"Uh… it will definitely be very popular!" Andrea covered her mouth apologetically with her hand, swallowed the delicious mutton, and praised sincerely. At the same time, she also offered her opinion: "However, the making of this food requires someone to constantly add firewood to keep heating it, which is quite troublesome."
"Andrea, you're right. Therefore, eating such a table of hot beef and mutton requires dedicated personnel to serve, and our charges will be more expensive. Moreover, it's not just hot beef and mutton, it can also be used to cook other things." Christoia explained, while signaling to the slave standing beside her.
The slaves immediately brought up sliced beef tripe, sheep blood vessels, seaweed, etc. After everyone cooked and tasted them, they also thought the taste was very good.
At this time, Davos said to Wespa and Bagule: "You see, after slaughtering a sheep, the fur can be made into clothes to keep out the cold, the bones can be used to make soup, the meat can be eaten, the intestines can be made into sausages and other uses, and other internal organs can be made into delicious dishes… Almost the entire body of cattle and sheep can be sold for money. With our full promotion, the Greeks will gradually like to eat beef and mutton (Greeks and Romans mainly eat grains), and the Lucanians are best at grazing. In the future, Lucanian livestock will be welcomed by the citizens of the Thurian League, and the lives of the Lucanians will be better…"
Wespa and Bagule didn't expect Davos to extend this meal to the lives of the Lucanians. They were both surprised and touched that an executive officer of a Greek city-state would consider how to make the Lucanians live better. For a moment, they didn't know what to say.
At this time, Davos raised his glass: "Come, let us continue drinking!"
… … … … … … … …
Eating novel and delicious dishes, drinking novel beer, and with two beautiful women to liven up the atmosphere, this banquet was naturally very pleasant for Wespa and the others.
After they had their fill of food and drink, three men remained in the living room.
Wespa, emboldened by the alcohol, asked directly: "Lord Governor, what did you mean when you said I could still be the leader of the tribe?"
"After you have completed your corvée labor and become citizens of the Thurian League, I will invite you to become a member of the Senate, to make suggestions for the Lucanians living in the Thurian League and to protect their interests. Isn't this equivalent to the leader of the tribe?!" Davos explained.
Wespa was somewhat tempted after hearing this. During the nearly half a year he was a prisoner in Amendolara, he understood that Davos sincerely wanted to keep the Lucanians, otherwise he would not have tried to reduce the corvée labor period for the Lucanians. Most of the young people in the tribe also wanted to become citizens of the Thurian League and enjoy the prosperous life that they could not even dream of in the mountains, but as the leader of the tribe, he had some concerns.
Now Davos had given him a promise.
So, Wespa continued to speak under the influence of alcohol, and there was no restraint: "If you want my tribesmen to become your citizens, according to your regulations, I'm afraid it will be four or five years later, which is too long!" Wespa said with some dissatisfaction, after all, he was not young anymore.
"According to the 'Thurian League Immigration Law', this is indeed the case. After you have completed your corvée labor, applied to become probationary citizens, and then become formal citizens, it will indeed take four or five years. But now there is a special mission. If your tribe can participate, then after the mission is completed, I will apply to the Senate to convert all the men of your tribe into formal citizens of Thurii. Not only can you become a Senator, but I also want to recommend Bagule to become a member of the Senate!" Davos's words were astonishing.
Bagule's expression also became excited when he heard this.
Wespa was of course also excited, but after all, he was much more experienced than Bagule. Davos could give them such favorable conditions, indicating that this mission was not simple: "What is the mission?" he asked somewhat cautiously.
Davos looked at the two of them and said emphatically: "Avino Gis, the leader of Laos, has formed an alliance with the Thurian League and is preparing to help us recapture Nuceria."
These words shocked both of them, and then they fell into silence: the Thurian League was preparing to declare war on the Lucanians! It was no problem for Wespa and Bagule to help the Thurian League fight the Greeks. But asking them to turn their knives against their own race was somewhat emotionally difficult, although the Lucanian tribes often fought each other, and tragedies of slaughtering and exterminating tribes were not uncommon.
Seeing that they were just silent and did not object, Davos could guess what they were worried about, so he went on to say: "In the future, the Lucanians under the rule of the Thurian League will be like the Greeks. Not only will they enjoy the rights and obligations of League citizens, but you can also continue to maintain your own cultural traditions and customs. The League will not only not interfere, but will also protect them!"
Wespa was touched when he heard this, and hurriedly asked: "Can we continue to worship the gods we respect?!"
"Not only can you continue to worship, you can also build altars and temples for your gods. I heard that you Lucanians have an important festival, what is it called… um… Bull Festival?"
"Bullfighting Festival (a celebration where two bulls fight each other, used to celebrate and bless the prosperity of livestock)." Bagule interjected.
"After joining the Thurian League, you can continue to hold it! Make it even grander and let us Greeks participate too!" Davos said with great interest.
"Lord Governor, are all these things you said true?" Wespa was moved.
"I can swear to Hades!" Davos spread his hands, palms facing the sky, and said with a solemn expression.
Wespa and Bagule were finally convinced by Davos's mind. Since the Lucanians' culture, customs, and religion would not be changed, it was equivalent to replacing the great chief who ruled the Lucanian tribes with the Thurian League Senate and Davos, and if Lucania could be unified, it could also reduce conflicts and killings, giving the Lucanians peace!
Wespa found a justifiable reason for his compromise, so after he and Bagule discussed it briefly, they immediately stated that they were willing to join the Thurian League army and participate in the military operation to capture Nuceria.
… … … … … … … … …
The next day, the Thurian League held another emergency Senate meeting.
Because the Thurii Senate Chamber had not yet been repaired, the meeting was held in the same place as the previous one, and was changed to Amendolara City for secrecy. Therefore, early in the morning, Solikos and other coachmen pulled these noble senators to Amendolara City.
There were two items on the agenda for this meeting: First, Asistes brought back the covenant personally signed by Avino Gis, and the war against Lucania was about to begin, which made all the senators excited; and the other item was mainly to make the Wespa tribe collectively become citizens of the Thurian League.
Although according to the "Immigration Law", many foreigners had become citizens or probationary citizens before, the most typical example was Mali Gi, who was sitting in the venue, but letting such a large number of Lucanians, who had brought huge harm to both Thurii and Amendolara, become citizens of the Thurian League was unacceptable to many senators (especially the Thurii senators).
