"The Daionian League has no intention of engaging in war with any Greek city-state, but if any city-state wants to provoke war, wants to humiliate us, and invade our land! Everyone, what is our answer?" Davos looked around and asked loudly.
"Fight to the death! Eliminate the enemy!"
"Fight to the death!..." The former mercenary veterans shouted in unison.
… … … … … … … … …
Phibidas walked out of the council hall with a livid face. Dorobisus greeted him, and seeing that his complexion was not right, he asked anxiously: "How did it go?!"
"Go! Get on the ship! Go back!" Phibidas squeezed out a sentence unhappily.
Under the "escort" of the patrol team, Phibidas and his party hurried back, boarded the passenger ship, and sailed towards the sea under the surveillance of two patrol boats.
"Tell me, what if my boat crashes into them!" Phibidas pointed to the patrol boats sandwiching his boat in the center, one on the left and one on the right, and asked angrily: "Will they sink?!"
"Ah?..." Dorobisus was taken aback. Before arriving at the council hall, he had a premonition that this mission would fail, but to think that Phibidas would be so angry, what exactly happened in the council hall? He wisely didn't dare to ask.
Phibidas looked at Thurii City, which was about to disappear from sight, buried the humiliation he had suffered this time in his heart, and said in a cold voice: "We are going to Castron!"
… … … … … … … … …
"Governor, driving away the Spartan envoy this time may be detrimental to the League." Cornelius said worriedly.
"I said long ago, drive those mercenaries away! You insisted on keeping them, now trouble has come!" Polysius said dissatisfiedly.
Faced with the accusation, Capus and Agasia, who used to be comrades-in-arms with these mercenaries, were really not easy to refute. At this time, Prasinus stood up and said: "Haven't the mistakes made by those mercenaries been punished by the laws of the League?! Haven't other free people made mistakes?! Why must those mercenaries be driven away?! Everyone, our League is extremely short of labor now. It is precisely because of the League's open, free and equal attitude that so many foreigners and free people have been attracted to come. There is no reason to rashly drive away those who come to join the Federation, it will only damage the League's image and make all the Greeks who want to join us suspicious!"
"But, what if Sparta declares war on us?" Orifis asked with some worry.
"So what?
Do you want to agree to Sparta's unreasonable demands and let Lord Davos lead our citizens to Asia Minor?!" Prasinus reprimanded.
"I…I…" Orifis glanced at Davos with a guilty conscience and dared not speak.
"Sparta may not dare to go to war with us!" Davos said with a confident smile: "We are not a small city-state, but a powerful force in Greater Greece! It may not be so easy for Sparta to win! But now most of its energy is concentrated in Asia Minor, and the war with Persia is not an easy task, nor is it so easy to end! I also heard that Sparta recently fought a war with the city-state of Ellis, which is responsible for holding the Olympic Games… It can be seen that even on the Peloponnese Peninsula, there are many city-states dissatisfied with Sparta. At this time, it still dares to launch another war in Greater Greece, I doubt it!" Davos said this, but in his heart he already regretted that he had rashly agreed to Agasia's matter without careful consideration. There is never anything absolute in the world. If Sparta goes crazy and insists on going to war with the Daionian League, although Davos is not afraid of fighting Sparta, the original planned expansion plan of the League will be ruined again.
… … … … … … … … …
Sparta's warship's action to Castron was beyond the League's expectations, and the patrol boat immediately reported this discovery to the Senate.
After emergency discussions between Davos and the senators, it was decided to send an envoy to Castron immediately, bringing the Senate's order: to have Castron refuse to receive the Spartan envoy.
When the envoy rode a fast horse and quickly arrived at Castron City with the convenience of the newly built Thurii-Castron Avenue, Amicles, the chief general of Castron City, had already led other generals and some members of the Council of Hundred to the port, preparing to welcome the Spartan envoy. After all, with the envoy of Sparta, the overlord of the Greek city-states, arriving, as a remote small state, they certainly did not dare to neglect him.
Seeing Phibidas disembarking, just as they were about to introduce each other, salute and say hello, his subordinate hurried over and handed Amicles a papyrus. Amicles' face changed drastically after reading it, and he immediately said to Phibidas: "Respected Spartan envoy, we have an urgent matter to discuss, please wait a moment!"
Then, without waiting for Phibidas to reply, he took the generals and senators to a distance.
"It seems that something happened?" Dorobisus said curiously, seeing them surrounding each other and arguing about something.
Phibidas did not speak. He stared at the distance, feeling a little ominous.
Amicles came to him again, with a bit of determination on his face: "Respected Spartan envoy, I am very sorry to tell you that Castron, as a member of the Daionian League, has just received a stern request from Daionia not to allow you to enter Castron City! So—" Amicles waved his hand apologetically, and a team of soldiers came up.
"You are humiliating Sparta! Have you thought about the consequences of doing so?!" Phibidas threatened angrily. He originally thought that after entering Castron City, he would alienate the relationship between Castron and Daionia, and it would be best to let it break away from the Daionian League, because according to his understanding, Castron had not joined this alliance for long. In addition, he also wanted to stay here for a few days, send soldiers to infiltrate the port of Thurii, catch a few mercenaries who had fled here, and go back to report to the Council of Elders, while at the same time retaliating against the Daionian League. Now it seems that none of this can be achieved.
Watching Phibidas leave angrily, Amicles breathed a sigh of relief for the time being, and then became worried again: The Daionian League is too bold, daring to provoke the Spartans. What should Castron do if they really lead troops to attack?!
… … … … … … … …
Phibidas was still unwilling, he turned the bow and sailed to Taras.
As a strong state in Greater Greece, Phibidas did not think that the Daionian League could influence it, and Taras was a sub-state of Sparta, and the two sides had a friendly relationship.
The establishment of Taras was somewhat dramatic: Hundreds of years ago, Sparta coveted the fertile land of Messenia to the west of Laconia, so it launched a war. The war lasted for nearly a hundred years. Sparta finally completely annexed Messenia, turning the Messenians of the same race into Helots. However, because Spartan men were fighting abroad for a long time, the women were lonely at home, and as a result, they had relations with the Perioeci in Sparta, giving birth to a batch of babies. After they grew up, they were not recognized by Sparta, so their leader Phalanthus, after many efforts, obtained Sparta's permission for him to ask the Oracle of Delphi. As a result, the Temple of Apollo gave a confusing oracle: to find a place where rain could pour down from a clear sky to build a city. So, Sparta agreed to Phalanthus leading these bastards and exiles to leave Sparta to establish colonies.
