"You don't have to worry about that. The baggage camp has more than one talent of silver left by Menon; and on our way back to Greece, through battles and… plunder… we obtained a lot of supplies, and after distributing them to the soldiers and others, there's still nearly one talent of silver left; in addition, Marigi and Mercis also earned a lot of money in the market they built before. In theory, all of this should belong to the mercenary leader… I will discuss it with Mercis and ask him to give you all the money." Davos carefully listed his savings from the past six months to her.
"Lending by banks is a cause for jealousy, and very few bankers can be like Lysias. As the Archon of Amendolara, I'm afraid it will cause criticism, or even opposition!" Christoya was not surprised by Davos's wealth; instead, she reminded him with concern.
Davos smiled with relief: "You can think like this; it seems I didn't make a mistake in letting you open a bank!" He hugged Christoya's delicate body and said softly: "Why is lending a cause for jealousy? That's because the interest rates demanded by lenders in Greek city-states are generally too high! I heard that an interest rate of twenty percent is considered low. Once the borrower can't repay the money, their land will be taken away to pay off the debt, leading to ruin, which is certainly not what I want. As the lifelong Archon of Amendolara, I hope that every citizen of Amendolara can live a good life, thereby making our city-state rich and strong. The bank itself can promote the development of city-state trade, but the greedy practices of bankers have ruined its reputation, and the bank I want you to open—" Davos said slowly and deliberately: "Its interest rate cannot exceed five percent!"
"Only five percent!" Christoya exclaimed in surprise.
"Only such a low interest rate can allow citizens with business talent to borrow money with confidence to realize their ideals, and rescue citizens in urgent need of money from terrible usury, restoring hope for life… I believe that the bank you are about to build will accelerate the post-war economic recovery of Amendolara and promote the great development of Amendolara's trade!" Davos said confidently.
… … … … … … … … … …
The next day, these new citizens, who were usually busy with battles, paid little attention to their appearance, with disheveled hair, dirty beards, and tattered clothes, cleared all the tents in the square early in the morning, and tried to tidy themselves up as much as possible, changing into Dorian-style chitons made of light linen fabric, thus appearing tall and straight.
They waited expectantly in the square, and when the entire square was bathed in sunlight, the women of Amendolara appeared. Led by older women, they came to the square in twos and threes, their shy faces showing curiosity. Although Greek women's clothing was extremely simple, they still tried their best to dress themselves up: adjusting the density of the drooping folds of the chiton to make the long skirt appear elegant and beautiful, while using exquisite metal ornaments and buttons to fasten the fabric at the joints of the shoulders and cuffs, increasing the attractiveness. They also styled their hair according to their own situation and applied makeup on their faces, either lightly or heavily, to make themselves look younger and more attractive.
When the new citizens saw them, they were like bees seeing flowers, and they no longer bothered to maintain their composure, rushing up to chat with the women they liked, using all their skills to attract her attention.
Davos, who was on the sidelines, asked several old citizens who were proficient in music to play the harp and blow the piccolo, adding a romantic atmosphere to Amendolara's "large-scale blind date event".
In fact, the situation in the square quickly became less romantic and more fiery. After all, women with outstanding looks would always attract many suitors, and even cause conflicts. At this time, Davos would appear in time with the patrol team, using his prestige to warn the conflicting parties, and then ask the female protagonist in the conflict for her wishes…
When a team of men and women fell in love with each other, some would leave the venue and stroll along the mountain road, continuing to talk to increase their understanding; others would come directly to the registrar Raphaes, who was waiting by the square. Both parties had to express their willingness to marry to him, so Raphaes registered the names of both parties and allowed the woman to take the man home (in fact, Greek tradition required that they could only live together after the wedding. But Davos persuaded Cornelus and the others, and obtained the official confirmation and registration of Amendolara, so the man and woman were considered husband and wife, only owing a wedding, which would be held later).
It was not only the men who took the initiative to pursue the women. Some older or less attractive women would also take the initiative to talk to the men they liked, showing their advantages, such as being good at weaving, brewing, making olive oil, or flaunting their noble background, the wealth and land of their family, and so on.
By the afternoon, there were very few women left in the square, but there were still many men.
At this time, Davos found that many new citizens were gathered in a large circle in a corner of the square. He quickly asked someone to inquire about the situation: it turned out that a young noblewoman from Amendolara ignored all the men who came to chat with her, and she happened to be beautiful, so the men were still very persistent in trying to win her heart, and no one had succeeded so far.
Davos was curious, and because it was not a solution to drag on like this, which could easily lead to conflict, he called Raphaes and squeezed into the crowd together.
"Hey, girl, our leader Davos is here. If you don't like him, I'm afraid you can only find the gods as your husband!" Someone in the crowd joked.
The woman heard this, raised her head, and opened her drowsy eyes.
Davos took a look: this woman had snow-white skin, a delicate face, and big, bright eyes…
Raphaes immediately recognized her and whispered to Davos: "Her name is Andrea. Her husband followed the Turii army to attack Lucania last year and died in Laos, leaving her and a three-year-old son to live alone. She seems to be only twenty years old…"
Davos was listening when Andrea stepped forward and said: "Are you the Archon Davos?"
"It's me."
"I have something I want to tell you." Andrea said directly.
Davos was stunned: "Tell me."
Andrea looked around and requested: "I want to talk to you alone, can I?"
Davos immediately felt that things were probably not simple. He hesitated for a moment, saw the urgency in Andrea's eyes, nodded, and said: "Come with me."
Seeing that Davos was about to take Andrea away, some new citizens said unwillingly: "Leader Davos, you already have the beautiful Christoya, so don't rob us!"
Davos smiled and said: "Don't worry, brothers, she just wants to say a few words to me alone. You all know that I already have Christoya. If I mess around, Christoya won't let me go to bed tonight!"
Davos's lewd words caused laughter among the crowd, so everyone made way for them.
Davos took Andrea to a secluded place in the square, surrounded by patrols.
"Tell me, what's the matter?" Davos asked softly.
Andrea bit her lip, hesitated several times, and finally mustered up the courage to ask in a low voice: "I want to know… Bagule… he… how is he now?"
"Who is Bagule?" Davos asked suspiciously.
"He is… he is a Lucanian…" Andrea's voice suddenly became as thin as a mosquito's buzz: "I saw you knock him down in the temple and then arrest him… How is he now?"
Seeing Andrea's blushing cheeks, if he still didn't understand what was going on, then he would have wasted more than thirty years in his previous life: "You fell in love with a Lucanian, why?"
Davos's calm tone made Andrea panic: "I… I just…"
"Don't be nervous, I'm not blaming you, tell me the truth, maybe I can help you." Davos's heart moved, and he immediately comforted her softly.
"Really?! You can really help me?!" Andrea exclaimed excitedly, as if she had found a life-saving straw.
Davos made a silencing gesture and said: "Tell me first why you like him."
Finally, Andrea shyly told her story.
It turned out that Andrea had been praised as the "Rose of Amendolara" because of her beauty, and had many suitors. Later, she was arranged by her father to marry a wealthy and handsome young Amendolara nobleman four years ago. Although there was no contact before the marriage, Andrea was still satisfied with the marriage.
Who knew that after the marriage, as the two spent more time together, she found that her husband was a jealous person who did not allow her to contact any men, and even executed two male slaves because of this. Andrea, who was only sixteen years old and full of youthful vitality, could only be confined at home. Her husband also had an even more terrible habit, which was alcoholism. He often held banquets at home or attended other people's banquets, often drinking heavily and then abusing her after returning home.
