"Like the drill instructor?!" Alcines laughed. "If that were the case, could you even stay at home?! Melisanda, get up and run! Melisanda, stop eating and spar with me! Melisanda, hold this rock and run ten laps around the courtyard!" Alcines exaggerated, imitating Matonis's tone.
"Alcines, do you want me to tell the drill instructor what you just said and see who ends up running ten laps with a rock?" Melisanda feigned a threat.
Alcines quickly begged for mercy, and Melisanda let him off the hook.
Alcines then asked, "Are we really preparing to attack Lucania?"
"Are we training so hard just to defend Amendolara?!" Melisanda said disdainfully. "That would be a waste of our strength!"
"Hey, you know—" Alcines became excited. "If we really conquer the land of Lucania, could I find a Lucanian woman to marry? I've seen many new citizens with Lucanian wives these past few days, and they're quite good—tall, buxom, and able to do heavy work, a different flavor from our Greek women..."
"You're already thinking about that? Isn't it a bit early?!" Melisanda asked in surprise.
"Unlike you, my home is empty, with just me..." Alcines's voice lowered.
"Then let's both hone our skills in killing the enemy, and together we'll conquer the Lucanians! Then you can marry a Lucanian woman and have a bunch of kids!" Melisanda quickly encouraged him.
"Right, let's work hard together!" Alcines and Melisanda clasped hands tightly.
.................
After lunch, the recruits didn't have a long break; soon, Alcines and the others were gathered again.
The afternoon training began with individual combat skills, but it wasn't just random one-on-one slashing. Instead, they were divided into groups of three, with a round shield in their left hand (which should have been a heavier, more rudimentary wooden shield made of thicker wood, but there wasn't time or manpower to make them) and a long wooden stick, slightly heavier than a thrusting spear, in their right hand.
Alcines noticed that the stick in his hand was thicker, and his teammates had been changed from Melisanda and another young comrade to two stronger teammates. He cast a questioning look at the drill instructor, Matonis, who was supervising from the sidelines.
Matonis glanced at him and said sternly, "If you want to become a warrior, then you must train even harder!"
Alcines now understood what the Archon meant earlier.
He didn't argue but silently endured it.
The training began, and Alcines attacked first. He roared, holding his round shield, and rammed into the "enemy" in front of him with all his might. With a loud "clang," the "enemy" staggered, and he immediately used the long wooden stick dipped in lime powder to stab at the round shield of another "enemy" hiding behind the first. The stabbing action had to be quick, or the "enemy" in the front row would quickly regain their position and block his attack route...
Each person took turns attacking and blocking. After ten rounds of attacks, they rested for a while, and then practiced stepping thrusts, that is, holding a round shield and a long wooden stick, stepping forward to accurately hit the head of the humanoid target in front. The person whose wooden shield was stabbed the most times had their training volume doubled.
After ten rounds of practice, they rested again for a while, and then the training continued. Still in groups of three, but this time the long wooden sticks were replaced with short wooden sticks, the same length as a sidearm. Alcines's wooden stick was thicker again, but this time he didn't question it. The training content was still impact, stabbing the round shield of the "enemy" behind, but because the wooden stick was much shorter, it required the attacker to use more force to knock open the "enemy" in front, occupy their position, and then stab the "enemy" behind. Again, there were ten rounds of practice.
Then they moved on to the next round of practice—hitting humanoid wooden targets. First, each recruit was required to use the wooden stick in their hand to drive the thick wooden humanoid target assigned to them into the mud one blow at a time, and make it stand upright and steady. Then, the recruits, holding wooden sticks and round shields, would, as if facing a real enemy, do their best to stab the "head" and "face" of the wooden target, sometimes attacking its ribs, sometimes stabbing its calves, and sometimes slashing at its hamstrings...
Under the strict demands of the drill instructor, they retreated and lunged forward, performing various stabbing and slashing movements...
By the time these training exercises were completed, their limbs were sore and numb, and they couldn't muster any strength.
At this time, Matonis spoke: "Your performance is better than last time! It seems that after returning last time, you all practiced at home every day, so you were able to persevere?"
"Yes..." the recruits replied weakly.
"Very good! If you continue to train like this, you will soon become qualified Amendolara heavy infantry." Matonis showed a hint of encouraging smile: "Next, a new training item has been added. You will return to your respective companies and conduct formation training with the veterans."
Not long after Matonis finished speaking, the bugle sounded in the barracks. Under Matonis's urging, the recruits dressed neatly, picked up their round shields and thrusting spears. Because they had been training with thicker wooden sticks that were heavier than thrusting spears, switching to thrusting spears now felt as light as nothing. Alcines remembered what Drill Instructor Matonis had said when answering the soldiers' complaints during the first training session, 'Training you with heavier wooden sticks, so that on the battlefield, when you hold real weapons that are much lighter, you will feel very relaxed, and you will have more strength and be more energetic when fighting...'
Alcines also remembered: When he was young, he watched his father participate in the city-state citizen soldier training, which was only a few times a month. They practiced formation marching in the flag number, and then one-on-one training. The training projects were simple and easy, far from the training he was undergoing now, which was not only arduous and complicated, but also gradually progressive, like learning characters when he was a child. It seemed very reasonable, the requirements were very strict, and the training volume was very large. No wonder the veterans could defeat the Lucanian coalition forces! It is said that these training methods are all from the training regulations in the newly compiled 'Military Law' of Amendolara, mainly written by Archon Davos. He is truly a magical person!
Alcines and Melisanda were not in the same company. He didn't even have time to say goodbye to Melisanda before hurrying to find the Third Company of the Third Battalion to which he belonged. He had heard Drill Instructor Matonis say that the company commander of this company was called Giorgis, and he used to be a tentmate, with a gentle temperament.