Phalanthus led the team to sail west, looking for a settlement. Their fleet crossed the Adriatic Sea and arrived at the Gulf of Taranto. They saw many places along the way that did not meet the requirements of the oracle, and the long time at sea made the people traveling with them complain. Phalanthus was also very frustrated. He told his wife about his troubles, and his wife comforted him by putting his head on her lap. As a result, his sentimental wife became unhappy instead. When Phalanthus felt her tears splashing on his forehead, he suddenly realized the true meaning of the oracle, because the meaning of his wife's name was "clear sky". So, he immediately ordered the people to disembark, and the place where they disembarked was the Apulian Gulf, which later became Taras. They built a city here and named it after Taras, the son of the sea god Poseidon.
Although the founders of Taras left because they could not obtain Spartan citizenship, and later, Taras had developed into a democratic city-state (but its dual-magistrate system, senate, and citizen assembly, similar to Amendolara, were all derived from the Spartan dual-kings, council of elders, and citizen assembly system, except that there was no censorate, and it was not so oligarchic), it was a prosperous commercial city, very different from the mother state of Sparta, which always adhered to the agricultural tradition, but it had always maintained a good relationship with Sparta. During the Peloponnesian War, Taras always firmly stood on the side of Sparta, and when the Athenian fleet expeditioned to Sicily, passing through Greater Greece, it refused to let it dock and provide food and water. Therefore, it was retaliated by Athens, which vigorously supported the Messapians to fight against Taras.
The arrival of Phibidas was of course warmly welcomed by Taras, but after Phibidas exchanged greetings with the upper echelons of Taras, he immediately mentioned the Daionian League's barbarity and lack of respect for traditional Greek city-states. And he reminded the senators of Taras: The Daionian League advocates force, is aggressive by nature, and is a danger to the city-states of Greater Greece!
He also suggested that Taras should no longer ally with the Daionian League, but should restrict its expansion.
The newly appointed magistrates, Diomilus and Eumachus, only looked left and right and talked about other things, just laughing. It was not until Phibidas repeatedly pressed them to express their position that they said with a smile: There must be some misunderstanding between the Daionian League and Sparta, and Taras is willing to help you mediate. Other than that, they did not mention anything else.
Watching Phibidas reluctantly board his ship and leave the port of Tarentum, Dio Milas immediately changed his expression and said seriously to Eumachus: "The Spartans have a point. If Tarentum doesn't buck up, even a new city-state like Daonia, without any historical tradition, will look down on us!"
"Are we really going to war with the Messapians?!" Eumachus hesitated.
"Haven't the Messapians been waging war on us all along?!" Dio Milas retorted, painfully saying, "It is because we have always been tolerant of the Messapians that they increasingly believe Tarentum is weak, and they increasingly encroach upon us, causing the other city-states of Magna Graecia to increasingly ignore Tarentum's existence! We must retaliate and completely resolve the Messapian problem!"
"Completely resolve it?! You didn't say that to me last time!" Eumachus frowned.
Dio Milas let slip, and quickly said, "What I mean is that we must first concentrate all our strength to seize Manduria, which poses the greatest threat to us, and then, if the opportunity arises, it would be best to seize Brindisi. This would greatly enhance our strength! The other Messapian city-states can be taken slowly..."
Eumachus was somewhat tempted, but he still hesitated: "Do we have the strength to defeat the main force of the Messapians in one fell swoop?"
"Of course we do!" Dio Milas said firmly, adding, to persuade his colleague, "And we also have a powerful reserve force!"
"What reserve force?" Eumachus was taken aback.
Dio Milas pointed to the west of the sea: "Daonia, our ally. We've helped them for so long, it's time for them to contribute!"
Eumachus finally said, "I will support your proposal in the Senate."
… … … … … … … …
"Damn it, Daonia, Castrum, Tarentum, all these city-states of Magna Graecia are in cahoots!" Phibidas said angrily on the ship.
"Why don't we go to Croton?" Dorobisus suggested cautiously.
Phibidas glared at him and said, "Go to Syracuse!"
Phibidas certainly knew that Croton had a bad relationship with Daonia because of the previous war. But he couldn't go there, because Croton's enemies were not just Daonia. Locri had an even worse relationship with it, and Locri was an allied state of Syracuse, Sparta's ally in Magna Graecia. If he went to Croton, Syracuse would probably complain to Sparta. Although he was determined to retaliate against Daonia, he didn't want to be exiled like Tiburon.
Moreover, compared to Croton, Syracuse was a better partner.
It was just that when dealing with the tyrant of Sicily, who was said to be somewhat overbearing, Phibidas felt that he should learn from the lesson of being too flamboyant in Magna Graecia, and achieve his goals in a different, more subtle way.
… … … … … … … …
The newly built Christoia Restaurant in Thurii is located in the southwest of the city, near the pier. Compared to the other Christoia Restaurant next to the Thurii market, it mainly caters to alliance citizens, foreign envoys, and wealthy merchants. Therefore, it offers high-end dishes, such as hot pot. For this reason, part of the restaurant was specially partitioned into open-air courtyards to exhaust the smoke during grilling.
When Timason, Xantiparis, and Crianor walked into the courtyard at Agasia's invitation, they didn't feel unfamiliar with everything in front of them, after all, they had enjoyed it in Davos's mansion.
Crianor was interested in the price of the hot pot, and asked the slave serving beside him while eating: "How much does it cost to eat this once?"
The slave thought for a while and said, "Honorable guest, it depends on how much you eat. Usually, a person needs about two to five drachmas."
"That's so expensive!" Crianor exclaimed in surprise: "I can't earn one drachma a day now!"
"It's a bit more expensive than ordinary dishes, but it's worth the price!" The slave patiently explained: "First of all, the beef and mutton in our restaurant are all purchased from Nium, the beef and mutton in Lucania, which are famous throughout Magna Graecia, and the price is certainly not cheap. Secondly, the restaurant also needs to send people to the top of the high mountains in the west to collect unmelted ice and snow to freeze the meat, which is a very risky thing! Then, there must be some meat-cutting slaves with good knife skills to continuously cut even slices of meat for you, and the restaurant also hired chefs from Egypt to prepare sauces of various flavors for you. Finally, there is me to serve you at all times... You see, with so many complicated procedures and so many people, you can make the hot pot you like to eat. Do you still think it's expensive?!"
"You have a silver tongue!" Crianor couldn't help but sigh after hearing this. Then, he sighed and said bluntly: "It's a pity to be a slave!"
