Although Davos and Archytas did not participate, the victory celebration in Thurii was still held. The whole city temporarily suppressed their sorrow and celebrated this hard-won victory.
In particular, the generals' banquet lasted until late at night. Ansitano, who had drunk an unknown number of jugs of wine, slept until the sun was high in the sky. When he went out of the city, it was almost noon. He was dumbfounded when he arrived at the empty Davos camp. Fortunately, they saw the Tarentum reinforcements still stationed in the mercenary camp, and they learned that all the mercenaries had gone to Amendolara.
The mercenaries had taken Amendolara! This shocking news shocked Ansitano and Burcus again.
They immediately accelerated their march north, eager to see Davos. Halfway there, Ansitano suddenly stopped the team: "We're going back immediately."
"Why is that, General?" Burcus asked in confusion.
Ansitano, having calmed down, sighed: "The mercenaries were so eager to capture Amendolara last night, and today even moved their slaves and baggage into Amendolara. What does this indicate?"
Burcus exclaimed in surprise, "Could it be... could it be that they want to occupy Amendolara?!"
Ansitano nodded and said somewhat melancholically: "More importantly—Archytas also went to Amendolara. What does this indicate?"
Ansitano's reminder immediately awakened Burcus, who exclaimed in surprise again: "Could it be that Tarentum supports the mercenaries' occupation of Amendolara?!"
"Perhaps it's just Archytas' personal intention..." Ansitano was comforting Burcus as well as himself. He smiled wryly and said: "If Tarentum really supports the mercenaries, can Thurii refuse? Tarentum and the mercenaries are both heroes who saved Thurii..." Ansitano sighed again, his face filled with worry: "Alas... From now on, Tarentum's power will cross Heraclea and approach the Sybaris Plain!"
"Then... then what should we do now?!" Burcus asked anxiously.
"Of course, we'll go back and discuss countermeasures before coming back..." Ansitano said, but judging from his helpless expression, he obviously didn't think Thurii had any good way to deal with the mercenaries' seizure of Amendolara.
On the way back to the city, he kept murmuring to himself in frustration: "Alas... Thurii has fallen to this state in just half a year... My teacher was right, 'War is the fastest way to change the rise and fall of a city-state.' And what Thurii lacks now is military talent like Davos and Archytas!..."
Hearing this, Burcus remembered that he hadn't had time to invite Davos to join Thurii. Now it seemed that even if he did, Davos wouldn't agree. He also remembered the scene of his confidant slave, Medos, leading Davos to explore Amendolara at risk. It seemed that Davos had already set his sights on this mountain city at that time! He had already begun planning for Amendolara before the situation was clear, and finally succeeded. Was this luck? No! The victories in both battles were achieved by the mercenaries under his leadership, relying on his own step-by-step efforts!
Although the mercenaries' seizure of Amendolara harmed Thurii's interests, Burcus couldn't tell whether he felt more resentment or awe in his heart...
.........
Davos was accompanying Archytas on a tour of Amendolara.
While listening to Davos recount the capture of the mountain city last night, Archytas inspected the mercenaries' attack route on the ground and enthusiastically tried to use the grappling hook.
Since entering the city gate, besides the bloodstains along the way, Archytas saw mostly mercenary soldiers stationed every three steps and sentries every five steps. Their faces were filled with the same excitement and pride as Davos. After hesitating for a long time, he decided to make a suggestion to Davos: "Davos... I think if your mercenaries want to successfully enter Amendolara,
it's best to get the consent of the citizens of Amendolara."
"Okay! Okay!" Davos responded.
Archytas saw his perfunctoriness. After thinking about it, he decided to persuade him: "If a city-state wants to have good order, it must not only have clear laws, but also always abide by them. Over time, the laws will form the city-state's good traditions, become the natural cornerstone of the city-state's order, bring stability to the people, and bring development to the city-state. If you destroy it from the beginning..." Archytas stopped and pointed to the oddly shaped pine tree growing diagonally on the hillside, saying meaningfully: "It's like this tree. If it grows crooked from the beginning, it won't be able to become a towering tree even if it tries its best later."
Davos, of course, understood the metaphor in Archytas's words, which made him think: Chinese historical tradition emphasizes results. No matter what means are used to succeed in the end, everything done before will be forgiven and ultimately recognized. That's why there are popular sayings such as "The winner is king, the loser is bandit" and "Necessity knows no law." But Davos, who graduated from a university of political science and law in his previous life, knew that in the Roman Republic, which was known as the "son of law," centuries of tradition made its laws and traditions restrain the excessive behavior of later rulers. Even repeated turmoil did not cause major turmoil in the country.
