"I saw him, he's beautiful, just like you!"
"I haven't named the child yet, I was waiting for you to come back and name him."
Regarding the child's name, Davos had considered it on the way back. He put an arm around his wife's shoulder, propped his chin on his hand, and said thoughtfully, "I remember the first time I learned you were pregnant was right after we defeated the Crotoniates… And this time he was born, we defeated Croton again, and the war with Croton has just ended. This child has such a connection with Croton, it must be Hades' will! I think we should name our child… Croto Katataktes, what do you think?"
"Croto Katataktes… Croto Katataktes…" Christoia whispered a few times, looking slightly worriedly at her husband, "Isn't this name too ostentatious (Katataktes means conqueror, Croto Katataktes means Conqueror of Croton)?"
Davos smiled and said, "My child will possess this name. When he grows up, the people of Daonia, when they call out his name, will think of the hardships of founding the nation, and the contributions his father made to this alliance, and thus will be tolerant of him! At the same time, if my child has ambition, he will create his own glory under the encouragement of this name!…"
Christoia, who wasn't too satisfied with the name, thought for a moment, and finally nodded, "Alright, let's call him Croto Katataktes."
As soon as she finished speaking, the child's crying in the outer room stopped abruptly.
Christoia covered her mouth and looked at Davos in surprise, "Heavens, this name has received Hera's blessing! The child himself has accepted it!"
At this moment, Asuna came in holding the child.
Christoia took him and said softly, "Little… little darling, this is your father! Say 'Papa'!"
The child gurgled and waved his arms and legs.
"Look, he's calling you!" Christoia said with a gentle smile, then carefully placed the child in front of Davos.
Davos carefully placed him in his arms, afraid that he would hurt the little guy if he used too much force.
This time, the child didn't cry. He opened his bright eyes and looked at Davos curiously, his two chubby little hands scratching at his face.
Davos let him play, and at this moment he felt the surge of blood connection in his heart. He said excitedly, "Christoia, I want to use my name as the family name, pass it on to my children, and then they will pass it on to future generations. I believe the Davos family will surely become the most dazzling family in the Mediterranean!"
Davos's words made Christoia's eyes light up. Most Greeks only had a given name and no surname. To distinguish between people with the same name, they often added their place of origin or other annotations before the name for distinction, such as: Socrates of Athens, Socrates son of Asidatis, etc. But the nobles of the great Eastern country of Persia had both a surname and a given name. As Christoia, a Milesian from Asia Minor, certainly understood, she heard her husband's ambition from Davos's words. She repeated her son's future name with great interest: "Davos Croto Katataktes…"
At this moment, Davos caught sight of a small head popping out at the bedroom door.
"Cynthia, come in!" he beckoned.
Seven-year-old Cynthia led almost five-year-old Adoris hesitantly to the bedside.
"Come and see your little brother!" Davos said happily to the two siblings.
"You have a child… do you still want us?" Cynthia asked timidly.
Davos was stunned. He didn't expect this adopted daughter to be so sensitive. He immediately handed the baby to Christoia, put one arm around each of them, and said loudly, "You will always be my children, Davos's children, how could I not want you!"
Christoia also said softly, "And Mommy also hopes that when you grow up, you can take good care of and protect your little brother!"
The two children were comforted by the couple and immediately lost their melancholy, looking curiously at the baby in Christoia's arms.
"Can I touch him?" Cynthia asked softly.
"Of course you can," Christoia said with a gentle smile.
Cynthia carefully touched the baby's little face, "What's the little brother's name?"
"Croto Katataktes, his nickname is… um… Krotos."
"He's so small," Adoris also curiously gently held the baby's small hand, and said like a little adult, "Little brother, I will protect you."
… … … … … … … … …
"Hey, wake up! Wake up!!…" Colebus, who was fast asleep, was shaken awake. He opened his hazy eyes, still feeling sleepy. He turned over and prepared to continue his sweet dream.
Instantly, a leather whip dipped in water lashed his body, a burning pain. He immediately jumped up in pain, and the foreman's devilish voice rang in his ears: "Get your ass to the quarry right now, Lord Lysimenes wants to give a speech!"