"Although I am a slave now, the benevolent master still pays me wages every day. According to the Slave Act promulgated by the alliance, 'As long as a slave works hard for the master for more than four years, can raise enough money to pay for redemption, and can obtain the master's consent, he can become a free man.' And our master Christoia is as kind as Lord Davos. She has already made a sacred promise to the great god Hades in front of us! Therefore, I think I will definitely be able to become a citizen of Daonia in ten years!" The slave's eyes sparkled with gratitude and hope.
Davos, you are really good at buying people's hearts! Aren't you afraid of opposition from those slave owners? Crianor looked at the slightly excited slave, didn't say these words, and casually asked: "What's your name?"
"Tanalus."
"I hope your wish can come true," Crianor said insincerely.
Tanalus responded happily: "Thank you for your blessing, kind guest!"
"Look, someone finally praised Crianor for being kind!" Timason joked.
"Timason, are you jealous?!" Crianor pretended to be angry and picked up a beer can: "Come, let's drink!"
"Hey, with your drinking capacity, you want to knock me down?!" Timason didn't take a glass either, and picked up the beer can: "Come, let's finish it in one gulp!"
"Drink it!" The two raised their heads and poured the wine.
Xantiparis shouted anxiously: "You two drink slowly, Agasia has to spend a lot of money to invite us to dinner!" Then, he joked to Agasia: "This restaurant should be Davos's property, he should charge less when settling the bill."
"Uh... don't worry about Agasia. He is a senator, how could he not be able to come up with dozens of drachmas!" Crianor said loudly, with a sour taste in his words.
"Crianor is right, you don't have to worry about money. Tonight, we eat and drink as much as we want!" Agasia said loudly, as if he didn't hear the sarcasm in Crianor's words.
"Give me another can of beer!" Timason said to Tanalus: "This wine is good, I love to drink it!"
"Give me another can too!" Crianor shouted after him.
"Please wait a moment." Tanalus hurried to the door and shouted the guest's needs to the waiter in the corridor.
The banquet lasted for about half an hour, and everyone was slightly drunk.
"A year ago, we were fighting the Persians every day, and what we saw every day were the stiff corpses of our comrades. At that time, we didn't have much hope of being able to return to Greece alive, let alone think that we would be so happy to drink and eat meat today..." Xantiparis said with emotion: "It's not easy! We really have to thank the gods for their blessing!"
"Cheers to the fact that we can still be alive and get together!" Timason raised his glass and proposed.
"Thank you Zeus (Hades) for your blessing!" The others responded one after another.
Xantiparis put down his glass and said: "Agasia, you didn't just invite us to drink and dine, did you?" The careful him had already noticed that Agasia's expression was a bit depressed.
Agasia's colander for scooping meat paused in the air. After a while, he put down the colander, wiped the wine stains from his mouth with his hand, looked at the three people who cast their inquiring eyes, and said in a deep voice: "Today, the Spartan envoy came and asked the alliance to arrest you and hand you over to Sparta..."
The news of the Spartan warship arriving in Thurii had already spread in the port, and Timason and the others certainly knew it, but they didn't expect that the Spartan envoy was specifically for them.
"How did you answer the Spartans?" Crianor asked anxiously, and the other two also looked nervous.
"Don't worry, even if the Spartans threaten with war, Davos still firmly rejected the Spartan envoy!" Agasia's answer made the three breathe a sigh of relief.
"Davos is worthy of being a leader who often wins battles, and is not afraid of Spartan threats at all!" At this moment, Crianor praised Davos again.
"In fact, the Spartans are not terrible. We followed them in Asia Minor for more than half a year, and we know Sparta fairly well. Their generals are indeed very experienced in combat, but there are too few Spartan citizens who can actually be sent to the battlefield. They mainly rely on the troops of the allied states and mercenaries like us for foreign operations. Their combat effectiveness is actually not very strong. Just dealing with Persia has already made them feel very difficult. I don't think they have the energy to come to the alliance to provoke! ..." Timason also comforted him.
These words didn't seem to have much impact on Agasias. His eyes stared straight at the ground in front of him, and he murmured apologetically: "At the beginning, I forcibly obtained Davos's consent and led you to Asia Minor... In order to attract you all to come, I also casually offered some conditions that did not exist in the alliance. I originally wanted you to come and live a peaceful life like us, but I didn't expect... so many conflicts and disputes would occur, causing you so much suffering and the dissatisfaction of the alliance citizens... Alas, now it has also caused Sparta to be hostile to the alliance! Because of this, Davos has also been blamed by the senators! I... did I really do the wrong thing?!"
The three of them exchanged glances.
Xanthippus, busy, comforted him, saying, "Agasias, you didn't do anything wrong! We are all very grateful to you for rescuing us from that death trap in Asia Minor! As long as we patiently stay in the League, I believe we will eventually obtain citizenship and land. It's just that we're a little unaccustomed to it now. As for Sparta, you must believe me and Timason. At least for the next three or four years, they are unlikely to engage in any hostile behavior towards the League!"
The Greeks liked to dilute their wine with water, believing that it would prevent them from getting drunk easily and doing foolish things. But tonight, Agasias didn't drink beer; he drank only undiluted wine, and in the end, he was completely drunk.
Timason and the others struggled to help him home.
When they came out, the three of them sighed with emotion.
Cleanor curled his lip and said, "He regrets asking us to come to Magna Graecia. Is he not planning to help us anymore?!"
"Agasias is not that kind of person!" Xanthippus shook his head. "I think he's just been under too much pressure lately and wanted to relax with some wine. However, we really should restrain those stubborn guys!"
The two argued for a while, but when they turned back, they saw Timason walking slowly with his head down, deep in thought.
"Timason, what are you thinking about?! We should go back to the docks!" Cleanor called out.
Timason looked at them and said slowly and earnestly, "I still remember a saying that Davos used to love to say, 'It's better to rely on yourself than to rely on others'!"
… … … … … … … … … …
Phebidas arrived in Syracuse and was warmly welcomed by Dionysius, who invited Phebidas and his entourage to his palace, hosting a banquet and personally accompanying them.
Watching the alluring dances of the beautiful female slaves in the center of the banquet hall, Phebidas, who had developed a strong self-control from his training in military camps since childhood, also felt his mouth dry, and he gulped down several mouthfuls of wine.
He had heard that Lysander's life in the Asia Minor city-states under his control was comparable to that of Eastern royalty. It must have been like this! Phebidas thought to himself.
"Phebidas, I heard that you went to Daonia. Was the matter accomplished?" Dionysius asked casually from the head of the table. The Spartan warship had circled the Gulf of Taranto, and someone had already brought the news to Syracuse.