For example, Caesar, who crossed the Rubicon, did not let the army enter the city of Rome, because this was tradition; Antony, who loved Cleopatra of Egypt, did not agree to her request to incorporate the Jewish kingdom into Egypt, because it was the duty of every Roman citizen not to harm Roman interests, this was tradition; Octavian, who held great power, did not immediately transform the Roman Republic into an empire, because the Senate and the Assembly were deeply rooted traditions as the center of Roman power.
He could only slowly change Rome's power structure bit by bit over decades... But when the commander of the Praetorian Guard, out of public interest, assassinated the eccentric Roman emperor Caligula, whom he had always guarded since childhood, the result was that he established the bad tradition of the Praetorian Guard frequently assassinating Roman emperors...
If Davos was just a leader who only cared about immediate interests and temporary pleasure, that would be fine, but his ambition was not limited to a small Amendolara. Archytas's advice was like a blow to the head, awakening him: The mercenaries' actions should not only consider the feelings of the people of Amendolara, but also be conducive to future rule; they must also consider the feelings of the surrounding city-states towards the mercenaries as foreigners rooted in Greater Greece. The behavior of seizing and plundering is obviously unpopular and easily leads to isolation.
Davos decided to change his previous short-sighted approach. At the same time, this reflection also changed his subsequent behavior, and he began to think about problems from the perspective of a true Greek.
"Archytas, thank you for reminding me!" Out of gratitude to Archytas, Davos decided to put one of his ideas into action immediately: "I heard that the Pythagorean school is not in a good situation in Greater Greece."
Hearing this, Archytas's face darkened slightly, and he said with a complicated expression: "Yes. The people of many city-states in Greater Greece do not agree with our school's philosophy and use various means to suppress the members of the school, forcing most of the disciples to leave Greater Greece and settle in Phlius in mainland Greece. Now only Tarentum maintains tolerance towards the school."
"I agree with your school's concept of 'all things are numbers.' I think that if 'numbers' are used to manage the city-state, it will definitely be more precise and efficient. Moreover, your school encourages the people to be self-disciplined, abstinent, pure, and obedient, which I also very much agree with. At the same time, you also dare to break with secular customs and allow women to participate in learning, which is even more of a pioneering move!" Davos said sincerely: "If the mercenaries become the masters of Amendolara, I will definitely invite members of the Pythagorean school to come here to train students, establish academies, and be funded by the city-state."
The reason why Archytas was so frank about the current situation of the Pythagorean school was because the affairs of the Pythagorean school were well known in Greater Greece, and Davos had previously expressed his goodwill towards the school, but he did not expect Davos's goodwill towards the school to reach such a degree. For a time, he couldn't believe it: "Are you serious?"
"Do you want me to swear to the gods?"
"On behalf of the school, I thank you for your support! I will tell the members of the school about your proposal as soon as possible!" Archytas said excitedly.
As Cornelius was led into the Senate by the soldiers, he felt both excited and apprehensive.
Since Amendolara was occupied by the Lucanians, Cornelius's life for the past six months had been like living in hell: during the day, he was forced to herd cattle and sheep, cut down trees, and transport materials under the watchful eyes of the Lucanians; any slight negligence would result in verbal abuse at best, and beatings with sticks at worst, sometimes even without food; at night, he was locked up with others in the Temple of Zeus, which, despite its size, was crowded with thousands of people, eating, drinking, and relieving themselves all inside, the air was foul, the space cramped, and the constant noise of children crying and adults wailing made it impossible to sleep at night, the harshness of the environment was unimaginable; meanwhile, the Lucanians only gave them half rations every day, making them physically weak, and people were constantly falling ill and dying.
During the long period of imprisonment, Cornelius, like the others, had his physical and mental resistance completely worn down, he resigned himself to fate, feeling that he would live numbly like this, until he quietly faded into the underworld…
But yesterday, they were urgently gathered together to prepare carts and load goods, working late into the night, even those fierce Lucanians were personally involved, and Cornelius sensed something from their panicked expressions.
Sure enough, a citizen who knew Lucanian secretly told them: he had overheard the Lucanians talking, saying things like "…the army of Grumentum has been wiped out by some Greek mercenaries," "Those Greeks are murderous beasts, very scary…" and other such things.
This news excited the people of Amendolara, they saw hope of getting out of their predicament, so much so that late into the night, many people tossed and turned, unable to sleep, and then they heard faint sounds of fighting…
What was happening?! Sensitive Amendolara citizens got up one after another and went to the entrance of the temple, peering out through the cracks in the door: the Lucanian guards were flustered and shouting in panic, which the people inside the temple could hear clearly: "The Greeks have invaded the city!"