Many people expressed their opposition, among which Polyksis's words were the most unpleasant. He protested loudly: "Lord Governor's approach is seriously hurting the feelings of the people of Amendolara and Thurii. He wants to turn the civilized city of the Greeks into a barbaric and dirty mountain village of the Lucanians, and let the people who have just survived the Lucanian War become their slaves again!"
Even Skomburas and Stromboli, who had begun to gradually accept and support Davos, joined the ranks of opposition.
Antonios, Capus, Alexis and others stood up one after another to support Davos's decision, believing that the Lucanians, like the Greeks, loved life, were civilized and polite, and had also built avenues to help the Thurian League defeat the Crotonians. They sincerely wanted to serve the League!
Polyksis immediately retorted: "This is just a trick of the cunning Lucanians to gain freedom. In short, you outsiders cannot understand our pain at all!"
Polyksis's words angered the senators of the former mercenary army, and the debate in the venue became fierce, even to the point of mutual scolding.
The rotating chairman Raphias rang the bronze bell several times, trying to stop the quarrel, but no one paid attention.
Davos had no choice but to stand up and shout: "Please be quiet! Otherwise, please leave!"
The venue quickly returned to silence. Polyksis wanted to say something, but saw Davos's sharp eyes stabbing straight at him like knives, scaring him into immediately lowering his head.
Davos looked around at everyone and said loudly: "Since everyone believes that allying with Avino Gis and capturing Nuceria is of great benefit to stabilizing the western side of the League and preventing Lucanian invasion, then let us temporarily put aside emotions and other reasons and seriously consider this question: After capturing Nuceria, how will we govern it?"
Davos paused, and without waiting for others to answer, continued: "According to your views just now, if we want to stabilize Nuceria, we can only kill all the Lucanians in the city, or turn them all into slaves and move them to Thurii, and then immigrate our people there, right?"
This was the traditional practice of the Greek Great Colonization era, and the senators who opposed it before had no objection.
"First of all, Nuceria is a mountain city, and it is located in the mountains. There is not much arable land, and it can only rely on grazing. How many Greeks who love the sea are willing to move to a mountain city surrounded by mountains and with infertile land, I cannot determine. I believe you can give me an accurate answer."
Cunogolata, Cornelius and other wise senators stood by and watched. No one else stood up to answer.
Davos continued, "Then look at the north of Nium, which is entirely Lucanian territory, with several large towns, including Grumentum, Picxus, Potentia, and Galagusso. It is said that the total population is over a hundred thousand, several times our population. Although they are currently fighting among themselves, when the Greeks occupy their traditional territory and threaten their own safety, will they unite to oppose us? Even if we defeat them, they can simply retreat into the mountains, leaving us helpless. This will only make the Lucanians hate us even more. They know every mountain and every river there. They will change their tactics, secretly attacking our citizens who farm and graze, ambushing our supplies and caravans. Nium's output cannot support a large population. We are outnumbered there, and the Lucanians are numerous. We cannot conquer them; they will devour us. What should we do?"
Seeing that some people wanted to speak but hesitated, Davos sneered, "Some might say, 'Don't we still have Laos? They will help us!' Yes, Laos is our ally. But when we, as the leader of this alliance, repeatedly request military support and material assistance from them, it might be acceptable at first, but over time, do you think Laos will underestimate our strength and develop other intentions?! Don't forget that Avinogis is not a pure Greek, and has never cooperated with the Greeks before. We cannot pin our hopes on him always upholding the alliance!"
Davos paused for a moment, giving everyone time to think, and then continued, "Therefore, we can only continuously transport grain and increase soldiers to Nium from Thurii and Amendolara. Not to mention the difficult mountain roads, the war expenditure is enormous. Do you think it makes sense to continuously invest and deplete the valuable manpower and resources of the Thurii Alliance in a city that yields no benefits?! Moreover, we have a powerful Croton nearby, ready for revenge at any time!"
"Then why are we attacking Nium and provoking the Lucanians?" Bulkos began to shrink back after hearing Davos's words.
"Everyone here should remember that the Lucanians have invaded Thurii many times, right? Although they suffered a defeat this time, they are, after all, numerous. If we don't attack and weaken them, they will definitely invade us again once they recover their strength. Of course, we hope to keep them outside the alliance's territory, rather than letting the flames of war burn on our own land, destroying our painstakingly cultivated farmland and houses!" Alexius stood up and replied.
"Can the Lucanians help us stabilize Nium and solve the difficulties that the consul mentioned?" At this time, Scombros stood up and asked.
A faint smile appeared on the corner of Davos's mouth: "First of all, Vespas and the others are Lucanians. After defeating Nium, it will help us stabilize the emotions of the residents in the city. There are also rich and poor among the Lucanians. We must arrest those stubborn rich people and warriors and turn them into slaves, distribute the captured cattle and sheep to the poor, and let a mixed team of Greeks and Lucanians be responsible for managing the entire city.
At the same time, there are also powerful and weak tribes in the Lucanian tribal alliance. Some tribes, like Vespas and the others, are unwilling to join the city-states but are forced to wander around due to the war, making it difficult to survive. We can set up markets on the border of Nium, using our pottery, iron products, and other goods to attract those poor small tribes to exchange for cattle, sheep, furs, game, and so on. If necessary, we can also provide them with appropriate assistance. Over time, they will be happy to be close to us. In this way, we not only promote our trade and solve the food problem for the garrisoned soldiers, but also weaken the strength of the Lucanians.
You must be asking me, why would the Lucanians trust us Greeks and be willing to approach us?" Davos said loudly, "Because Vespas and Bagules are there, participating in the management of every affair. In the eyes of the Lucanians, Bagules and the others still worship the Lucanian gods, maintain the traditional customs of the Lucanians, and are still true Lucanians! But they are citizens of the Thurii Alliance, wearing gorgeous clothes, drinking fine wine, and living in comfortable houses… Their way of life will inevitably arouse the envy of the Lucanians and ultimately lead other Lucanians to join our alliance!"
"But if we send Bagules and the other Lucanians, who have only been in the alliance for half a year, back to their familiar land, what if they betray us?" Strongbros asked.
"If we grant them citizenship, grant Vespas and Bagules the qualifications of senators in the Senate, we will treat them as our own people, let them live in a civilization that the Lucanians can never reach, this is the brilliant culture created by our ancestors through generations of hard work and wisdom! I firmly believe that they will be assimilated by us, rather than us being assimilated by their ignorance and backwardness! Of course, there is also a small possibility of betrayal, but I think this risk is worth taking! Because if we fail, we will only lose more than a thousand slaves and postpone the plan to attack Lucania; but if we succeed, we will gain the vast land of Lucania and the population of over a hundred thousand Lucanians. With these, will we still worry about Croton?! No, Croton is just a small stone on the road ahead of our alliance, we can easily kick it away, and what awaits us will be a wider world!"