"Yes, but it was not successful." Phebidas admitted, with a hint of admiration in his tone. "The Archon and Senate Elders of the Daonian League were very tough. Even in the face of our Sparta, they were unwilling to yield in the slightest!"
"Oh!" Dionysius said with slight surprise, "It sounds like you have a good impression of them?"
"Although the contact time was not long, I can feel that they admire war and victory, respect capable generals and warriors, and train very frequently, which is somewhat similar to us Spartans!" Phebidas did not hesitate to praise them. "Moreover, this new league is developing very rapidly. I heard that it was just a small city-state more than half a year ago, but now it has three cities and two affiliated allies. I believe that before long, it will become a powerful force dominating Magna Graecia!"
After hearing this, Dionysius squeezed out a smile and said, "This is a good thing. At least the natives of Magna Graecia have met their match." Although he said so, he slammed down the wine glass he had picked up, splashing wine on the table, and he immediately turned the topic to his army about to attack Carthage.
Phebidas saw this and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
… … … … … … … … … …
On the way back to Sparta, Dorobisides, who had been holding back for a long time, asked, "Phebidas, why did you praise Daonia at the banquet instead?"
"My praise will make Dionysius sleepless!" Phebidas smiled triumphantly. "From the time Gelon, the previous tyrant of Syracuse, began, he regarded Syracuse as the leader of Sicily and Magna Graecia. I remember the old man once said that Gelon even sent troops north to Campania in central Italy to defeat the Etruscans besieging Cumae… And Dionysius has even greater ambitions. He has used force to turn the Greek city-states in southeastern Sicily into Syracuse's vassals. Would he allow a powerful force to emerge in Magna Graecia that threatens Syracuse's position?!… Unfortunately, he is about to attack Carthage and cannot take action against Daonia in the short term…"
"Oh, is that so!" Dorobisides suddenly understood, but he immediately asked again, "Since Dionysius is interested in Magna Graecia, then Daonia is probably not as important to him as Rhegium and Croton."
"Yes." Phebidas admitted this point. "Daonia's current strength is still not comparable to these traditional powerful city-states in Magna Graecia, but its speed of development will also arouse the vigilance of this powerful * * Sicilian."
Dorobisides recalled the spectacular scene he had seen when Dionysius invited him to inspect his army, and he could not help but exclaim, "Speaking of which, Dionysius is really amazing. He can actually send an army of fifty to sixty thousand people, plus two to three thousand cavalry, to attack Carthage!"
"Although there are many people, I don't think there are many truly skilled soldiers!" Phebidas said half-truthfully, half out of sour grapes, because even Sparta, which had become the hegemon of Greece, could not send such a large army at once. The strength of Syracuse and its affiliated city-states can be imagined.
Let Syracuse, Carthage, and Daonia kill each other! Phebidas cursed in his heart.
… … … … … … … … … …
Entering the new year (398 BC), the Thurii-Castron highway was completely built, and the thousands of Crotonian prisoners in Daolia returned to Croton after the six-month period had expired.
For Davos, his mood became more and more tense and excited, because Christoia's belly was getting bigger and bigger, and the due date was less than a month away.
At this time, news came from Nio Tium that Potentia had officially announced its support for Akepilu's son, Lusau, to retake Grumetum, and demanded that Sisinagus retreat to Picus, otherwise Potentia would send troops to join the war.
Sisinagus immediately became nervous. He actively sent envoys to the tribes occupying the southern city of Grumetum, stating: He was willing to immediately implement the demands they had previously made, as long as they could reunite and jointly deal with the approaching army of Potentia.
Sisinagus's concession made these tribal leaders very happy. They were also afraid that if Lusau really took back Grumetum, he would settle scores with them, because they knew that Lusau, like his father, was also a vengeful person.
Everyone thought that external pressure had forced the two forces in Grumetum to compromise and reunite. But when the leaders gladly came to the center of the city to negotiate with Sisinagus, they did not expect that Sisinagus had ambushed a large number of warriors in advance, who suddenly launched an attack and wiped out the participating leaders, and then launched a surprise attack.
The tribes in the southern city suffered heavy casualties due to the killing of their leaders and lack of preparation. Some warriors surrendered, and some fled Grumetum.
Sisinagus actually unified Grumetum in the face of the military threat from Potentia. Upon learning this news, even Davos had to admire Sisinagus's decisiveness and ruthlessness. Little did he know that Sisinagus was able to do this largely because of the experience he had learned from the painful memory of being ambushed from behind by the Vege people.
Soon, Sestas sent another report to the Senate, stating: Due to Sisinagus's massacre in Grumetum, some Lucanians had fled to Nio Tium, and coupled with the impending war between Picus and Potentia, the small tribes caught between the two major forces were afraid of being dragged into the war and also fled south, causing the number of registered reserve citizens in Nio Tium to surge to 8,000. Nio Tium had neither enough land to allocate nor the ability to support so many people, and requested that some Lucanians be moved to Thurii.
Davos and the senators repeatedly discussed the matter, especially since Nio Tium's stability and the Lucanians' good performance during this period led everyone to finally reach a consensus: to agree to the relocation.
… … … … … … … … … …
Phebidas returned to Sparta, and his report on his mission to Daonia did not attract the attention of the Council of Elders. One reason was his consistent way of acting on his own, which made the Spartan elders who knew his character somewhat disgusted with his repeated emphasis that "the Daonian League does not respect Sparta and is arrogant and unreasonable, and must be punished," and instead concluded that he himself had caused trouble, which led to this result. More importantly, the elders now had no energy to deal with this trivial matter, because Agis, one of the two Spartan kings, had passed away.
Since the time of Homer, Sparta had implemented a dual monarchy, with kings claiming to be direct descendants of the mighty Hercules, produced by two hereditary royal families: one was the Agiad family, located in the center of Sparta, and the other was the Eurypontid family, from southern Laconia. Agis was born into the Eurypontid family. Although by this time, due to the rise of democracy, the Spartan monarchy had been greatly restricted, it still enjoyed many honors, especially at the time of death, the entire territory of Sparta was preparing a funeral for Agis: cavalry galloped around Laconia, announcing the news of King Agis's death; women beat iron pots, spreading the news throughout the city of Sparta; upon learning the news, each household had to send two freemen, one male and one female, wearing mourning clothes to observe mourning; the Piseates also had to send a fixed number of people to attend the funeral held by the Council of Elders.
The funeral lasted for ten days, and during these ten days, public affairs could not be handled, and after ten days, the elders' primary task was to elect a new king.