The citizens were ecstatic, and the magistrate, Grattus Baflorus, who always acted decisively, saw the guards leaving, seemingly to reinforce the enemy forces fighting down the hill, and immediately organized the citizens to fight back. The people of Amendolara, who deeply hated the Lucanians, worked together to break open the gate and rushed out, using stones and fists to knock down the few remaining Lucanian guards who were lacking in fighting spirit.
The citizens had just emerged from the temple when they ran into the Lucanians returning to reinforce (in fact, the Lucanian warriors were completely unable to resist the mercenaries' attack, and Vespasian, in desperation, thought of the more than a thousand Greek citizens imprisoned in the temple, perhaps they could be used as hostages to exchange for the survival of his tribe), the unarmed and physically weak Amendolara citizens were of course no match for the Lucanian warriors, but at that time, they had just broken free from their prison, and reinforcements were about to arrive, the Amendolara people, full of anger and hope, were unwilling to surrender again. As a result, the magistrate Grattus Baflorus was the first to die in battle, and the strong and sturdy citizens who charged to the front were almost completely lost, just as the Lucanians could no longer control their bloodthirsty impulses and were preparing to kill the remaining trembling Amendolara citizens, the Greek mercenaries arrived.
Right in front of the Amendolara citizens, these strong and burly soldiers displayed their divine power, and in an instant, they slaughtered the enemies who had just been ferocious and evil, causing them to fall like scattered flowers and surrender on their knees.
When these soldiers, covered in murderous aura, walked towards the Amendolara citizens, the Amendolara people couldn't help but tremble. Unexpectedly, these soldiers Lift up the weak with concern, prepared clean bedding, sent hot wheat porridge, and had doctors carefully examine their bodies and treat their wounds, it was like entering the Elysian Fields from hell!
Cornelius shed tears of gratitude more than once, so he, like the others, began to inquire about the origin of this brave and loving army. And those soldiers, doctors, and women who bandaged their wounds, who were called "nurses" by the soldiers,
and even the slaves, did not hesitate to tell the people of Amendolara everything about themselves, so Cornelius learned that: this Greek army came from Asia Minor, had followed the Persian prince Cyrus the Younger, deep into the Persian heartland, to fight against the Persian king's army, and then traveled thousands of miles, safely returned to Byzantium, accepted the employment of Thurii, came to Magna Graecia, and after the failure of the battle led by the Thurians, the mercenaries, together with the Tarentum reinforcements, took on the heavy responsibility, annihilated the Lucanian tribal coalition, and then, without rest, attacked Amendolara that night, saving them…
The story of the mercenaries was as legendary and fascinating as the epic "The Odyssey". And what made Cornelius feel even more miraculous was the leader of the mercenaries, Davos, according to the soldiers, this young leader was initially just an ordinary soldier, with nothing special about him, but when he fainted after falling during the battle with the Persian king's army, he not only changed his personality greatly, but also became intelligent and wise, solving many difficult problems, the soldiers believed that he was favored by the King of the Underworld, Hades, and had received divine enlightenment, so he became different, so they elected him as their leader, and Davos lived up to expectations, creating one miracle after another: leading the soldiers out of the encirclement, returning to Greece; defying all opposition and accepting the invitation of Thurii; when everyone was pessimistic and lost after the failure of the battle, he resolutely launched an attack on the powerful Lucanian coalition, annihilating the enemy with a disparity in strength, creating an almost impossible miracle; then, when others thought that the mercenaries needed to rest urgently after the great battle, he launched another attack on Amendolara within a day…
So, when the mercenaries told Cornelius that their leader Davos wanted to see him, he was so eager, anxious to see this young leader who led such a unique army, and was respected and admired by the soldiers, called "God's Chosen," "Son of Miracles," "Our Davos."
As soon as he entered the hall, a young man with a smiling face hurried to greet him and said affectionately: "Lord Cornelius!"
Cornelius was stunned: "You are?"
The guard who led the way said proudly: "This is our leader Davos!"
Although he had learned from the mercenaries that Davos was a young man, when the person himself stood in front of him, Cornelius was still surprised by his youth and affability, he was completely unlike the battle-hardened mercenary leader he had imagined, and he was somewhat Gaffe for a moment.
