Subsequently, the citizens' assembly held an election, and Lysias, who brought peace to Croton, became the chief general. Although his concession of territory was criticized by many, the more than ten thousand citizen-soldiers who returned home thanked him for saving them from hell in time. Therefore, most of them voted for him. At the same time, Sisprotes, who participated in the peace talks with Lysias, also became a general. For a time, the conservative faction clearly dominated the general executive committee of Croton.
However, the most urgent task was to repel the Locrians and rescue the allied states. The newly formed council of ten generals of Croton were well aware of this. After careful consideration, they decided to appoint three experienced centurions who had been captured by Dionysius as the generals for the expedition.
As a result, the soldiers who had just returned to Croton had to put on their armor and set out again. The soldiers (including ten thousand hoplites), in addition to the recruited civilians, prepared their rations and immediately set off for Caulonia.
Some people in the council raised objections, demanding that more citizens be left behind to protect the empty city of Croton.
Although Lysias was conservative, he was not cowardly. Not only did he not agree, but he even sent an envoy to Aspruentum, to inform the Dionysian garrison that Croton was now empty and hoped to receive assistance from the allied states if necessary.
While receiving a clear response from Asistetes, the Crotonian fleet, under the command of naval commander Ascamas, sailed towards Caulonia with warships of all sizes.
… … … … … … … … … … …
Just as Croton was about to engage in a great battle with Locri, the Dionysian Senate voted to elect five candidates from Crimisa to enter the Senate, and Antaolis, Oricpus, and Pleiades were all elected.
This matter was only the appetizer for today's long Senate meeting, followed by the rewards for the soldiers who participated in the Crotonian War. Since there were too many participants, military officer Phelius and census officer Laphias only determined a rough number at the meeting: approximately formal citizens will receive land ranging from acres depending on their military achievements. The senators led by Davos suggested allocating the land to the cities where the citizens reside as much as possible, and of course, if the individuals voluntarily want to exchange, they should be satisfied.
Secondly, approximately registered freemen who participated in the war, due to the victory in several consecutive battles, according to the law, more than half of them will directly enter the probationary period for formal citizenship. Because this war has acquired a large amount of land and two cities, a large number of people are urgently needed to occupy these lands and guard the new cities. Therefore, although the probationary period for formal citizenship has not yet expired, the Senate decided to grant them five acres of "allotment land" in Crimisa, Aspruentum, and the northern plains of Croton. Because they have not yet become formal citizens, the taxes paid during this probationary period are still of the land income, until they become formal citizens, then it will be reduced to one percent of the land tax.
For the nearly six thousand freemen who participated in the war,
their probationary period for becoming reserve citizens will be halved, and they will also be given priority in renting the city-state's land, of course, with the tax burden unchanged.
For the soldiers who died in the war, whether citizens or freemen, as long as their relatives are still alive, the Senate will give them the same rewards as normal soldiers, and also give generous pensions, mainly from the spoils of war.
The entire reward and distribution matters will be mainly handled by agricultural officer Burkos and census officer Laphias, with the assistance of legion commanders Capus, Drakos, and Hilonimus.
"Dionysian citizens respond to the call, fulfill their duties, and fight bravely for the alliance. As the helmsman of the alliance's ship, the Senate, we must also give them corresponding commendations and care fairly and justly, and we must not let our warriors bleed while shedding tears! Only in this way can we encourage more people to contribute more to the prosperity and strength of the alliance! …" Finally, Davos reminded Burkos and the others who were about to do things with an impassioned speech.
Next, the candidates for administrative officers of Crimisa and Aspruentum were discussed.
Many senators signed up to run for Crimisa, because it is a port city with excellent conditions, and the residents are all Greeks. Although it is adjacent to Croton, it has already become an alliance after all, and Aspruentum is in front of it, so the administrative environment is relatively safe.
The result of the final vote was that Scombrus received the highest number of votes, which surprised some people, but after thinking about it carefully, although Scombrus has a bad temper, he is quick to speak and quick to correct mistakes. He doesn't have too many schemes, and he is happy to help the younger generation, so many people are happy to associate with him.
According to Dionysian law, Davos has the final veto power over any proposal in the Senate, but as long as the proposal is reasonable, he rarely uses this power. Just like now, he thinks the elected candidate for the administrative officer of Crimea is not bad. Scombrus's straightforward and approachable personality may win the favor of the Crimean people who are still hostile to the Dionysians. So, he was the first to congratulate Scombrus.