Colebus had long been afraid of the foreman's whip. Dragging his sore legs, enduring the hunger, he staggered towards the outside of the cave. He accidentally bumped into his companion next to him. He subconsciously reached out to pull him, but as a result, he, who was weak all over, was also brought down to the ground. It took him a while to climb up, during which he was kicked several times by the foreman.
The Crotonian prisoners, like ants, staggered out of the various quarry caves, gathering in this circular quarry square.
Here, piles of newly mined marble were stacked everywhere. On the sentry tower at the entrance, Lysimenes, the person in charge of the Thurii stone mine, impatiently looked down at the scene below: "Too slow, go and hurry them up, tell those Crotonian softies to be faster!" he ordered his subordinates.
So, the Crotoniates, like lambs, were driven by the foremen with sticks and whips to the front of the sentry tower.
This similar scene was also being staged in front of the Thurii copper mine and the Hades Temple construction site.
"Crotoniates, based on the crimes you once committed against Thurii, I wish I could lock you up here for a hundred years! Let your dirty flesh turn into sewage, let your fragile bones turn into powder!…" Lysimenes cursed viciously, "But the great Hades has bestowed mercy, allowing our Daunian League to sign a truce agreement with the damned Croton, and… become… allies. Now you… can… go home…"
Lysimenes finished speaking these words very unwillingly, and the field suddenly fell into a dead silence. The prisoners couldn't believe their ears.
"He… what did he say?" the companion next to him asked in a trembling voice.
"He said… he said we can go home…" Colebus muttered, then he seemed to react, and suddenly grabbed his companion's shoulder: "Did you hear that?! We can go home! We are free!…"
Countless people, after confirming that this news was true, shed tears of excitement. They hugged each other, cheered, kissed the ground under their feet, closed their eyes to feel the warm sunshine… These days, they had been mining in dark caves like slaves, and had to endure the foremen's beatings, not getting enough to eat, and not getting enough sleep… making these pampered Crotonian citizens almost collapse. They had never felt that freedom was so precious as it was today.
Lysimenes snorted a few times, not wanting to watch anymore: "Move the bread and cheese over there, let them eat their fill."
"If they eat their fill, what if they rebel?! There are so many prisoners, we can't handle them!" the subordinate said hesitantly.
"Wouldn't that be great!" Lysimenes sneered: "They will break the newly signed treaty first, and we can just wipe them all out!"
"Understood."
"After they finish eating, let them take a bath in the river, and change their clothes, lest the people from Croton say we are mistreating the prisoners."
Isn't this mistreatment! The subordinate slandered in his heart.
With the arrival of the Crotonian envoys, the prisoners completely believed the fact that "Daonia and Croton have formed an alliance, and they are going home". Under the protection of fully armed Daunian soldiers, they lined up and walked towards the port of Thurii…
Why protect them? Because they were afraid that radical Thurians would harm these unarmed and weak Crotonian prisoners. Colebus had experienced a similar situation six months ago, but this time the Thurians did not cause any trouble to this large team returning to Croton as he had feared. Even when they arrived at the port, there were very few Thurians to be seen.
Where did the people of Thurii go? This thought only flashed through Colebus's mind, now his heart was completely occupied by joy: He could go home smoothly!
Only when the troop transport ship left the port of Thurii, did the prisoners completely relax.
"I will never come to this place again!" one prisoner shouted cathartically, getting nods of agreement from most of the soldiers, including Colebus: Two wars, two times being captured, especially the second time, it was simply a nightmare. They didn't even want to remember it. Everyone in their hearts had more or less fear of the Daunian League!
In fact, in the second Crotonian War, Daonia treated the Crotonian prisoners in this way because it was a last resort. After all, the management of tens of thousands of prisoners was very difficult, and most of Daonia's male citizens were out on expeditions. At the same time, the Crotonian fleet would occasionally raid the coast of Thurii. If these prisoners were allowed to riot, the consequences would be unimaginable. Therefore, the Senate decided to imprison them in mountain mining areas far from the coast, like slaves, crushing them with harsh environments, hunger, and heavy labor…
… … … … … … … …
The people of Daonia had no intention of paying attention to the Crotonian prisoners leaving Thurii, because their hero was about to return!
The Third Legion left 3,000 men under the leadership of Asystestes to temporarily guard the city of Aspurustum. The First Legion left 2,000 men led by Hyllus to temporarily manage Crimisa. All other troops returned.