And Davos was also sizing up this senator of the Amendolara Senate: it was said that his family was one of the founders of Amendolara more than two hundred years ago, and had continued to this day, producing countless magistrates and senators, and could be called a prominent family in Amendolara, and although Cornelius himself was only a senator, he was kind and helpful, and had a high reputation among the people, which was also the reason why Davos chose him first. Looking at this middle-aged man who was gaunt from long-term imprisonment, Davos asked with concern: "I heard that you were injured last night, I wonder if you are better now?"
Cornelius stroked the bandage on his abdomen and said gratefully: "Much better! Much better! Your doctors are very skilled! Leader Davos, thanks to you for arriving in time last night, otherwise we would have been finished!"
Davos's heart skipped a beat, and he looked at Cornelius carefully, the sincere expression did not seem to be fake. Last night, when he learned that the Lucanians were engaged in a fierce battle with the Amendolara citizens who had broken through the siege in the temple, he deliberately slowed down the pace of the attack, causing most of the young citizens of Amendolara to die in battle, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty, and quickly said: "Well… Lord Cornelius, I invited you here today because I have a message to tell you, we will be leaving soon."
Cornelius was taken aback: "Why?"
"Although the Lucanians have suffered a heavy blow this time, they are, after all, vast in territory and numerous in population, I heard that Potentia is preparing to assist Grumentum, so Thurii is urgently asking us to go back to help defend their city." Davos's serious expression made it seem like this was true.
"It's Thurii again! Selfish Thurii! Damned Thurii! May the goddess of misfortune curse them!" Cornelius said through gritted teeth.
Davos could guess the reason for such hatred from a normally kind-hearted man (Aketas had told him), but he pretended to be curious and asked, "Lord Cornelius, I remember that Thurii and Amendolara are allies, but you seem to hate Thurii very much."
"The Thurians forced us to temporarily leave the city of Amendolara to help them defend the city of Thurii, otherwise they would not provide any assistance if the Lucanians besieged Amendolara. At that time, considering that the Lucanians were all invading from the south, and the north was safe, we had no choice but to carry a large amount of supplies, open the city gates, and prepare to move to Thurii, but… but we were caught off guard… ambushed by Lucanians who had ventured down the Sinni River… For more than half a year, we have suffered a lot… Temples were defiled, women were humiliated, children starved to death, citizens were massacred…" At this point, Cornelius was already in tears: "All this stems from Thurii's selfish decision, while their own city remains intact to this day! Every Amendolara citizen hates Thurii more than they hate the Lucanians!"
"Alas!…" Davos sighed, not knowing what to say.
"I heard your soldiers say that retaking Amendolara was your own decision, not an order from Thurii?" Cornelius asked, wiping away his tears.
"That's right."
"That's good, we don't owe Thurii anything anymore! Whatever money they used to hire you, we will pay you double, as long as you stay!" Cornelius said resolutely.
Davos said helplessly, "Why bother, we mercenaries number three thousand, and the money and food consumed each month is not a small amount. Amendolara is not a wealthy city-state, and even if we accept your employment, we will still leave when the term is up. We are people without a home, constantly going out to accept mercenary missions to earn a living…" Davos' expression was somewhat sentimental, and his words reminded Cornelius: "No home…" He blurted out: "Then stay."
As soon as the words left his mouth, as if encouraged, he said loudly again: "Yes, stay all of you! Become citizens of Amendolara!"
… … … … … … … … …
Previously, the Amendolara plaza was used by the Lucanians as a military camp, and it was also the only place where the mercenaries encountered any decent resistance in the city last night. This afternoon, the plaza had been cleaned up, and only the streaks of blood remaining on the marble floor revealed that a battle had taken place here.
The surviving people of Amendolara, except for young children, the rest, including women and underage teenagers, gathered in the plaza.
At this moment, standing on the wooden platform in the center of the plaza were the five remaining prominent citizens of Amendolara, led by Cornelius. Cornelius looked at almost all the people of Amendolara below the platform, the old were old, the young were young, and most of the rest were women. Now most of them had not recovered their strength, and even needed the support of mercenary soldiers and doctors, and he couldn't help but feel sad again: Thinking back to a year ago, Amendolara had four thousand citizens alone (citizens of Greek city-states could only be adult males), and the total population was more than ten thousand people. Now, only a pitiful thousand people, mainly the old, young, women and children, were left. Not to mention defending their homes and country, even planting wheat and grazing cattle and sheep, these daily labors could not be completed smoothly, which made him even more determined in his decision.
"Citizens, women, and children of Amendolara, I, Cornelius, a member of the Senate, have gathered everyone in the plaza today because there is an important matter that requires our joint decision! More than two hundred years ago, our ancestors left Sybaris and came here to build this city. For two hundred years, with the nourishment of the Sinni and Bradano rivers, and the protection of Mount Amendolara, we have lived in peace and abundance. Even if our motherland Sybaris was destroyed,
our land has never been affected by war. But… since last year, after our citizens followed Thurii to invade the territory of the Lucanians, we…" Cornelius choked up a little, and many people below the platform burst into tears.