Davos's final passionate speech made the elders' hearts surge, and they began to discuss excitedly in whispers.
Davos announced a temporary adjournment.
Then, he found Cunogolata and Cornelius, the two city administrators, hoping they would take the lead in supporting his proposal.
"I have carefully listened to your plan to stabilize Nium by involving Vespas and the group of Lucanians, and I think it is worth a try," Cornelius said approvingly, setting aside his personal feelings.
"Lord Davos, are the situations you mentioned earlier really that dangerous and difficult without the help of Vespas and the other Lucanians?" Cunogolata asked back with slight suspicion.
"Always think of the worst-case scenario to strive for the best outcome," Davos replied.
Cunogolata thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.
At the reconvened meeting, under the guidance of Cunogolata and Cornelius, most of the Senate elders expressed their agreement, and Davos's proposal was passed: Bagules would lead nearly a thousand Lucanian warriors to join the army, and after capturing Nium, all of them would immediately obtain alliance citizenship, and Vespas and Bagules would enter the Senate.
Despite the lamentations of a few elders, led by Polyxis, that this was an unprecedented shame for the Greek city-state! That the sacred council hall would be tainted by the dirty breath of the natives!
But most of the elders ignored their mutterings and were still looking forward to the huge benefits that Lucania would soon bring…
… … … … … … … …
As soon as Philisius stepped into his house, he heard a very lively noise in the courtyard.
Originally, Philisius's wife, Delia, planned to plant some apple and fig trees in the atrium of the courtyard allocated to Philisius. Philisius had no objection, but his adopted son, Melisander, objected: he wanted to transform the atrium into a training ground so that he could exercise his body and train his fighting skills at any time. In the end, his wife, who loved her son, agreed.
As soon as he heard this kind of sound, Philisius knew that Melisander was looking for someone to practice with again.
He followed the corridor forward and only saw clearly when he got closer that Melisander's opponent was his good friend Alcinus. The fact that this young man from Amendolara could appear here was obviously because of the expedition tomorrow.
Philisius remembered the appointment that Davos had given him today, and he couldn't help but feel nervous again. He never expected that Davos would let him serve as the commander of this expedition to Nium. He had to know that from being a mercenary until now, he could count on one hand the number of times he had commanded a battle alone, and he felt even more pressure under Davos's dazzling halo.
He leaned against the pillars of the corridor, thinking about his worries while watching the two young men fighting in the arena with wandering eyes.
"You're back!" His wife Delia's gentle voice sounded behind him: "This is the barley water I just brewed today, with some dates added, it should be sweeter, you can quench your thirst first."
Philisius held the warm barley water (because it was almost early winter), Delia said with a smile: "For dinner today, I made your favorite baked cod, and also stewed lamb, cooked barley porridge, and bread… Because Alcinus will be staying at home tonight, so dinner is more abundant than usual."
Philisius took a sip of the barley water and said, "It's rare for our family to have a guest, it's good to be lively."
Delia was busy going to the kitchen to make dinner, and at the same time directed the female slaves to set the table. Philisius watched her busy back, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart that his choice was the right one: although Delia was a little older, she was a hardworking and virtuous Greek woman who arranged the affairs of the family in an orderly manner.
The training in the arena finally ended, and Melisander still said unconvinced: "Alcinus, you only defeated me because you are two years older than me and stronger than me. When I come of age, I will no longer lose to you!"
"When you come of age, I don't know how many real battles I will have participated in!" Alcinus retorted without showing weakness. He turned around and saw Philisius outside the atrium, and quickly shouted respectfully: "Lord Philisius!"
Arcesinius saw Philius outside the courtyard and hurriedly called out respectfully, "Lord Philius!"
"This is at home; just call me Uncle!" Philius said kindly.
"Uncle Philius!" Arcesinius called out obediently.
"Father," Melissander said softly. Compared to before, he could now say "Father," but he was still a little unaccustomed to it.
Philius didn't mind these things. He comforted Melissander, "Child, I just watched your fight with Arcesinius. Your strength and speed are already no less than your good friend's. It's just that you still lack experience, especially battlefield experience. You'll understand once you go to the battlefield a few times."
"But I have to be eighteen years old to go to the battlefield! Father, why don't you talk to Lord Davos again—" Melissander said eagerly.
"Haven't you already tried several times! Lord Davos values military law extremely highly and won't set a precedent for you," Philius said solemnly.
Melissander slammed his fist against the pillar in frustration.
Philius ignored him and turned to ask Arcesinius, "You're going to war tomorrow. Are you ready?"
"Uncle, I can't wait to defeat the Lucanians under Lord Davos's command and occupy their towns!" Arcesinius said excitedly.
Philius looked at him with a smile that wasn't quite a smile and said, "Tomorrow, Lord Davos will not lead the army to war. He will stay in Thurii to handle alliance affairs and guard against the Crotoniates!"
"Then who will lead us to attack Nuceria tomorrow?" Arcesinius asked anxiously.
Philius smiled.
"Uncle, is it you?!" Arcesinius exclaimed.
"Is it true?! Father, have you become the army commander?!" Melissander looked surprised, and that "Father" was shouted so loudly.
At that moment, Philius was filled with pride, and the tension in his heart was swept away: He would win a victory and make his children proud of him!
… … … … … … … …
On the third day, just as dawn was breaking, while most of the alliance's citizens were still asleep, the Second, Third, and Seventh Battalions, along with the Lucanian Battalion, totaling about four thousand men, were ready to depart outside the north gate of Thurii.
Davos, as the founder of this army, was not personally commanding the battle for the first time, and the soldiers would also be fighting without Davos's command for the first time. Both sides were somewhat uneasy. Therefore, Davos rode his horse to review all the departing soldiers. Every time he passed a detachment, he would scan the soldiers with a trusting gaze, telling them: "Brothers, I await news of your victory! When you return, the triumphal arch of Thurii should already be built. I will hold a triumphal ceremony for you, so that all the citizens of the alliance will be proud of you!"
Because there were prior regulations, the departing soldiers were not allowed to cheer loudly, but their morale was high, and their fighting spirit had been ignited.