After the army stayed overnight in Castron, Davos rushed over to meet up with the soldiers.
The next morning, the entire army was dressed in brand new uniforms, the soldiers were in high spirits, and they marched in formation according to the pre-arranged triumphal entry order.
After crossing the bridge, the thousands of free citizens who had participated in the battle, as well as the Greek mercenaries led by Xanthippus, who had been waiting in formation on the side, also joined the rear of the procession.
Davos also changed to a four-horse chariot, with Capys, Dexileos, Hieronimus, and the Thurii Archon Avinuges riding in two-horse chariots, closely following behind, the army advancing mightily towards the city of Thurii not far away.
The free citizens and the families of some reserve citizens who had been waiting anxiously outside the city, immediately burst into thunderous cheers when they saw the figures of the soldiers in the distance.
Alcinius never dreamed that he could become the flag bearer of the triumphal procession.
At that time, each legion reported candidates, but Davos personally selected Alcinius' name, because he believed that: in the battle that determined the victory of the Second Crotonian War, Alcinius, as the captain of a legion squad, led a team of new recruits, fighting on the front line, facing the enemy's fierce offensive, not only taking the lead, but also being able to command the new recruits well, calmly responding.
And even when the squad suffered more than half of the casualties, he still did not lose his fighting spirit, and bravely counterattacked, and should be the representative of the entire army in this battle!
When Alcinius heard Davos' praise for him, he, who already admired Davos, was even more grateful to the Alliance Archon!
At this moment, he held high the commander-in-chief's flag representing the entire army, facing the oncoming cheers, watching the thousands of waving arms, he proudly straightened his chest...
Faced with such a spectacular scene, even Tolmides, who had experienced many hardships and battles, found it difficult to remain calm, and he excitedly said to Xanthippus beside him: "In so many years, I have participated in so many battles, and this is the first time I have experienced the pride of being a soldier, Davos is amazing!"
Xanthippus stared intently ahead, and said: "Don't look around, march properly, don't embarrass our mercenaries!"
Tolmides quickly straightened his chest and raised his head, but joked: "You old guy are even more serious than me!"
"Participating in a triumphal procession is nothing, in the future we will also sit on chariots like Hieronimus and receive the cheers of the people!" Xanthippus' old face also showed a flush of excitement.
"That's right!" Tolmides' heroism rose sharply: "I heard Davos say that because of this battle, our alliance citizenship probationary period will be greatly shortened, and after a few more battles like this, we will soon be able to become full citizens of Daonia! At that time... hehe!"
...
"Cregenis! Hey, that's Cregenis!!..."
"Stop shouting! He can't hear you, he's an Alliance hero now!"
"Hero?! With his weak body, I can knock him down with one hand, if it wasn't because his archery is better than mine, I would be the one receiving cheers in the team now!"
"Yes, this guy is blessed by the goddess of luck! It seems that we all need to practice archery well in our spare time. Next time the recruiting officer comes to recruit, we must be selected!"
"You're right!!"
...
When the free citizens' team entered the people's field of vision, they received even more enthusiastic cheers, after all, most of the people welcoming them outside the city were free citizens, and seeing their former working partners become heroes of the Daonian League, while envious, it also inspired their yearning to go to battle and kill the enemy.
More than 20,000 soldiers participated in the triumphal procession, forming a column six or seven miles long, the free citizens' team at the end had just entered the welcoming area outside the city, and the military flag at the head of the team had already passed through the triumphal arch in the city.
Sobkos looked up at the reliefs on the triumphal arch and said with emotion to Ledes: "Last time I was still an audience watching the triumphal procession, and now I have become a soldier participating in the triumphal procession!"
Ledes laughed and said: "How does it feel?"
"Very good! Very good!"
"Our cavalry was too weak in the past, and it didn't work in battle.
From now on, our Daonian cavalry must become heroes in the triumphal procession every time!" Ledes said ambitiously, his eyes fixed on another towering flag next to the high-flying cavalry flag, although he could not see the content on the flag from behind, he knew that it had the words "Defeat more with less, defeat the Crotonian cavalry, and determine the victory of the battle" written by Davos, it was because of this achievement that Davos placed their cavalry behind the flag bearer of the entire army.