He shouldn't be stricter than Drill Instructor Matonis, right! Why was Alcines thinking this at this moment? Because after the bugle sounded, thousands of people acted together, and the training ground was filled with dust. The only things that could be seen clearly were the bright red military flags standing high on the playground. Alcines searched past one flag after another, spending a lot of time, and becoming more and more anxious. Finally, based on the number on the flag, he found the team to which he belonged.
As soon as Squad Leader Trottidis saw him, he sternly said: "Soldier, you are late! Considering this is your first time, you will not be punished for the time being. I hope there will be no next time!"
Alcines repeatedly said yes, and under the guidance of the squad leader, quickly returned to his position.
At this time, a man in his thirties came over and said to him kindly: "My name is Ktippus, and I am your squad leader."
"Hello, Captain!" Alcines hurriedly saluted and said hello.
Ktippus looked him up and down, and then said: "Not bad, a strong young man! Are you a recruit?"
"Yes."
"An original citizen of Amendolara?"
"Yes."
"I guessed it. Which drill instructor trained you?"
"Matonis."
"What?! That madman!"
"Does the captain know Drill Instructor Matonis?"
"I used to be in his company. Because of my excellent performance, the Third Battalion forcibly wanted me to come over this time when the army was reorganized. Matonis didn't want to let me go at first, but who told Giorgis to be his good friend? So I came here. I actually ran into you, a student of Matonis. This is all an arrangement of the Goddess of Fate!"
Ktippus had a look of emotion, but in fact, Matonis just thought he was too verbose. When the Third Battalion came to ask for someone, he directly recommended him. There was no such thing as trying to keep him.
"Don't worry, I will take good care of you!" Ktippus said seriously.
"Thank you, Captain!" Alcines said gratefully.
"Ktippus, prepare for training, don't talk anymore!" At this time, Trottidis shouted at the front of the squad.
"Got it!" Ktippus replied, and then muttered in a low voice: "You were lucky to become a squad leader. If I had followed Davos earlier, I would have become a company commander by now..."
Alcines felt a little strange in his heart when he heard this.
The soldier next to him said: "Our captain is just verbose, but he is a very good person."
I hope so. Alcines thought.
Because the previous training intensity was very high, the squad training was just to allow the soldiers to become familiar with their comrades-in-arms and conduct small phalanx marching and jogging training. This kind of exercise was just a kind of physical recovery leisure for the soldiers of the First Battalion, because they were too familiar with each other, but for the Third Battalion, it was very necessary, because it was a new army, and the squad soldiers were not very familiar with each other.
According to the traditional army training practices of Greek city-states: the team officers of the army are relatively fixed, while the soldiers are often replaced. When fighting, citizens are summoned to the square, and randomly assigned to various teams in order or by drawing lots. This can prevent the soldiers and team officers in the same team from forming a group and affecting the normal political order and democratic elections of the city-state.
Davos believes that a fixed military team is conducive to cultivating cohesion and a sense of honor, and is more united and cooperative in combat, and more combat effective. Therefore, the soldiers of Amendolara are fixed in a certain team, and the team officers have a certain term of office, and are transferred when the term expires, to prevent the soldiers from being owned by the generals.
The squad training time wasn't long. With Cratips's help, Alcines quickly integrated into the squad.
Then the squad merged into the company for further drill training. Alcides and the others were about to become familiar with more complex tactical commands and signals: What rhythm of drumming meant what speed of advance? What kind of bugle call meant advance? What kind of bugle call meant retreat? What bugle call meant charge?
Also, under different drumming and bugle calls, they also watched the direction of the company flag. If the company flag pointed forward in a certain direction, it meant advancing, speeding up, or charging in that direction; if the company flag pointed backward in a certain direction, it meant retreating, slowing down, or withdrawing in that direction; if the company flag kept drawing circles, it meant stopping in place, resting, standing guard, or preparing. They also had to learn to quickly change from a column to a line, form a dense phalanx, and then quickly split the phalanx into columns for rapid movement; there were also some complex tactical maneuvers, such as the second and third squads defending the center, and the first and fourth squads attacking on both flanks.
Next came the combined training of the battalion. At this time, there were no more of those complex tactical commands, but more formation changes, such as: the fish scale formation (as Davos called it, which was actually the Roman checkerboard formation) quickly changing into a closely connected large phalanx during movement, and the large phalanx returning to the fish scale formation; the front row retreating and the back row moving up to form a new large phalanx; and the phalanx rotating left and right while maintaining a tight formation, and so on.
Finally, there was the grand combined training of the entire army. Not only were there the formation changes from before, but also increased coordination between other battalions and arms. For example: when advancing, the light infantry battalion in the rear quickly passed through the gaps in the fish scale formation and rushed to the front of the formation, forming a skirmish line to make throwing and shooting actions, and then quickly retreated from the gaps in the formation to the rear, and the fish scale formation quickly merged into a large phalanx; when the sharp bugle call sounded urgently, it meant that the cavalry on both flanks were launching an attack (although there were only a few dozen cavalrymen now, Davos still specially prepared tactical space for them), and the light shield soldiers in the light infantry battalion (i.e., the seventh battalion), who had previously retreated to the rear of the phalanx, quickly turned to the rear of the cavalry, holding wooden shields and long-handled reverse-edged knives as they closely followed the cavalry's spear charge in a loose formation, while the heavy infantry phalanx slowly pressed forward.
Alcinis had never seen many novel offensive and defensive methods, which broadened his horizons. At the same time, he was also troubled by the constantly changing flag commands, but with the constant reminders from squad leader Cratips and his comrades, Alcinis did not make major mistakes. The other recruits were the same, and gradually they were able to keep up with the pace of training.