Andrea, who had only recently become a young woman, could not bear it and ran back to her parents' home, but was forcibly sent back by her father, who warned her, 'As a woman, you should treat your husband as a slave serves her master, working hard and bearing grievances, and I hope she will not come back again, lest the family become the object of ridicule.' Andrea tremblingly returned to her new home, enduring everything her husband did to her.
Fortunately, she became pregnant soon after. During her pregnancy, her husband stopped abusing her, but began to have affairs with prostitutes and female slaves, which was a habit of Greek male citizens, and Andrea could barely accept it. What she could not tolerate was that sometimes when her husband had sex with female slaves, he would force her to watch from the side. As a noble city-state woman, she was watched by the lowly female slaves who were usually disciplined by herself with strange eyes.
Andrea's dignity as the mistress was ruthlessly trampled on, so she began to conflict with her husband, and once she was directly knocked unconscious by her husband. From then on, Andrea was extremely afraid and hated her husband, but for the sake of her young child, she could only swallow her tears and endure it silently.
Last year, when the Thurii army was defeated in Lucania and other women were mourning their dead husbands, Andrea locked herself in her house and wept tears of joy: she was finally free from her suffering!
Who knew that a few days later, the Lucanians would invade Amendolara, taking all the residents as prisoners, including her. A Lucanian warrior, attracted by her beauty, escorted her to Bagule, hoping to please the tribe leader's successor.
Seeing the tall, burly man with messy hair and features different from the Greeks, Andrea trembled with fear and began to lament her unfortunate fate. However, the strong man did not violate her but comforted her in Greek, telling her not to be afraid...
While most of the Amendolara people were imprisoned in the temple, Andrea and her son lived in their own courtyard. Bagule personally brought them lavish meals every day, showing her great concern, but never touching her. Gradually, Andrea let down her guard and eventually fell in love with the Lucanian man. She felt that compared to her previous husband, Bagule, although fierce-looking, was steady, loving, and caring... a hundred times better than her ex-husband! The young woman experienced love for the first time. Finally, one day, she took the initiative to invite Bagule into her room... From then on, she was inseparable from him whenever he returned home. She happily thought: if her previous married life was hell, then this was paradise in hell!
Therefore, when Bagule told her with concern that the Lucanians had been defeated and their tribe was preparing to retreat back into the mountains, and asked if she was willing to go with him, she hesitated only for a moment before agreeing.
The night before last, mercenaries invaded the city of Amendolara. Andrea, with her child, followed Bagule and his people to the mountaintop Temple of Zeus. Seeing the Lucanians and Amendolara people fighting fiercely in front of the temple, she didn't feel much concern for her compatriots. Instead, her gaze was fixed on Bagule, and she ultimately saw him being knocked down by a mercenary who pounced on him...
Davos never expected to encounter such a melodramatic story in this world. As a political figure, he was not moved by Andrea's story and devotion. Instead, he thought about how to deal with the Lucanian prisoners. At yesterday's meeting, he didn't mention the Lucanian prisoners at all, fearing that the grieving citizens and their families would burn the prisoners to ashes in their rage. So he was waiting, waiting for the citizens' hatred to diminish with time, waiting for the families to forget their old grievances by forming new families.
"If you don't choose a new citizen to marry, then according to the newly promulgated law, the land and property you own will be under the supervision of the city-state government until you remarry, or your son grows up, and then it will be returned to him, do you understand?" Davos reminded her.
"I understand. I am willing to donate my husband's property to the city-state, as long as... as long as you can guarantee that Bagule is alive and treat him well!" Andrea pleaded in a sorrowful tone.
"After the Lucanians were captured, they were only imprisoned, not killed or abused. Of course, that's assuming the person you mentioned wasn't seriously injured," Davos stated seriously.
"He wasn't! He wasn't!... I saw that he was only knocked unconscious. He was already awake when you captured him!" Andrea said excitedly.
"Okay, I will go back and check if there is a prisoner named Bagule. If there is, I will arrange for you to meet him," Davos said calmly.
"Really?!! Lord, that would be wonderful! Thank you! Thank you so much!! You are as merciful as the goddess Hera!!..." Andrea was overjoyed and incoherent, kneeling directly in front of Davos.
At that moment, Davos's gaze was fixed on the soldiers on the square who had gained nothing, and his mind was racing: the Lucanians captured were not only warriors, but also the elderly, women, and children. It seemed that this tribe originally intended to settle in Amendolara. With these old, young, and women, he was more confident in controlling the tribe's warriors. Moreover, if the soldiers married the single Lucanian women, then the Amendolara citizens and the captured Lucanian tribe would have kinship relations, which would bring him closer to his hidden "assimilation of the defeated" plan. Therefore, this matter must be acted upon immediately.
...............
Giorgis followed closely behind the woman named Daniris, or Dania (because he was too nervous, he didn't hear clearly), to the registrar Raphias.
Having seen Giorgis at the Senate meeting last night, Raphias deliberately slowed down his speech to introduce Dania's family situation to Giorgis and asked if he was willing to marry Dania.
Giorgis looked slightly shy, with a nervous expression, not knowing how to open his mouth.
Dania said softly from the side, "Hurry up and agree."
So, he nodded, everything was like a dream.
Giorgis originally didn't want to participate in this "blind date activity," but was dragged here by his subordinates. So from the beginning, he stood in the corner, not wanting to mingle with the women like the others. Who knew that just as he was idle and wanting to sleep, a woman appeared in front of him, took the initiative to tell him her name, introduced her family, and then directly told him that she had taken a fancy to him and wanted him to be her husband.
Giorgis was immediately stunned, looking at the woman's beautiful face, not knowing what to do. Under the woman's soft pleas, he nodded as if possessed, and then was led out of the square by the woman.
Dania, who was walking in front, was beaming with joy. As a thirty-year-old woman who had been married twice, she despised those girls who were intoxicated by men's sweet words. She believed that those who could bring happiness to women were often those who were honest and steady. So in the square, when she saw Giorgis feeling uncomfortable in the corner, she took a liking to him.
Dania's house was on the hillside, a relatively large courtyard.
Dania opened the door and saw Giorgis standing outside, still hesitating whether to go in. She smiled and took his hand, saying with utmost sincerity, "Come in, from now on this is your home, you are the master here!"
Home?! This word touched Giorgis's inferior and lonely heart.
Following Dania through the gate, Giorgis curiously looked around: the outer perimeter was a high courtyard wall made of regularly shaped square stones and plastered with lime. After entering the gate, between the entrance and the hall was an open courtyard, surrounded by a colonnade, forming a central hall. In the center was a pool, the water of which mainly came from rainwater and led to an underground reservoir for living purposes (this was later told to him by Dania). Around the pool were planted many kinds of plants, blooming with colorful flowers in the spring. In the center of the pool stood a white marble statue of a young girl, naked, with a charming figure and every detail visible... making Giorgis blush and his heart race...
Dania led him around the pool and into the hall, forcibly letting Giorgis recline on a cushioned sofa chair to rest, and said with concern, "Are you hungry? I'll go cook first."
"I'll go too," Giorgis wanted to stand up, but was pressed down by Dania: "No, this is a woman's business. You go take a bath first and rest for a while." Saying that, she shouted upstairs, "Ibia! Ibia!"
