors, kabuki, etc., made a living by satisfying people's sensual needs.

Merchant is not an ideal profession either, although a merchant needs strong organizational skills to open up the market, this profession is still acceptable, as long as the merchant can retreat bravely and leave the merchant sea to go back to become a squire landlord. On the surface, in the eyes of the Roman public, only being a soldier or a landlord was worthy of a freeman. ”

At this point, Quintus, who felt a little dry in his mouth, stopped, picked up the tea on the table, and drank it; And Oscar was stunned and looked at Quintus, who was still talking. Before Quintus finished drinking the tea in his hand, Oscar couldn't help the puzzlement in his heart; Turning to Quintus, he asked, "Quintus, how can you, a Roman nobleman born into the Scipio family, know all about the lives of these Roman low-class people?" ”

Oscar's doubts made Quintus a little proud; Indeed, it was absolutely impossible for the entire Roman Republic to find a second nobleman who was so well versed in all the affairs of Rome as himself. Thinking of this, Quintus thought of his father, who had just died in battle, and it was his father's careful teaching that allowed him to be so proficient in these things; So, Quintus explained in a slightly depressed mood:

"My father taught me from a young age, that a successful general must know everything about himself before he knows his opponents; This includes not only knowing what military power you have in your hands, but also knowing everything about your own country. Only in this way can we make use of all available factors and consider all the issues that should be considered; Only when you are fighting with the enemy on the battlefield can you be familiar with everything behind you, and you can be truly invincible. (To be continued.) )

PS: I heard others say that 500 is not too much, and you can only earn 2,000 a month; The average order of chasing the wind is less than 10 ...... I don't blame my friends for not supporting it, I don't blame the starting point for not recommending it, and I don't blame myself for not being serious; I will only choose to keep working on my own. I've spent all my time and energy on this book, and I've updated it more often than ever, so what can I do! I hope you will continue to support me; Thank you!