Because there were too many soldiers participating in the triumphal procession, Victory Square could not accommodate them at all, and it was also easy for accidents to happen, so this time the triumphal procession stipulated that: after the marching troops arrived at the square, they were not allowed to stop, but to circle the square once, and then exit the city from another street, circling towards the east gate.
On the west side of the square, on the platform in front of the Senate's Great Assembly Hall, the senators paid solemn attention to the soldiers passing through the square.
Amiclas, who was invited to watch the ceremony, couldn't help but exclaim when he saw the mighty and high-spirited army passing the platform in neat steps: "I never thought that we would actually win against the domineering and arrogant Crotonians, this is truly a great victory!" He was glad that he had made the right choice before the war, and Castron had firmly stood on Daoria's side.
His words were recognized by most of the senators, but Scombras disagreed: "Davos is the guarantee of victory! With him as the commander, I never doubt that the war will belong to our alliance, but I think we should have taken advantage of Croton's weakness to completely defeat him!"
His words were agreed by a few Thurii senators, and even Poluxis said: "On this issue, Davos did not consider the feelings of the Thurii people, and letting go of the Crotonians was really wrong!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Scombras glared at him fiercely.
"Lord Davos is right!" Cunogolata said solemnly: "Being able to lead the citizen soldiers to win is an amazing general! Being able to use victory to win enough benefits for the alliance is a true leader! If the war continues, Daonia may suffer great losses! I am very fortunate that Daonia has a great Archon like Davos!"
"Lord Cunogolata is right!" Cornelius echoed: "In this war, Lord Davos not only won a lot of fertile land for Daonia, but also made Daonia's influence reach the southern end of Greater Greece!"
"Next, how to manage and distribute these newly added lands will be a lot of time for us to discuss and solve..." Tritodemus smiled: "This is really a sweet but annoying thing!"
Everyone smiled knowingly. The senators of the Senate had noble status and many affairs, but no salary. In order to improve their enthusiasm and at the same time gain their favor and stimulate their interest in expansion, the "War Act" proposed and passed by Davos stipulated that: each time the land obtained from a war victory, in addition to the "share land" allocated to new citizens, the land rewarded to meritorious citizen soldiers, each of the hardworking senators of the Senate will also receive land rewards, and the land area obtained shall not exceed the average land area obtained by the participating soldiers. It seems that the land given is not too much, but according to Daonia's current expansion speed, the accumulated amount will be a considerable number.
While the senators were happily talking about the newly acquired territories of the alliance, Poluxis' eyes flickered, thinking about something, while Amiclas looked envious.
"Look, our great hero is here!" Plesinlas' loud shout brought everyone's attention back to the square.
Davos, dressed in military uniform, appeared on Victory Square in a four-horse chariot, he smiled and waved to the people around him, pushing the triumphal celebration to its climax.
The people were excited and jumped and shouted, waving their arms frantically, shouting Davos' name.
They even ignored the guards' obstruction, violated the regulations and poured into the procession, surrounding Davos in the center, reaching out their arms, wanting to touch this savior of Thurii, who had twice defeated the powerful enemy Croton, and brought glory to the Daonian people, Hades' favored one, Davos.
The guards were highly nervous, fearing an accident.
Davos was calm and composed, he even got out of the chariot, greeted the people, warmly greeted them, and asked them if they had suffered any losses in this war, and if they needed the alliance's help... and so on.
The people loved their Archon even more, they collectively surrounded Davos and escorted him to the platform, before reluctantly leaving.
The senators greeted him.
Cunogolata first criticized: "Lord Davos, the situation just now was too dangerous! You should have stayed in the chariot and waited for the guards to escort you over!"
"What's dangerous!" Davos smiled: "Senators and the people are like father and children, as a father, he will naturally love his children, and the children will naturally respect and love their father, how can they hurt their own relatives, don't you think so!"
Father and children?! The senators present repeatedly savored this sentence, somewhat shocked. Later, these words spread out, which also greatly moved the people, so the senators of the Senate also had another title - father.
Cunogolata's worry was not entirely superfluous, among the people beside the square, there was indeed a person who hated the Daonian Senate and Archon Davos - Metrophines, the envoy of Locri, his cold had not fully recovered, but after learning the shocking news that "the Daonian League and Croton had signed a peace treaty and become allies", the envoy was both anxious and angry, he hated himself for being unpromising and falling ill at the critical moment, and at the same time, he blamed the Daonian Senate.