The officers of the First Battalion also came to see them off. Their way of seeing them off was different from Davos's. They made all kinds of jokes with the departing officers, such as Droxus, Sexta, Hieronymus, Epitenes, and others, saying roughly: "If it weren't for our First Battalion shouldering the important task of defending the alliance, how could it be your turn to occupy Nuceria! I heard that you will also be holding a triumphal ceremony! Damn it, you are really lucky. If you don't fight this battle well, you will be sorry for the legion commander's care for you and also sorry for the First Battalion's concession! You might as well not come back!" The words revealed a strong sense of jealousy, but they also aroused the competitive spirit of the officers such as Droxus, Hieronymus, and Epitenes.
Finally, Davos came to the front of the Lucanian Battalion. He didn't say much. First, he solemnly gave a military salute, and then he said loudly: "Congratulations, Lucanian brothers! You are about to become citizens of the Thurian League. From today on, we are one family!"
For several months, the Lucanian warriors had often played rugby games with the alliance soldiers. In the later stages, Davos even allowed them to stop building roads during training days and participate in military training, so they could give a unified alliance military salute.
Seeing this scene, Davos was very happy. He took a new military flag from the hands of the captain of the guard, Martius, and then raised it high, showing it to the Lucanian warriors: This was a beautiful battalion flag, also with a bronze statue of the god of the underworld and a bright red flag, but the words embroidered on it were different. A red star below represented that the team had participated in the battle with Croton and won.
Most of the Lucanian soldiers had begun to learn to speak Greek, but they could not read Greek characters, but this military flag, which belonged to them, was no different from other military flags, which made them happy. But Bagulus saw the words on the flag clearly: First Legion, Fourth Battalion!
We really are one family! Bagulus excitedly took the military flag and said, "Legion commander, rest assured that the Fourth Battalion will successfully complete the mission and guide the Lucanians to join our alliance!"
"Good!" Davos turned his full expectations into a fist and hammered him heavily in the chest…
Withdrawing from the team, Davos came to Philius, the commander of this military operation: "Everything depends on you!"
Philius suppressed the tension in his heart and responded with a forceful military salute: "Legion commander, rest assured!"
"Let's go!" Davos nodded.
Under the guidance of the Hades Legion flag, the team quietly headed west…
Davos stared at the long dragon-like winding team, standing for a long time…
Some reserve citizens and slaves who got up early to cultivate farmland in the western part of Thurii were so surprised that they forgot to work when they saw the alliance army advancing on the road next to the fields.
Of course, the Thurian League's military operations could not escape the eyes of those who were interested.
Because Croton had suffered a great loss in the last ambush by Amendolara, in order to grasp the movements of the Thurian League, they sent several landless citizens to infiltrate the port of Thurii as free people to collect intelligence, and Thratrus was one of them.
Because the elders of the Thurian League frequently went to Amendolara for meetings in the past two days, it attracted his attention. He intuitively felt that something big was happening in the Thurian League, so he paid close attention to the city of Thurii. It just so happened that today he discovered that the Thurian army was dispatched. He squatted in the grass and determined the approximate number of the army before pretending to be leisurely and slowly walking towards the port.
What he didn't know was that not far behind him, someone was also keeping an eye on him. Of course, he wouldn't know that his unauthorized actions, attempting to alienate the relationship between the Thurians, Amendolarans, and former mercenaries in the Thurian League, aroused Davos's vigilance, thereby exposing himself.
"Brother, this person is collecting important information about our alliance again. We should go forward and arrest him immediately to prevent the news of our sending troops to fight from being leaked!"
"No, brother, Asistes once told us, 'Don't disturb them first'. We should go and tell Asistes first."
When the two of them hurried back to the city and came to Asistes's residence, they were told by the slave who opened the door: Asistes was not there. He was once again in the departing team as the adjutant of the Fourth Battalion.
The two of them were stunned for a while: The person in charge of them was not there, what should they do?
At this time, Asistes's slave asked: "Is there anyone among you named Aristilas?"
"I am," one of them replied.
The slave looked at him curiously and then said: "The goddess of fate is blessing you! The master asked you to go directly to see Lord Davos if you have anything!"
The two of them were very excited when they heard this. Without hesitation, they came to Davos's mansion and were easily received by Davos.
After listening to the two people's reports, Davos was not surprised. Instead, he looked at the two people with interest: The short one seemed a little nervous and a little anxious, while the tall and thin one was much calmer. Davos was looking at him, and he was also watching Davos.
"Do you know why I didn't arrest this Crotonian spy?" Davos suddenly asked.
The short one didn't know what to say, but the tall and thin one calmly said: "I believe that the lord must have his own plan. This spy may play a certain role, and the lord is not afraid of Croton knowing that we are sending troops!"
Davos's eyes lit up, and he looked at him and said, "Are you called Aristilas?"
"Yes, my lord," the tall and thin one nodded.
Davos turned to the other person again: "Are you called Antrapolis?"
"Yes! Yes! Antrapolis is me!" the short one replied excitedly.
"Thank you very much for your efforts for the city-state! Asistes once introduced you to me in detail. He said, 'You are brothers, from Catania in Sicily, and you have now applied to become reserve citizens of the Thurian League…', Asistes also specially mentioned you, Aristilas, saying that you used your wisdom to quickly find this Crotonian spy, which is very good!" Davos praised.
Hearing the praise from Davos, the lifelong ruler, military genius, and "favored one of the gods" of the Thurian League, the calm Aristilas also showed a hint of smugness.
"Have you received a good education?" Davos asked again.
"Yes. Our family was relatively wealthy in Catania. When we were young, our parents hired tutors for us…" Aristilas's calm words were mixed with a bit of pain.
"The evil Dionysius not only occupied Catania, but also turned most of the people who did not escape into slaves, and forcibly moved a small number to Syracuse, allowing the robbers of Syracuse to occupy our land!…" Antrapolis said angrily.
"Alas, Sicily is now a volcano about to erupt!" Davos sighed, remembering the information he had learned these days. Then he changed the subject: "Do you think this Crotonian was sent to collect intelligence, but he exposed himself by trying to spread rumors, is he a bit stupid?"
"Of course," Antar Polis replied quickly, "otherwise we wouldn't have found him so easily."
Aristilas pondered the meaning of Davos' words.
Davos glanced at him and said seriously, "This Crotonian just didn't do well enough. A good scout can not only collect intelligence accurately and in a timely manner, and identify the authenticity of intelligence, but also create chaos within the enemy, sow discord, undermine unity, and destroy valuable facilities such as the enemy's city walls, shipyards, and armories during wartime, providing the greatest help for the city-state's frontal battles. They will be the secret soldiers of our Thurian League!"
Seeing them deep in thought, Davos said in a deep voice, "Aristilas, are you willing to be responsible for managing such an organization for me, collecting intelligence, and training such an excellent secret team to provide assistance to the League?"
