During the Dark Ages of Western Europe, when the classical civilization of Greece and Rome collapsed, not only did the cities become more and more dilapidated, but the inhabitants also became more and more ignorant and degenerate.

——The Celts of the British provinces of the Roman Empire were originally one of the most backward ethnic groups in the entire empire with the most advanced Chinese proficiency, in addition to having horses and iron tools, they were basically similar to the North American Indians of the Age of Discovery.

After four centuries of domination and indoctrination in the Roman Empire, these Celts finally got rid of their ignorance and knew what civilization was, what was state, what was order and law, what was Christianity and God...... However, with the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, the "independence" of Britain, and the invasion of the Germanic barbarians, all these weakly based civilizational achievements also passed away with the wind at an astonishing rate.

In fact, it is often not a good thing for certain peoples who lack the strength to protect themselves and are unable to be self-reliant, to rashly get rid of their oppressors and teachers, and to forcibly break away from a colonial empire.

For example, Haiti, which was originally the richest island in the Caribbean and has the reputation of "sugar island", after two hundred years of repeated turmoil after independence, coupled with the simultaneous collapse of water conservancy facilities and trade networks, Zuihou has simply tossed itself into one of the poorest countries in the whole of Shijie, and the common people generally need to make cookies out of dirt to cheat their belly......

In the middle of the 20th century, after winning the country's independence, Nkrumah, the leader of the Republic of Ghana, was completely helpless in the face of rampant corruption, a declining national economy, a sharply declining standard of living, and a maddening inflation rate. I had to lament loudly: "...... Freedom, this thing is sometimes as joyful as a bird, and sometimes as heavy as asphalt! ”

The same thing. After breaking away from the Roman Empire, the fate of the Celts was also on a rollercoaster ride all the way - in the early 5th century, the pottery industry in major cities throughout Britain was obviously abandoned, and the common people began to use homemade crude wood; Around 420~430, money ceased to circulate in Britain, and commerce reverted to the primitive level of barter; Later, many valuable legacies from the Roman era, including agricultural jishu, were lost. The collapse of various farmland and water conservancy facilities has made the already terrible natural disasters even more irresistible. The total population of Great Britain plummeted from four million during the Roman Empire to a mere one million...... So far. Frequent famines and wars, as well as the mass diseases and plagues that followed famines and wars, became the norm in the dark Middle Ages.

As the city was deserted and order collapsed, many of the Celts in remote areas were also heavily influenced by the Anglo-Saxons from Germany. Once again degraded into primitive clan tribal societies. I don't know what marriage is, and I live an extreme debauchery like a horse and a donkey. The Romans liked a healthy lifestyle of bathing and were also spurned by the barbarians as a sign of weakness, so they always took pride in not bathing or washing clothes all year round.

- The easiest way to distinguish between the Anglo-Saxons and the Celts of this era is to smell whose body stinks. Even the Celts, of course. Due to the conditions, many people are not clean.

Fortunately. In the city of Gloucester, where the Roman remnants of the southwestern province of Britain lived, there was finally the only large public bath left on the island of Zuihou, and it was open to all residents of the city as a citizen welfare, so the smell on the citizens was not too strong, and Wang Qiu was not stunned as soon as he entered the city. However, just those dirty streets full of human and animal feces and urine are really enough for him.

There is little to see in the city, although the city of Gloucester was an extension of the ancient Roman frontier garrison camp, so the overall layout design is quite regular. But the streets are still very narrow, there are no decent shops on either side, and the few ancient statues that last are in tatters. In addition, the gravel road where sewage flows is full of manure from cows, sheep, chickens and ducks...... With the gradual collapse of municipal facilities, the once well-organized Roman military stronghold has become almost as filthy and chaotic as any barbarian settlement.

There are a few ancient temples and altars next to the harbor, but after the devastation of Celtic warlords and Anglo-Saxon invasions, all that remains are a pile of ruins in disrepair, overgrown with grass, and a few tall solitary carved columns. Beneath the columns, there are haphazardly erected dilapidated shacks in which the poorer citizens live.

With the repeated looting and invasion of the barbarians, the original elevated aqueducts in the city were dismantled and used as stone bullets for siege battles or fortifications, and the sewers were also silted up and abandoned for many years, and the new ruler did not have the money and spare resources to repair them for the time being.

Moreover, as a result of the Anglo invasion, the population of the city doubled in a short period of time in order to accommodate the war refugees in the farms on the outskirts, and the streets were full of ragged Celtic farmers with their families and almost blocked the roads. The only large square in the center of the city is also a mess of shacks and tents, and at this moment, the smoke of their fires and cooking has covered the streets and mansions, almost everyone coughs...... In short, the already poor living environment in the city has further deteriorated.

As a result, the future soldiers who entered the city soon lost their interest in shopping, and they hated the rotten road covered with mud and urine after walking a few steps, and just wanted to find a place to settle down as soon as possible. Since even the public squares in the city center were crowded with war refugees, Princess Theophanus, as the hostess, had to open the cathedral and royal palace in the city to provide shelter for the more than 1,000 people.