Metrophines believed that the Daonian Senate was deliberately stalling and fooling him. In fact, they had already prepared for peace talks with Croton. All his hard work to get to Thurii was in vain… How dare this newly established alliance of Daonia so fool and despise Locri!
Therefore, he dragged his still weak body to participate in the triumphal parade. Because he was the envoy of Locri, and the Senate had arranged for him to live in a hotel not far from the Senate Chamber, he naturally lived in the city and was a VIP, so he was allowed to watch the triumphal parade. Originally, he also wanted to take the opportunity to meet the Daonian Consul at the end of the parade to vent his dissatisfaction. At the same time, on behalf of Locri, he wanted to express appropriate threats to Daonia, which had just allied with Croton, and force them to make some changes that would benefit Locri. However, after watching this unprecedented, magnificent, and lively triumphal ceremony, he was shocked by Daonia's huge military strength, high morale, and the people's fanatical atmosphere. He realized that this was an alliance from senators to civilians that admired heroes and was warlike and good at fighting. It was not to be taken lightly, and it was unlikely to compromise easily, so he retreated…
After the last team of free people left, the people poured into the square. Davos's speech marked a successful conclusion to the triumphal parade: "People of the Daonian League, I thank you on behalf of the Senate!
When strong enemies invaded, you were not afraid, you did not retreat, but you worked together and fought bravely! The soldiers fought bravely in the front, not afraid of sacrifice, striving to be heroes; and you worked hard in the rear to transport supplies, and you had to avoid the enemy's fleet raids, endure the grief of losing loved ones, and support our front-line battles!
Today we have won. This is the result of the joint efforts of all citizens, reserve citizens, free people and their families of the Daonian League! We must use this victory to comfort the warriors who died on the battlefield, and hope that their heroic spirits can successfully reach Hades' Elysian Fields! I, Consul Davos, will also use this victory to tell you that the days when the Daonian League was bullied are over, and you will have a better tomorrow! Long live the Daonian League!…"
"Long live the Daonian League!!!"
"Long live the Daonian Senate!!!"
"Long live Consul Davos!!!"
"Long live Davos!!!"
…
At that moment, cheers rang out in the square, and the entire city of Thurii became an ocean of joy!
… … … … … … … … … …
After the sacred festival of Spartan King Agis, after a period of preparation, the Spartan Council of Elders finally decided to elect a new Spartan king,
In order to avoid the throne being vacant for a long time, leading to domestic political turmoil.
On this day, all 29 elders in the Spartan city entered the venue early, and two candidates for the king were also present. They were Leotychides, the son of the former Spartan king Agis, and Agis's own brother, Agesilaus.
The rotating speaker, Cleostidas, announced: "The sacred election of the king begins! First, the candidates will state their reasons for being king."
The young and energetic Cleostidas stood up first and shouted at his uncle: "Agesilaus, the ancient law clearly stipulates that 'the first to inherit the throne should be the king's son, not his brother. If the king happens to have no children, then it may be his brother's turn to inherit.' If you don't want to be embarrassed, you should leave as soon as possible."
Agesilaus did not face his nephew, but faced everyone, with a respectful attitude and a low but affirmative tone: "Respected elders, I should be the one to succeed to the throne, Agis's only brother Agesilaus!"
Leotychides jumped up and interrupted his uncle, shouting: "Agesilaus, don't think that you can pretend to be stupid just because you are a cripple! Listen, the sacred Spartan law has stipulated that as Agis's only son, I should rightfully become the king, don't mess around anymore!"
Agesilaus turned his head and looked at the exasperated Leotychides, with a hint of contempt on his face: "That's right, the law stipulates this, but the prerequisite is that you are indeed Agis's son! But I have heard the person you call father say more than once, 'You are not his biological son!'"
"You're talking nonsense!" Since childhood, similar rumors had reached Leotychides' ears, becoming a nightmare that plagued him, and also becoming his sore spot after he grew up. At this time, his face instantly turned red, and he jumped up from his seat, rushed over, grabbed Agesilaus, and roared angrily: "Damn cripple! Don't think that I won't beat you just because you are my uncle!"