The sudden invitation surprised them both.
Antar Polis excitedly nudged his brother with his elbow, while Aristilas was also a little excited, but he could still remain calm. He hesitated and said, "But Asistetes…"
Davos nodded secretly: "Asistetes has other important tasks to complete and will no longer be the head of this organization."
"I am willing to work for you, sir!" Aristilas replied decisively.
......…
Half a day later, Milon, the chief general of Croton, received intelligence from a scout: "In the morning, an army of about 4,000 men from the Thurian League left the city of Thurii and marched west."
Milon fell into deep thought: Given the location of Thurii, there is only one force to the west—the Lucanians. Could it be that Thurii is going to war with the Lucanians again? Is it Laos or Niuetum?
Milon suddenly became a little excited: Although he didn't know much about the Lucanian region and rarely had contact with them because it was far from Croton and separated by several forces, it should be known that the Lucanians are a powerful indigenous force that even the wealthy and powerful Greek city-state alliance in the north—the Campania League—dare not provoke! The Thurian League has only defeated a Lucanian coalition once before, so does it delusionally want to create another miracle of winning more with less with 4,000 people? Even if they succeed, are they not afraid of triggering another war with the entire Lucanian people? Can the Thurian League, which is still under reconstruction, support such continuous consumption? Perhaps that young governor was overwhelmed by the previous victory?!…
Several thoughts flashed through Milon's mind, giving him a sense of watching a good show: Perhaps before the expiration of the peace treaty, Croton will declare war again, and the Lucanians will set foot on the land of Thurii again. Croton should make plans in this regard…
......
At the same time that Milon received the intelligence, the Thurian League's troops had arrived at the entrance of the pass leading to Lucania. Here, the League had set up a simple sentry post, with three sentries stationed in rotation every day. If they discovered any situation, they would immediately light the beacon and notify Thurii to prepare for battle.
Izam's forest reconnaissance team had already spread out in advance to scout the pass for any abnormalities.
The main force began to enter the mountain road.
The narrowest part of the mountain road can only accommodate four people walking side by side, with steep mountains and towering trees on both sides. The mountain road is not only narrow but also rugged, all uphill, with gravel all over the ground. One can easily slip and get scratched all over…
A soldier's joke once circulated throughout the army: If the enemy pushes a large round stone down from the front, it will roll along the mountain road until it destroys the entire expeditionary Thurian League…
The autumn weather in Magna Graecia in October is still relatively hot. Snakes and insects are still active in the mountains, and wolves can still be seen from time to time in the mountains. The soldiers carried nearly fifty pounds of food, weapons, and equipment, and trudged through the mountain road, each sweating profusely and quite tired, but no one dared to fall behind, because once they fell behind, they would likely fall and get injured or be attacked by wild animals without help.
At night, they could not build camps according to military regulations and could only sleep in the mountain road, but standing guard was a must. Listening to the howls of various wild animals in the mountains and watching the green light flashing in the darkness, even the sentries couldn't help but feel frightened even though countless teammates were lying beside them.
For the resting soldiers, the biggest difficulty of spending the night in the mountains was the weather. The temperature in the mountains at the end of autumn suddenly turned cold. Although the soldiers were prepared and brought sheepskins to wrap themselves in, and bonfires were lit in the center of the soldiers every ten meters, it was still a bit cold… When they woke up in the morning, some soldiers would scream because there was something extra beside them: lynx, hedgehogs, badgers, and the most terrible were poisonous snakes… Several soldiers were bitten as a result.
Most of the soldiers had only one thought in their minds: to get out of the pass as soon as possible and capture Niuetum!
After two nights, the team began to go downhill. Philicius, reminded by Bagule, knew that most of the mountain road had been traveled, so he ordered the troops to slow down.
Izam's team had already crossed the mountains and reached the exit of the mountain road. He asked most of his men to continue to monitor the surrounding movements and guard the expeditionary force, while he took advantage of the darkness to avoid the reconnaissance of the pass sentry post and rushed to Laos overnight to notify Avinogis.
.........
Tula, the chief leader of the city of Laos, has been in a good mood these days, because Avinogis finally agreed to move his clan to Niuetum, and he has been preparing for the move these days.
The next morning, he received a report from his men saying: "Avinogis is preparing to move his clan to Niuetum in batches. Now the first batch of pack trains has left the city and is heading to Niuetum."
Tula laughed loudly: "Avinogis, Avinogis! Aren't you usually a clever person?! How can you be so stupid at this time! If you all leave together, with a large number of people, Ram and the others would not dare to force the separation and annexation of your clan too much. If you leave in batches, wouldn't it be just right for them to devour you cleanly! But that's just as well, we won't have to worry about the Laos mongrels anymore!"
Thinking of the days of fear and grievance he had endured a few days ago because he was afraid that Avinogis would cause riots, Tula breathed a sigh of relief: The days of worrying are finally over!
Feeling much relaxed, he immediately asked his servants to bring the beautiful Greek female slave that his men had presented a few days ago and have a good time.
.........…
Arobomas led the pack train to the exit of the pass. There was originally no sentry post here, but last year the Thurii army invaded Laos. Although the Lucanians won a great victory in the end, it also made the Lucanians feel the need to set up a sentry post.
This exit is located between Laos and Niuetum. Since Laos is subordinate to Niuetum, this sentry post is managed by Niuetum. As a result, it has become a place for Niuetum warriors to extort merchants from Laos who go to Niuetum to trade.
In the morning, when the sentries saw the huge pack train coming from the south, their first thought was: to get more money, even if this pack train belonged to Avinogis, the famous leader of Laos.
Arobomas, who led the team, agreed to the sentries' unreasonable request for money. After leading the pack train into the sentry post, he suddenly launched an attack and easily solved the ten greedy Niuetum warriors.
Then, Izam, who was hiding in the pack train, immediately ran into the pass. An hour later, the Thurian League army immediately rushed out to meet with Arobomas. The Fourth Brigade (Lucanian Brigade) took off their armor and weapons, stuffed them into the carts, and then put on the tattered leather robes that had been prepared earlier and dispersed into the pack train, while the other three brigades trailed far behind.
When Arobomas saw Bagule walking up, he still looked a little dazed: "I heard Izam say that the Thurian League has an army composed of Lucanians, but I didn't expect there to be so many people!"
He said in Lucanian, and Bagule grinned and said in Greek, "Asinus bless our cooperation!"
"Oh… smooth…" Arobomas had not fully recovered when Bagule hugged him enthusiastically.