Wang Qiu and other "distinguished guests" with higher status naturally entered the palace to accept hospitality. However, this "imperial palace", which was converted from the headquarters of the legion commander, is really not much to see - the collapsed pavilions, the mottled walls, the pits and ants gnawed by insects and ants, and the broken roof that can already see the sky, all tell the long time and disrepair of this place.

Although there is a bluestone paved road in the palace. But compared with the cement road of the modern city, this bluestone slab is not smooth, paved and messy. And more places are not bluestone slabs. The soil was directly exposed, and even half-human-tall thatch was grown. There are no shrubs and flowers in the garden, but vegetables such as onions and radishes are planted in the garden, and there are many chickens, ducks, pigs and sheep, which always permeate the faint smell.

The most unacceptable thing is that although it is much cleaner than the outside, it is on the side of the road in the palace. At the foot of the wall, in the corners, there are always traces of human and animal defecation...... It always gives people the illusion that they are living in a cowshed.

In Wang Qiu's opinion. The palace of the last Western Roman Emperor Romulus Bixia seems to be inferior to the Eastern Roman palace of the last Eastern Roman Emperor Constantine XI on the shore of the Golden Horn in 1453 that looks like a dock warehouse - cold to cold, small to cramped, but at least Constantine XI's house is not leaking. And the stone used is also good: next to it is the great ruins of Constantinople. No matter what stone you want, there is a ......

The house was so dilapidated that the beds could not be posed—there were less than ten beds in the entire palace, and the rest of the palace guards had to sleep on haystacks. Therefore, Wang Qiu and others had no choice but to set up tents in the palace, lay out sleeping bags, and carry out "camping in the palace".

- In fact, if possible, Wang Qiu really wants everyone to be brought back to the modern Shijie through the wormhole to rest. But the problem is that due to the difference in time flow velocity on both sides of the wormhole is up to tens of times. If they are really allowed to go back to the modern Shijie to rest, then I am afraid that they will close their eyes, and they will have to hurry back to prepare for the next day's battle!

The ensuing dinner was similarly disappointing, though Princess Theophanus tried her best to feast on her savior. However, the conditions are really limited: the staple food is not only coarse grain cereal, which tastes like rice bran flour, but also black bread, which is as hard as a stone and can be used as a weapon to crush people to death. The main course is a wood-like stewed and air-dried meat, with onions, leeks, carrots, and minced meat.

What the? Looks like it's pretty hearty? Well, first of all, this bread is actually a Western-style mutton steamed bun. You must break off a piece of bread and dip it in the soup until the bread has absorbed enough soup and become soft before you can put it in your mouth and chew it, otherwise you risk breaking your teeth. Secondly, the stew and soup are cooked without salt, which is really ...... The precious refined salt dust is placed in a boat-shaped silverware in the center of the table and needs to be added by the diners themselves.

If it were in the metropolis of the Eastern Roman Empire, there might have been fine silver pepper pots on the banquet table, but in a remote frontier like Britannia, in the dark ages of the collapse of the empire, there would be no spice merchants who would have traveled across the sea to patronize it, nor would they have this level of consumption.

The wine and beer served as drinks always have a rancid smell and a lot of unfiltered dregs.

As for the more extravagant ancient Roman cuisine, such as the ancient Roman fish sauce similar to the modern Vietnamese fish sauce, the grilled fish impregnated in honey, and the grilled peacocks, pickled snails, raw oysters, etc., they may often be seen in the feasts of Constantinople, but in a small border town like Gloucester, it is impossible to make it at all - there is usually some seafood to be sacrificed, but in the past two days, who cares about fishing!

The only thing that is more in line with modern tastes is the black pudding as an after-dinner snack - this thing is actually a salty dish, made from the blood left over from the slaughter of haode animals, mainly pig blood, plus milk, onions, and fatty meat, and it tastes a bit like pig blood cake.

Zuihou, Wang Qiu and the others, who couldn't swallow these rough meals, had to rely on themselves - although they were not prepared to stay in this time and space for a long time, they still carried a few days of military rations in their backpacks - each set up a disposable simple heater, took out vacuum-packed egg fried rice, shredded pork fried noodles, egg cakes, canned luncheon meat and other food, and generously distributed them to the Romans who accompanied them.

As a result, these modern delicacies immediately caused a huge sensation, turning the residents of Britain who had not eaten many good things into foodies in an instant - these delicacies, regardless of taste, usually contained many precious spices that could not be bought here for money, and Princess Theofanu was the first to eat three field rations of instant beef, potatoes and onion curry rice, and then begged for two boxes of chocolate candy.

However, like this, you can eat and take it with your guests. She was also a little embarrassed, so she rolled her eyes and came up with a new trick......