When the training ended, it was still early, because it was already May, and it got dark later.
At this time, Consul Davos stepped onto the temporarily built command platform.
The tired soldiers began to get excited.
Davos went straight to the point and said: "Brothers, what are we going to do next?!"
"Rugby!!!"
"After the last practice,
Are you all familiar with the rules?"
"Familiar!!!"
"Let's start quickly!!!"
"Then, as before, first set up four fields, and the first match will still be the first squad of the first company of the first battalion vs. the first squad of the first company of the seventh battalion, and the first squad of the first company of the second battalion vs. the first squad of the first company of the third battalion. Each match only has four hourglasses of time. The team with the most points wins, and the loser is eliminated. The winning team prepares to enter the next round of the competition."
The soldiers were waiting for the consul to say the words "Start preparing," but Davos continued: "Now I announce a new rule: the participating squads must include five Lucanian slaves."
The soldiers were in an uproar.
Capus, Dracos, Hieronimus, and other high-ranking officers had been notified by Davos in advance and knew that this was an effort by the consul to integrate the Lucanians.
No one dared to refuse Davos's order, so Bagules and other forty Lucanian slaves were brought to the training ground.
Originally, Bagules and the others were grinding stones. Alexis suddenly gathered them together, then pointed out forty people led by Bagules, and said: They were the forty people who performed the best among the slaves who worked today. As a reward, they would be allowed to play rugby with the citizen soldiers of Amendolara.
Because most Lucanians did not understand Greek, Bagules did the translation. The slaves were restless, worried that this was a conspiracy by the Greeks to harm the forty of them.
Alexis swore to the gods: He would definitely let them come back before dark!
Only then were Bagules and the others brought into the training camp in trepidation and stood in front of the Greek soldiers.
While most of the soldiers were at a loss for a moment, Olivus, the squad leader of the first squad of the first company of the first battalion, took the lead. He quickly selected Bagules and the other four strong Lucanian slaves. Only then did the others react, and in an instant, the forty slaves were divided up by the squads participating in the first round.
Davos spent a very short time telling them the rules of the game, and of course Bagules did the translation. Then Bagules and the other five, who seemed to understand, were incorporated into Olivus's squad.
The rugby field was a flat grass field about one hundred meters long and fifty meters wide, surrounded by lime powder. White lines were also drawn every ten meters. To prevent the lime powder from being wiped off during intense exercise, causing the boundaries to be unclear, wooden poles were inserted at the intersection of the white lines on both sides.
According to Davos's requirements, the company commander could only serve as his own coach, while the squad leader had to serve as the team's quarterback, because the coach had to deploy tactics based on the strengths and weaknesses of his own team and the opponent, while the quarterback was the core of the team on the field. He had to change tactics in a timely manner according to the changes on the field and lead the team to victory. Davos wanted to train the leadership and command abilities of the officers, because he believed that in his previous life's modern competition, rugby was a game very similar to ancient cold weapon warfare. The confrontation in the center and the breakthroughs on both flanks could not only train the soldiers' strength, speed, and agility, but also cultivate the team's unity and cooperation, enhance cohesion, and also cultivate the company commander and squad leader to think calmly and make correct responses quickly in intense competition. This was very beneficial to the entire army, because the systematized and complex multi-arms (temporarily lacking cavalry) combined army created by Davos relied heavily on the abilities of the middle and lower-level officers to exert its true power.
First, both sides drew lots to determine the order of attack.
Olivus was lucky enough to draw the first attack. "Coach" Antonios began to deploy tactics to the squad: "Bagules, you just came and are not familiar with this game. Watch and learn from the sidelines first."
Bagules nodded: It seemed that they were really playing a game.
The surrounding soldiers all looked serious, which also infected these Lucanian slaves.
"You, you, you, you, you go up first. After the opponent kicks off, pay attention to catching the ball. After catching the ball, don't hesitate, pass the ball to Olivus immediately. Olivus, you pass the ball to the big guy and let him run with the ball. Test the opponent's strength, and the others pay attention to blocking the opponent!" Antonios was deploying tactics to the players on the field.
At this time, the whistle sounded, and the referee Dracos urged the players from both sides to take the field. According to the regulations, the battalion commander served as the referee. There were a total of four referees. Since the seventh battalion commander Epitenis also served as the first company commander, the cavalry captain Lydes filled in.
The soldiers took off their helmets, greaves, sabers, and all metal clothing, and only wore linen breastplates to prevent injury. At the same time, both sides wrapped the prepared linen strips dyed red and blue around their bodies and tightened them to distinguish the two teams. One side's players, plus five slaves, totaled 55 people. Only eleven people needed to be on the field at a time, but rugby was a very physically demanding sport, and the soldiers were already somewhat tired from training, so they had to rely on constant substitutions to maintain their combat effectiveness.
With Dracos's order, the game began.
The hourglass also began to time.
Epitenis's team kicked the ball to the opponent's half and immediately rushed towards the opponent.
Antonios found that the opponent had actually sent five slaves at the beginning: Could it be that they were using the slaves' more abundant physical strength than the soldiers to obstruct their attack? Antonios decided to watch the game situation first and then make adjustments.
A soldier jumped up and just caught the ball when the opponent rushed to him.
Although he was also wearing a linen breastplate, his appearance was actually Lucanian.
The ball-holding soldier was stunned, and this distraction immediately caused him to be tackled by the opponent. Fortunately, he fell to the ground in time and pressed the ball under his body.
The players off the field in Antonios's team let out a sigh of regret, while the opponent cheered loudly, and several players excitedly stepped forward to pat the Lucanian to encourage him.
