Greece to roman road

In the small town of Kyriboa, Christo, who had no choice but to be lucky, came to the city market again the next morning and asked whether the price of raisins had changed.

Just at the entrance of the market, I heard a burst of noise. I looked up and saw a group of people gathered in the small square, seemingly discussing something.

Christo's eyes lit up when he saw this scene. In previous years, during the raisin trading season, the market was extremely busy, and there was indeed movement.

Running forward quickly, Christo stood behind the crowd, raised his toes, and saw through the gap a middle-aged man holding a newspaper in the middle of the crowd, reading the news to everyone.

"The Prime Minister announced yesterday that he will vigorously support and support the Greek wine industry and expand the domestic market demand." The man's loud voice revealed his joy.

"The general manager of the Spanish Congo Corporation, Costeburu, announced that he will purchase 5,000 barrels of wine in Greece this year and next, in response to the Prime Minister's call, to supply the company's shipping companies."

The Greek Congo Corporation occupies a considerable part of the trade between Congo and Europe, including sugar, rubber, copper ore, palm oil, timber, rice and other bulk commodities imported into Greece. For the sake of convenience, the Greek Congo Corporation , simply set up a steamship company, except for a small amount of passenger transportation, mainly to transport the company's commodities.

So far, the total displacement of the ships of the steamship company has reached 100,000 tons, and there are 4,000 seamen, plying the route between the Congo River and the Eastern Mediterranean.

In addition to transporting raw materials and agricultural products from the Eastern Mediterranean, it is also responsible for transporting Greek domestic industrial products, such as cotton cloth and pharmaceuticals, to Congo.

After learning that Greece's grape production was seriously backlogged, Costebrew decided to increase the purchase of its country's mid- to low-end wines for seafarers' supplies at sea.

At Constantine's suggestion, the two major shareholders of the steel plant, the London-based shipping tycoons, the Larris brothers and the Rodokanaski family, expressed their willingness to purchase a batch of Greek wine.

"Vals, stop being pretentious and continue reading quickly."

"Yes, everyone is anxious to know whether the price of raisins this year can return to last year's price."

People around were talking a lot.

Vals, a middle-aged man surrounded by everyone, said without changing: "Looking at the situation, it is impossible for this year's raisins to reach last year's price."

"Although the government has decided to intervene in the raisin market, it is impossible to make up for the lost French market simply by relying on Greece's limited size."

Vals was also a small businessman engaged in the raisin trade. He purchased raisins from Greek farmers and resold them to Greek trading companies, or sold them directly to Europeans.

After seeing the news about government intervention in the raisin market published in the Southern European Times in the morning, I hurried to the market to inform everyone of the news.

"Then what price can we get for this year's raisins?" Christo anxiously shouted to Vals in the crowd, thinking of the family that had been without income for three years.

After hearing this, Valls pondered for a moment and replied: "It can be about 70% to 80% of last year's price. Anyway, it is impossible to reach last year's price."

"Shhh" Christo let out a sigh of relief and calculated the vines full of grapes at home. After these grapes are dried, how many raisins can be harvested.

He turned around and hurried home, eager to tell his wife Eveya the good news.

·······

"Woooo", the loud and low ship whistle sounded outside the port of Thessaloniki. The frightened seagulls screamed, their wings fluttered, and they accelerated away from the ship.

On the side of the bulk carrier, Kouros was lying on the bow side of the ship, blowing the humid sea breeze, looking at the distant outline of the land in the distance.

I recalled in my mind the order given by Tsaveras, Director of the Intelligence Division, before leaving: "Your identity this time is an employee of the Spanish Congo Corporation in Salonika. During the period of lurking, your task is to investigate, Describe the topography of Salonika while keeping an eye on Ottoman Turkish intelligence in the Balkans."

After the ship docked at the dock, Kuros stepped off the ship with his suitcase in hand. After asking a Jew for directions, he followed the prompts and came to the warehouse district of Thessaloniki.

A series of low-rise stone brick warehouses, only four or five meters high, are connected by stone roads in the warehouse area.

Arriving at Warehouse No. 13, Kuros put down his suitcase and the door of the warehouse opened.

Kuros stood at the door and looked inside: Although the light in the warehouse was dim, he could still see the sacks piled up in the warehouse, divided into several piles and clustered together. He sniffed and smelled a damp and moldy smell.

"Sir, this is a warehouse and outsiders are not welcome to enter." Just as Kuros was looking around the warehouse, a voice came from behind.

When he turned around, he saw a man wearing a linen shirt and brown trousers with suspenders, looking at him with an unkind expression.

"Hello, I am the clerk newly dispatched from China to manage the goods in the warehouse in Thessaloniki. You can call me Kuros," Kuros introduced himself.

Volgaris looked at this strange man, wearing a pair of black-rimmed glasses, with handsome features and a thin figure. Especially his hands were very special, with slender fingers.

Thinking that there was indeed a telegraph communication, it was said that an intelligence officer who had mastered the mapping technology would come to the port of Salonika, so he asked: "What is the task assigned to you by Director Vergo?"

Kuros was stunned when he heard this. Director Vergo was nowhere to be found. Then he realized that this was a probing question to verify his identity.

Then he shook his head and said: "I never knew there was a Director Vergo in the Intelligence Department."

"Director Loves sent me here," Kuros countered.

Volgaris frowned, secretly sighing at the caution of the person in front of him, "I don't remember there was a Director Loves in the Intelligence Department either."

As the ruling center of the European part of Ottoman Turkey, Thessaloniki itself is also an important port, transfer station and important transportation hub on the Aegean coast. It has route connections with various ports in the Eastern Mediterranean at sea and the Balkans inland on land. The region's window to the sea, a city with a very important strategic location.

Constantine personally ordered Tsaveras of the General Staff to explore the topography of the Salonika area and draw a detailed military-level map for reference by the General Staff for wartime use. .

Chavelas also paid special attention to this place. As soon as he took office, he sent an intelligence officer as the vanguard to find out the general information.

When the two of them heard that the other party did not directly answer the question of the Director of the Intelligence Division, their expressions relaxed. It seemed that it was unlikely that they were impersonating intelligence personnel from other countries.

"My name is Volgaris. I came here to lurk after the Intelligence Service was established, a few months before you did," Volgaris said as he shook hands with Kuros.

"Kuros"

After initially confirming their identities, the two introduced themselves.