Accompanied by a crisp response, a dark-skinned slave girl hurried downstairs.
"This is your male master!" Dania said with a hint of majesty.
The girl humbly walked to Giorgis, with a hint of curiosity in her eyes, and respectfully saluted: "Master!"
"You go heat a bucket of hot water, and then give the master a bath and change him into new clothes!" Dania ordered.
...............
Giorgis lay in the large wooden tub filled with hot water, his face hot and his heart pounding.
Because Ibia was only wearing a thin linen garment, her healthy body pressed tightly against the wet fabric as she washed him, vaguely visible, making the young Giorgis's mouth dry: is this the life of a city-state citizen?
Amidst his nervousness and unease, there was more surprise.
Dinner was bread and olives, and Dania apologetically said, "Dinner is too simple, there's no way, because Cornelius only allocated this much to me. He also said that it will be like this for a while."
Giorgis remembered the meeting last night and comforted her, "Don't worry, Davos, the chief... the lord has already sent people to Taranto for assistance, and fortunately, those Lucanians forced you to plant grains in time, which can be harvested in early autumn. After the Senate arranges new citizens like me in these few days, you can get back your own land."
"Really?!"
"The decision made by the executive officer and everyone after discussing it at the Senate meeting last night," Giorgis said with a slight boast.
"That's great!" Dania said happily, actually more pleased that the young Giorgis, though unremarkable in appearance, could attend the city-state's Senate meeting. She really picked up a treasure: "But you're wrong, it's not my land that will be taken back, but your land!"
That night, Dania used all her skills to serve Giorgis, who was still a virgin, to the point of ecstasy...
On this bright and starry night, the same passionate and romantic scene was happening in many newly formed households in the city of Amendolara...
Davos and Christoia were assigned a residence that originally belonged to Marcellus, the former Archon of Amendolara, along with Marcellus's two children: a six-year-old daughter, Cynthia, and a three-year-old son, Adoris.
After learning this news in the afternoon, Christoia immediately requested several slaves from Mercys and hurriedly went to Marcellus's residence.
By the time Davos returned to his new home, it was basically cleaned up.
However, he didn't have time to admire his new home, and after only a few quick bites of bread, he met the two children he was about to adopt.
The two children nervously hid behind Christoia, peeking at him, showing that Christoia, only twenty-one years old, had already initially gained the trust of these two orphans.
Before he could even say a word, Asistius rushed over and said, "Bagulus has been brought here."
Davos quickly told Asistius to bring the man to the side room.
Bagulus, who had been starved for a day, was brought to the side room with his hands tied behind his back.
He simply lay motionless on the ground, his physical weakness and mental despair leaving him with no hope of survival.
At this moment, he heard a deep voice say, "Is this the son of Vespas, the Lucanian leader, the warrior Bagulus that the Lucanians speak of?"
Another voice replied, "Yes, Archon."
"Why does he look like a dead dog?" Hearing the mockery, Bagulus remained motionless, not even blinking an eye.
"It's a wonder Andrea still praised him as a warrior. Heh heh, he doesn't even dare to look at me," the person continued to mock.
This time, Bagulus opened his eyes.
What came into his view was a man even younger than the one who had brought him here.
He was somewhat surprised because he clearly heard him being addressed as Archon.
"An… Andrea, how is she?" His hoarse and weak voice was filled with deep concern.
Davos didn't tease him any further, but instead stepped forward and said seriously, "She's fine, but she keeps begging me to release you so she can be with you."
Bagulus closed his eyes, and an extremely painful expression appeared on his face, which was covered in blood and dirt.
He suddenly flipped over, his chest beginning to rise and fall rapidly…
After a long while, he opened his eyes, and his tearful gaze looked at Davos: "…Go out? Can you let us out?! Will you give us freedom?!"
"What do you think?" Davos sneered: "Think about everything you did in Amendolara, slaughtering Amendolara citizens, insulting Amendolara women, forcing Amendolara people to engage in heavy labor, imprisoning them in narrow spaces, giving them only a small amount of food and water… In less than half a year, the citizens of Amendolara rapidly decreased from fifteen hundred to five hundred.
These are all the sins committed by you and your people! The old, young, women, and children of Amendolara, from top to bottom, wish they could eat your flesh and drink your blood!
Do you think you can escape this punishment!!"
Davos's words were like a gust of wind extinguishing the candlelight in Bagulus's eyes.
He lay stiffly on the ground like a puppet, despair enveloping his face once again.
"But—" Davos changed his tone: "I, Davos, the new lifetime Archon of Amendolara, absolutely do not agree with repaying killing with killing!
The sins committed by the Lucanians must of course be repaid, but I hope it will be in another way."
Bagulus's eyes regained some luster.
He looked up at Davos, impatiently asking, "What way?"
"All the men of your tribe will become city-state slaves of Amendolara!
They will be responsible for building roads, repairing city walls, digging canals, repairing farmland, grazing cattle and sheep… In times of war, they will serve as auxiliaries, going on expeditions with the citizens!" Davos stared at Bagulus.
Bagulus was silent for a while.
In fact, they had treated the Amendolara people this way after occupying Amendolara.
Oh, Asinus, this is truly retribution!
But what he was most worried about was not the men in his tribe: "What about the women?"
"Of course, they are also city-state slaves.
They can shear sheep, learn to weave, pick olives… As for the underage girls and widows among them, my soldiers, the new citizens of Amendolara, will marry them!" Davos emphasized the last sentence.
Bagulus was shocked upon hearing this, sat up, and looked at Davos in disbelief: "Not concubines?!"
"That's right, wives!" Davos said affirmatively: "This is my sincerity!
I require you and your people to sincerely serve Amendolara as slaves for five years.
You must silently endure any insults from any citizen.
Of course, if a city-state citizen attempts to attack you, he will be severely punished.
But if your people flee or attack city-state citizens, then for every one who escapes, I will execute ten Lucanians!
If one citizen is injured, I will also execute ten of your people!" At this point, Davos's expression became somewhat ferocious.
Bagulus was silent for a while, then asked in a low voice, "What about after five years?"
"After five years, you will all become free citizens.
If you want to become citizens of Amendolara, you can apply to the city-state.
If you want to return to your hometown, we will not stop you, but I think by then, you probably won't want to leave anymore," Davos said confidently: "In addition, if you perform well, such as assisting citizens in winning wars, repairing a good road in a very short time… etc., then the five-year period can be reduced…"
Bagulus's expression at this time was much more lively than when he had first entered, after all, the joy in his heart was conceivable, from being doomed to death to having hope of gaining freedom, and he felt that this new Archon was kind to the Lucanians, otherwise he would not let his soldiers marry Lucanian women, making them relatives of the captured tribesmen.
So, he said, "I personally agree with your proposal, but I still need to go back and discuss it with my people, especially my father.
After getting their consent, do we need to sign an agreement?"
"Agreement?" Davos sneered: "There is no agreement here, only a promise."
"What!!" Bagulus was shocked, the major event related to the life and death of his tribe could only rely on the other party's few words.
"Don't you know that all the citizens of Amendolara want to execute you, only I disagree.
(Actually, the new citizens don't have any ill feelings towards the Lucanians.
After all, they are not victims, but victors and beneficiaries.) In this case.
I can only slowly persuade them, your good performance and time will wear away their hatred.
You are not yet qualified to sign an agreement with me, either trust me or go back to continue being imprisoned until you die!" Davos said sternly.