He tried his best to suppress his anger, his teeth gnashing: "Listen, my mother knows the truth better than my father! Until now, she has always said, 'I am the king's son! I am Agis's son!'…"
"Quiet! Quiet! The council hall is a sacred place, no fighting is allowed, or you will be expelled!" Speaker Cleostidas warned.
Agesilaus pushed away his nephew's hand, his expression even calmer, he solemnly said: "Respected elders, you may still remember that in the year when Sparta had an earthquake, Agis left his wife and led the guards to the disaster relief, and he was gone for nearly a year. Poseidon's anger filled the Spartans with awe, and at the same time, this god also provided the most powerful testimony that Leotychides was not Agis's son! Because of time! Leotychides was born ten months after Agis left his wife!"
As soon as he said this, the elders seemed thoughtful, and some people's expressions became serious.
"You're talking nonsense!" Leotychides roared again, but was stopped by the prepared guards, and he could only keep roaring.
"Okay, the candidates' statements are over." Speaker Cleostidas quickly said: "Do the elders have anything to say?"
Diopites stood up and said: "Everyone, as you know, before convening this meeting, I have already obtained Pausanias's authorization and rushed to Delphi on behalf of the Council of Elders to seek an oracle from Apollo. He warned us, 'Spartans should beware of the king becoming a cripple!' Therefore, I believe that Apollo has given us a warning. If Agesilaus becomes the king, it will definitely bring danger to Sparta!" After speaking, he passed the parchment in his hand to everyone, and some elders nodded as they watched.
Diopites glanced triumphantly at Lysander, who was sitting in front, and then made a comforting gesture to Leotychides.
Agesilaus's face barely maintained calmness, but his hands were clenched tightly behind him, because he saw the elders glancing at his feet from time to time, and he subconsciously shrank his left foot back.
At this time, Lysander stood up, his influence was great, and he immediately focused everyone's attention: "As everyone knows, the Delphic Apollo's oracle has always been profound and difficult to understand. If we only understand it from the literal meaning, we often come to the wrong conclusion!" Lysander looked around at everyone and said loudly: "In the past, the Lydian king received the oracle 'a great country will perish', thinking that Persia would be defeated, but instead his kingdom perished; before the Persian invasion, if the Athenians really built a wooden wall according to the literal meaning, it would not have been possible to defeat Persia in the naval battle… Therefore, we should understand this oracle more deeply! If the king we elect is not the true bloodline of Agis, then wouldn't our proud dual-king system, the sacred bloodline inherited from Heracles, be missing a leg!!"
Lysander's words should be thought-provoking, and coupled with his influence, caused the elders to whisper to each other and discuss endlessly.
Leotychides glared at Lysander, but did not dare to scold him like he had treated Agesilaus before. Although his power had been intentionally weakened by the Council of Elders a few years after the end of the Peloponnesian War, he was still a hero to the Spartan people, and his appeal was amazing, how could a king's heir be able to bully him.
The other Spartan king, Pausanias, had no obvious bias towards Agis's two heirs, but he was very hostile and wary of Lysander, who had once wanted to shake the "dual-king system", so he would often oppose whatever Lysander supported. However, at the meeting to elect a new king, according to tradition, the other king could attend, but did not have the right to advise or vote, because the reason why Sparta had two kings was to achieve mutual checks and balances, so the king had to avoid suspicion, and Pausanias could only signal to one of his trusted elders, Herippidas.
This elder had to stand up in a hurry and stammered: "Sparta is now the hegemon of Greece, but if… the Spartan king is a… um… a person with physical disabilities, it will only cause other city-states to secretly laugh at Sparta, thereby reducing their awe of Sparta, not to mention that we Spartans have never had a king who is physically incomplete! Never!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Lysander immediately interjected: "That's right, Agesilaus is a cripple. But he is brave in battle, upright, and has always been respected by our elders and people. He is a traditional and pure Spartan warrior, and has not disgraced the reputation of the royal family! But please take a closer look at Leotychides, who do you think he looks like?"
Leotychides was strong and handsome, and his appearance inherited more from his mother, but under Lysander's guidance, and the influence of the rumors that had been circulating, the elders felt that he looked more and more like that handsome and suave Athenian - Alcibiades.
Seeing the other people's dazed expressions, Diopites became a little anxious and hurriedly said: "Those rumors about Leotychides' birth are just rumors spread by some people to achieve their own goals, and there is no conclusive evidence! And… and in history, our honest Spartans have never allowed an heir with the first right of inheritance to inexplicably lose the throne because of false rumors!"