"Governor, please rest assured. I will definitely make the people of Crimisa identify with the Dionysian alliance as soon as possible, and at the same time coordinate the relationship between the local people and the new immigrants…" Scombrus made a guarantee to Davos with high spirits.
Having an old man at home is like having a treasure. Scombrus, who is over fifty years old, has not yet taken office, so he has grasped the two major problems that need him to invest his energy in after serving as the administrative officer of Crimea. So Davos smiled and said: "With you in Crimisa, the Senate has nothing to worry about!"
As for the candidate for administrative officer of the city of Aspruentum, because Davos said in advance: Aspruentum is different from Crimisa. It is located in the middle and upper reaches of the Neto River, and is occasionally harassed by the Brutii people who stray from the southwest. In the south, we must be vigilant and deter other Greek city-states from coveting the northern plains of Croton, and at the same time coordinate the relationship with the Crotonians.
In addition, Davos also told the senators: Many Lucanian warriors are willing to move to Aspruentum. In this way, in addition to the Lucania region (including Niotum of course), Aspruentum has become the city in the Dionysian League with the highest proportion of Lucanian residents. Therefore, the requirements for the administrative officer of Aspruentum are relatively high. First of all, he must have relatively strong military talent, certain administrative experience, and strong coordination ability. At the same time, he must be able to subdue those Lucanians who have joined Dionysius not long ago and are still somewhat undisciplined.
For the senators of Amendolara and Thurii, who have suffered the pain of war, there is always an indelible fear in their hearts when they are allowed to deal with the war independently; Vesper and Hermon are always active in making suggestions on issues involving Lucania, but they are always calmly watching and acting as voting machines when it comes to the affairs of Greek city-states; most of the mercenary senators are unwilling to handle administrative affairs, or lack the ability. Those with stronger administrative abilities, such as Antonios and Alexis, hold important public positions and cannot leave. Therefore, when Cornelius, the rotating chairman, announced that those who were willing to serve as the administrative officer of Aspruentum should raise their hands, no one responded for a while.
Davos was also a little surprised to see this. A name appeared in his mind—Asistetes. It's just that Asistetes is not a member of the Senate, and according to regulations, he cannot serve as the administrative officer of the city. At this time, he realized that: Before the promulgation of the "Dionysian League Public Office Law", it became difficult for former mercenary members who had not become members of the Senate to enter the Senate again and become senators. For these guys who mostly only think about fighting, it is undoubtedly impossible for them to re-enter administrative affairs and rise step by step. It seems that it is necessary to add a few clauses to the "Public Office Law" specifically targeting the entry of senior legion generals into the Senate…
Davos was thinking, but he saw someone raise his hand in the crowd—Hilos, it turned out to be Davos's former captain and most trusted confidant Hilos!
Some time ago, Davos was busy with affairs, and Hilos served as the captain of the Amendolara patrol team. Apart from meeting in the Senate, the two did not have many opportunities to meet, but Davos still knew about Hilos's performance: With the prosperity of warehousing, accommodation, and food under the city of Amendolara, a large number of foreigners poured in, but no major conflicts have occurred. Hilos's performance is the most important. His ability to handle emergencies and the fairness of coordinating and resolving conflicts between residents and foreigners have been well received by the people of Amendolara and the administrative officer Cornelius. As for military talent, Davos's evaluation of him is that he is good at using troops cautiously, which is just right for Aspruentum, which is in a special geographical location. I believe that with his rich mercenary experience, it will not be a big problem to subdue those Lucanians. As for administrative experience…
Davos thought for a while: He can first let Asistetes stay in Aspruentum for a period of time to help Hilos handle government affairs. I believe that with Hilos's serious learning attitude, he will soon be able to govern independently.
After waiting for a long time, Hilos was still the only one. Cornelius reluctantly announced: The candidate for administrative officer of Aspruentum is Hilos.
"I agree with Hilos serving as the administrative officer of Aspruentum. He is the most suitable candidate!" Davos first clearly expressed his support.