Bagulus's face turned ashen, and he said in a hoarse voice: "You are too young… Why should we…"
Davos said confidently: "Why?
Because I am the commander who defeated the Lucanian coalition army, the soldiers trust me, because I have always kept my promises!
And as the lifelong Archon of Amendolara, the people are willing to believe me, because I promise to bring safety to Amendolara, so that it will never suffer disaster again!"
Bagulus stared blankly at Davos, the strength in Davos's eyes and the sincerity in his words made Bagulus choose to submit.
He said in a deep voice: "I will go back and discuss it with my people, if we agree, I hope you can keep your promise!"
"Of course!
In fact, when the time comes, those citizens who become relatives of your tribe will take the initiative to ask for your freedom," a smile appeared on Davos's face.
Bagulus heard this, but did not speak again.
It was a shame for these Lucanian warriors to rely on women to fight for their freedom, but who told them they lost this war!
After Bagulus left, Davos said to Asistius, who was silently standing aside: "Tomorrow, you will be responsible for taking Bagulus to the place where the Lucanian women are imprisoned, and let him choose the women who will marry the soldiers, and then find someone to dress them up well.
At the same time, you let your uncle Antonios, and Kapus and the other captains, incite the soldiers who are still single to go to the Senate to demand to marry Lucanian women!"
"Are the soldiers willing to marry these native wives?" Asistius asked curiously.
"So you have to spread rumors, saying that Lucanian women are tall, athletic, and can endure hardship…"
"Are these… true?" Asistius expressed doubt.
You need to know that the Greeks admire "human beauty", the single point of "athletic" can attract the attention of many Greek men.
"Of course it's true.
Think about it, the Lucanians live in the mountains, climbing up and down every day, exercising all the time.
Moreover, they are famous for animal husbandry in Greater Greece, and the Lucanian beef they produce is the best offering for the Temple of Zeus in the Greater Greek city-states.
They eat more meat, we eat more grains, who do you think will grow taller?!" Davos explained very seriously.
Asistius recalled the captured Lucanians and nodded suddenly.
"In addition, marrying Lucanian women also has preferential laws from the city-state (actually he came up with it temporarily, and has not yet mentioned it to the Senate), 'If they occupy the land in the Lucanian region in the future, they will be given priority in allocating or allocating more land.
Because they are the sons-in-law of the Lucanians, it is easier to get along with the locals'." Davos further increased the temptation to attract soldiers.
"I'll take care of this tomorrow."
Hearing this, even Asistius was a little tempted, but he still had some doubts: "Lord Davos, I still don't understand a bit, these Lucanians have become our prisoners, it is a matter of course to let them be slaves, why bother so much?
What promises are we discussing with them?"
Davos patiently explained to him, "Which is better, forcing them to work with sticks or having them work willingly?"
"Of course, the latter."
"More importantly, I don't want them to be slaves, but to become citizens of Amendolara. Only in this way can we continuously grow our strength! And think about it, one day, when the natives of Lucania tremble with fear under the threat of our shields and spears, what will they think when they see some soldiers in our ranks who look like them, speak the same language, but wear Greek armor, eat Greek food, and chat and talk freely with the Greeks?"
Asistentes pondered for a moment and said uncertainly, "They might surrender."
"Exactly. Bagule and the others are examples for the Lucanians, letting them know that if they surrender to us, they will not only not be abused, but will live well. Think about how Persia treats foreign races, and we will do even better than Persia, because we will treat foreigners more equally and more tolerantly, accepting them as our citizens and allowing them to enjoy the same rights as us. Only in this way can we eliminate the estrangement between them and us, and only then can Amendolara rapidly become strong!" Davos said earnestly and passionately. On the road of trekking forward in this era, he didn't want to be a loner. He wanted to spread his political ideas to the people around him, infect them, and change the narrow-minded city-state thinking of the Greeks.
Asistentes was sincerely convinced: "Governor, you think so far ahead!"
"Asistentes, I heard that you didn't choose a wife this time. Are you interested in choosing a Lucanian woman as your wife? Or, I'll go ask Bagule if he has any sisters, and you can simply become relatives with him," Davos said jokingly.
Asistentes immediately thought of Bagule's ferocious appearance and shook his head repeatedly.
"Seriously, if you really marry a Lucanian woman, maybe one day when we conquer the Lucanian region, I will appoint you as the Governor of Lucania," Davos said half-jokingly and half-seriously.
Governor?! Asistentes remembered the imposing appearance of Tissaphernes, the governor of Asia Minor, when he saw him in Persia. As a young man, he was indeed a little tempted. He didn't think carefully that in the entire Mediterranean region, only the Persian Empire had the position of governor, and only the Persian King could appoint a governor…
Watching Asistentes' departing figure, Davos was still thinking: Should he set up a low-level public office under the governor—a secretary? This way, Asistentes could do things legitimately, and Davos could also personally cultivate a group of like-minded young people who would become good assistants for him in governing the city-state.
Just as Davos was thinking, Cristoya came in and told him, "Olyphus is here."
Davos was a little puzzled: What's the matter with this guy coming so late?
Olyphus' voice had already come in: "Governor, your mansion is really big! If someone wasn't leading me, I would definitely get lost… Oh, this marble statue is really well sculpted. Whose masterpiece is it? Look at the contours of these muscles…" Olyphus talked a lot of nonsense.
Davos glared at him: "If you don't get to the point, I'll kick you out!"
"No! No! I really have something to ask for your help!" Olyphus hurriedly said, "Governor, you must help me with this!" He looked pleading.
"What is it? Speak quickly!" Davos was impatient on the surface, but he was becoming more and more interested in Olyphus' matter.
Olyphus suddenly became coy and said softly?: "I want… I want to ask you to help me… propose… propose marriage to Mariji."
"What? Propose marriage?" Davos really didn't hear clearly this time.
Olyphus took a breath and then said loudly: "I have fallen in love with Mariji's daughter, Mitra, and I want you to help me propose marriage to Mariji!"
Davos understood now: It turned out that what Matonis and the others were joking about these past few days was true! When did this guy take a fancy to Mariji's daughter?
Davos couldn't remember what Mariji's daughter looked like, only vaguely remembering that she was a petite and shy girl.
"You like her, does she like you?" Davos first had to figure out this question.
"Of course she is willing to be with me!" Olyphus said confidently.
"Does Mariji know about this?" Davos asked again.
"He doesn't know. However, Mitra's mother is very much in favor of our relationship, but she can't make the decision."
Of course, she can't make the decision. In this era, whether it is the Greeks or the Persians, men are in charge. If it were before, with Olyphus' unrestrained behavior, Davos would not have considered this matter at all, but since that incident, he has indeed changed a lot, not only not robbing women, but also dissuading others. One is his savior, and the other is a talent he will regard as his arm: "I will propose marriage to Mariji and try my best to bring you two together, but the key depends on your performance." As soon as Davos finished speaking, Olyphus jumped up happily: "Great! Great! Davos, you are such a good person!" Olyphus excitedly gave Davos a tight hug.
Watching Olyphus walk out of the courtyard singing and dancing, Davos couldn't help but smile wryly: He was actually given a good person card!
… … … … … … … … … …
The next morning, the single new citizens protested in front of the Senate, demanding a solution to their spouse problem, and suggested that they could accept marrying Lucanian women.