-------
"Diópethes, are you really a Spartan?!" Lysander sneered: "Don't forget Demaratus!"
The elders were in an uproar. Demaratus—that was a long-standing shame for the Spartans.
Although Spartan warriors admired killing and despised pleasure, they were not without appreciation for beautiful women. While the best standard for judging a future wife was ease of childbearing, the beauty of a Spartan woman was also a ready-made standard for judging the morality of the future mother of their children. Growing up with men in training also gave Spartan women their own unique beauty. They had long golden hair, athletic bodies, and graceful calves. Giving birth to an ugly daughter would frustrate her parents, but there was still a chance to change things: to come to an ancient sanctuary near Helen's tomb and pray to Helen's bronze statue, which was said to make the child grow up beautiful.
A hundred years ago, a Spartan couple prayed to Helen for their ugly daughter. The ugly priestess in charge of the sanctuary grabbed the child's long hair, and after looking at the child's face, made a prediction: she would become the most beloved woman in Lacedaemon.
Time passed, and the girl indeed became a famous beauty. Her charm intoxicated the Spartan king, so he used his royal power to snatch her from her husband. Just over seven months later, the new queen gave birth to a son. Was the child's father the king or that commoner? The Spartans did not delve into it. The child grew up and eventually succeeded to the throne as King Demaratus.
When Demaratus ascended the throne, King Cleomenes of Sparta had already been in power for five years. His succession had been much more difficult, because his father could not get his wife pregnant. The law-enforcing elders demanded that he divorce his wife and remarry. After hesitating again and again, he chose to remarry. Soon after the second wife bore him three sons, his first wife gave birth to Cleomenes. But the king was already deeply in love with his second wife and naturally favored her children more. Cleomenes did not receive his father's favor. His half-brother Dorieus was heavily cultivated by the king and designated as the legitimate heir. People also thought that Dorieus was the most outstanding of his generation. But after the king suddenly died in battle, the conservative Spartans believed that Cleomenes, the son of the king's first wife, had the right to inherit the throne first. So Cleomenes, after succeeding to the throne, exiled several of his brothers under the pretext of sending Dorieus to colonize the western Mediterranean.
Cleomenes was quick-witted, decisive, ambitious, and power-hungry. How could the newly enthroned Demaratus be his opponent? Soon, Cleomenes hollowed him out. Cleomenes held the power of Sparta for more than twenty years, defeating Argos, controlling Arcadia, interfering in Delphi, and interfering in Athenian politics... Sparta's power expanded to northern Greece. At this time, King Xerxes of Persia was preparing to invade Greece again. Learning from Darius's lessons, he sent a large number of spies to Greece to divide and alienate the city-states. Aegina—an island city-state not far from the eastern side of the Peloponnese peninsula—offered earth and water to Persia. Cleomenes rebuked this act of betrayal and decided to punish Aegina.
The Aeginetans hurriedly asked Demaratus, another Spartan king, for help. Demaratus was very happy to create trouble for his political enemy, so he secretly united the elders in the Council of Elders who were unwilling to go to war with Persia and actively provided support. This angered Cleomenes, and he finally decided to solve this intolerable collaborator once and for all. So, at a meeting of the Council of Elders that he initiated, he questioned Demaratus's parentage. He not only won over Demaratus's clansmen and most of the elders, but also bribed the Delphi priestess, so that the oracle obtained was also unfavorable to Demaratus. As a result, Demaratus, who had been in power for years, was deposed and defected to Xerxes, becoming a traitor who led the way.
But the victorious Cleomenes did not have much time to be proud. His bribery of Delphi was exposed, and the Spartans were extremely angry. He was found guilty and first fled Sparta, then returned, but was stripped of his power. From then on, he drank, beat people, and shouted and cursed. Everyone said he was crazy. His two half-brothers, Leonidas and Cleombrotus, declared him insane and locked him in the temple. The next day, people found him dead, with pieces of flesh cut off his body, and a knife was by his side.
This caused a great sensation! Everyone was spreading that this was a punishment for Cleomenes' blasphemy, and it was generally accepted by the public: suicide.
Soon, Leonidas took the throne. But in private, rumors were constantly spreading: Cleomenes died at the hands of his two brothers.