Subsequently, Capus, Antonios and others also expressed their agreement, and the candidate for administrative officer of Aspruentum was determined. Only Cornelius sighed: "Although I would like to congratulate Hilos, I have to express my regret for Amendolara losing an excellent patrol captain!"
Hilos thanked Cornelius for his indirect praise.
Davos said, "I'll ask Amendolara to recommend a suitable patrol captain."
Cornelius immediately perked up: "Lord Consul, please speak."
"Epithenius, he would make an excellent patrol captain," Davos said, pointing to the back row with certainty.
"Ah?!" Epithenius, who was whispering to Zipete, didn't expect to be named and replied in surprise, "Why me?!"
"So you can put more energy into the administrative affairs of the League, set a good example for your soldiers, instead of harming the young people of Daonia all day long!" Davos said half-jokingly and half-seriously.
Everyone laughed. Everyone knew that Epithenius liked beautiful young men. In fact, many senators also had this hobby, but Epithenius was more obvious. Greeks liked young men and promoted young men, which was not only a fashion, but also a tradition. Although Davos personally felt uncomfortable, he still expressed his respect and didn't want to force a change. Apart from this point, what Davos admired most about Epithenius was that he could think calmly on the battlefield and respond flexibly to complex situations. He always completed the tasks assigned to him and exceeded expectations.
Under Davos's strong pressure and Cornelius's repeated requests, Epithenius finally had to agree.
Epithenius's helpless expression once again made Amintas and the others laugh.
The meeting had reached noon. Cornelius announced a half-hour recess. The slaves who had been waiting outside the Senate immediately came in to bring food and water to their masters to fill their stomachs.
Even with a half-hour break, Davos would not have any free time. While chewing on bread, he discussed with Skombraras and Hilos the problems they needed to solve after taking office and how the two cities could cooperate and strengthen ties to deal with any situation that might arise in the south.
Then, Kunogolatas approached him to discuss how to arrange the five new senators. As senators, their families should naturally be settled in Thurii to facilitate the performance of their duties. Even if they served as administrative officials in other cities, they would not move away from their Thurii residences, after all, the term of office for city administrative officials was only two years, while senators served for life.
There were still many vacant public lands in the city of Thurii, which were managed by the Senate and would not be easily granted. Allocating a small piece of land for the new senators to build residences would certainly not be free. The Daonian Land Law clearly stipulated that even if Davos bought land, he would have to pay at the market price. Due to the large influx of population over the past year,
the price of residential land in Thurii had been rising again and again, and this trend should increase sharply after Daonia defeated Croton.
Kunogolatas hoped that the land given to the new senators by the Senate would still be sold at the initial price, in order to show the sincerity of the Daonian Senate and appease these newcomers.
Davos agreed, and he also considered that if any of the five new Crimisa senators really couldn't come up with the money, the state treasury could pay it first and then be repaid later.
The half-hour break ended, and the Senate meeting continued.
Davos stood up and stated his first proposal: "In this war with Croton, although Daonia won, it exposed some problems. The most important and urgent one that needs to be solved is the navy!"
As soon as Davos finished speaking, it immediately aroused strong resonance among the senators.
"Lord Consul is right! In this war, the greatest loss the Crotonians caused us was their fleet constantly landing and plundering, burning down several villages in Thurii, and killing many of our people. To this day, Thurii's public officials are still working hard to resettle the people and rebuild their homes!" Kunogolatas complained.
"If we Daonians also had a navy, and it was as strong as our army, then Croton would have surrendered long ago when we won the battle, and there would have been no need to besiege Crimisa again!" Amintas emphasized.
"The trade of the Daonian League is becoming more and more prosperous, and the territory of Daonia is also expanding rapidly. We need a strong fleet to protect our maritime trade, prevent our long coastline from being raided by enemy fleets, and our ports from being blockaded by enemy warships!" Mariji loudly reminded.
"That's right! We need a strong navy to protect the safety of the Daonian League!" Everyone agreed.
"Since we have all reached a consensus, then my proposal is—" Davos looked at everyone and said, "In addition to accelerating the completion of the three trireme warships under construction, we will also build seven more trireme warships this year. I asked En Anilus, and the Thurii shipyard does not have enough docks to complete such a large order, and Crimisa also has a larger shipyard with the ability to manufacture trireme warships, so a small portion of the order can be given to them to complete. In the future, ten trireme warships will be built every year until we have trireme warships in five years. At the same time, we will also equip ten medium-sized warships (i.e., hundred-man warships) and small warships (warships), so as to have a relatively strong Daonian navy of warships."