"My wife, unwilling to be humiliated by the Lucanians, committed suicide by hitting a pillar… One of my children also died of illness… You below the platform have all had the same tragic experiences as me… In two hundred years, Amendolara has only encountered this one war, and this one has almost made Amendolara become a thing of the past, just like our motherland Sybaris. When we prayed day and night in the temple for Zeus's salvation, Zeus responded to our call and sent us our savior, they are the mercenaries from the Ionian region of Greece, our compatriots!" Cornelius pointed to the rear of the crowd, where Davos, with his officers and some soldiers, and Aketas as a witness, dressed in plain clothes, were standing there, waiting quietly.
"They defeated the ferocious Lucanians, rescued us from suffering, and warmly cared for us! To be honest, I have seen many mercenaries before, but they are completely different, just like family!…" Cornelius's words won the approval of many people below the platform, especially those emotional women.
"But they are about to leave us, leave Magna Graecia!" As soon as he finished speaking, many people began to panic.
"If they leave, what will we do? Who will guarantee the safety of Amendolara again? Thurii?" Cornelius paused slightly, and a chorus of curses erupted from below the platform.
"No! We would rather be destroyed by the Lucanians than be deceived by the Thurians again!"
"The selfish Thurians are not allowed to enter the city of Amendolara again!"
…
Amid the angry voices of the people, Cornelius took the opportunity to say loudly: "This painful lesson has taught us that we can only rely on ourselves to defend our own homes! But Amendolara is now very weak, so what should we do?" Cornelius looked at the people below the platform and asked this question again, causing them to think deeply.
"The magistrates of Amendolara have all died. I, Cornelius, as a member of the Senate, now propose an important motion to apply for a citizens' assembly to vote on whether to pass it. Because there are too few citizens now, and this matter is related to the interests of every Amendolara citizen, I have specially requested that all Amendolara people participate in the vote." As soon as Cornelius finished speaking, before any commotion could occur below the platform, the other four people on the platform spoke one after another to express their support.
The women, who accounted for the majority of the people below the platform, were excited about the first vote of their lives, and naturally those who opposed could not make waves.
"I have heard others say that Cornelius of Amendolara, although a good person, does not seem to have much opinion on political affairs. I did not expect that he would have such an amazing move today!" Aketas said to Davos, half surprised and half suspicious. After all, letting women vote to decide the major affairs of the city-state has never happened in the Greek city-states, perhaps only in ancient times, legend has it that Athena was able to become the patron saint of Athens, and women's votes played a key role.
Davos smiled and said nothing. Of course, it was his idea to let women participate in the vote. Compared with men who value interests more, women are more emotional and eager for the protection of the strong. Facing the mercenary soldiers who saved them and treated them kindly, their choice is self-evident.
"Since everyone agrees with this approach, then next, my proposal is—" Cornelius's eyes swept towards Davos and the others in the distance: "Accept our benefactors—all the mercenary soldiers who saved Amendolara—as citizens of Amendolara, then we don't have to worry about the safety of the city-state anymore!"
There was an uproar among the people below the platform. After all, it was not easy for a freeman to become a citizen of a Greek city-state, let alone accepting more than three thousand people as citizens of the city-state at one time, which was very rare (after all, Greece was not Rome).
But after a burst of commotion, when a woman first raised her right arm and shouted: "Agree!", the sound of "Agree" resounded throughout the venue.
Looking at the countless raised right arms in front of him, Archytas said with a mixture of joy and regret, "Davos, your wish has come true, congratulations!"
Davos breathed a sigh of relief and said sincerely, "Thank you! I also sincerely hope that the Taras senate will approve my proposal next, so that we can become allies!"
"There are a total of one thousand three hundred and eighty-two people participating in the vote on this motion, one thousand and seventy-six people agree, and three hundred and six people oppose. The motion is passed! I announce—" After learning the result, Cornelius's mood was a bit complicated at first, but he quickly let it go. He used all his strength and shouted, "From now on, all mercenary soldiers will become Amendolara citizens!!!"
As soon as Cornelius finished speaking, the soldiers around Davos cheered. Davos was embraced enthusiastically by the officers, and the sentence he heard most often was: "Chief, we have a home now!!!"
Hearing this, Davos felt a little dazed: Home?!... It's a pity that my real home is not in this world...
