Volume 3: The First Croton War, Chapter 24: New Roads

In the city of Amendolara, Heracleides had once even gone there to build a courtyard for a family. Lately, the name Amendolara had been appearing frequently in the talk of the freemen of Thurii's port: the mercenary company that had wiped out the combined Lucanian tribes and won great fame had all become citizens of Amendolara, their leader Davos had even become a magistrate, and they had turned the slaves who followed them into freemen, with rumors that they would eventually grant them citizenship… These days, as trade with Amendolara resumed, many recent events there were spreading among Thurii's freemen—amazing things that the lower classes of Thurii had never dared to imagine but desperately desired! The formerly numb, peaceful lives of Thurii's freemen and even slaves were like a lively big fish thrown in, churning up the silt and sediment that had long settled beneath the calm surface…

This even stirred the experienced Heracleides: since it was an invitation from Amendolara, their promises should be trustworthy, right?!

So Heracleides asked eagerly, "Can I bring my son?! He's no less talented in construction than I am!"

"Of course."

Under the envious gazes of others, he and his son hastily packed their belongings, followed the man to Amendolara, and met Alexis. His first words uplifted Heracleides: "I am Alexis, the Overseer of Construction for Amendolara, responsible for handling all city-state building, maintenance, and supervision. This public office of 'overseer of construction' doesn't exist in other Greek city-states, which shows how much Amendolara values engineering. If you have talent in this area, you will be highly valued by us!"

Feeling Amendolara's emphasis on engineering, the old fire for building that had burned in his youth began to rekindle in Heracleides' aged heart.

Heracleides' first task was to design and build warehouses and an inn. This posed little difficulty for him, and his plans were quickly approved by the Senate. Then, he and his son led a dozen craftsmen and nearly a thousand Lucanian slaves to start construction outside the walls of Amendolara.

Though Heracleides looked like a lean, dry old man, he was full of energy and meticulous in his work. Every day, he constantly walked around the various work sites, urging progress, checking quality. If he found shirking, he would scold harshly; if he saw improper operations, he would immediately correct them, even demonstrating himself. If measurements were off, he would order them redone until accurate. The craftsmen and slaves both respected and feared the old man.

Today, Alexis found Heracleides and handed him a rolled sheet of papyrus, saying, "This is the next construction task: build a road from the Sinni River ferry to the foot of Amendolara, and then to the Saraceno River ferry. Make preparations first. The Magistrate requires the road to be built according to this diagram he drew."

"Your Magistrate knows everything!" Heracleides couldn't help retorting. As a craftsman who had worked in building for years, he had his pride and stubbornness, and nothing annoyed him more than ignorant people meddling.

"Look at the Magistrate's diagram first," Alexis reminded him.

That ignorant meddler was Amendolara's sole Lifelong Magistrate! The key figure directly determining whether he and his son could become citizens! Heracleides suddenly realized this, breaking out in a cold sweat. Decades of hardship had bowed his back and spirit. He thought: *As long as this Magistrate's design isn't too outrageous, I'll tweak it a bit and do it his way.*

At that moment, survival overcame pride.

He unrolled the papyrus sheet, glanced casually—but then his eyes stuck as if glued.

Alexis saw his serious expression, smiled, and looked around: the work site was dusty, craftsmen and slaves were bustling with energy. In just two days since his last visit, the whole site had changed dramatically…

This excited him. "At this pace, can it be finished in half a year?!"

"Half a year?! Four months will be enough! If those Lucanians were a bit smarter, three months would do!" Heracleides said without looking up.

"So you're not too satisfied with these slaves," Alexis said with a smile.

"They don't understand construction at all. You don't know how much I've had to talk—my throat is hoarse. I'm not satisfied—can you get me a different batch?!" Heracleides complained.

"You know that's impossible."

"But the Lucanians aren't as fearsome as I imagined. Maybe it's that they're even more afraid of you, so they obey so well!" Heracleides remarked with a sigh. Only someone who had experienced war knew what was the most important guarantee in chaotic times.

"These Lucanians aren't afraid of us; rather, it's Magistrate Davos's methods that have worked!" Alexis said with a sigh.