Everyone thought the plan was feasible, but only Mercys expressed dissent: "No! No! This would mean the alliance would have to spend more than a hundred talents each year, that's too much!"
"Although it is a bit more, I believe our treasury can fully bear it. Last year alone, the treasury received many talents from land tax, land rent tax, and trade tax. And this year, Mali Ji's lowest estimate for me is at least double the treasury revenue." Davos said here, and many elders were taken aback. Unconsciously, the treasury revenue of Daonia was about to be on par with Tarantum and Croton. Taking out a small amount of money to build a fleet should be more than enough.
"Everyone, Lord Mercys, in fact, it doesn't cost more than a hundred talents to build ten triremes every year." Mali Ji stood up and reminded everyone: "The cost of building warships mainly includes two parts, one is wood, and the other is manufacturing costs. In the mountains of our alliance territory, especially in the mountains of Lucania, there are countless high-quality cedars that are most suitable for building triremes. I heard that Athens once had an agreement with Thurii, requiring Thurii to provide Athens with a certain amount of shipbuilding wood every year."
"There is indeed such an agreement. Every year, Thurii has to provide Athens with at least a thousand pieces of wood for shipbuilding, and it will be doubled when necessary," Ennius said. In the beginning, in order to complete this agreement, the Thurii people cut down a large number of trees for decades. Although they earned some money from the wood, the older cedars in the mountains around Thurii became less and less. Moreover, Athens has more than a dozen large shipyards and does not need to build ships in Thurii. The Ennius family has always had complaints about this. Later, due to excessive logging, many barren mountains appeared around Thurii. The people realized the drawback and began to purchase wood from other city-states in Greater Greece and resell it to Athens to earn a small profit.
"In the later period of the war between Athens and Sparta, after the Spartan navy gained the upper hand, we were forced to cancel this agreement," Cunogolata added.
Davos nodded. After serving as the chief executive of the alliance, he understood this agreement. He even believed that the reason why the Athenian general Pericles agreed to build Thurii and called for the establishment of a great Pan-Hellenic city-state was just a superficial reason. One of the real strategic goals was for wood. It should be known that Athens inherently has two major flaws. First, it does not produce much grain locally and must rely on imports to maintain the needs of the city-state's large population. Therefore, it has built many colonies along the coast of Greece leading to the Black Sea or controlled city-states in key locations, such as Byzantium, to ensure the smooth passage of grain shipping routes from the Black Sea. It needs a strong navy, and the Athenians ambitiously want to establish a strong Mediterranean Greek city-state alliance, which requires an even stronger navy. However, Athens' second major flaw is that it does not have many forests locally, let alone trees that can make high-quality warships. Moreover, with the scale of Athens' navy and merchant ships, the required wood must be a huge amount. Therefore, finding shipbuilding wood has become a strategic issue related to whether Athens can maintain its strength. Egypt has no forests, Persia has wood, but will not sell it to its enemy Athens. Northern Greece and Thrace have forests, but they are located inland, and logging and transportation are problems, and the cost is high. Therefore, Greater Greece, which is traversed by the Apennine Mountains, has become an important wood purchasing place for Athens, and Thurii, which was established by the Athenians, is naturally the main wood supply place.
"Therefore, I request the Senate to discuss a plan to approve the alliance's slaves to cut down a certain number of cedars every year as warship wood, which does not require spending an obol. As for the manufacturing cost—" Mali Ji looked at Ennius and said jokingly: "I think Lord Ennius will definitely not charge the alliance too high a fee."
Ennius smiled helplessly.
Everyone felt that Mali Ji was right, and their concerns about the cost dissipated a lot.
"But have you considered the maintenance and upkeep of these warships after they are built? That is also a considerable expense!" Mercys said unconvinced.
"Ennius and I have discussed this issue." Davos said, and Ennius nodded, indicating that it was true.
"When there is no war, of course, we will not leave the warships idle in the port. In addition to a small part patrolling the coast of the alliance and a part being repaired in the dock, the rest can serve as escorts for merchant ships, especially on the route from the Adriatic Sea to the Greek mainland, where pirate ship hijacking incidents occur frequently. They can also temporarily serve as large cargo ships to transport goods for friendly city-states… Look, it not only earns maintenance fees for our navy but also trains the sailors' sailing skills, isn't it good?" After Davos finished his thoughts, Mercys stopped talking.