An offensive opportunity was wasted like this. According to the rules set by Davos, the attacking side had three chances and had to advance the distance of a wooden pole (about ten meters) into the opponent's half during this period. After advancing, they would get three more offensive opportunities, otherwise the opponent would attack.
Olivus was not in a hurry. He joked, "Xenotimas, did you exercise too much with your wife last night, so your hands and feet are weak and you can't even pass the ball?!"
The players laughed.
"Okay, brothers, this time we must let them see the power of the strongest squad in the entire army!"
According to Davos's regulations in the military law, the "one" in the army number is not just a number, but also a reflection of ability and honor. The first battalion is the strongest battalion in the entire army, and so on. The first squad of the first battalion is not only the strongest squad in the battalion, but also the strongest squad in the entire army.
The soldiers roared and cheered up.
The two sides lined up at the marked line where the ball had stopped just now. The central sides were fighting together, while on both sides, one side was always ready to catch the ball and sprint, and the other side was always ready to block.
The whistle sounded.
In the center, both sides pushed and shoved, doing their best. Finally, Antonio's soldiers got hold of the rugby ball lying on the ground. They passed it back between their legs to Oliver, who immediately threw it with all his might towards the big guy, Tigetinos, on the left.
As Tigetinos caught the ball, he spun around, dodging the opponent who lunged to tackle him. He held the ball and charged forward.
Another opponent lunged at him from the front.
Xenotimas blocked the tackle in time.
Tigetinos was a large, strong man, and once he gained speed, he was unstoppable. He was grabbed twice by the opponent, but he shook them off with his powerful momentum.
Seeing that he had already crossed two markers into their half of the field, Epithenius couldn't hold back any longer and shouted anxiously from the sidelines.
At this moment, a teammate chased up from the rear at great speed, lunging forward and opening his arms in the air, accurately and forcefully grabbing Tigetinos' legs.
Tigetinos fell onto the grass like a collapsing mountain of gold and jade. Fortunately, he held the ball tightly and didn't lose it.
Epithenius' team members rushed up and excitedly patted the player's body. He was a Lucanian, and although he couldn't understand what these Greeks were shouting, he could still feel the joy and goodwill, so he grinned widely.
The Lucanians in Antonio's team suddenly exclaimed in surprise.
"What are they saying?" Antonio asked Bagule.
"They're calling that person's name. His name is Litom," Bagule said, pointing to the Lucanian player on the field. "A famous warrior in our tribe, also a very skilled hunter!"
Antonio nodded thoughtfully.
Drax ran over and asked with concern, "How are you? Are you alright?!"
Tigetinos struggled to stand up and took two steps to show that he was fine. Because rugby was too physically demanding and Amendolara's current conditions didn't allow for the production of protective gear for every soldier, Davos strictly stipulated: only tackling, grabbing, pulling, and blocking were allowed to disrupt the attack. Dangerous actions such as bumping, hitting, or kicking to injure people were prohibited, otherwise, they would be banned from participating in the game. Therefore, the soldiers were afraid of being banned and were very cautious when making moves. At the same time, Davos arranged for doctors on the sidelines, ready to provide emergency treatment at any time.
"Good! Good! Well done! We've already advanced so much. Let's work harder and take this point!" Oliver clapped his hands vigorously,
encouraging his teammates while also arranging new tactics.
The game started again, Oliver got the ball, and he threw it to Tigetinos.
Tigetinos ran two steps with the ball, and seeing two opponents rushing towards him, he immediately threw the ball back to Oliver.
Under the protection of his teammates, Oliver threw the ball to Tigetinos again.
The big guy quickly threw the ball back to Oliver again.
Oliver pretended to throw to Tigetinos for the third time. When the opponent's attention was attracted, he suddenly twisted his body to the side, flicked his wrist, and threw the ball with all his might towards the right front, then was tackled to the ground by the opponent.
Amidst the exclamations of the players on the field, the rugby ball flew through the air for a distance of twenty meters, and was about to fly out of the baseline when a member of Antonio's team quickly rushed over, jumped up with all his might, and reached out to block the rugby ball, but because the ball was too fast, he didn't catch it. So, after landing, he quickly jumped up again, but still didn't catch it steadily, and the opponent had already pounced on him and tackled him.
Amidst the huge sighs of regret from the soldiers watching the game from the sidelines, Antonio's team lost the opportunity to attack.
The slaves on the sidelines also shouted loudly.
"What are they saying?" Antonio asked curiously.
"They're saying, 'If it were them, they could definitely catch that ball!'" Bagule explained. "We Lucanians have been walking and hunting in the mountains since we were young, often climbing high and jumping low. When it comes to jumping, other races might not be able to compare!"
Antonio nodded and said, "Next, it's our defense. All five of you go up together."
Bagule was stunned for a moment, then became excited. After watching for a while from the sidelines, he felt that this game was very interesting and very exciting, and he had long been eager to try it.
"In addition, I suggest that after you go back, you should urge your tribesmen to learn Greek, otherwise, you won't be able to communicate during the game!" Antonio reminded with a slightly meaningful tone.
… … … … … … … … … …
As dusk approached, more than eight hundred Lucanian slaves waited anxiously at the construction site. Some people began to become restless and started arguing with the soldiers supervising them.
Just then, forty slaves returned, talking and laughing.
"Hey, are you guys alright?!" The tribesmen greeted them and asked with concern.
"Don't worry, we're fine!" Bagule reassured them, his face full of unconcealed excitement.
"Oh my, the Greeks have invented such an interesting rugby game! You didn't see it, in the last round of the game, Bagule jumped up, caught the ball in the air, dodged two people's interceptions in a row, and directly broke through the line to score, helping his team win the championship!" One of the returning slaves said excitedly.
"It's not breaking through the line, it's a touchdown!" Bagule corrected.
