The appointed day arrived quickly.
It was not only Zhang Heng who had received an invitation. On this day, the leaders of forces large and small had basically all shown up.
By morning, there were hardly any idlers on the nearby streets. In their place stood groups of fierce-looking burly men, guarding not only the tavern entrance but effectively controlling the two surrounding streets as well.
No matter the size of the force behind them, every invited guest could bring only two subordinates.
This was clearly meant to prevent anyone from causing trouble.
The area in southeastern Rome where Jews lived alongside other foreigners had been a lawless place ever since Hadrian's time. Thieves, assassins, robbers, thugs... all gathered there, beyond the reach of the law.
Most of the time, they preferred to settle things with their fists. After all, this was a world where the strong preyed on the weak. But when fighting was not worth the cost, they would sit down and negotiate. Of course, most negotiations involved only two or three parties. A gathering like this, led by one of the three major powers and inviting everyone, happened only once every six or seven years.
And whenever that happened, it usually meant something major had occurred—something capable of affecting most of the local forces. This time was no exception. Everyone who had received an invitation knew what the gathering was about.
Quite a few people were therefore waiting to watch Zhang Heng and his Patrol Team make fools of themselves.
This was especially true of the smaller forces that had suffered badly at the Patrol Team's hands lately. They hoped to return to the good old days. They wanted the major powers to uphold justice for them, rein in the Patrol Team, stop them from running wild,