Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1092: Sights on the Crati River

Standing by the ship's rail, Haca gazed into the distance at the long, curving white breakwater of the Crati River Mouth. Countless ships wove through the waters, as bustling as a beehive.

As the ship drew closer, he realized multiple water gates opened through the breakwater.

"All cargo ships must pass through the gates on this side and obtain a Wooden Placard to dock before they can enter. The gates on the other side inspect departing ships and collect the Wooden Placards; any ship without one is fined. But a large vessel like ours doesn't need to pass through the breakwater gates. We take the broad central channel and undergo inspection by the patrol boats," the captain explained.

"Why make the cargo inspection process so convoluted? It only delays merchant ships from entering the port to deliver their goods!" one of Haca's subordinates argued, pointing at the long queue of cargo ships outside the water gates.

"Delaying them a bit outside the gates is far better than letting them swarm in all at once. That would clog the entire Crati River Mouth and waste much more time. It looks like there are a lot of ships out here, but there are even more inside the estuary. Without effective management, it would be a disaster," the captain said seriously.

"You're right," Haca agreed with a nod.

The captain directed the large passenger ship past the long queues of vessels waiting outside the breakwater and into the central channel.

A massive wooden platform floated in the middle of the channel. A wooden cabin sat atop it, the flag of the Kingdom of Daunia fluttering high out front.

The passenger ship pulled up to the platform. An official stepped out of the cabin, asked the captain a few questions, and checked the documents handed to him. A look of surprise crossed his face. He immediately hopped onto the ship, strode over to Haca, and bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Lord Haca!"

"According to our reports, your ship wasn't supposed to arrive until tomorrow or the day after. His Majesty and the Senate likely haven't made preparations today. I need to dispatch a fast boat to the inner city docks to notify them, so I must ask you to wait here a little longer. I hope you can forgive the delay," the official said apologetically.

"That won't be a problem," Haca agreed.

"We didn't even want to come in the first place! We only agreed because your king wrote to us several times! Now we've traveled thousands of miles from Iberia, and you won't even let us in? Is this how you treat your guests?! If you won't let us in, then we won't go! We're going back! Back to Iberia!" Hasdrubal stood swaying at the cabin entrance, shouting angrily.

The port official panicked slightly at this outburst and tried to explain.

"Don't mind him; he's had too much to drink. Let's just follow protocol and do what needs to be done," Haca reassured the official, shooting a look at his own men.

His subordinates quickly gathered a few burly soldiers and forcibly escorted Hasdrubal back into the cabin.

The passenger vessel anchored behind the wooden platform. The port official stayed by Haca's side, chatting with him to pass the time.

Standing at the bow, Haca watched ships continuously gliding past from all directions. He realized this estuary vessel command post was situated in an incredibly clever location. Directly ahead was the open sea; diagonally to the left and right were the breakwaters and water gates; the northern riverbank housed the entrance to the main Port of Thurii; and the rear led straight to Thurii City. Every ship converged and crossed paths right here. To handle this, the estuary management office maintained ten dedicated fast boats, their sails bearing striking symbols, to direct traffic and keep the channel clear.

Although the constant flow of ships and the noisy, chaotic river made him slightly uncomfortable, Haca didn't retreat into the cabin. Instead, he asked with genuine interest, "How many cargo ships enter the Crati River Mouth each day?"

"On average... around 5,000," the official said after a moment's thought. "At its peak, it can reach over 10,000, though that's usually during the Festival of Hades."

Even though Haca had made his own estimates, the sheer number still startled him. "That many?!"

"Of course. And that's just the cargo ships entering the Crati River Mouth. It doesn't account for vessels at the other ports along the Sybaris coast. For instance, just north of the estuary is a massive fishing port where thousands of fishing boats come and go every day, supplying fresh seafood to the people of the entire Thurii Region. Right next to the fishing port on its north side is another harbor exclusively for transporting livestock. South of the estuary, the former naval base of the 1st Fleet has been repurposed into a public transport hub. Many of the old naval residences were converted into inns that are fully booked every day, and over a thousand passenger ships pass through there daily...

"Meanwhile, the cargo ships moving through the Crati River Mouth primarily supply everyday necessities for the citizens, like wine, olive oil, cloth, and wheat," the official elaborated. Noticing that Haca still looked somewhat perplexed, he added, "My lord, the reason all of Thurii's ports are so busy is that without them, Thurii would starve."