"If it weren't for the poor coordination of my team, we would definitely be able to defeat you and enter the final!" Litom said unconvinced.
"Brother, you have to understand that your poor coordination is because you don't speak the same language! If you want to defeat me next time, you must learn Greek well!" Bagule warned him.
Litom thought for a moment and nodded seriously.
The waiting slaves were confused: what game… competition… champion?
Then, the returning slaves began to excitedly tell them about their experiences in the Amendolara training camp. From the initial curiosity to the point where many people became interested in this game, they secretly made up their minds: next, they would work harder at the construction site and strive to be selected next time to participate in this seemingly interesting game!
From this day on, the progress of various projects in Amendolara advanced by leaps and bounds…
As for the old citizens of Lucania, they were destined to spend a sleepless night. For example: Alcinous, he could not forget the fact that his parents had died at the hands of the Lucanians. But when he was advancing with the ball, and the Lucanians in the same team repeatedly blocked opponents for him, sending him to a touchdown, he excitedly embraced his Lucanian teammates, throwing hatred to the winds. When he returned home and thought about it again, he felt extremely conflicted. This is the charm of modern team competitive sports in his previous life. When an individual integrates into a group and relies on unity to achieve victory, any past hatred and conflict will be eliminated by the joy of victory. This is the intention behind Davos's forced inclusion of five Lucanian slaves in each team.
… … … … … … … …
Early the next morning, Davos had breakfast and was about to go out to inspect the carpenters making elevated water wheels when he saw Asistes running in hurriedly.
"What happened?!" Davos asked immediately.
"Cunogolata… Cunogolata has been expelled from Thurii, and now he is leading his family… and his tribesmen towards Amendolara!" Asistes said breathlessly.
What?! Davos was shocked.
It turned out that after the alliance agreement was signed, Cunogolata, on the grounds of "needing to formulate new trade plans to replenish the empty treasury", sent people to investigate the financial situation of the Thurii treasury.
While the investigation was in progress, rumors began to spread in the city of Thurii: "The hasty battle with the Lucanians was solely promoted by Cunogolata. At that time, Pheres and the mercenary leader were strongly opposed to it. Even Davos, the hero who saved Thurii, submitted another more feasible battle plan, but it was rejected by Cunogolata, and under his urging and coercion, the old general Pheres was forced to fight. And in the battle, it was Cunogolata's premature escape that led to the collapse of the central phalanx, while Pheres died heroically…"
Under the instigation of those with ulterior motives, this rumor quickly spread throughout the city. Because part of the rumor was true, when the suspicious people went to find witnesses to verify it, they selectively believed the factual part, because they were all family members of the war dead. Their sadness had been suppressed before because of Davos's victory, and now they needed a vent, and Cunogolata was the best target. So, anger erupted among the people, and they gathered together, shouting slogans such as: "Cunogolata step down!… Severely punish Cunogolata!…" and surrounded the city hall.
Seeing that the situation was not good, Cunogolata quietly sneaked back home from the back door of the city hall, only to find that the people who had heard the news had surrounded his mansion.
Cunogolata urgently ordered the people in his family and the slaves to strengthen their defenses to prevent the people from rushing into the mansion. He himself stood inside the courtyard wall and shouted explanations to the menacing people.
Just as the two sides were in a stalemate, someone suddenly shouted: "People, don't forget that after Cunogolata fled back into the city, he forced us to close the city gates! As a result, the citizens who fled back could not enter the city, and more than half of them were killed by the Lucanians! He is a murderer!!"
This reminder made many people remember Cunogolata's neurotic shouting at the time: "Close the city gates quickly!" In fact, this measure under the emergency situation at the time saved the people of the entire city, but at this moment, the angry people would not consider these things at all. They would only remember that they had watched their relatives being slaughtered like lambs under the city walls, and they hated their powerlessness, and of course, they hated the "culprit" even more!
So, an even more intense conflict occurred: the people wanted to forcibly rush into Cunogolata's mansion, and the people inside desperately tried to stop them. The angry people even carried logs, and finally broke through the courtyard gate. Countless crazy people poured into the courtyard. If Cunogolata hadn't pretended to be dead and the slaves hadn't been loyal to their master, he would have been beaten to death on the spot.
On this day, the people looted his house like rioters: one of his sons was beaten to death, another daughter was defiled, many tribesmen and slaves were injured, and most of the property in the house was looted.
That day, the populace, like a mob, ransacked the house of Kunogorata: one of his sons was beaten to death, another daughter was violated and committed suicide, many of his clansmen and slaves were injured, and most of the family's property was looted.
The next day, the heartbroken Kunogorata, unable to get out of bed due to his injuries, had a house slave send a letter to the city hall, expressing his willingness to resign from his position as general. However, the people were still not appeased, and they were also worried that Kunogorata would retaliate for what they had done yesterday. Therefore, they continued to rally and protest in front of the city hall, demanding that a citizens' assembly be convened immediately. General Nionsis and others "reluctantly" agreed.
Subsequently, the citizens' assembly was quickly convened at noon, and the first item on the agenda was: the people proposed to expel Kunogorata. The majority of citizens drew "agree" on their pottery shards, and the proposal was passed. Thus, Kunogorata, who had served as the chief general for several years after the Peloponnesian War and helped Thurii, which bore obvious Athenian alliance labels, escape the liquidation by the new Greek hegemon Sparta and its allies, was expelled from Thurii by the "ostracism" invented by the Athenians.
The second item on the agenda of the citizens' assembly was to re-elect the "Nine Generals." Ultimately, Nionsis was elected chief general, Bourkos was elected general for successfully hiring Deiphos's expeditionary force, and Ansitarnos was defeated because he defended Kunogorata with a few words when the people surrounded the city hall and was abandoned by the people.