According to Spartan law: the throne is inherited by the eldest son; however, if the eldest son was born before the king's accession, he will give way to the eldest son born after the accession; if the deceased king has no children, the throne will be inherited by his closest male relative; if the heir is still young, a regent will act on his behalf (Lycurgus, the creator of Sparta's current political system, was a regent).
Agis had only one son, Leotychides, twenty-three years old, and it would have been natural for him to succeed to the throne. However, whether Leotychides was Agis's own son has always been a topic of gossip among the Spartan people. During the Peloponnesian War, the Athenian general Alcibiades defected to Sparta. King Agis valued him very much, but he did not expect that this handsome and romantic Athenian would seduce his queen, to the point that the whole city of Sparta knew about it. Humiliated, Agis threatened to tear Alcibiades to pieces, but Alcibiades, having learned of the news in advance, cleverly ran back to Athens. Not long after, Agis's wife became pregnant, so the Spartan people naturally had doubts about letting Leotychides be king.
Meanwhile, Agis's brother, Agesilaus, forty-five years old, had always performed excellently. In the eyes of the people, he was a traditional and pure Spartan. Although he was lame, he also received the support of many people.
It is conceivable that the upcoming succession issue will be enough to worry the elders, and they will not have the mind to deal with small matters like Daonia.
… … … … … … … … …
The Corinthian merchant Theos was visiting Thurii for the second time. In just a few months, the port had undergone great changes: first, the Daonians excavated inland on the north bank of the mouth of the Crati River, thereby expanding the port. Two long, cast stone breakwaters, like the arms of a giant, embraced the merchant ships entering the port. The docks were no longer as simple as when he last came. Wooden trestle bridges stretched deep into the coast, and the shore was lined with orderly stone houses and buildings, as well as flat and wide transportation avenues…
Although there were many merchant ships coming and going at the estuary, the port managers still directed them to dock and unload in an orderly manner. The organization was quite orderly and efficient. The dockworkers were also very efficient, and there were few lazy or slippery behaviors, or even the bad behavior of bullying newcomers.
Theos occasionally saw people in white himations walking back and forth between the docks with paper and pens in their hands. Wherever they passed, the laborers behaved more diligently. Later, he asked other merchants and learned that those people were public officials sent by the Daonian Household Registration Office, responsible for examining the daily labor performance of these free people who wanted to become citizens of the alliance. If there were any bad deeds, it would be difficult to obtain the status of probationary citizen when the time limit arrived.
Of course, two or three small teams of fully armed soldiers patrolling back and forth in the port also maintained the order of the port very well.
Theos walked into the port and discovered that the Daonian League had already surrounded the port with a thick and towering city wall, while the market was located outside the city wall.
Arriving at the market, it was also a noisy area. The original market walls had been demolished, because there were too many shops, and the expansion of the market could not keep up with the increase in shops. Shops and workshops were lined up next to each other, occupying all the open space, leaving only wide passages for customers to buy and sell, transport goods, and for firefighters to put out fires.
In addition, there were two special buildings that stood apart from the market.
One was a hospital. The doctors of the Daonian League were highly skilled in medicine, and most Greeks in northern Greater Greece now knew this. Some even said that they were much stronger than the doctors of Croton! Moreover, Davos created a comprehensive hospital that was unprecedented in the entire Greek world, which was significantly different from previous clinics. Whether in terms of facilities, systems, or management, it was very standardized and strict. For patients, this was an unprecedented treatment method. That sense of sacredness made patients feel half-cured before the doctor even started treatment. And for doctors, this place was like a magnet attracting their attention. It was said that if the Daonian League's relationship with Croton was not so tense, many Croton doctors would want to come here to study and visit.
Naturally, the hospital was crowded with people every day.
The other building also attracted many onlookers. Theos asked and learned that it was the court specially established by the Daonian League for the Thurii market and port, in order to quickly handle the various trade disputes and conflicts that occurred frequently here every day, providing convenience for merchants, customers, and a large number of sailors and laborers. Theos was very interested in this innovation that no other Greek city-state had, so he squeezed into the crowd.
The Daonian League established the position of judge in early November, mainly because after a large number of foreigners poured in, the routine administrative affairs were enough to burden the city's chief executive. It was really beyond his ability to handle more detailed and complicated legal disputes. The three city chief executives were all complaining, so Davos proposed that, after discussion by the Senate, it was decided to establish the position of senior judge (in the Greek city-states, there was no special position of judge, and cases were often judged by generals or magistrates. In the Athenian court, there was not even a judge, and the verdict was made by a jury. In Daonia, Davos, as the sole chief executive, certainly had the highest judicial power, but because he was busy, he could not spend time dealing with general cases and disputes, so this power was initially delegated to the chief executives of each city). He was responsible for supervising the junior judges stationed in each city and handling appeals. When the Senate wanted to nominate Poluxis, Davos didn't say anything when it was submitted to him for review, but in the end, Proxilaus won (because of Davos's strong recommendation).
Originally, Proxilaus should have been sitting in the Thurii City Court (although it was not completely built yet), and this court next to the market was to be managed by his subordinates. However, the newly established alliance was flourishing like the morning sun, and the people were all busy with their own affairs. There were almost no complex and extremely influential cases for him to handle, so the energetic and idle new judge ran to the market, seized the power of his subordinates, and personally tried cases.
"What's the next case?" Proxilaus asked impatiently after finishing a dispute.
The junior judge, Flauclion, gave him a resentful look. Flauclion was originally a subordinate of Cunogolata, and assisted the chief executive in the city hall in handling legal affairs. This time, after the law was separated, there were not many talents in the alliance who were proficient in law. Flauclion was recommended by Cunogolata and quickly promoted to junior judge, which was considered a step into the ranks of middle-level officials in the alliance. Who knew that he would be occupied by Proxilaus after only a few days of happiness. He didn't dare to say anything, after all, Proxilaus was not only a senator, but also a senior judge. His status was equally prominent. As soon as it was established, Davos promoted him to a position second only to the city's chief executive to show the alliance's emphasis on the law. Moreover, as Flauclion's immediate superior, Proxilaus had the right to report his work performance to the Public Service Management Committee of the Senate and recommend him when he wanted to change jobs.
"It's a citizen of the alliance whose wife is suing a Ligurian merchant for discriminating against her," Flauclion said.
"Discrimination?" Proxilaus was a little puzzled.
"That woman is Lucanian," Flauclion whispered.
"Oh." Proxilaus nodded: "Then bring both the plaintiff and the defendant up."