"Why is that?" Haca had his suspicions, but he still wanted to get to the bottom of it.

"Because Thurii's population is too large. According to the Census Department's statistics from the end of last year, Thurii City and its immediate surroundings alone have around 300,000 residents, and the entire Thurii Region exceeds 400,000. Where else in the Mediterranean Sea can you find a city as massive as Thurii City?" The official's face glowed with pride as he continued. "With a population this size, the daily consumption of supplies is staggering—grain, olive oil, wine, meat, fish... The goods transported by cargo ships are almost entirely measured in tons. The grain, olive oil, and other resources produced by the Sybaris Plain and the surrounding areas are nowhere near enough. It requires the entire kingdom, and even the entire western Mediterranean, to supply us.

"Moreover, there are many wealthy citizens in Thurii City. They aren't satisfied with simply being fed and clothed; they have higher demands for their lifestyles. Because of this, plenty of luxury goods are shipped here from other parts of the Mediterranean—spices, gorgeous textiles, and exquisite gold and silver jewelry from Persia; perfumes and cosmetics from Egypt; ivory from Africa; and marble from the Greek Mainland... That's why so many merchant ships arrive in Thurii every day. It got to the point where our original main port could no longer accommodate them, and we had to build docks along both banks of the river just to meet the demand."

Haca listened to the official's explanation while gazing at a corner of the main port on the northern bank of the Crati River to his left. There, masts stood like a dense forest, and ships were packed so tightly that not a single patch of seawater could be seen between them.

An image of the Port of Carthage from days past surfaced in Haca's mind. In his memory, even during the absolute peak of Carthage's maritime trade, it couldn't come close to matching the sheer scale of the Port of Thurii today. This wasn't merely the result of feeding a colossal city of over 400,000 people; it was a display of the comprehensive might of a powerful kingdom. Seeing this only reinforced Haca's conviction that the decision he had made back then was the right one.

As the two of them conversed, the clamor around them suddenly swelled.

The river official glanced back, his face immediately lighting up with joy. "Lord Haca, the ship coming to receive you has arrived!"

Haca turned to look. From upriver, a massive ship was sailing straight toward them. Its hull looked as though it had been formed by fusing two Warships together, and a wooden pavilion stood tall in the center of its deck...

'A two-headed dragon!' The term flashed instantly through Haca's mind, but this vessel was clearly different from the former Carthaginian naval Flagship. It had a black hull and a red pavilion, and neither of its twin prows featured a ram. Instead, two wooden Statues reared up from the fronts, resembling the heads of hounds. Royal guards clad in armor and purple cloaks stood along the walkways and railings surrounding the pavilion, and the flag of the Kingdom of Daunia flew from the towering mast.

After the Western Mediterranean War, the Ministry of Military Affairs considered building a dedicated royal vessel for King Davos to use during inspection tours or when leading troops into battle. Relying on ordinary passenger ships or Warships, as he had in the past, was far too shabby and unfitting for his exalted status as king.

Once the shipwrights received the assignment, they held multiple discussions and ultimately decided to use Carthage's two-headed dragon Warship as a blueprint for the king's vessel. Considering that the ship would frequently navigate the Crati River, they scaled down its overall dimensions slightly.

This was the final result that now appeared in Haca's line of sight. Though it hadn't made many voyages since its completion and spent most of its time docked in the inner city, it was already a household name among the people of Thurii. As a result, all the vessels in the river consciously pulled aside, quickly leaving the central channel wide open and clear.

The royal vessel soon pulled up beside Haca's passenger ship, and a wooden gangplank was extended across. A middle-aged man stepped aboard. He was slender, possessing a refined and scholarly air, and wore a white robe embroidered with black patterns.

At that moment, the river official immediately hurried forward and bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Lord Henipolis!"

The middle-aged man returned the greeting with a smile. "Thank you for your hard work!"

'So he is Henipolis...' Haca had naturally heard of this Daionian Senator who accompanied King Davos year-round.

Just as he was sizing up the king's confidant, Henipolis approached him with a beaming smile. "Lord Haca, welcome back to Thurii! I am Henipolis, King Davos's secretary, here to receive you on behalf of His Majesty and the Senate!"

"I've read your