Kunogorata received the news at home, remained silent for a long time, and let out a faint sigh. According to the provisions of the "ostracism," he could return to the city-state after ten years, but he was determined to leave this sad city. After obtaining the consent of his wife, children, and clansmen, he began to pack his luggage that afternoon and sold his mansion and fields at extremely low prices. During this period, only Ansitarnos came to visit him once.
One day later, Kunogorata, with his family, some of his followers, and nearly a hundred slaves loyal to him, carrying packages and driving carts, prepared to leave the city.
When the people of Thurii heard the news, they rushed to the scene, not to see him off, but to scold him and vent their still unappeased resentment. They even threw debris at Kunogorata and his family. The entourage all lowered their heads and hurried along in fear. Only Kunogorata, lying on the carriage due to his injuries, faced countless angry gazes with a calm expression: a few years ago, he also expelled Athenian-descended Thurii citizens in this way. Today, he has fallen into this situation, which can be regarded as retribution!
He also thought of the Achikurodoiax family, who had been expelled for defeat in the war, and the original inhabitants of Sybaris, who had been expelled or even killed on a large scale shortly after the city was built…
Could this be Greek democracy? He suddenly felt a sense of doubt, until his young son, Dicaocrate, woke him up: "Father, Nionsis is there!"
He looked in the direction his son was pointing: Nionsis was standing on the city wall above the front gate, looking down.
Kunogorata, who had been in politics for many years,
knew who the real manipulator was when things happened. At this moment, when their eyes met, it did not arouse more hatred in his heart.
He watched quietly until he left the city gate, looked back at his motherland where he was born and raised, and showed a look of sorrow.
He suddenly said in a deep voice: "Nionsis drove the beast of 'public opinion' to deal with me. This time, I underestimated him, but with his ability, he may not be able to control this beast. Sooner or later, something will happen…"
Dicaocrate said as if he understood: "Then will this bad guy be driven out of Thurii?!"
"Who knows?…" Kunogorata turned around, stroked his son's head, looked at the unpredictable north, and said with a slightly nervous expression: "Let's go, as we discussed before, let's go to Amendolara first…"
… … … … … … … … … …
When Kunogorata and his party arrived at the banks of the Saracen River, they saw Deiphos, the governor of Amendolara, leading several senators and a team of guards waiting on the opposite bank.
Upon hearing this, Kunogorata hurriedly ordered the slaves to drive the carriage to the front of the team.
Seeing Kunogorata lying on the carriage, Deiphos said loudly: "Lord Kunogorata, I am very glad that you chose to come to Amendolara! After learning of your arrival, our Senate held an emergency consultation and decided to grant you Amendolara citizenship. Are you willing to accept it?"
After all, Kunogorata was only expelled from the city-state, but his Thurii citizenship was not deprived. He could return to Thurii after ten years. Within these ten years, he only needed to live in another country. Amendolara's move may just be meddling.
However, when Kunogorata heard this, his slightly uneasy mood finally returned to calm. He immediately expressed his gratitude to Deiphos and sincerely said: "I am very happy to become a citizen of the same country as Lord Deiphos!"
The clansmen also breathed a sigh of relief. Although Thurii and Amendolara had just signed an alliance agreement, given the terrible relationship between the two cities, they were really afraid that Amendolara would refuse to accept them.
In fact, Davos hadn't made a big show of welcoming Kounogoratas precisely because he was considering this issue, fearing it would provoke dissatisfaction among the old citizens. Davos had only met Kounogoratas twice, and didn't know much about him, but those two encounters gave him the impression that Kounogoratas possessed considerable political skill. Moreover, he had learned that during Kounogoratas' tenure as chief general, Thurii had consistently maintained political stability and trade prosperity, which demonstrated his impressive administrative abilities. It was a pity that his military talent was lacking, leading to his dismissal as chief general and eventual expulsion from Thurii. However, this suited Davos's preferences, and Davos vaguely sensed something in the circumstances of the expulsion, which is why he actively welcomed Kounogoratas.
On the way to Amendolara, both sides avoided discussing the affairs of Thurii.
"There are still some empty houses in Amendolara that you and your family can borrow. However, I suggest you buy them, as the prices aren't high. As for your clansmen, they can only rent for the time being, as they are not yet Amendolara citizens," said Melsis, the finance officer, not treating Kounogoratas as a distinguished new guest, but rather adopting a 'clear accounts even between brothers' attitude, earnestly explaining the situation to him.
Kounogoratas expressed his understanding and said, "I heard that the city-state recently passed an 'Immigration Law.' I wonder if they meet the requirements? Can they apply to become Amendolara citizens?"
So, the news has already spread to Thurii! Davos was pleased to hear this and immediately explained in detail, "Of course, they can apply. The matter is handled by the registrar, Raphias. I believe there should be no problem passing the review and being registered. However, according to the 'Immigration Law,' a relatively long probationary period is required, generally two years, to become familiar with Amendolara's laws, customs, and habits. Only after that, without any violations or breaches of discipline, can they become probationary citizens. At that point, they can enjoy some of the rights of the city-state, and it will take another two to three years to become full citizens…"
"So, it will take five to six years to become a full citizen of Amendolara?" Kounogoratas was somewhat surprised. After all, these clansmen had left Thurii voluntarily because of him, and he had to be responsible for their future lives.
Davos certainly heard his disagreement, so he emphasized, "Because according to Amendolara's new laws, full citizens of the city-state are to be allocated 'land grants,' so we must be cautious!"