The Senate urgently convened a meeting to discuss the matter. Amidst the continuous protests outside the Senate, the Senators, led by Chief Senator Davos, reluctantly passed a resolution (Davos and the new citizen Senators were all acting), agreeing that the new citizens could marry Lucanian women who were once enemies of Amendolara.
At the same time, the Senate also passed another resolution: All Lucanian prisoners would be turned into city-state slaves, working without pay until death. However, no Amendolara citizen could harm these slaves, because they were the wealth of the city-state.
After this, Davos proposed another motion.
Seeing that Davos was about to propose another motion, Cornelius couldn't help but feel nervous, because Davos' proposals repeatedly broke the traditions of Amendolara, causing Cornelius to have some slight mental depression. But this proposal was relatively normal.
Before attacking the Lucanian tribal coalition, Davos had made a promise to the slaves: to grant them freedom after victory.
After annihilating the Lucanian coalition, Thurii had brought back to the city the more than one thousand slaves he had sent to Davos, and also brought back Davos' request: to fulfill the pre-war promise and grant them freedom. As for the remaining nearly three hundred slaves, they were plundered and collected by the mercenaries all the way from Persia, and accompanied them through countless battles and hardships. According to Davos, these slaves were our own people. Therefore, all twenty-odd Senators unanimously passed Davos' proposal.
However, Davos' next proposal caused controversy: Slaves who became freemen could leave freely, or they could apply to become citizens of Amendolara.
Strabo first stood up and expressed strong opposition: "Amendolara has never had such a precedent, letting slaves become citizens of the city-state! If we do this, Amendolara will become a laughing stock of Greater Greece!" His words were recognized by several old citizen Senators.
At this time, Antonius stood up and retorted: "Please note, after the previous motion was passed, they are no longer slaves, but freemen. Every city-state has had precedents of accepting freemen as citizens, and Amendolara is even more so, tolerantly accepting us outsiders, allowing us to become citizens of Amendolara, including a Persian! Why can't we be tolerant to these freemen! Moreover, we are already starting to discuss the 'Immigration Act' proposed by Lord Davos. Now, making these people who were formerly slaves, now freemen, and have contributed and sacrificed for Amendolara, the first beneficiaries of this act, isn't that just right!"
The new citizens expressed their agreement, while the old citizens were momentarily speechless.
Amyntas stood up and told the story of how he was saved by a slave at the cost of his life when he was fighting in Persia. Finally, he said loudly: "They are not slaves, but our brothers! We should give them rewards!"
Herpus briefly recounted how the slaves in the medical camp assisted the doctors day and night in rescuing the wounded.
Then, Melsis also exaggeratedly recounted how the slaves under his command quickly calculated money and distributed supplies without any mistakes, thus providing the best guarantee for the mercenaries to win battles. And he proudly declared that they were the best managers!
Although there were only twenty-one people in the venue, the atmosphere gradually became heated. There was no need for Davos to speak at all, and the proposal was passed. After discussion, the resolution formed was: After these freemen apply for Amendolara citizenship and are confirmed, there will be a two-year probationary period. During the two years, they must reside within the territory of Amendolara, must learn to speak Greek, be familiar with the laws of the Amendolara city-state, and have no records of committing crimes or violating discipline. After the two-year probationary period expires, they must pay two hundred drachmas to the city-state to obtain preliminary citizenship status. When Amendolara has major actions, such as war, if they can volunteer to participate, then the probationary period can also be shortened according to their merits.
At this time, the Senators did not realize that the passage of this bill, together with the previous "Davos Immigration Act," had a profound impact on the later Mediterranean Greek history, and the examples of Mariji and these three hundred slaves becoming Greek citizens became an important precedent for the city-states under Davos' rule to accept freemen and slaves (that is, a legal principle with precedents to follow).
--------
In the assembly, some people were still complaining, "Isn't two hundred drachmas a bit too much?"
Others retorted, "It should be a bit more, so they can feel that becoming a citizen of Amendolara isn't easy, and they'll learn to cherish it."
The next day, news came from the registrar, Raphias: the wife of the Archon, Christoia, had prepaid the fees for ten freedmen, while Melsis had also advanced money for six freedmen.
Only then did everyone realize the value of these freedmen. Not to mention Melsis's sharp eye, having scoured for many literate and numerate talents along the way from Persia, as well as skilled craftsmen. Even the ordinary slaves were mostly strong, as they were laborers in the baggage train and had experienced many battles. With a little training, they could become qualified soldiers. More precious was that they were mainly Persian farmers. In the Mediterranean region, farmers in three places were very experienced in cultivating crops: first, the Persians, whose fertile land in Mesopotamia had cultivated excellent farmers; second, the Egyptians, whose Nile River, which swelled every July, made Egyptians love only two things in life—farming and worshiping gods; and third, Carthage, whose two powerful magic weapons—maritime trade and agriculture—led them to write a special agricultural book. As for the Greeks, because the land in Greece itself was barren, they mostly engaged in maritime trade, grazing cattle and sheep, growing olives and making wine, and handicrafts… But these new citizens had been running around fighting in various places and were completely ignorant of farming.
As a result, everyone swarmed forward, and the three hundred freedmen were quickly divided up. Citizens who failed to hire freedmen had to go to the market in Tarentum to buy slaves (at that time, Tarentum had the largest slave market in Magna Graecia). Some citizens even had designs on the numerous freedmen of their neighbors in Thurii, but that's another story.
After dealing with the proposal regarding slaves, the Senate did not disband immediately, because Mariges had returned from Tarentum.
Taking the sea route from Amendolara to Tarentum wasn't far. Boarding a ship from the port of Thurii could reach it in less than two hours in favorable winds. Davos's decision to send Mariges to Tarentum was a mistake, of course, he didn't have better talent available at that time. As a Persian, Mariges initially couldn't get anywhere in Tarentum. Fortunately, Archytas had anticipated this situation and wrote a letter for Mariges to take to his father, Histaevis. Coupled with Mariges's flattery and the generous and novel gifts he brought, the senior Senator Histaevis actively mediated for him, causing the Tarentine Senate and Archon to show enthusiasm for Amendolara's proactive request to form an alliance with Tarentum.
Of course, it wasn't just because of Histaevis that Tarentum was enthusiastic about the mercenary proposal. The real reason was: although Tarentum and Thurii had been at peace for decades and had now joined the defensive alliance, it was, after all, a loose alliance without much binding force. Since this alliance was initiated by Tarentum, it also actively contributed some effort. Some city-states had accumulated relatively deep hatred, and it was good enough if they didn't undermine each other, such as Croton and Locri. Including Tarentum, they also had some resentment towards Thurii. After all, Tarentum, as one of the leading powers in Magna Graecia,
faced a newly built city-state and was defeated twice. Although they finally signed a truce agreement and jointly built Heraclea in peace, Tarentum had greatly lost face in Magna Graecia. Now that Amendolara, a former ally of Thurii, wanted to form an alliance with Tarentum, the Tarentine Senate felt greatly honored, and Amendolara's joining could also better protect their affiliated city-state—Heraclea, so why would they disagree!
However, another request made by Mariges made them embarrassed: Mariges, on the grounds that Amendolara had just experienced war and urgently needed supplies to maintain livelihood, requested Tarentum to provide assistance. Originally, as newly formed allies, and Tarentum was a wealthy city-state, providing some material assistance was an easy task. However, the amount of materials requested by Mariges was relatively large, and the senators had to discuss the matter of assistance.