… … … … … … … … … …
At the same time as the Amendolara citizens' assembly was held, the Thurii delegation, still led by Antitanos, arrived at the gate of Amendolara.
"We are the envoys of Thurii, we want to meet your leader, please open the door quickly!" Burkos shouted towards the sentry on the city wall.
Before the sentry could answer, a person jumped out from the side and scolded loudly towards the city: "Go back, Thurians! Amendolara does not welcome you, go back!"
Hearing this, the people in the envoy group were a little angry. Even the always gentle Antitanos shouted angrily: "Rude mercenaries, don't think that you can do whatever you want just because you defeated the Lucanians, ignoring the laws that are common among Greek city-states and forcibly occupying other people's cities!"
That person sneered, "Heh heh, what a fair and selfless tone, as if you really care about the life and death of the Amendolara people! Open your eyes and see clearly, I am an Amendolara citizen who has lived here since I was a child!"
Antitanos was stunned, but Burkos recognized him. After all, he was a merchant and often came to Amendolara for trade, so he knew many people: "Is that you, Anticres?!"
"Didn't expect me to still be alive, right!" Anticres's words were full of resentment: "Thanks to you Thurians, the Lucanians cut off my right hand, but fortunately I survived. But most of my neighbors and comrades died, because of your selfish demands and coercion, they were eager to move to that damned Thurii city, and as a result, they were attacked by the Lucanians without any precautions. The suffering Amendolara has suffered was caused by Thurii! From now on, Thurians are not welcome here! This is not my personal wish, this is the common wish of the Amendolara people who survived!"
Burkos was stunned, Antitanos was stunned, and the envoy group was stunned. They did not expect that the Amendolara citizens would treat them with such an attitude.
Although Amendolara and Thurii are allies, the strength of the two is vastly different: Thurii has more than 20,000 citizens and a total population of about 100,000, plus nearly 140,000 free people, not to mention those slaves; Amendolara has a population of no more than 10,000 people at most. Therefore, Thurii treats Amendolara more like its own vassal city-state, and rarely considers the other party's feelings. When Amendolara was occupied by the Lucanians, the Thurians, after receiving the news, only expressed regret and worried about whether it would threaten the northern part of the Sybaris Plain. When the Amendolara citizens who had just escaped asked Thurii to recover their lost territory, Thurii was thinking about how to defend against the Lucanian attack and ignored them. Now, when they feel that the Amendolara citizens' resentment is so deep, they are shocked, and still shocked...
"Don't think about asking Amendolara for anything anymore, and Amendolara will never listen again! Do you hear the cheers?!" Anticres laughed wildly, patted the sentry's shoulder with his left hand,
and said, "All the people of Amendolara have voted to accept all the mercenaries as Amendolara citizens! Therefore, they did not forcibly occupy Amendolara, they legally became Amendolara citizens! I heard that the Lucanian coalition forces that defeated Thurii twice were wiped out by the mercenaries. I think that in the future, anyone who wants to invade Amendolara will have to taste the power of our new citizens' shields and spears first!" The threat in Anticres's words made the faces of the envoy group look bad.
In Anticres's laughter, the Thurii envoy group returned again dejectedly.
Anticres stopped laughing, turned his head and looked at the sentry next to him with a happy mood. When he saw the sentry feeling nervous, he showed a satisfied look and asked, "What's your name?"
"Troilides."
"Where are you from?"
"Thessaly, from the same hometown as Chief Davos."
"How old are you?"
"Twenty-eight."
… …
After Anticres asked a series of questions, he directly said to the sentry who was still a little puzzled, "I have two daughters. One is twenty-one years old, has a beautiful appearance, her husband is dead, and she has a two-year-old son. The other daughter is only sixteen years old and is not engaged. Choose one and be my son-in-law. Make your choice tonight, and tomorrow I will take you to my house to get married."
Troilides was stunned. Other sentries came forward to congratulate and make a fuss. Some with thick skin directly said, "Anticres, you have two daughters, why not let me be your other son-in-law."
Laughter filled the city wall.
… … … … … … … … … … …
The Thurii envoy group sighed repeatedly.
"Who is that Anticres?" Antitanos asked in a low voice.
"An Amendolara nobleman, formerly the captain of the patrol team and the fire brigade captain." Burkos replied.
Antitanos said "Oh" and didn't say anything else.
"General, although the Amendolara people have opinions on Thurii, I understand the mercenary leader Davos. Although he is young, he is very stable in his work and has a good impression of Thurii. Besides, we still have a mercenary agreement with him, and he will not be easily incited by the Amendolara people. I believe that after a while, when the Amendolara people have calmed down, we can still have a good talk with Amendolara." Burkos comforted him.