Kounogoratas thought he had misheard and looked at Davos in astonishment, only to see him with a serious expression, not seeming to be lying. He knew that giving citizens 'land grants' was a right only granted when a city-state was first established. Thurii had much more land than Amendolara, and since its founding, it had never allocated 'land grants' to new citizens. Amendolara had been founded much earlier than Thurii, and had even less land than Thurii. Where would the extra land come from to allocate to new citizens?! And this was even listed in the city-state's laws?! Kounogoratas wanted to question Davos, but he thought that he was a newcomer and there was no need to argue with this young ruler right from the start, making people think he was difficult to get along with. He could inquire about these things slowly in the future. So, he changed the subject, "I also heard that slaves in your city-state can easily become freemen, and even have the opportunity to become citizens."
"Indeed, there is such a thing, but their situation is special. If you want your slaves to become Amendolara citizens, the conditions to be met would probably be more difficult," Davos said truthfully.
"As long as there is a chance, I will do my best to make them citizens, to repay their loyalty in risking their lives to protect me and my family in Thurii!" Kounogoratas finally said something related to the matter, but his expression was very calm, as if he had seen through the ways of the world.
This was very different from the Kounogoratas that Davos knew. Could it be that this incident was a rare lesson for him?! Some people grow in adversity, while others give up on themselves. If Kounogoratas was the former, then it would truly be a blessing for Amendolara. Thinking of this, Davos said with emotion, "These slaves are truly fortunate to have you as their master!"
Kounogoratas immediately responded, "Amendolara is fortunate to have you as its ruler, bringing about unprecedented changes!"
"We have no choice but to change!" Davos said without modesty, his words firm, "In this chaotic world, not changing means destruction, changing means survival!"
After hearing this, Kounogoratas pondered the words in silence. As he walked to the foot of Mount Amendolara, he saw the Lucanian slaves working busily on the construction site. Kounogoratas stopped and stared at them with a complex expression for a long time, saying in surprise, "It's unbelievable that these Lucanians are so obedient! There must be over a thousand people here, and there are not many soldiers guarding them, yet they are working so seriously and diligently!"
"Because the city-state has not cut off their path to survival because of the crimes they committed, but has given them hope!" Davos said meaningfully.
"Hope?!"
"Why must the Greeks and Lucanians kill each other to the death?! Why can't they live together peacefully in one city-state?!" Because he saw some encouraging changes in Kounogoratas, Davos decided to reveal something in advance.
Davos's words resounded in Kounogoratas's heart. He suddenly looked at Davos, his face filled with disbelief.
"Other city-states believe that land is the greatest wealth, so they are unwilling to accept foreigners and free people, unwilling to share the benefits and wealth of the city-state with them. I, however, believe the opposite. I believe that 'people' are the greatest wealth of a city-state! With people, we can grow grain, create works of art, and generate wealth! With people, we can build weapons, form armies, and defend the city-state! With enough people, we can obtain even more land!" Davos said firmly.
His words gave Kounogoratas an unprecedented shock. As intelligent as he was, he certainly knew how to obtain even more land. Clearly, Davos was subtly telling him the source of the "allotments" for the new citizens, and therefore he remained silent…
However, Kounogoratas' eldest son, Sostratos, seeing the nearly completed warehouses and inns on the construction site, asked, "I heard that you are preparing to attract merchants from Thurii and foreign merchants to store goods and stay here. Are these the warehouses and inns being built?"
"Yes."
"I see that quite a few warehouses and inns are being built here. Is the city-state planning to manage these personally?" Sostratos asked again.
Melchis, understanding his meaning, immediately said, "Of course not! The city-state does not have that many public officials. Everyone has their own affairs. We plan to publicly auction them off for rent."
"Auction" was a new word, but the excellent merchant genes of the Greeks allowed Sostratos to quickly understand what was going on. He asked, "Can we participate?"
"You are very welcome!" Melchis replied happily.
… … … … … … … … … … …
Although the whole family was busy moving and arranging the house for most of the day, they were all relatively tired. However, Kounogoratas woke up early the next morning. Waking up early was a habit he had developed over many years. A slave helped him dress and get out of bed. He decided to be supported by the slave to go out for a walk before returning for breakfast.
Kounogoratas' house was at the foot of Mount Amendolara. After the new citizens were allocated housing, there were still many empty houses here, showing how much damage the previous war had done to Amendolara. Only when Kounogoratas was deeply involved could he understand why the original people of Amendolara were so angry with Thurii.
Most of these empty houses were rented to free people at low prices, so as soon as Kounogoratas went out, he could see groups of free people rushing to work. Their faces were filled with vitality and passion that the free people of Thurii did not have. They would even greet Kounogoratas, a stranger, in a strange accent of Greek.
Kounogoratas knew the reason why they were so passionate about life. They had been transformed from slaves to free people, and their employers had also paid the so-called "prospective citizen tax" to the city-state for them. As long as they obeyed the law and worked hard, they could become prospective citizens of the city-state in two years.
It was already June, and the weather was starting to get hot. However, Amendolara was relatively cool because it was built on a mountain, and the sea breeze and mountain breeze alternated, blowing through the small city.
Kounogoratas walked uphill along the road, and he could occasionally encounter citizens going downhill. They were all going to work in the fields. Whether they were old citizens or new citizens, they greeted each other and laughed, appearing very harmonious. The slaves who followed them also seemed very energetic, probably because the stories of those mercenary slaves becoming citizens had given them hope.
What really surprised Kounogoratas was that there were also women accompanying them. Listening to their conversations, they were the wives of citizens, not the women of free people (in order to make a living, the wives of free people often came out to work to earn money to supplement the family, such as setting up stalls, restaurant employees, etc.). They were even prepared to accompany their husbands to work in the fields. Recalling that his son had mentioned some strange things he had seen in the city yesterday afternoon, and looking at the women's appearance, they were indeed Lucanian women. If it were a traditional and conservative foreigner, they would have been surprised, but Kounogoratas, who had been in politics for many years, first thought of the significance of this phenomenon to the city-state. Obviously, Davos was not just talking; he was trying to assimilate the Lucanians in various ways.