Tula's men, who were sent to follow this pack train to see if Arobomas entered Niuetum smoothly, were suspicious when they saw the pack train staying at the sentry post for a long time. When they saw countless Greeks in armor appear, they were stunned: "Avinogis has betrayed us, he has colluded with the Greeks!"
Like a frightened rabbit, he immediately returned to Laos.
But Avinogis, who knew Tula very well, had already prepared. Before Tula's men could rush back to Laos, Avinogis' personal soldiers, who were hiding on both sides of the road and monitoring abnormalities, rushed up and captured him.
......
Monet heard his men report: "Dust is flying in the south, I'm afraid a large army is coming!"
"That must be Avinogis bringing his clan!" he immediately judged.
These days, Avinogis sent people to say that they were preparing to move here, and he also sent his younger brother Arobomas to Niuetum many times to repeatedly confirm the place where their clan would live, the land for grazing and labor, and made many requests. Not only did the whole city know about it, but it also caused the leaders such as Ram a headache. However, since Avinogis is so serious, it is clear that he cannot resist the pressure from the two cities and is finally going to move.
In the end, the leaders of Niuetum discussed and decided: first agree to Avinogis' request, and once he enters the city of Niuetum, he will not be able to make the decisions. Now everyone is in urgent need of warriors and strong laborers, and they are all eyeing the big piece of fat that Avinogis' tribe is.
Monet went up to the wooden wall and soon saw a pack train appear in his field of vision: there were probably dozens of trailers, not many warriors, but many slaves. Under the threat of the warriors' whips and spears, some were carrying heavy objects and some were helping to push the carts… Behind the convoy were many old people and women, and some were even carrying children. On both sides of the convoy were flocks of sheep and cattle. The entire team was large and bloated. In the dust and fog, people shouted and sheep bleated, extremely noisy.
Soon, as the team reached the city, a man walked out of the ranks, came to the city gate, and shouted, "Open the gate! Open the gate!"
Mone recognized Arobrus, and he quickly poked his head out from behind the wooden wall: "Chief Arobrus, why don't I see Chief Avinus?"
"My brother is waiting for me to settle the old people, women, and children before he comes over easily."
Damn Laos mongrel, quite cautious! Mone cursed inwardly, then smiled and said, "Let your people camp outside first, and I will inform Grand Chief Ram."
"What?! Still want us to camp in the wild!!" Arobrus roared angrily: "We've been walking for most of the day, and the old people and children can't take it anymore! Let us in to rest!"
"Chief Arobrus, there are too many of you. If you all come in at once, it will disrupt the order of the city. Please wait a moment," Mone cursed in his heart, but patiently persuaded him.
"What?! We have too many people! Didn't you ask us to move here?! Now you No we have too many people! Fine! Fine! This is Nium's attitude towards us!" Arobrus cursed and then turned to shout to the others: "Go, let's go back!"
When Mone heard this, he panicked: The chiefs had worked so hard to get Avinus's tribe to move here. If they went back because of him, his good days would probably be over.
"Wait, Chief Arobrus! I will open the gate for you to enter immediately! However, please maintain order and don't be too chaotic!" Mone hurriedly shouted.
Arobrus immediately turned back, revealing a smile: "Okay, thank you for taking care of our tribe! I will give you five sheep as a thank you gift!"
Lucanian bribes were so direct that Mone completely lost his worries. He shouted, "Open the city gate!" At the same time, he instructed his men: "Immediately notify Grand Chief Ram and tell him that Arobrus has arrived with his people."
Then Mone himself led people to the city gate, preparing to receive the thank you gift from Arobrus.
Arobrus had people drive away the cattle and sheep to avoid blocking the city gate passage, and then really had people grab five sheep and send them to Mone.
Mone repeatedly expressed his gratitude.
"Captain, do you think we should slaughter one and let us have a good meal!" his subordinate said enviously.
"Don't worry, you won't be shortchanged! Help me take these sheep home first!" Mone kicked his subordinate and scolded.
Arobrus's carts, pushed and pulled by slaves,
one after another, passed through the city gate in an orderly manner and entered Nium, with slaves carrying baggage mixed in the convoy…
As Mone watched by the city gate, he felt something was wrong and subconsciously asked Arobrus: "Why do you have so many Lucanian slaves?"
Arobrus smiled strangely and drew his short sword to stab him directly.
The incident happened suddenly, and Mone had no time to dodge, watching helplessly as the cold tip of the sword pierced his chest.
"Do it!" Arobrus shouted while waving his short sword, slashing at the other guards beside Mone.
The "slaves" immediately threw away the heavy objects on their bodies and quickly pulled out weapons from the carts.
"Murder!"
"The Laos people are rebelling!"
… …
The Nium people, who were watching the excitement on the sidelines, screamed and fled in all directions when they saw this scene.
Bagules, at the front of the convoy, ordered Lizalu to lead some soldiers to kill up the wooden ladders on both sides, take out the few sentries on the city wall, and control the city gate. He and Asistestes quickly gathered the other warriors of the Fourth Brigade and, led by Arobrus, advanced forward.
The other brigades, having received the news of the attack, immediately marched towards Nium City.
… … … … … … …
Ram received a report from his subordinates: Avinus had already moved his people here first. He was overjoyed, but he did not dare to act arbitrarily and had to call the other chiefs to discuss how to divide Avinus's tribe. After all, his strength was the weakest among the chiefs. The reason why he was elected as the grand chief was more complicated.
After the death of the former Grand Chief Udler, the Nium chiefs almost fought each other for the position of Grand Chief. Seeing that a war was about to break out, Tula, the Grand Chief of Laos, sent an urgent message: Avinus was in danger of rebellion! The chiefs all knew the importance of the Laos team to Nium. Once Avinus succeeded in rebelling and occupying Laos, Nium would face the risk of food shortage. Moreover, Laos was a stone city, with thick walls and strong walls. With the troops in their hands, it would be difficult to capture Laos. They would have to ask for help from Grumetum, which was nearby. However, the situation between Grumetum and Piciss was also tense, and a war was about to break out. Nium could not be helped in the short term. In the face of the crisis and with the priests mediating, they finally reached an agreement. In order to balance, Ram, who was the weakest and did not participate in the competition for the position of Grand Chief from the beginning, was chosen as the Grand Chief, so that the new Grand Chief would have to rely on them.
When Grand Chief Ram finally waited for the late tribal chiefs to gather and prepare to start discussing, his subordinate rushed in in a panic: "It's not good, Grand Chief! It's not good! The enemy… the enemy has entered the city!"
