The Third Emissary: the Cohort Chronicles, #2 by Michael Vetter

Author:Michael Vetter [Vetter, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: fiction
Publisher: Michael Vetter
Published: 2022-09-05T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 21

Province of Aegyptus, Alexandria—Inn of Coriolanus

By the time Ming and Xue met in Linius’ room it was late at night and the inn was quiet. Ming checked to make sure nobody was in the hallway or the adjacent room. When he returned, he gave Linius a nod that it was safe to talk.

‘Ming,” Linius began, “give us a quick summary of what you learned.”

“I noticed a group of men from my country when we first arrived at the port. I found that they are from the coastal region of Han, my homeland, but that they have a base in the Indus port city that the Romans call Barberikon. For years, they have been trading with kingdoms bordering the Red Sea and recently partnered with Greek shippers in Aegyptus. Soon after arriving here, they were approached by a man claiming to be a wealthy Roman trader. After a brief official introduction, he expressed interest in making a trade agreement with them.”

“Those men had never been to Alexandria before this?” Xue asked.

“That is correct. I will explain why in a moment,” Ming said. “The man gave his name as Gaius Cestius Gallus and none of my countrymen had reason to suspect that he was not a wealthy merchant as he said. They noticed that each time they met with him he was accompanied by three large men who might be his bodyguards. After their meetings, the same men followed them to their lodgings and waited outside through the night. Concerned by this suspicious behavior, they asked other merchants about this Cestius and learned that he had also contacted traders from Aksum, Kush, and Nabataea. More inquiries revealed his true identity as a Praetorian officer.”

“Did your countrymen attach any significance to this?” Linius asked.

“At the time, no. Regardless of his true identity, they agreed to listen to his proposal. What he told them sounded so lucrative that they agreed to a trade partnership.”

Linius made a sour face. “That sounds fishy. Tell me about this Praetorian.”

“Gaius Cestius showed them a copy of a book written in Koine Greek by a sea captain which contained a crudely drawn map. The book is titled Periplus of the Erythraean Sea and it maps the sea routes between Aegyptus and Indus. The book goes into detail describing the prevailing winds, safe harbors, characteristics of the peoples in kingdoms along the way, and sources of valuable materials such as ivory, silk, precious metals, and spices. It further describes an eastern trade route to Sinae with which, of course, my countrymen were familiar.

“The city of Coptos on the Nile River is where the Praetorian plans to build an outpost and a small fort where he will tax all cargo before it is carried by river barges to Alexandria. He will station several hundred soldiers at the outpost’s military garrison to guard the tax collection station. Everything that arrives in Coptos by caravan from the nearby Red Sea ports of Berenice and Myos Hormos will have to come through the one outpost before it is sent northward by river or land caravan.

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