At the mention of Davos, Heracleides' gaze returned to the diagram, pointing at the patterns on the paper, and said seriously, "The road construction diagram drawn by the Magistrate has more steps than usual and is more complicated, but on careful thought, it makes a lot of sense. First, compact the dirt road, then lay a layer of sand and gravel, then a layer of crushed stone on top, and finally tightly fitted stone slabs. There are also drainage ditches on both sides, and beyond the ditches, a retaining wall… One can imagine that if this kind of road is built, it will be waterproof and sand-resistant, solid and flexible, so even heavily loaded carts will not easily damage it. I've never seen such a road before—it's an amazing design! If this is your Magistrate's idea, then he's a remarkable road-building master!" This time, Heracleides spoke sincerely.

Alexis was already numb to Davos's repeated miracles. Since Heracleides approved the diagram, he was relieved and said, "So you agree to build the road according to the procedures on this diagram?"

"Of course! I want to see what this road looks like built!" the wrinkled old man said excitedly. But then he pointed to a section of text on the paper and asked doubtfully, "We all know that mortar for construction is made by slaking limestone with water and adding sand. But this diagram emphasizes that the mortar for filling the gaps between stone slabs should not only use limestone, water, and sand, but also add a certain amount of volcanic ash. The Magistrate calls this mortar… cement… will it really work?"

"All citizens of Amendolara know that Magistrate Davos is favored by Hades. This must be another revelation from the god of the underworld. I believe once you try it, you'll understand how amazing this stuff is," Alexis said solemnly.

"You're right—how will I know without trying!" Heracleides grew interested. "I recall that Sicily and its nearby islands have many volcanoes. Legend says that in ancient times, it was where the fire god Hephaestus forged divine weapons. We can send a boat to bring back a load of volcanic ash; it shouldn't cost much."

"Heracleides!" Alexis suddenly became serious. "Based on your and your son's previous performance, Magistrate Davos proposed a motion, and after approval by the Amendolara Senate, you and Young Heracleides have become Preparatory Citizens of Amendolara. During the two-year Probation Period, if you perform well and continue to contribute to Amendolara, you will become full citizens of Amendolara. Congratulations!"

Heracleides froze. He moved his dry lips but couldn't speak. In an instant, tears streamed down his weathered face.

Alexis was moved by this, and his tone softened a bit: "As a Preparatory Citizen of Amendolara, you must know that Magistrate Davos repeatedly instructed me: 'The method of making cement is the highest secret of the city-state of Amendolara!' Apart from you and your son, you must not tell anyone else. If it is leaked, the Senate will send Ephors to hold you accountable and may impose severe punishment. I hope you find a way to use it while protecting its secret!"

Heracleides immediately tensed up. He hurriedly stuffed the diagram into his chest…

…

Eighteen-year-old Alcinus was attending camp training for the second time. For him, newly come of age, it was also the second time in his life he joined military camp training. Previously, he had only learned to hold a shield and wield a spear under his father's guidance; other times, he studied letters or exercised with other youths in the gymnasium. After the war broke out between Thurii and the Lucanians, his life changed dramatically: his father died in battle, his mother died of illness while in confinement, and eighteen-year-old Alcinus inherited the family property.

According to the "City-State Military Service Act" enacted after Davos became Lifelong Magistrate, adult male citizens during the farming season must attend camp training once every six days, and after the autumn harvest and before spring planting, during the agricultural slack season, it changed to once every three days. Alcinus was eager to learn skills so he could soon ride onto the battlefield, defeat the Lucanians, and avenge his parents. But in his first training, far from his beautiful imagination of military camp, aside from the interesting rugby game taught by the Magistrate at the very end, the rest of the time was not only hard and heavy but also boring and tedious.

The second training was the same as before: the new recruits first put on Corinthian helmets, linen cuirasses, bronze greaves, held round shields and spears, wore side swords at their waists, and marched fully armed for five kilometers. If they walked too slowly, they got hit with sticks by the drill instructors. Last time, he had seen several freeman recruits howling in pain from the instructor's strikes. Although the full gear weighed nearly forty jin, due to heredity and previous training, Alcinus didn't find it too burdensome.