The chiefs were so shocked that they all stood up.
"What's going on?! Where did the enemy come from?!" a chief asked anxiously.
"A… Arobrus has rebelled! He also brought in the Greeks!"
"What?!!" The panicked chiefs knocked over the tables and chairs and rushed out one by one.
"How many enemies are there?" Ram asked.
"There… there are enemies everywhere, countless! They… they have already killed over the Wolff settlement!"
The Wolff tribe was now the strongest tribe in the city, and it had already been captured! Ram slumped into the wooden chair, muttering to himself: "It's over… it's over…"
Under the swift and fierce offensive of the Tua Alliance brigades, the Nium warriors, who were a mess, were defeated and forced to retreat to the Sacred Forest—this was where the Nium priests worshiped the gods.
The Tua Alliance soldiers surrounded it. Under Bagules's reminder, Felixius did not order a strong attack, but began to recruit surrender.
"Abinu! Kesima! Uraza! Are you there?! I am Bagules! Abinu! Kesima! Uraza! Are you there?! I am Bagules!…" Bagules stood in front of the Sacred Forest and shouted loudly. After repeating it several times, someone finally responded from the city wall: "Bagules? Are you Bagules?! Are you still alive?!"
"The Mountain God Asinu blesses you! Not only am I alive, but I am living well! Lead your tribesmen to surrender, Kesima, including the other Lucanians! I guarantee you will not be harmed in any way!" Bagules's loud voice echoed in the silent Sacred Forest.
After a while, there was a sound of fighting and screams inside.
Felixius looked at Bagules, and Bagules nodded, signaling: It's okay.
Soon the Sacred Forest returned to silence, and then the gate opened, and a tall young man carefully walked out first, looking around.
"Kesima, I'm here!" Bagules strode forward to meet him.
"Bagules?!" Kesima exclaimed in surprise. In his eyes: Bagules was wearing Greek armor stained with blood, and his right hand was holding a delicate helmet with a purple tassel, looking majestic.
"You have become a Greek?!" Kesima hesitated and hugged Bagules.
"No, I am now a citizen of the Tua Alliance, but I am still a Lucanian!" Bagules released him and corrected him, then pointed to his side and said in Greek: "Come and meet my commander, Felixius!"
Obviously, Kesima understood Greek. He hesitated for a while and reluctantly came over to salute at Bagules's repeated urging.
"What's the situation inside?" Felixius asked bluntly.
"Ram and the others have been captured by us, we… are willing to surrender…" Kesima said in a low voice, intimidated by Felixius's fully armed aura.
"Then let them come out and surrender!" Felixius ordered.
Kesima cast a look of help at Bagules.
"Don't worry, tribes like you who were forced to join Nium will be fine. The tribes that were originally from this city will have to suffer a little!" Bagules promised them.
Kesima was relieved and then whistled sharply towards the Sacred Forest.
The gate opened again, and the Lucanians filed out…
… … … … … … …
The Tua Alliance successfully captured Nium with only slight casualties. After a midday rest, Felixius, at Arobrus's repeated request, left the Second and Fourth Brigades to stabilize the situation in Nium City, and then led the Third and Seventh Brigades south to assist Avinus in capturing Laos.
According to the new regulations of the "Public Office Law": The position of city magistrate can only be selected from the senators of the Senate. When Davos previously inquired about the candidates for the Nium magistrate, the senators of the former Thurii and Amendolara were still wary of the Lucanians, and no one was willing to take the position. Then they could only choose from the senators of the former mercenaries: Felixius, as the military officer of the Tua Alliance, must return to Thurii immediately after completing this battle, as there was still a lot of military work to be done; the First Brigade was stationed in Thurii; the Second Brigade Commander Drakos, the Third Brigade Commander Hieronimus, and the Seventh Brigade Commander Epithenius were not very interested in politics; the Fourth Brigade Commander Bagules had just become a citizen of the Alliance and was a Lucanian, so it was temporarily inappropriate to serve as the Nium magistrate… After counting, the First Company Commander Sesta of the Second Brigade was suitable.
Sesta himself was interested in administrative affairs and was humble and eager to learn. During his tenure as the deputy captain of the Amendolara fire brigade, he quickly became familiar with and mastered the fire-fighting work, and the fire captain Antikris even took the initiative to give way.
Therefore, Davos proposed: After capturing Nium, Sesta should take the position of Nium magistrate.
Sesta himself agreed and expressed his gratitude for Davos's recommendation. The other senators had no objections either. Perhaps the only one who disagreed was Anticlus in Amendolara, who had to continue serving the people as fire chief.
At the same time, Davos also appointed Assistus as Sesta's secretary to assist Sesta in handling the affairs of Nium and implementing policies targeting the Lucanians. In addition, he appointed Bagules as the special inspector of Nium to handle various disputes and conflicts within the city and coordinate the relationship between the Lucanians and the Greeks... and so on.
After seizing Nium, the first thing Sesta did was to screen the prisoners: the real Nium people who originally occupied the ruling position and their dependents and families were all imprisoned first, while the small tribes forced to join Nium were persuaded to surrender. He handed this task over to Bagules.
The second thing was to release the slaves. There were slaves in Nium, and quite a few, mainly from two sources: one was Greeks, who were looted by the Lucanians, and most of them were from Thurii, because Nium was close to Thurii and would harass them every year. Especially after defeating the Thurii army last year, the Lucanian allied forces went deep into the Sybaris Plain and captured many Thurii people; the second was Lucanians, mainly tribes defeated by the tribal coalition headed by Grumetum who were unwilling to submit to Nium. These Lucanian slaves were handed over to Bagules and Assistus to deal with.
These Greek slaves were summoned by Sesta outside the city gate. Looking at these Greeks who were once well-fed and clothed but now thin and emaciated, even the women were scantily clad, all with dull expressions... Sesta was deeply touched, and he said emotionally: "Greeks, you have suffered. Today, Hades has sent our Thuria League to rescue you and avenge you!"
After speaking, most of the slaves burst into tears.
Sesta gave an order, and the soldiers brought in nearly 700 prisoners, including Lamus, stripped naked. Then, spears and sabers were distributed to the Greek slaves, and he loudly said: "Anyone who has insulted you, you can take revenge!"
Assistus, seeing that the situation was not right, hurriedly stopped Sesta and said: "Your Excellency, you cannot do this, you are violating the orders of the Senate!"