The court in the market was not big, and could only accommodate judges, clerks, programmers, guards and other public officials. The plaintiff and defendant could only stand outside the court in the open air, and behind them, an open space was surrounded by iron railings. The public could watch freely outside the railings, so that the public and foreigners could understand the laws of the alliance, so as to achieve the effect of preaching and teaching, and at the same time let the judges be supervised by the public.
A man and a woman entered the court. Under the guidance of the programmer, they first recited the names of the three judges under Hades, Minos, Rhadamanthus, and Aecus, and swore in their names: everything said was true.
Then the plaintiff made a statement.
This young Lucanian woman spoke in a Greek language with a strange accent, but relatively fluent: "Your Honor, I am the wife of Izam, a citizen of the alliance. Today I came to the market to buy a pottery jar for olive oil. When I arrived at his shop—" The woman pointed to the merchant next to her and said: "I found that the pottery he sold had many styles and looked very good, so I decided to buy it from him. Just because I spent more time choosing pottery, he suddenly got angry at me. He said, 'Damn barbarian, are you going to buy it or not? If you can't afford it, don't touch my bottles with your dirty hands, otherwise if you break them, it won't be enough to pay me as a slave!' He also said... he also said..."
"Your Honor, she's lying! I never said such a thing!" the merchant shouted loudly.
"You shut up first, it's your turn to speak after she finishes!" Proxilaus scolded, and then said to the woman: "You continue."
"He also said—" The woman blushed, stared at the merchant, and gritted her teeth and said: "He also said, 'A barbaric woman like you is not worthy of using such noble pottery. Why don't you come and be my female slave, let me... let me be happy, and if I'm happy, I might reward you with a pottery—'"
"No! I didn't say that!" The merchant hurriedly retorted, seeing the judge's expression suddenly change. A chorus of angry shouts erupted from behind him: "How dare you discriminate against us Lucanians! Do you have a death wish!"
"Izamus is a warrior of our League, and you dare insult his wife! Judge, please severely punish this lecher!"
… …
The merchant secretly lamented his misfortune. He had initially assumed the woman was a Lucanian slave with passable looks. He kept asking the price but not buying, taking up too much time. In a moment of clouded judgment, he spoke those words, never expecting to offend the wife of a citizen of the Daonian League. The truth was, he had only arrived here a few days ago and was unfamiliar with the local customs. In other city-states, citizens' wives mostly stayed at home. A woman who went to the market to buy and sell things, especially a foreign woman, was definitely a slave. One could take liberties with words and even touch them without consequence. But Daonia was different. Many of its citizens married Lucanian women, and many Daonian Greek women married Lucanian prospective citizens. These foreigners didn't have as many cumbersome rituals as the Greeks, and they were bold and open in their actions. Naturally, they gradually influenced and changed the conservative atmosphere of the original Greek citizens of Daonia. Furthermore, the highly respected Archon Davos allowed his wife to appear in public, even opening banks and restaurants in the market, which further promoted the change in Daonian customs. Therefore, it was now common to see the wives of Daonian citizens in the market.
"Defendant, is what the plaintiff says true?" Proxilaus asked. Seeing the merchant about to open his mouth, he loudly reminded him: "If it's just discrimination against foreigners, the worst you'll get is a fine and corporal punishment. But after swearing before the gods, if you still lie, you'll be guilty of blasphemy and face the cruel punishment of having your tongue cut out! So think carefully before you speak!"
The merchant was shocked, and he remained silent for a long time, cold sweat beading on his forehead. Finally, he said in a low voice: "What she said… is mostly true… but… but I didn't know it was against the law to discriminate against foreigners!"
"Really?" Proxilaus asked sternly. "When you rented the stall, didn't you familiarize yourself with the 'Regulations for Doing Business in Daonia' posted by the Market Management Office?"
"No…" The merchant wanted to deny it, but he suddenly remembered the Daonian Market Management Office's regulations: one could not rent a stall without being familiar with those regulations. So, he could only nod: "I read them."
"In that case, you knowingly broke the law! First, you violated the law of 'Daonia cannot discriminate against foreigners,' and you must pay a fine of ten drachmas and receive two strokes of the cane to deepen your memory so you won't do it again! As for your verbal blasphemy against the plaintiff, but without taking action, this… does our League have any laws regarding this?" Proxilaus asked Phraucleon.
Phraucleon thought carefully and shook his head.
"It seems I have something else to do at the next Senate meeting." Proxilaus muttered to himself. He considered it for a moment, then said: "As for what punishment you should receive for verbally blaspheming the plaintiff, I will give that right to the plaintiff, for her to decide."
The merchant trembled and looked at the plaintiff with pleading eyes. The young Lucanian woman didn't decline and said straightforwardly: "Then fine him to be a guide at the Market Management Office, doing five days of unpaid labor."
"Good, that's it!" Proxilaus applauded the plaintiff's suggestion: "Defendant, you can also choose not to accept the 'five days of unpaid labor' given by the plaintiff, but you will be expelled from the League and will never be allowed to do business here again!" Proxilaus emphasized: "Think carefully, are you willing to accept this punishment?"
As a merchant, dignity was not important; what was important was whether he could make money. And his pottery business in the Thurii market had been very prosperous these past few days. Of course, he didn't want to be expelled from the League for this trivial matter, so he ultimately accepted the punishment.
The next dispute was the opposite: a registered freeman stallholder had a conflict with a foreign merchant.
The freeman insulted and beat the merchant. The facts were clear, and the evidence was conclusive. There was no dispute. He should be directly punished according to the market management regulations that prohibit "discrimination against foreign merchants" and "fighting and causing trouble." However, during the trial, the freeman kept denying that he had hit anyone and constantly hinted to Proxilaus that he was a confidant of Senator Poluxis and had been working for him, hoping that the judge could gloss over the matter.
The young and vigorous Proxilaus couldn't stand Poluxis, who often flaunted his noble birth in the Senate and occasionally looked down on non-Thurii senators like them. Now that he had the opportunity, he wouldn't let it go and shouted angrily: "Bold defendant, how dare you damage the reputation of Lord Poluxis! You not only oppressed the plaintiff and physically harmed him, your behavior is vile! You have also been denying the facts and violating the oath you swore earlier. I sentence you to blasphemy, to be carried out immediately!"
The freeman was shocked and hurriedly begged for mercy, while the onlookers cheered loudly for Proxilaus.
In the end, this freeman was unwilling to accept the cruel punishment of "tongue removal" and chose the equivalent penalty of 40 lashes. He was beaten to the point of near death and carried out of the court. At the same time, the scribe recorded his actions, so that even if he eventually recovered, the census bureau would use this as grounds to expel him from Thurii.