Until the next day, when Archytas led the troops back to Tarentum and reported to the Senate on his expedition, he focused on explaining the combat effectiveness of the mercenary army and the outstanding military talent of its leader, Davos, and also emphasized that the current Amendolara was ruled by the new citizens of the mercenary army.
In fact, Mariges had previously praised the performance of the mercenary army in annihilating the Lucanian coalition, but it had aroused dissatisfaction among some senators, who thought he wanted to seize Tarentum's credit. Now that their trusted Archytas also said these words and praised Davos, they realized that this new Amendolara could not only shield Heraclea from the wind and rain but also do something else. Therefore, not only did they not reduce the amount of materials requested by Mariges, but they also added some extra things.
When Mariges read out the alliance treaty with Tarentum in the assembly, the old citizens didn't feel much, it was just an alliance, but the object was changed from Thurii to Tarentum, and the content didn't change much. On the other hand, this Persian, now a citizen of Amendolara, Mariges, attracted their attention. Not only was his Greek fluent, but also the two bills he had introduced made the old citizens feel complicated for a while.
Then, Mariges read out the list of aid materials from Tarentum: one hundred tons of grain, one thousand catties of salted fish, two hundred sets of round shields and spears, one hundred bolts of linen fabric…
Every time they heard the amount of a material, their faces showed more surprise. Finally, before Mariges finished reading, everyone cheered: Tarentum is so generous! Not to mention other things, but one hundred tons of grain is enough for all the people of Amendolara to maintain their lives for six months, and by then, Amendolara's wheat fields should also be harvested. Amendolara's biggest difficulty was easily solved in this way, and the senators felt like they were in a dream.
"All the above materials are too large in number, and Tarentum will divide them into several batches and transport them to Heraclea by sea, and then to here. The first batch will be delivered tomorrow!" As soon as Mariges finished speaking, everyone applauded.
At this time, Davos took the opportunity to say loudly: "Everyone, in view of the great achievements Mariges has made for Amendolara, I propose that Mariges, a citizen of Amendolara and the city-state's trade officer, become a Senator of the Senate!"
The proposal was enthusiastically supported by the new citizens, and the old citizens also reluctantly raised their hands.
Next, the Senate also decided that the administrative officer, Cornelius, and the inspector, Antonios, would lead an envoy to Tarentum the next day to express their gratitude to the allies and to discuss the details of the alliance in more depth.
The Senate meeting ended, and Mariges followed Davos out of the assembly.
"Thank you, Lord, for your help! But to make me a citizen of Amendolara, become a trade officer, and even become a noble Senator!" Mariges said gratefully.
"It seems I didn't lie to you," Davos chuckled.
"Lord, you always keep your word, how could you lie!" Mariges seemed to have forgotten what he said when he first came to Magna Graecia.
"Mariges, you must remember that this is not my decision, this is a reward because the Senators appreciate your contribution to Amendolara!" Davos said modestly, but also reminded him.
Mariges looked around, and then whispered: "What Senate! I only know that if it weren't for you, Lord, I'm afraid I wouldn't even be a citizen of Amendolara. Mariges will always be loyal to Lord Davos!"
Mariges said these words sincerely, Davos smiled again and said: "It seems you still have to slowly adapt to life as a citizen of a Greek city-state."
Mariges wanted to say more, Davos patted him on the shoulder and asked: "How is Tarentum?"
Mariges was a smart man, and didn't continue to speak, but said seriously: "The time was too short, and I took a quick tour. I feel that Tarentum is a very large city, with many people, and many wealthy people… Their port has many merchant ships, the market is prosperous, and the daily transaction volume is estimated to be not low…" Mariges looked envious.
Davos nodded and asked: "I heard that the Messapians are invading Tarentum, how is the situation now?"
If he hadn't joined the mercenary army, Mariges wouldn't have cared about these things, let alone said anything about them. Following the mercenary army, he had learned something about military affairs: "The Messapians have retreated. The troops they invaded with are mainly composed of cavalry and light infantry. They don't confront Tarentum's hoplites head-on. They can only harass the land outside Tarentum, but Tarentum can't do anything about them because they can't catch up with the Messapians at all."
"Cavalry? Do the Messapians have many cavalry?" Davos asked keenly.
"I don't know. But I heard that the terrain south of Tarentum doesn't have many continuous high mountains, and there are few rivers. Most of it is flat grassland, so the Messapians graze a large number of cattle, sheep, and horses there."
Davos's heart stirred. He originally thought that on the Apennine Peninsula, only the Gauls in the north raised horses on a large scale because of the vast plains and swamps of the Po River basin, so their cavalry was strong; the forces in other places were mainly infantry, and the small number of cavalry was just for show.
He didn't expect that in the south, on the "heel" of the "Italian boot," there was actually a tribe dominated by cavalry (in fact, this was a misinformation from Mariges, the Messapian army was not dominated by cavalry). He must let Antonios visit Tarentum next time to investigate this Messapian force thoroughly.
Davos suppressed his excitement and said to Mariji, "The city-state is currently troubled by the lack of funds in the treasury, and your return is perfectly timed. As the commercial officer of Amendolara, it is your duty to change the situation of Amendolara having almost no trade and increase tax revenue for the treasury! I hope you carefully investigate the city-state and think hard to come up with a good plan!"
"I will do my best!" Mariji revealed an eager expression.
"And—" Davos started to speak but then stopped. He thought, 'Let's talk about the marriage proposal in a few days, after all, Mariji has just returned.'
Seeing that Davos didn't say anything more, Mariji didn't dare to ask and said, "By the way, sir. Two people from the Pythagorean school of Taranto came to Amendolara on the ship, saying they were invited by you."
Davos hurriedly asked, "Where are they now?"
"They should have gone to find you," Mariji said uncertainly.
… … … … … … … … … … …
Soon, Davos met the people from the Pythagorean school in his own residence: one named Maticoris and the other named Mentotikers. Both of them looked young, probably not over thirty years old.
Therefore, Davos, who had just returned home, said with a smile, "You look very young!"
These words annoyed Maticoris, who said loudly, "Mathematics is not judged by age. No one in Taranto can compare to my speed calculation! Do you think I wanted to come to this remote small city?"
Davos chuckled, "Look at me, I became a consul at a young age. If I looked down on you for being young, wouldn't I also be looking down on myself?!"
Maticoris was stunned.
"In fact, on the contrary, I am very happy that the Pythagorean school is full of young people. Because they are young, they are energetic; because they are young, they have great ambitions; because they are young, they dare to break the rules and think what predecessors dare not think! This is especially important in the academic field, isn't it?!" Davos said passionately.
Mentotikers, who had been silent before, widened his eyes.
Maticoris muttered embarrassedly, "What you said makes a lot of sense…"
"Don't worry! I will strongly support the development of your school in Amendolara. I will provide you with a large residence for free, for you to live in and lecture. As long as you do not violate the laws of Amendolara,
you can develop your students in Amendolara without any restrictions. I believe that with your abilities, you will create a brilliant career in Amendolara that your classmates in Taranto cannot create! Make up for the regret of your founder, Pythagoras!"
Davos's promises and encouragement ignited the passion of the two young men. After they respectfully saluted Davos, they requested Davos to send someone to take them to their residence. They wanted to rest for a while and then immediately start working.
Davos was of course overjoyed. After the two men walked away, he could still hear Maticoris's voice: "That consul is not bad! Really not bad! Better than Taranto…"
"Maticoris, keep your voice down, we are still in someone else's house!"