This young man has extraordinary ambition! Under his leadership, the small city of Amendolara is so strange and unique, yet it has been rejuvenated and full of vitality in such a short period of time! Kounogoratas' interest grew even stronger. He found that many people were going downhill, but there were also many people going uphill, including many children. When he asked, he learned that disciples of the Pythagorean school were giving free mathematics lessons in the square.
There are actually Pythagoreans here! Kounogoratas was surprised and suddenly remembered the scene of their first meeting, instantly understanding: This must be Achytas' doing! The Pythagorean school opposes democracy and supports aristocratic politics. Can Davos tolerate this?!
But Kounogoratas thought again: Davos is the lifelong Archon, so how could Amendolara be a democracy!
Arriving at the square, there were already some people gathered around the platform in front. A young man was teaching basic mathematics on the platform.
This young man was Mentotikeles. Initially, he and Matikoles had received a promise from Davos and were prepared to make a big splash, recruiting many apprentices. However, they strictly followed the traditional requirements of the Pythagorean school: disciples must have a certain foundation in mathematics, so they had to be tested.
But when they excitedly inquired from house to house, they were rejected. First of all, most of the new citizens had low levels of education. Now that they had just been allocated land and houses, they were busy managing everything. Where would they find the time to test and study? A few who wanted to study thought they would prepare to participate in public office in the future, but when they heard that they had to pass the test first, they immediately felt overwhelmed. Although the old citizens were more educated than the new citizens, they were busy burying their relatives on the one hand, and on the other hand, the Pythagorean school had a bad reputation in Greater Greece. Rumors of secret societies, worship of Chaos Gods (they worshiped "numbers" as gods), opposition to the city-state, etc., had long spread throughout the city-states. Of course, they were not welcome.
After being busy for several days, they had not recruited a single disciple. The two were greatly discouraged and wandered around the city-state all day. They inadvertently discovered the Hades numerals (actually Arabic numerals) that Davos taught Melchis to facilitate accounting. It should be known that Greek scholars who studied mathematics in this era had a very headache problem. Because the Greek letters representing numbers were cumbersome to write, it was difficult to write once the number exceeded ten thousand. This brought great trouble to scholars in performing formula calculations. However, the Hades numerals were simple, easy to learn, and easy to remember, but they easily solved the most troublesome problem in the mathematics world. They would definitely improve the efficiency of mathematical research. The most important thing was that mathematics would be more easily popularized among the people. (Historically, the person who solved this problem for the Greeks was Archimedes, who pioneered the method of recording large numbers.)
Thinking of these things, the two were overjoyed. However, Melchis refused their request to teach them the secret of how to use these symbols, saying: "This was taught by Lord Davos. It is said to be a gift from the King of the Underworld. You must obtain his consent before you can learn it!"
The two had no choice but to come to Davos again. Originally, they thought this would be more difficult. However, Davos immediately expressed his agreement. He said: "Mathematics comes from daily life. Of course, I hope that everyone can learn it so that they can apply it to their lives, so that they can solve the problems they encounter in life, and so that they can provide convenience for their lives. This is the true meaning of learning knowledge!"
Davos' words greatly touched the two young men.
Therefore, Davos proposed a suggestion: ask them to open a free public lecture on mathematics in the square to teach the basics of mathematics to the city-state citizens who are willing to learn. The Senate is willing to endorse them and encourage the people to actively participate. In this way, over time, they can cultivate a large number of mathematics enthusiasts for the Pythagorean school, and naturally the Pythagorean school will be able to take root in Amendolara.
The two young and energetic disciples were unwilling to accomplish nothing and return to Taras in disgrace. After thinking it over again and again, they finally decided to break the tradition of the Pythagorean school and conduct public lectures.
After obtaining the consent of the two, Davos was overjoyed and immediately invited the two to participate in the design and manufacture of the waterwheel.
In his previous life, Davos often saw waterwheels all over the water towns of southern world. It seemed to be a very easy thing to manufacture, but after Davos asked the construction supervisor Alexios to try to make it with the carpenters, he found that it was not easy: either the support frame collapsed due to uneven stress, or the axle angle of the rotating wheel was inconsistent, resulting in unsmooth rotation… and so on. The small waterwheel actually involved relatively precise mathematical calculations and the application of mechanics, and mathematicians of this era were often proficient in physics, because the connection between the two was very close, so Davos had to ask the two young Pythagorean disciples for help.
When he took out the simple drawing of the waterwheel and explained its purpose, the two were immediately attracted. After careful observation, they believed that this was a perfect embodiment of the "God of Mathematics" helping humans to live better (completely ignoring that this was originally Davos' idea). In addition, under the leadership of Archytas, the Pythagorean school of Taras had already begun to study mathematical mechanics for several years, which could be put to practical use. The two immediately expressed their willingness to fully assist in the development of the waterwheel.
Today, while Mentotikeles was lecturing on the platform, Matikoles had already begun to build the waterwheel on the banks of the Sinni River. Although Mentotikeles was a little anxious in his heart, he still tried his best to stabilize his emotions, complete the lecture with quality and quantity, and patiently answer the enthusiastic questions from the people before rushing down the mountain…
In a narrow section of the Sinni River, the rushing river water pushed the huge waterwheel axle to slowly rotate. When the water bucket filled with river water rotated to the center above the waterwheel, it flipped downwards and poured the water into the wooden trough. Then, the wooden trough introduced the river water into the aqueduct. The large and small, winding aqueducts introduced the cool and clear Sinni River water into the higher-lying fields…