The matters occurring in the market and port were all minor disputes and conflicts, and the judgment process was very quick, not requiring complicated legal procedures, lawyers, or juries...
Theios watched outside the court for a while and saw some underlying meaning: clearly, this small court was using practical actions to demonstrate the Dionian League's impartial stance to citizens, slaves, foreigners, and outsiders, and to protect the legitimate rights of all law-abiding people within the Dionian territory, which was especially impactful for merchants like them who traveled far and wide.
Theios and his fellow merchants were considered citizens with status in their own city-states. When doing business in other city-states, the local citizens were often jealous, harboring the mentality that "this foreigner wants to take away the city-state's money," and often had some hostile actions. The city-state's high-level officials often favored their own citizens (because elections require the support of citizens). Among the Greek city-states, Athens had the best attitude towards foreigners settling and doing business within its borders, because its highly developed trade and handicraft industry required it to adopt an open attitude to welcome the technology, capital investment, and employment brought by foreigners. It legally granted foreigners considerable power, except for the inability to own land and hold public office. Foreigners could even contract Athenian mines and monopolize maritime transport, etc.
Athens' generosity, of course, was also rewarded with goodwill from foreigners. In peacetime, they would make some charitable donations, such as repairing temples, holding theatrical festivals, and allowing Athenian citizens to watch for free. When Athens encountered difficulties, they also stepped forward like Athenian citizens, serving as hoplites or purchasing weapons and equipment, even triremes, and donating them to the Athenian government.
And now, Dionia has a strong tendency to emulate Athens, and even do some things more boldly than Athens. Theios came this time because the Dionian League Senate passed a new law: allowing the leasing of land between the Saracen River and the Sistine River to foreign merchants for handicraft purposes, with a lease term of 20 years.
This news immediately caused a sensation among the foreign merchants in the Thurii market and quickly spread throughout Magna Graecia. Most merchants who had been to Thurii were optimistic about the Dionian League's trade prospects, especially since Dionia had allowed Laos to join its alliance, allowing any merchant trading in the alliance to enter Laos at a preferential price and develop trade with regions such as Naples, Massilia, Gaul, the Iberian Peninsula, and Mauretania. Especially since the Thurii-Laos Avenue had already begun construction, and with the quality of road construction in Dionia, the avenue, once completed, would surely make the transportation of goods between the two cities more convenient. At that time, it was estimated that it would take only two days to reach Laos from Thurii, which was about the same as the time required to travel by sea on a cargo ship. Moreover, traveling by sea was riskier, because as long as one encountered pirates or storms, one's efforts could be ruined, and one's life could be lost. At the same time, the tariffs charged by Messina and Rhegium, the two city-states north and south of the Strait of Messina, were not low, which would greatly reduce the profits earned.
Theios passed through that land when he last stayed in Amendolara. Although it was flat, it could not be used for agriculture due to the hard geology (mostly gravelly soil). Therefore, it was not allocated to the League citizens as 'allotments'. Except for a small part of the land being built into the Amendolara military camp for citizen soldiers to train, most of the land had been idle. For Theios, such barren land was also full of value. He wanted to bid for a plot of land and then open a weapons workshop.
After making money in the last trade, Theios became interested in this emerging league. He found that Dionia was a league that advocated force. Otherwise, it would not hold triumphal ceremonies and give the winning generals and soldiers so much glory. Therefore, there would definitely be no shortage of wars in the future, and the rapidly increasing Dionian League citizens had a great demand for weapons. According to his understanding, there was a large weapons shop in the port market of Thurii, which was said to be set up by the League to comfort the families of fallen soldiers and take care of disabled soldiers. Most of the weapons and equipment sold came from seizures, and at most they were repaired. Basically, there was no production of a complete set of hoplite equipment from scratch, nor did it have the ability to do so, which allowed Theios to see the opportunity to make money.
The most famous commodity in Corinth now is weapons. Its weapons and equipment are famous throughout Greece. Theios had done business in this area before and had relatively rich experience. Moreover, he could hire highly skilled Corinthian blacksmiths to establish a weapons workshop in the League, which not only saved freight, but also made it convenient to obtain raw materials, and the cost was also lower, because Thurii had copper mines and Lucania also had iron mines. And he could tailor high-quality armor and weapons for the citizens of the League, and also sell them in bulk to the League, and even to the natives (the Dionian League does not restrict the export of weapons). This is an industry with greater and more stable profits than trading grain in Dionia, so after making the decision, he was a little impatient.
Emerging from the market, Theos saw rows of stables erected along the roadside, a far cry from the ramshackle appearance and manure-strewn mess he'd witnessed on his first visit.
Theos had a good impression of the old carter, so he wanted to ride in his carriage again and began to shout loudly, "Sorikos! Sorikos!…"
"The old man's made a fortune now and doesn't drive himself anymore, take my carriage!" someone shouted.
"Don't talk nonsense, or I'll punch you!" Sorikos said with a laugh as he emerged upon hearing the call.
Theos got into his carriage and told him his destination.
"Oh, you're also going to look at that land for rent, aren't you?! Quite a few people have been to see it lately!" Sorikos said immediately.
Theos nodded and said with a smile, "I heard you've made a fortune?!"
"They're just talking nonsense. I've only paid off the loan and interest on the carriage. I took out another loan to buy a carriage and rented it out to a freedman to drive. I believe I'll be able to pay off the loan again soon! And then buy another carriage…" Sorikos said confidently.
"Congratulations!" Theos praised, "I think in another year, you'll be a carriage merchant."
Sorikos laughed heartily after hearing this.
"I remember you're a citizen of Daonia, the League should have allocated you a 'plot of land'. You're out here driving a carriage to earn money, what about the land? I heard that your League has agricultural officials who specifically supervise the citizens' land use," Theos asked curiously.
"I've rented it out to a freedman to cultivate, there won't be any problem," Sorikos replied.
He drove the carriage onto the Thurii-Amendolara highway. The carriage sped across the Sybaris Plain, and many houses had already been built among the crisscrossing fields on both sides of the road.
Soon, villages should be built! Theos thought: New Thurii is developing very rapidly and is gradually beginning to restore its former prosperity, and it is very different from the original, even surpassing that great Greek power of the past!
After the carriage crossed a wooden bridge over the Sybaris River, it passed through vineyards and wineries. This area was a famous wine-producing region of Greater Greece.