"So what!" Sesta pointed at the Greek slaves and said angrily: "Look at them! Any Greek who sees this would choose to do what I am doing! The Consul killed the Crotonian general in Thurii, telling the Magna Graecians that the Thuria League is not to be trifled with! Today, I want the Lucanians to know that the Greeks are not to be trifled with!"
As he was speaking, a Greek male slave, unable to contain his hatred, howled and rushed up, holding a spear in both hands, and stabbed a prisoner to the ground.
With this example, the other slaves also rushed up to assassinate them. The prisoners screamed in terror, knowing that disaster was coming.
The soldiers surrounding them knocked them down with round shields, stifling their attempts, and then let the slaves massacre them...
The slaughter continued until the remaining prisoners were desperately protected by the Greek female slaves...
Sesta was surprised, and Assistus hurried forward to inquire about the situation. After returning, he told Sesta with a heavy expression: "These women either gave birth to children after being insulted by these prisoners, or they are still pregnant... Poor Greek women!... It's all because the Greek men are useless and can't protect them, that they have fallen into such a miserable situation!... Your Excellency, are you still going to continue killing?"
"Damn Lucanians!" Sesta cursed fiercely, then raised his hand and said coldly: "Stop!"
After the order was issued, there were still slaves who were unwilling to wave their spears, threatening the female slaves who were blocking the Lucanians to get out of the way. The soldiers immediately went up to disarm them.
Sesta took a few steps forward, stepped on a corpse, and shouted to the Greek slaves: "Listen up! The newly passed law of the Thuria League stipulates that 'All slaves who were previously citizens of Thurii and Amendolara or people of Thurii and Amendolara (because in the Greek city-states, women of this city-state cannot become citizens, but they belong to the people of that city-state) will automatically become citizens of the Thuria League and people of the Thuria League! Slaves who are not citizens of Thurii and Amendolara, if they are willing to stay in the Thuria League, can apply to become probationary citizens of the Thuria League after living for two years, and after another three years, if they meet the requirements, they can become full citizens!' Are you willing to stay in Nium or return to Thurii to live?"
Most of the male slaves said they wanted to return to Thurii, but most of the women hesitated: because the Greek city-states of this era had very strict requirements for women's chastity, not only before marriage, but especially after marriage, housewives could only stay in the mansion and could not enter public places. They must manage household affairs diligently and frugally like bees. Even the design of the house took into account the possibility of the wife cheating. Therefore, the bedroom of traditional Greek couples was on the second floor, and the only staircase opening was at the entrance of the living room, so that the male master and the slaves could see the wife's entry and exit. In order to prevent the husband from becoming tired of his wife and lingering in brothels for a long time, leading to resentment from the wife who was alone in her boudoir, some city-states even stipulated the number of times citizens could have sexual intercourse. For example, Solon of Athens stipulated in the Athenian law he advocated: 'Three times a month of cohabitation is sufficient care for a chaste citizen wife.'
Now a large group of Greek women who have been slaves to foreign races for a long time have given birth to children, and some are still pregnant... What kind of treatment will they face from their families and the outside world when they return to Thurii?! Every female slave did not dare to think about it, to face it...
At this time, Assistus stood up and said loudly: "Proposed by Davos, the lifelong Consul of the Thuria League, and passed by the Senate, a law has been passed, 'Any Lucanian who marries a woman from the Thuria League will automatically become a probationary citizen of the Thuria League and will become a full citizen after two years, and will enjoy the right to have land allocated by the League and two years of tax exemption. Any Greek man who marries a Lucanian woman in the Thuria League and is willing to become a citizen of the Thuria League will automatically obtain the status of probationary citizen, and will become a full citizen after two years, and will also enjoy the right to have land allocated by the League and two years of tax exemption.'"
"...Is this true?" The female slaves couldn't believe their ears, and someone bravely asked.
"Of course it's true! Couples who get married according to what I said before can immediately go to the city hall of Nium... No, the mansion of the Great Chieftain to register!" Sesta said loudly with certainty.
These Greek female slaves shed tears of excitement, as if they had been parched for a long time and finally received sweet rain. They knew that as long as this law existed, as long as Nium was always in the hands of the Thuria League, they could live proudly on this land! Consul Davos is really a great man who thinks of them!
Those Greek male slaves who were not originally citizens of Thurii hesitated for a while and also made a decision: compared to becoming a full citizen in Thurii after a long time, it seemed more attractive to marry a Lucanian woman and immediately enjoy many benefits!
Assistus could guess that this law would soon be announced in Thurii and Amendolara, and he didn't know how many free people would run to Nium to fight for a Lucanian woman!
He looked at the execution ground with corpses piled up like a mountain and blood flowing like a river, and thought: At least the many widows in Nium will be taken care of.
… … … … … … … … …
The bloody scene created by Sesta outside the city gate shocked all the Lucanians in the city, and families who lost their loved ones wept softly in fear.
Even in the evening, when Bagules hosted a banquet for Xima, Ulaza, and other familiar Lucanians, they were still trembling.
"Sit down! Sit down, everyone! We are all old friends, sit down!..." Bagules subconsciously imitated Davos's expression and tone when he had entertained him before, but the guests did not seem so relaxed.
"Xima, why haven't I seen Abinnu?" Bagules glanced at the crowd and asked.
"Abinnu... He had an argument with Udre's son Damaru once, and as a result, they beat him to death!" Xima said sadly.
"Damn Udre! Damn these big tribes who oppress us! Where is this Damaru now?!" Bagules roared angrily.
"He's dead! The last time he went on an expedition to Thurii, he died in the hands of the Greeks, just like his father Udre!" Ulaza glanced at Assistus next to Bagules and said gloatingly.
"Alas, it's a pity that I can't avenge him personally! However, that's good too, Abinnu can rest assured to serve the mountain god!" Bagules sighed and regained his composure.
At this time, someone among the guests said: "Udre, Lamus, and the others oppressed us, wouldn't the Greeks oppress us too?! Wouldn't they slaughter us like they slaughtered Lamus and the others before?!"
"That's right! That's right! Today, the Greeks killed more than 500 surrendered Lucanians in one go outside the city!"
"Soon they will kill us like cattle and sheep!"
… …
The guests stirred up and vented their dissatisfaction with the Greeks.
Assistus felt the impact of the previous slaughter outside the city on people's hearts, and he had to stand up and say: "Our Thuria League will never oppress you! We—"
"How can a Greek who speaks Lucanian participate in a Lucanian gathering?!" A voice from the guests interrupted Assistus's speech.
"Of course he can!" At this time, Bagules immediately interjected before the guests could cause another commotion: "He is the son-in-law of a Lucanian, my brother-in-law, Tina's husband!"