"I hope so." Antitanos sighed, "The mercenaries have now legally become citizens of Amendolara, and our protests are also invalid. Given the current situation, we have to go back and discuss new countermeasures. Alas!… Burkos, do you know what I'm thinking?"
"I don't know."
"My teacher once said, 'After the Greco-Persian War, because Sparta relied on its superiority and treated its neighbors harshly and inhumanely, the Greek city-states stayed away from Sparta and went to deal with the more kind Athens, which ultimately led to the formation of the Delian League.' " Antitanos thought while painfully blaming himself: "Is our Thurii's approach really too domineering? Isn't it a good sign to make an arrogant posture without strong strength?!… … "
… … … … … … … … …
After the referendum, the women and children withdrew from the square, and Cornelius asked Archytas to leave the field, because the next thing was the real citizens' assembly of Amendolara.
In addition to the sentries patrolling on the city wall and the soldiers guarding the prisoners, there were 512 original Amendolara citizens in the square, and 2,920 newly promoted citizens (including 1,837 Davos mercenaries and 1,083 other mercenaries), totaling 3,432 Amendolara citizens.
Cornelius originally wanted to continue the next topic, but the mercenaries' cheers continued, which interrupted the meeting for a while. It was not until the square returned to calm that he said loudly: "Citizens of Amendolara, since most of you are newly promoted citizens, it is necessary to first understand the political system of Amendolara. Amendolara is similar to Taras… to Athens." Cornelius originally wanted to say Taras, but on second thought, these mercenaries from Ionia probably did not know much about Taras, so he mentioned Athens, a well-known city-state, for comparison.
"Both Athens and Amendolara's highest authority was the Citizen Assembly, allowing all citizens to participate and decide on important matters such as the city-state's laws, military affairs, and diplomacy. Athens had a 'Council of Ten Generals' system, while Amendolara had two Consuls, managing the city-state's internal affairs during peacetime and serving as army commanders during wartime, elected annually by the Citizen Assembly. Athens had a Council of Five Hundred, and Amendolara had a Senate of One Hundred, whose members were also elected annually by the Citizen Assembly, proposing laws, responsible for the execution and trial of the city-state's laws, assisting the Consuls in managing the city-state, and ordinary diplomatic affairs. It also had an important task of reviewing and providing candidates for the Consuls.
Originally, the election of Consuls was held every June, with candidates applying themselves, nominated by the Senate, and elected by the Citizen Assembly. But now, Amendolara has experienced war and is in urgent need of electing Consuls to lead the people in rebuilding their homes, so it is holding the election exceptionally today. I would like to invite the former mercenary leader Davos and the main officers to the stage first to discuss and list the Consul candidates." As Cornelius finished speaking, the newly appointed citizens (former mercenary soldiers) below the stage were already a little impatient.
"Why bother choosing candidates! The Consul of Amendolara can only be our leader Davos!" Someone shouted loudly in the crowd, immediately gaining unanimous approval from the new citizens.
"Yes! We won't choose anyone else except leader Davos!"
"Only Davos can lead us to continuously create miracles!"
"Leader Davos is a victorious commander in every battle. With him, we don't have to worry about failure!"
"Leader Davos for Consul!"
"Davos!"
"Davos!!"
"Davos!!!"
… …
Several thousand, nearly three thousand, new citizens in the venue unanimously shouted Davos's name, creating a spectacular atmosphere.
Cornelius, encountering this situation for the first time, couldn't help but panic and immediately cast a look of help towards Davos below the stage.
Davos smiled, said something to Asistes, who immediately ran to the back of the square.
Soon, the high-pitched sound of a bronze horn echoed in the square, immediately restoring the original Davos mercenary soldiers to silence, and the other mercenaries gradually stopped shouting.
Cornelius was secretly shocked by Davos's powerful appeal: It seems that Davos becoming Consul is undoubtedly certain, then another Consul should be selected from the original citizens of Amendolara to be appropriate.
Just as Cornelius was anxiously thinking about how to speak, someone in the crowd shouted: "Brothers, although we have elected leader Davos as Consul, don't forget that he has to share power with another person, and next year a new Consul will be elected. Who else is more excellent than leader Davos! Who else can create more miracles than leader Davos! Who else can command battles better than leader Davos! Who else is more favored by the gods than Davos!"
"No one!!"
"No one!!!" The new citizens clamored again.
"Are you willing to be ruled by a stranger, an incompetent person?!" Another person shouted loudly.
"Unwilling!!" This was exactly what the mercenaries were worried about.