After crossing the Salaceno River, they entered the territory of Amendolara. The land for rent was located along the highway and had already been divided into plots for rent with wooden stakes. It was close to the highway for convenient transportation; close to the river for convenient water supply to the workshops; and close to the forest for timber harvesting (of course, the Daonian League has strict regulations on logging). In addition, after building a workshop on the rented land, you could also build a house for yourself and your employees to live in, giving yourself a place to rest during your business in Daonia. With the sea in front, the forest behind, the river on the side, and the highway for convenient travel, it was also an ideal place to live! It was believed that every foreign merchant who wanted to rent land here had the idea of building a workshop and a residence at the same time. Twenty years was enough for them to double their investment, provided that the Daonian League continued to exist.
After Theos had identified several ideal plots, he wanted to find an inn to stay in since the so-called "auction" was not until tomorrow.
At this time, Sorikos suggested, "You've come at just the right time today, the Thurii Arena was just completed yesterday. To celebrate, Archon Davos has announced, 'The Four-City Rugby Tournament will be held at the Arena today and tomorrow!'. If you're free this afternoon, you can go and watch it, I heard it's very good, even more lively than the Olympic Games!"
"Rugby tournament?" Theos was curious and doubtful.
"That's a game invented by Archon Davos, I heard it was inspired by the god of the underworld!" Sorikos said mysteriously.
"It's… it's… two teams fighting for a cowhide ball shaped like an olive… um… and then scoring… oh, I can't explain it clearly, but everyone who's seen the game says it's very interesting and very good! You'll know once you've seen it."
"Okay, I'll go take a look." Sorikos's strong recommendation piqued Theos's interest.
"Go early this afternoon,
because there are a lot of people, I heard that if you go late, you won't be able to get in!" Sorikos kindly reminded him.
… … … … … … …
The arena was located in the east of the northern city of Thurii, very close to the city's docks and far from the main urban area. Building it here was also to avoid affecting the daily life of the people of Thurii.
The city guards, who were usually strict with their checks, were relatively lax today. As long as they were not carrying weapons, and the number of people was clear, they were basically allowed to enter, but if the number exceeded the limit, they were prohibited from entering the city.
Theos was lucky enough to enter the city because he arrived early. While queuing to enter the city, he also met a Cretan merchant named Dikpolis, who was in the olive oil business. He was also here to watch the rugby game, and he had already seen one game in the morning and was fascinated by this novel game. In his words, it was the best gift the god of the underworld had given to the Greeks, and no other game could compare to it!
This aroused Theos's interest even more.
Arriving at the entrance of the arena, a long queue had already formed. Although there were many people, they still obeyed the order under the supervision of teams of soldiers.
At this time, Dikpolis asked Theos to hold his place, and he went to a shop with a "Beer" sign next to him and brought out two cans of beer and two bags of dried fruit, and shared half with Theos.
Theos repeatedly thanked him embarrassedly and asked, "How much does it cost?"
Dikpolis said, "Meeting you here and watching the rugby game together is the arrangement of the goddess of fate! If you pay, it means you don't like making friends with us Cretans!"
Theos had no choice but to accept. Dikpolis's forthrightness and liveliness made him feel quite fond of him. At the same time, he also noticed that many people were running to buy beer, pulp water, and snacks.
Dikpolis told him: "Because the game is long, we are watching the game in the sun, it is easy to get thirsty and easy to get hungry. In addition, there are many spectators entering the venue, in case you want to pee, you can't find a place, and this one…" He raised the can of wine in his hand and smiled teasingly: "If you drink it dry, you can use it as a urinal…"
The guards at the entrance of the arena released a batch of people to go in, and then released another batch of people after a while. When it was Dikpolis's turn, it was clear that the arena was not yet full. The guards signaled that they could enter, and walked inward along the passage on his right-hand side, while there was another passage on the left-hand side, which they could not go to, which led to the VIP seats. Almost all arenas were designed in this way.
The Thurii Arena was not very large. All the circular stone benches on the edge of the field could seat a maximum of about four thousand people, but in fact, more than four thousand five hundred people had entered, and half of them were freedmen and foreigners. Like other arenas, its running track was on the outer perimeter of the stadium, but the inside of the running track was a flat rectangular sandy land, which was divided into multiple areas by dozens of white lines.
Dikpolis patiently explained the rules of the game to Theos and told him why it was called the Four-City Rugby Tournament: "The four cities are Amendolara, Thurii, Niuutum, and Laos. I heard from my Daonian friends that this game was first used by Archon Davos as a military training project, starting with those mercenaries who became citizens of Amendolara… Later, Thurii and Amendolara formed a league to conduct military training for Thurii citizens and prospective citizens, so naturally they also learned this game… Later, they seized Niuutum, and the earliest batch of Lucanian soldiers taught this game to the Lucanians of Niuutum… As for Laos, they sent a large number of laborers to build roads, with Daonians serving as supervisors, who taught the people of Laos to play this game during breaks to prevent them from slacking off due to being too tired…
Perhaps the people of Laos had just started playing and were not very skilled, and it seemed that their cooperation was not very good, so when they played against Thurii in the morning, they were easily defeated by Thurii. This afternoon, it's Amendolara against Niuutum, I heard that the strength of both sides is not much different, so it's more interesting!"
"You know a lot!" Theos said with emotion.
"I'm interested in it, so naturally I want to understand it clearly." Dikpolis said smugly: "I've been here for a long time and have made friends with several Daonian League citizens, one of whom is even a squad leader in their so-called legion, and he told me…"
"Why isn't there Castron?" A voice came from the side.
Dikpolis turned his head and saw that some people had already gathered around them at some point.
"Maybe because they have less contact with League citizens and don't have the opportunity to learn…" Dikpolis shrugged: "However, this morning I saw some Castron people watching the game at the venue. I believe that after this Four-City Tournament, the next time it is held, it will probably become a Five-City Tournament."
"Cretan, you're right, we Castron will definitely participate next year!" someone shouted from the crowd.
"Yes, we'll make a suggestion to the council when we get back!" another person echoed.
Dikpolis winked at Theos and whispered, "See, I was right."
At this time, the copper horn sounded, and the athletes began to enter the arena.
At this time, the equipment of the participating team members was not as simple as when they first played rugby in the military camp. They all wore soft leather hats that could cover the entire head and neck, as well as protective clothing made of wool and linen skin mixed and thickened, and they were dyed red and blue to distinguish them. Strange symbols (actually Arabic numerals, because Greek numerals were complicated to write and inconvenient to use) were embroidered on the back of the protective clothing for the referee to identify the participating team members.
As the players from both sides entered the field, the strong, rhythmic drumbeats sounded.
The Red team immediately formed a neat square, and in coordination with the rhythm, they performed a powerful and uniform dance praising Ares for victory on the battlefield… The whole audience burst into enthusiastic cheers.