… …
Davos couldn't help but chuckle when he heard this.
"Are you really planning to fully support the development of the Pythagorean school in Amendolara?!" Cristoya walked out of the side room, put her hand on Davos's shoulder, and said with some worry, "I heard that the Pythagorean school has a bad reputation. They act mysteriously and do not respect the gods. Instead, they believe that everything is composed of 'numbers'… In the past, they have had many conflicts with citizens' assemblies and councils in various city-states of Greater Greece, so everyone does not welcome them!"
Davos smiled indifferently, "What does it matter? Haven't we Greeks already gotten used to the harmonious coexistence of humans and gods! There won't be a situation like in Egypt where people are completely ruled by gods and are executed for disrespecting the gods. Moreover, it is not easy to become a disciple of the Pythagorean school. Apart from a few highly educated nobles, ordinary people cannot pass their tests, which is why their school cannot grow. And they are against democracy!"
"Oh…" Cristoya's eyes sparkled: "Do you think they will support you?"
"What influence does their support have on me!" Davos shrugged and said, "But at least it shows that they won't be a big trouble. Moreover, don't think that they only study mathematics. They have in-depth research on philosophy, music, art… There is also something that you are interested in: in academics, they advocate equality between men and women."
"Really?" Cristoya asked in surprise.
"Of course it's true. It is said that Pythagoras's wife was his student. I heard this from Architas," Davos said with a smile, "With their arrival, your bank will not lack employees who can keep accounts in the future."
"Didn't you say that they can't develop?" Cristoya remembered what he said before and glared at him.
"Of course, it won't work to teach disciples according to the current methods of the Pythagorean school. However, after these two young people hit a wall, I don't believe they won't make changes," Davos said confidently.
… … … … … … … … … …
In the early morning, wildflowers bloomed all over Mount Amendolara, a riot of colors, a romantic sea of flowers, mostly purple thyme, swaying in the mountain breeze, spreading a rich fragrance throughout the city.
Pairs of men and women, dressed in finery, came out of their respective residences and gathered in the square…
More than fifteen hundred newly married couples turned the small square into a joyful crowd. The morning sun shone on their happy smiling faces, and their eyes were focused on the central platform: there stood a statue of Hera, moved from the Hera Temple in Metapontum. The goddess held a scepter in her right hand and gently pinched the corner of her dress with her left hand, with a kind smile on her face, facing the newlyweds below the stage.
Around the statue were several priestesses dressed in pure white robes, dancing sacred sacrificial dances, singing hymns…
After the ceremony ended, the High Priestess of Hera used her clear and penetrating voice to say to the countless newlyweds below the stage, "Today is a beautiful day. The great goddess Hera will witness your happy union here! The Greeks cherish family the most. A happy and fulfilling marriage is a sign of family prosperity and a cornerstone of the stability of the city-state!…"
The High Priestess took a step forward and leaned forward to ask, "Hera has entrusted me to ask all the men present: 'Are you willing to shield your wife from the wind and rain, and love her no matter how great the difficulties, until the end of life?'"
The men, led by Davos, said without hesitation: "We are willing!!!"
"Hera has entrusted me to ask all the women present, 'Are you willing to manage the family for your husband, raise children, and respect him no matter how great the difficulties, until the end of life?'"
The women, led by Cristoya, said from the bottom of their hearts: "We are willing!!!"
The High Priestess smiled: "Now the newlyweds can kiss each other!"
Davos and Cristoya, Georgelis and Dania, Olives and Mitra (Because yesterday afternoon, the early arrival of the Hera priest team from Metapontum caused Davos to rush to propose marriage to Mariji, but Mariji readily agreed. In fact, Mariji, who had been influenced by the monarchy in Persia, did not care much about Olives's reputation or wealth. What he cared about was that Olives was a close friend of Davos, and Davos himself proposed the marriage)… Countless newlyweds gazed affectionately and kissed sweetly…
Seeing this, Stronboli, who was watching from the sidelines, couldn't bear to look, but protested in a low voice: "This violates Greek tradition and is too offensive to customs! Inspectors… the inspectors should stop them!"
"The inspector has already visited Taranto," Scombras laughed: "I think this Hera ceremony is quite interesting."
"'A happy marriage is a sign of family prosperity and a cornerstone of the stability of the city-state.' This sentence makes a lot of sense!" Raphael also sighed.
"I have never seen this kind of sacrificial ritual of Hera before," Cornelius said with some doubt.
"I heard that the consul rushed to the High Priestess's residence at night and discussed it together. It must have been the consul's idea," Protesilaus guessed.
"Listening to you, it seems that your consul is an interesting young man," Anlocris, the envoy of Heraclea, looked at the square and said with a smile.
"May the great goddess Hera bless you!" The High Priestess put her hands together, palms facing the sky, and said piously.
Several priestesses began to sprinkle holy water on the stage, and the newlyweds also piously sang the Hera hymn.
As soon as the marriage ceremony ended, the firefighters on the sidelines began to vigorously pour clear water into the venue with tile pots full of water. Although they were notified in advance, the women still screamed and hid in the arms of their men, while the men protected their wives and tried to snatch the firefighters' pots. The screams continued throughout the venue, and the scene was joyful and lively…
"So interesting! So interesting!" Protesilaus looked excited and suddenly turned and ran back.
"What are you going to do?" Tritodemus asked.
"Go back and get a pot of water!" Protesinus ran without looking back.
"Get a pot?" Tritodemus was stunned, immediately understood, looked at the excitement on the field, and was also moved, shouting loudly: "Get a few more pots!"
"Yes, get a few more!" Scombras also felt a childlike innocence, and at the same time he lamented: "Unfortunately, I got married early!"
"Amendolara hasn't been so lively for a long time!" Raphael sighed.
Stronboli was touched by this sentence, looked at the water mist rising in the field, condensing into a seven-color rainbow in the sun, and stopped complaining for a while, muttering: "Isn't this kind of celebration going to be held every year from now on?!"
After the group wedding ended, Davos didn't immediately return home. He and the council elders met with the envoys from Metapontum and Heraclea in the council hall.
One was an ally of Tarentum, and the other was a tributary city-state of Tarentum. Furthermore, Amendolara had already become an ally of Tarentum, so the talks were friendly and smooth.
Davos proposed that Amendolara wished to get along amicably with Metapontum and Heraclea, helping each other. The envoys from both cities gladly accepted.
The three parties then discussed strengthening exchanges, increasing trade, and so on…
Busy until the afternoon, Davos finally returned home, only to find a guest already waiting.
This middle-aged envoy with sharp eyes presented generous gifts, then politely introduced himself: "Greetings, Honorable Archon Davos! I come from Syracuse and am Hieron, envoy of the all-powerful General Dionysius."
"Syracuse", "Dionysius"—hearing these two words, Davos' heart skipped a beat.
In his previous life, when mentioning the tyrant Dionysius of Syracuse in history, the only thing he could think of was the story of the Sword of Damocles. This story told Davos that being a tyrant in a Greek city-state was a very dangerous thing. Other than that, he had no deep impression of Dionysius or even Syracuse, just like any other ordinary person. Everyone's attention was focused on Athens, Sparta, and Rome. Those who knew a little more knew that Athens' expeditionary force was completely annihilated in Syracuse during the Peloponnesian War, and that the philosopher Plato had stayed in Syracuse, and the great mathematician Archimedes died in Syracuse… That was all.