"Brothers, think carefully. Is the democratic system really good? Think about Athens, once the most powerful city-state in Greece, but was brought down by a group of incompetent politicians fighting among themselves! Think about those city-states we passed through in the Ionian Sea, also under a democratic system, their governance of the city-states was very bad. An army must obey the command of a wise general to have a chance of winning battles. A city-state, if it wants to be strong, should of course follow this principle. Brothers, in the past year, we have experienced many difficulties, but we have also gained a lot of knowledge, seeing the vastness of Persian territory, seeing the hegemony of Sparta, and seeing Thurii being bullied… Are you willing to live under a democratic system, enjoying freedom but being bullied,
Or are you willing to become strong under the leadership of leader Davos? Soldiers, speak out your choice!" Watching Olives raise his arms and shout in the crowd, Davos nodded almost imperceptibly.
"Davos for King!" A roar in the crowd startled Cornelius and the other five people on the stage, as well as the original citizens of Amendolara.
Sesta and Adrianks turned their heads to look at Davos not far away, as well as Antonio, Capus, Amintas, and other senior officers of the mercenaries around him, all with calm expressions. If they were more familiar with Davos, they would have discovered that the people leading the soldiers to speak in the square were Hilos, Matonis, Olives, and the others from the original Hilos squad. Sesta and Adrianks exchanged a glance and then remained silent.
With that roar, the entire square suddenly fell into a terrible silence, but soon the new citizens also began to shout: "Davos for King." At first, it was sparse, but eventually it became more and more orderly and louder and louder.
Cornelius and the other five people looked at each other in dismay. One of the old men wanted to rush out but was held back tightly by the people on either side, and eventually, he gave up. Faced with the overwhelming momentum of thousands of people below the stage, no one dared to muster the courage to step forward and shout: "You are wrong! Amendolara will never allow anyone to be elected King! Amendolara's laws do not allow it! The citizens of Amendolara will never allow it!!" The reason they were able to live to this day, instead of dying at the hands of the Lucanians like other citizens of Amendolara, was because they were not brave enough, which was also why Davos chose them. And the original citizens of Amendolara below the stage were mostly old, weak, sick, and disabled, with neither the will nor the ability to confront the mercenary soldiers.
Cornelius suddenly regretted agreeing to let the mercenaries join Amendolara, but the current situation did not allow him to think too much. He once again cast a pleading look at Davos.
Davos saw that the time was ripe and walked unhurriedly to the stage. The new citizens saw his figure appearing on the wooden platform, their emotions became even more excited, and they shouted in unison: "Davos for King!"
"Davos, King!!"
"King Davos!!"
… …
Cornelius looked at Davos with a complex expression and moved to the side to make way for the middle position.
Davos faced the dark crowd below the stage, the boiling voices almost bursting his eardrums, he calmly pressed his hands down…
The square gradually returned to calm.
"Soldiers, no, now I should call you the citizens of Amendolara! When leaving Byzantium, I once said to the officers, 'I will make you citizens of the city-state, with your own land.' In just less than two months, my promise has been fulfilled. You have won today's harvest with sweat and blood, and a fearless fighting spirit! This is what you deserve, congratulations to you—the new citizens of Amendolara!!"
"Victory!"
"Victory!!" The new citizens below the stage cheered excitedly, some even shedding tears.
"Thank you very much for your trust in electing me as the King of Amendolara. For me, becoming King does not mean that I have great power to oppress the citizens and obtain benefits for myself. But it means that I have to bear greater responsibility, to make the citizens of Amendolara live a happier life, and to make our city-state stronger and not be bullied by others! Although I have the confidence to do this, but—" Davos paused slightly, and Cornelius's heart was so nervous that it was about to jump out of his throat.
"I still have to say sorry to you, I cannot be this King." As soon as these words came out, the others on the stage breathed a sigh of relief, while the new citizens below the stage were in an uproar.
"Why?!" The new citizens raised questions one after another.
"Because almost no city-state in today's Greece adopts the monarchy system anymore, even Sparta has a dual monarchy (Macedonia does not count, the Greeks did not regard it as a Greek city-state). The monarchy is not welcomed by the Greek city-states at this time. If I become the King of Amendolara, then Amendolara will be rejected by the Greater Greek city-states. Amendolara needs to develop and needs to trade with other city-states; Amendolara needs to be strong and needs to ally with other city-states; and once Amendolara is isolated, without allies, then all good ideas will fail. What is even more terrible is that Amendolara will be attacked by Greek city-states that hate the monarchy system, so for the sake of Amendolara, I cannot be this King!"