The reason why Leonidas led the Three Hundred Royal Guards to Thermopylae to defend against the Persian army was partly due to the pressure of the situation, and partly to prove his innocence to the Spartans.
...
That was a turbulent history for the Spartans, even a disgrace to Sparta. The venue fell silent for a moment.
Speaker Cleosthenes simply announced: "Let's start electing a new king!"
Whether it was Agesilaus or Leotychides, both candidates had their flaws and their supporters. Therefore, the debate between the two sides was mainly about winning over the neutral elders... And the final result of the vote—Agesilaus won.
Leotychides looked at the elders who congratulated Agesilaus with tears of humiliation and hatred, and then quietly left...
Speaker Cleosthenes then asked the guards to welcome in the five overseers who had been waiting outside the council hall and announced the results of the election to them.
So, the inspectors came to Agesilaus. Agesilaus stood solemnly and listened to them loudly proclaiming: "Great Zeus is above, according to the results of the Council of Elders' election, we announce that the bloodline of the sacred Heracles—Agesilaus—is the King of Sparta!"
Agesilaus could no longer maintain his calm expression. His voice trembled as he swore: "I swear in the name of Zeus that I, Agesilaus, will manage and rule Sparta according to the existing laws of the city-state!"
The inspectors responded at the same time: "As long as you abide by your oath, we will ensure that your kingship is forever solid!"
In the year BC, Agesilaus became King of Sparta.
...
At the southeastern tip of Sicily, Dionysius led Syracuse's infantry, cavalry, and dozens of warships along the southern coast of Sicily, marching mightily westward.
While easily liberating the city-state of Camarina, which was forced to pay tribute to Carthage, Dionysius received the news that "Deionia defeated Croton." He was silent for a while, and then said to the attendant beside him: "Immediately write to Philistus, saying that I agree to Locri's request and send reinforcements to them as soon as possible!"
Then, he ordered the messengers to urge the army, which was preparing to rest for a day, to continue marching westward.
...
"Croton has sued for peace with Deionia!" The Tarentum magistrate, Eumachus, said in surprise after receiving the news from Croton: "I really didn't expect that a year ago, Deionia was still a small city-state that needed our protection to survive, but now it has rapidly developed into a powerful alliance in Greater Greece!"
The former magistrate, now senator, Dexithemis, sighed: "Fortunately, we are allies with Deionia!"
"The safety of Tarentum cannot rely on the promises of others!" Eumachus shook his head and said firmly: "We should accelerate the conquest of the Messapians and strengthen Tarentum's power as soon as possible, so that we can have the confidence to speak when facing Deionia!"
"Taking Manduria has already caused a lot of casualties to our citizens! But you still want to attack Brundisium, which will sacrifice even more Tarentum citizens! How can the Senate agree to such radical practices!" Dexithemis accused angrily.
Eumachus looked at Dexithemis, with a hint of contempt in his eyes: "Dexithemis, my friend, haven't you understood it yet! This is not only the will of most of the senators, but also the will of the people! Stimulated by the rapid rise of Deionia, the people are tired of the Senate's inaction for decades! They hate the harassment of the Messapians every year! They demand that we make changes! Although citizens have been killed and injured, we have control of Manduria, and it will be much more difficult for the Messapians to invade our territory again! Now, Lord Deionmiles is about to return to Tarentum, and Archytas continues to lead the army to attack Brundisium. I believe that after Archytas learns that Croton was forced to sue for peace with Deionia, he will increase his offensive against Brundisium without our urging!"
Dexithemis fell silent. After a moment, he hesitated and said: "I am a little worried that such a large-scale attack will stimulate the Peucetians in the north, who come from the same race as the Messapians..."
"Even if we don't attack, won't they hate us?!" Eumachus retorted: "As long as we capture Brundisium, we can not only cut off the connection between the Messapians and the north, but also connect trade with the Adriatic Sea, which has many benefits... If we really encounter the Peucetians you mentioned seeing our city empty and taking the opportunity to attack, then we can—"
Eumachus looked at Dexithemis, and Dexithemis understood what he meant and sighed: "Ask our ally Deionia for help!"
...
Despite Lysias's best efforts to defend Milon, the Citizen Assembly still made the ruling to "banish Milon from the country and not return for ten years."