Chapter 20 Fire Fighting (Part 1)
Within the city-state, one can feel the importance of virtue. ”——Plutarch
————————————————————————
Upon seeing this, Calabis could only run after them. By the time they arrived there, the apartment building was already in flames. Residents running around began to look for fire extinguishing equipment and water, but Del Ferro's men instantly They surrounded the fire scene and pushed the residents outside to prevent them from rushing in to put out the fire. "Dear friends, this place is very dangerous now. We have to let professionals come. We are a qualified firefighting team." Delferro shouted loudly But his men all stood upright and motionless, only hearing the explosive sound of flames and wood burning.
"Hey, you, hurry up and get water from the water truck to put out the fire!" After a while, Delferro shouted to one of his men. The man pretended to run to the car, and then suddenly shouted in surprise, saying that he had forgotten to fill the water truck with water. .
"Why don't you go find water quickly? I remember there is a reservoir seven blocks away." Delferro waved his hand, "You pull the water truck and go quickly!" Then the guy drove the car, hey Hey, hey, the wheels slowly rolled across the street, disappearing into the darkness.
A male resident in his forties, barefooted, walked forward timidly and reminded, "Turn right on this block and there is a reservoir." Delferro shouted, "What are you talking about?" The other party took a few steps back in fright. Then the fat man looked at a piece of papyrus for a while and said, "No, my friend, the map shows the nearest water source, which is just seven blocks away. Our fire brigade believes in accuracy." of the map.”
Just when Delferro was praising the map he was holding, the apartment could no longer support it and fell down, creating a huge plume of soot that made it impossible to open one's eyes. Facing the shocked residents, Delferro looked back and announced with regret: "The fire-fighting was successful, but the apartment collapsed." At this time, another building two blocks away burst into flames. , Delferro shouted, and with this heroic fire brigade, he rushed over like flying...
Late at night, when Delferro "put out" the seventh fire, Calabis couldn't bear it anymore. He saw with his own eyes the owner kneeling in front of the burning house and handing over the deed to Delferro. Begging, hoping to be lenient, but Crassus's "fire brigade" still had a dull expression and stood around the fire scene indifferently.
After the building was completely burned down, Delferro asked a slave in the role of treasurer to take over the owner's property deed and said: "Your property, despite your efforts to save it, has been completely burned down. It was originally worth fifteen thousand The drachma can now only be purchased with three thousand drachma."
Calabis couldn't bear it anymore. He suddenly walked up, grabbed Delferro by the collar, and asked: "What exactly did Crassus want to express when he asked me to follow you?"
The offended Delferro was not angry at all. He slowly let go of Calabis's hand and handed over a roll of papyrus. By the light of the fire, Calabis could clearly see the various owners on it. The names are those of the people who forcibly bid for the Crasu iron ore and blacksmith workshop in Etrunia. Could it be that the houses burned tonight belong to them?
"Yes, it's all their property." Delferro made a judgment, "Calabis, you are a smart man. You should know that if all their properties are burned, you can only sell the property deed to my owner at a low price. Then my master used this money to exchange for the iron smelting industry in Etrunia. Anyway, after this burning, they no longer have the financial resources to compete with their master. Calabis, in fact, this is not a problem for you. What a good thing!”
"Yes, I understand Crassus's purpose. He is showing me his strength and indirectly warning me not to go against his wishes." Karabis roared.
"That's right, no one can stop the master from what he wants to achieve in the city of Rome. He sincerely hopes that you, Calabis, will be in his camp, otherwise - I can't say, but you have to know that you The apartment on Jucora Street where you, your woman, and your children live are my master's property," Delferro also shouted. His meaning was obvious, and he did not want Calabis to overestimate his capabilities because of his hotheadedness. things to come.
"Then what did Crassus tell me to do!"
"You go to his courtyard tomorrow and swear allegiance to him. This is the master's purpose."
Yes, yes, this was the purpose of Crassus asking him to observe the "Fire Brigade". Calabis recalled that he also spent time investigating Crassus. The inheritance this guy inherited was indeed very rich. Three hundred talents, but he is still not satisfied, resorting to unscrupulous means and being shameless. Now he has assets of 7100 talents, sitting on the property of half the city of Rome. All these money are clean and unsullied. of? Obviously not, Crassus, he is the king who manipulates the dark night of Rome. In front of him, you can either bow your head or become ashes. You can only choose one of the two.
The luxurious apartment on Jucola Street where Calabis and Poti lived was the property under Crassus' name. So if one day Calabis disobeyed him, what awaited him might be the burning of a red lotus and the destruction of his family. Punishment - Would Crassus still be afraid of burning down one of his properties? Administrator Delferro is the pair of eyes that always monitor his family.
Now, what Crassus needs is your oath of allegiance.
The next day, when Calabis came to Crassus’ courtyard, he did not receive any obstruction. Crassus and his son sat calmly on the armchairs on the grass in the backyard. Caesar also sat on one side. When they saw Calabis, they were still very enthusiastic, but Calabis saw that there were statues of Apollo and Venus on the round table in the courtyard, and there was a black cup in front of it. , a stick of incense was lit next to it, and the smoke curled up.
Apollo is the god of the Crassus family; Venus is the god of the Caesar family. This decoration makes it clear that, Calabis, you must swear to both of us that you will always be loyal.
Calabis walked slowly to the table, picked up the knife in front of the cup, and quickly made a small slit on his index finger. A little bit of blood blended into the clear water in the cup, and then circled his finger, He raised his hands and cursed: "I, Cornelius Calabis, hereby offer my loyalty to the two gods Apollo and Venus, as well as their descendants, in the hope that I can be blessed with divine power. , with the assistance of light and virtue, dedicate all your strength to the object of allegiance. "
At this time, Crassus on the armchair was the first to applaud, followed by Caesar, "Calabis, you don't have to worry, since you have sworn allegiance to me, your title will be the last year of my term as censor. Matters of concern (Crasus was elected senate censor in 65 BC for a five-year term) - I also guarantee you that in two market days, you will not only officially obtain the qualifications of a Roman citizen in front of the altar of the God of War, but also And I will even find a way to help you obtain noble qualifications." Crassus held his hands and said leisurely, as if he had completely seen through Calabis's mind. (To be continued.)