However, after Davos came to this era, especially after coming to Magna Graecia, he often took time out from work to chat with Burkos, Cornelius, and others about the local customs of Magna Graecia. Therefore, he knew that Syracuse was not an ordinary great state. If the city-states of mainland Greece, led by Athens and Sparta, successfully resisted the invasion of the Persian army, then the Magna Graecia city-states and Sicily, under the leadership of Syracuse, defeated the Carthaginian army to the south (coincidentally, the day of the victory was close to the Battle of Salamis in the east), and at the same time helped the Greek city-states of the Apennine Peninsula repel the attacks of the natives. Therefore, decades ago, Syracuse was the hegemon among the Greek city-states in the western Mediterranean, and its political system at that time was tyranny. And this time, Syracuse once again implemented the system of tyranny, and the powerful figure was the so-called all-powerful General Dionysius.
After Davos briefly learned about Dionysius's experience of seizing power from others, he could see that this person was not only good at using power and was ruthless, but his military and political abilities were also not weak, and he was also lucky (Carthage took advantage of the internal strife in Syracuse to attack Syracuse and its allies, and even began to besiege Syracuse, but an epidemic broke out, and Dionysius repelled them). Moreover, he knew the principle of "political power grows out of the barrel of a gun", vigorously cultivating and hiring private armies to consolidate his power… Davos had already labeled this tyrant of Syracuse as "dangerous" in his mind. Although he didn't know how this person developed in his previous life's history, he had read a book in his previous life, one sentence of which was deeply imprinted in his memory: 'A re-emerging country consciously or unconsciously wants to firmly grasp the power and land that the country had once gained during its heyday from the moment it is born.'
The former Syracuse was the hegemon of Sicily and the Magna Graecia city-states! What about the current Syracuse? You should know that people without great ambitions don't dare to become tyrants…
Davos's mind was full of thoughts, but he smiled and said: "Oh, I really didn't expect such a distinguished guest from Syracuse to come to our small mountain town! Please, have a seat!"
After Hieron sat down, Davos asked: "May I ask, Lord Hieron, what is the purpose of Syracuse sending you here?"
"When I received the order and set out for Thurii, I didn't know that you had become the Archon of Amendolara. The original order is no longer applicable, but I think I should still say it first." Hieron cleared his throat and said: "When the news of Lord Davos and your army defeating the Lucanian allied forces with fewer troops in Thurii spread to Sicily, the Greek people of Sicily were very happy. They all said that this was a glorious victory for Magna Graecia against the natives in recent years! After Lord Dionysius learned of this, he immediately decided to hire you to go to Sicily with generous salaries to jointly resist the great enemy of the Greek city-states, the lackeys of the Persians—Carthage."
Davos relaxed slightly and asked with feigned curiosity: "Generous salaries?! How generous?"
"Four darics of gold per month for a soldier, and for you—twenty darics of gold per month." Hieron said, then stared at Davos.
Davos showed a surprised expression: "Four darics of gold, more than double the salary Thurii hired us! Is Syracuse so wealthy?!"
"Being able to invite the hero who expeditioned against Persia and the famous general who annihilated the Lucanian allied forces to help is the glory of Syracuse. No amount of money is worth it!" Hieron said extremely seriously.
So I'm already a famous general! Davos stroked the stubble on his chin, feeling quite pleased, and his goodwill towards the envoy opposite him greatly increased, but he said with a regretful expression: "Unfortunately, we are no longer mercenaries, but citizens of Amendolara."
"Yes, I didn't expect that after you and your army eliminated the Lucanian allied forces, you immediately recovered Amendolara without rest. This is another glorious victory!" Hieron sincerely praised. He knew that sieges were indeed more difficult than field battles at that time. Of course, he didn't know that Davos and the mercenaries had launched a surprise attack at night, catching the Lucanians off guard. Therefore, he earnestly said: "It is Amendolara's good fortune to invite you to become citizens! However, this has made the order I received have to be abandoned. Now I would like to make a new request on behalf of the all-powerful General Dionysius of Syracuse."
Davos made a "please speak" gesture.
"I would like to invite you to lead the Amendolara army to join Syracuse in repelling the Carthaginian invasion and restore peace to the Sicilian Greek city-states! Of course, Syracuse will pay you and your army the same generous reward. At the same time, I know that Amendolara has just experienced war, and Syracuse is willing to provide you with the urgently needed supplies free of charge to help Amendolara recover as soon as possible!" Hieron said seriously.
Davos remained noncommittal and asked in return: "I heard that Syracuse and Carthage signed a truce agreement the year before last. Has Carthage broken the agreement again and started a war again?"
Hieron looked slightly embarrassed, but soon he uttered a sorrowful and impassioned speech: "The reason why Carthage chose to make peace was because its army was suffering from the plague at that time. That was the punishment Apollo sent down! However, Carthage still occupies many Greek city-states in Sicily, from Selinus at the westernmost end to the great state of Agrigentum in the central south coast, to Gela and Camarina, which are adjacent to Syracuse. Tens of thousands of Greek people are living a life worse than death under the enslavement of the Carthaginians. Moreover, the huge Carthaginian army is stationed in Camarina, constantly threatening Syracuse. Whether it is for the safety of Syracuse or to rescue the people of the Greek city-states of Gela and Agrigentum, Syracuse must give Carthage a heavy blow, dispel this Phoenician-established city-state's coveting of the Sicilian Greek city-states, and restore the former Sicilian sphere of influence!"
Davos pondered for a long time (in fact, he had already made a decision), then shook his head and said: "I really want to help the Sicilian people, but I am now the Archon of Amendolara and must be responsible for the people of Amendolara. You see, I am busy all day long and have no time to rest at all, let alone travel far. And the citizens of Amendolara are busy reorganizing their families, restoring the city-state's agriculture and order, and ensuring safety, so it is even more impossible for them to follow me to Sicily. So thank you for the invitation from you and the all-powerful General Dionysius, but I can only say I'm sorry!"
Hieron had only held a glimmer of hope. Getting this answer, he was not too disappointed. He just sighed and said: "That's really a pity! I hope to have the opportunity to cooperate with Archon in the future."
Davos politely said: "Please convey my apologies and thanks to the all-powerful General Dionysius!"
Then, Davos sent Hieron out.
When he was about to reach the gate, Hieron stopped and turned back and said: "Lord Davos, please allow me to ask a personal question."
"Go ahead."
"As far as I know, when you recovered Amendolara, almost all of Amendolara's citizens were killed or injured. You could have naturally let your subordinates occupy Amendolara… What made you choose to let the people of Amendolara hold a citizens' assembly to vote to decide your stay?" Hieron asked seriously.
Davos met Hieron's searching gaze, secretly pondering: Could it be that this envoy is dissatisfied with Dionysius's use of mercenaries to usurp Syracuse's regime and implement high-pressure rule.
The two looked at each other for a while before Davos said: "We mercenaries are tired of war and death and just want to live a peaceful and stable life, not to plunder wealth and gain power. If we don't want Amendolara to repeatedly fall into riots, every soldier who wants to become a citizen of the city-state should abide by the laws of Amendolara and become a citizen of the city-state in accordance with the city-state's legal procedures, so that the original citizens will not have grievances against us, and we ourselves will gain peace of mind, and the entire city-state can maintain stability…"
Hieron was silent for a while, and his gaze towards Davos showed more respect: "It is my honor to know you!"