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“…… Right now...... It seems to be late autumn! Aren't they afraid of the cold? ”

Looking at the naked bodies of the group of white flowers and stripes in front of him. The corners of Wang Qiu's mouth couldn't help twitching, and it took a long time to squeeze out such a sentence.

“…… It's okay, there's a stove in the house opposite! The walls are similarly thick, and the windows are so small that cold winds don't easily blow in. Princess Theofana said nonchalantly, "...... What's more, women who do this line of work. How can you be afraid of the cold? ”

…… Secret room, stove...... Ahem, this ...... Does this seem to be a predisposition to carbon monoxide poisoning?

Wang Qiu touched his forehead, and looked away from the palm-sized window hole in the wall. I feel like I'm about to get messy in the wind.

At this moment, they were standing outside the door of the largest brothel in the city, watching the naked girls scratch their heads through the small holes in the wall facing the street. Let out a burst of seductive reverie and wandering moans...... Most of them were red-haired Celtic girls. But there were also blond, blue-eyed Germanic women and black-haired Romans, and even a black girl...... Through the small holes in the wall, not only can you see their shadowy bodies under the lamplight, but you can also smell a heat wave accompanied by the smell of commotion, which shows that there seems to be no perfume here......

- Because of the poor hospitality in terms of accommodation and food, and even being treated to a good meal by the guests, Princess Theophanus, who was deeply apologetic, decided to put some effort into after-dinner entertainment...... And in this small, remote city, the only decent nighttime entertainment seems to be prostitution.

But the problem is. actually ran to the brothel to pimp a group of GIs by the princess of the dignified empire...... This feels too embarrassing!

What about your shame as an unmarried girl? What about the demeanor of the daughter of the emperor? Where have they gone?

…… Well, the boy emperor of the Severus dynasty of the Roman Empire worked as a male prostitute on the street to solicit customers and sell his ass. The mature queen of the Justinian dynasty danced the undisciplined debauchery custom of striptease in the capital's bar, and the princess Theofanu did not go down in person, and took off her clothes to "fight in the wilderness" with many sturdy future warriors, which seems to be very reserved, very shy, and very disciplined.

In fact, as an open-minded modern urban youth, Wang Qiu has no special discrimination against the "sex worker" industry. Moreover, he also knew very well that the armed Liliang under his command was not the disciplined Chinese People's Liberation Army, but just a group of rabble who fought for money, including some scum released from prison...... Therefore, in order to maintain the combat effectiveness of the army, in addition to paying salaries and dividends on time in accordance with the contract, it is also an indispensable benefit to appropriately provide some channels for these soldiers who have been holding back for a long time to vent their desires.

But here's the problem...... These Roman prostitutes are too dedicated! Actually came out naked to solicit business?!

Later, through Princess Theophanus's explanation, Wang Qiu learned that in the ancient Roman Empire, the brothel industry was also divided into three, six, nine and so on—which seemed to be the same everywhere in Shijie—and the best brothels were often run by temples, which were made of gold and splendor, and the prostitutes were all richly dressed, and even wore priceless silk robes. Medium-sized brothels resemble modern clubs and specialty bars, where prostitutes are often made cameos by waitresses, singers and dancers, dressed in cool dresses similar to modern bikinis, but with embroidered cloth bands covering their breasts and nakedness. zuihou, when I went to those inferior brothels, the girls simply didn't even need to wear cool clothes - they just went into battle naked, and they didn't have to wear anything at all!

Well? weishenme The girls of the inferior brothels of ancient Rome did not wear clothes? It's not that they're particularly complaining, it's just to save as much as possible.

- As we all know, prostitutes who sell their bodies have to dress up beautifully before anyone is willing to patronize them, but the ancient textile jishu is backward, the price of silk muslin is extremely high, and the poor inferior prostitutes can't afford it at all. And the stingy prostitute can also carefully select the "goods" in an all-round way, so as not to look at the head and face of a certain prostitute, until he takes off his clothes, he finds that the other party's figure is really sorry for the audience......

Therefore, the cheap brothel of the Roman Empire for the working people at the bottom was almost a semi-enclosed secret room, with a row of small windows chiseled into the wall along the street, so that the girls who sold meat stood inside, naked and naked, showing their faces outside through the small windows, while groping themselves with bare buttocks and screaming coquettishly, while bargaining with prostitutes through the walls...... After the prostitute negotiated the price, he "raised the gun" and went in, and he could make a leather and meat business in a few minutes. In this way, the brothel not only saves the cost of buying clothes, but also saves the time of putting on and taking off clothes, which greatly improves the efficiency of the prostitutes - the girls who work in such places basically spend more time naked than they do to put on clothes, eat more fine than they eat, and do not need to buy any clothes at all, as long as they are naked and wait for others.

Of course, such a high frequency of "assembly line piecework sales" will obviously seriously damage the health of working women...... Therefore, women in this kind of place are basically consumables, and the average life expectancy in that era was also short, and girls who entered this kind of place generally did not live long...... (To be continued......)