Destroyed in the city of Carthage by the Romans
Destined to the Greeks, the Carthaginians were also a people who had been in business for generations, building prosperous and powerful states in North Africa and the Mediterranean islands.
Located on the northern shore of the Mediterranean, the Roman Empire in the center of the peninsula was also a military trading power. Numerous wars were waged between the two empires over the dominance of Messina in Sicily.
In 241 BC, the Roman navy defeated the Carthaginians at the Egadi Islands, far from Sicily, ending the first war between the two countries. The Carthaginians relinquished their right to rule the disputed areas and promised war reparations.
The next 20 years later, Carthage waged a second war. At first, Carthage entered the heart of Europe and Spain. Ten years later, however, the Carthaginian army suffered two major defeats in northern Italy and Spain.
Hannibal of Carthage withdrew his troops from Italy, requested an armistice, and signed a peace agreement. Carthage ceded large swathes of territory, paid more reparations, and most importantly, surrendered their warships and lost the expeditionary force.
After the decline of Carthage's military power, economic and trade developed rapidly, and the prosperous Carthage attracted Roman hatred and jealousy, and the defeated countries were not only resurrected, but also more prosperous.
This paragraph is a bit familiar, right, Japan, Germany in the Plaza Accord, seems to have embarked on the path after the Second Carthage War. The same is true in Russia today.
As for China, which has been prosperous for forty years, because it is stronger and more independent, it seems to have become the primary goal of the new Roman Empire, in terms of the media, polls, and politicians.
At that time, the Roman general was lobbying the Roman House of Elders to send troops to eradicate this economically powerful enemy, and he ended each speech with the words: "Carthage must be destroyed." Carthage must be destroyed, a saying that has become a famous saying through the ages.
In fact, since the two battlefield defeats, Carthage has given up military construction, even if it pays reparations, it does not want to get involved in the war. The rulers of Carthage also took the initiative to select 300 descendants from their families and give them to Rome as hostages, in order to express their desire to go to war.
Similarly, the Anglo-American Union, the contemporary Roman Empire, is home to the descendants of political, economic, and even military leaders from around the world.
Even so, Rome was not satisfied, and they demanded that the Carthaginians abandon all trade routes, leave Carthage and move all of them to the interior of North Africa. It looks a little familiar, right, cutting off the Russian-European oil pipeline, cutting off the road, preventing Eurasian integration, blocking East Asian integration, cutting off SWIFT, these means are very ancient, the Romans practiced.
The Carthaginians of course rejected the Romans, so the Roman army besieged the city of Carthage. Three years later, 50,000 Carthaginians surrendered, but what awaited the nation was the end times.
It is recorded that when the Romans left, they threw poison into all the wells in the city of Carthage and sprinkled a large amount of salt on the land, so that the land of Carthage could never grow crops. All adult men were killed, women were taken away by the Romans, and children were taken into slavery and the walls and buildings outside the city were razed to the ground.
Economic prosperity did not bring fortune to the Carthaginians, but became a curse for them, and their wealth became a reason for their destruction by Rome.
The same thing is happening today. Many increasingly wealthy countries are often indoctrinated with the illusion of peace and prosperity, voluntarily abandoning national defense and even industrialization. Just like many North African, Middle Eastern and European countries back then. Once you let down your guard, you will easily be overturned by the combined forces of internal and external forces, unable to protect yourself, and once caught in the flames of war, it is difficult to avoid destroying the country.
In recent decades, North Africa, South Africa, the Middle East, countless newly rich countries have gone to destruction, countless internal riots, and external intervention have been vividly remembered.
Carthage was once synonymous with commercial prosperity and a warning to history: surrender can only be exchanged for slavery, not prosperity. Once the Roman Empire coveted its prosperity, beware.
Many elites always thought that they would always become Romans, at least Roman compradors. But unfortunately, Rome only needed territory and did not need many Roman citizens. Today, too, only two million of the 7 billion people are fortunate enough to become new Romans each year.
Historically, after the fire of war destroyed every Carthage, the local elites, magnates, compradors, and still became slaves or vagrants.
For the vast majority of people on the planet, losing their independence is likely to be shattered. These people cannot enter Rome smoothly, and even if they go through the line, there will be Chinese and American gangs and border walls waiting for them.
Therefore, from a popular point of view, to protect Carthage, you have to maintain independence and autonomy, you have to protect trade routes, and you have to do business with the sword.
"Carthage must be destroyed" is common knowledge familiar in the Western world. Chinese culture is very different from the Western context, and our understanding of poverty is very different. Therefore, it is inevitable that people from all walks of life in China believe that keeping a low profile and kneeling for peace can be exchanged for prosperity.
Like Carthage, when China was poor and weak, the Roman Empire was content to collect protection money. Once Carthage grew and its power flourished, the Roman Empire became fearful.
Look at the recent new Roman Empire council, the mouth is full of China threat, and the pretext of destroying Carthage has long been prepared.
When we call for peace, we must not merely pray for peace, not forget the fires of war, but act in defence of peace.
May the peoples of the world unite, just as the peoples of the West did in the sixties, act in defence of peace.