"In addition, we also need to find a qualified commander for this upcoming Daonian navy. His current task is to assist the military affairs officer Philius in supervising the construction of warships; to cooperate with the financial officer Mercys in reviewing the funds; in the future, when the warships are built, he will also recruit sailors, equip crew members, conduct regular military training, arrange coastal patrols, and—" Davos emphasized: "Win naval battles. Does anyone have a qualified candidate to recommend?" Mobile phone users please browse and read for a better reading experience.
The elders looked at each other, momentarily speechless. The former mercenary elders were skilled in land warfare but not in naval battles; the Lucanian elders understood mountain combat but were fearful of the sea; Amendolara had no port or warships, so its elders naturally had no experience in naval warfare; that left the elders of Thurii…
Cunograta looked at the others and said, "I recommend En. Anilus; he was originally a Thurii naval commander."
The other Thurii elders also expressed their approval. Davos also recognized En. Anilus's talent in this area; otherwise, he wouldn't have discussed the establishment of a navy with him beforehand. The only concern was that En. Anilus's family owned a shipyard, and Davos worried about him using public office for private gain. But then he thought, how could the shrewd and stingy Melsis be easily fooled?
Compared to the talent-rich army, there were too few people who understood naval warfare!" Davos sighed inwardly.
In the end, En. Anilus successfully became the commander of the Daonian navy. He said excitedly, "Our Daonia has a powerful hoplite army. I no longer have to worry about warships being burned in the harbor before they even leave port!" It seemed that the fact that Thurii's warships were either destroyed or captured after Croton occupied Thurii had always bothered him.
"The Daonian army has already made a name for itself. All I can do is lead this newly built navy to actively cooperate with the army and create greater victories for the defense of the Daonian League!" After En. Anilus finished speaking, all the elders, including Amintas and the others, smiled and applauded En. Anilus's inauguration.
Poluxis watched En. Anilus's back, a hint of contempt on his face.
Davos's second proposal was about building a highway connecting Castron—Crimisa—Asproustum. As soon as this proposal was made, it was unanimously approved by all the elders. The Daonian League had already enjoyed the benefits of building highways. Even if Davos didn't mention it, other elders would make similar proposals. By now, the Daonians had a significant difference in concept from other Greeks. They no longer believed that a city-state only needed convenient sea transportation, and roads didn't need much consideration. They not only cared about sea routes but also believed that building good roads was a necessary infrastructure for the development of a city-state.
However, Davos's second proposal did not end there. He continued, "When we besieged Crimisa, messengers traveled back and forth between Thurii and Crimisa every day, covering more than a hundred miles. Many horses were exhausted, and sometimes important news could not be delivered in time. I was thinking about a problem: as the territory of the Daonian League gradually expands, the cities on the border will only become farther and farther away from Thurii, the center of the territory. How can we promptly grasp the situation of other Daonian cities so that our Senate can respond to some emergencies in a timely manner?"
Davos's question aroused everyone's thoughts.
"We have frequent merchant ships coming and going, and we can understand the situation of other cities at any time," Marigi suggested. "We can set up a special small boat for delivering letters, which is faster and does not consume horses."
"There are several problems with using sea routes to deliver letters. First, ships cannot sail during sea storms, especially in winter; second, this only applies to port cities. Inland cities such as Nium and Asproustum cannot be delivered; third, during wartime, using ships to transport letters is easy to intercept, because the sea is too big to be completely defended, and the army cannot always march along the coastline. So how can urgent orders and letters be delivered from the ship to the commander in time?"
Davos pointed out the drawbacks of using ships to deliver messages. Marigi was speechless for a moment. He said embarrassedly, "Your Excellency, I haven't thought about it yet."
"It seems that we still have to go by land. We are now building roads to connect the cities of Daonia, so using mules to deliver letters should be faster and more convenient than before," Cornelius said.
"You are right, we should focus on land routes and supplement them with sea routes. I think what we should do now is to arrange special public officials to be responsible for transporting letters, making it a daily city-state affair, so I propose that the League establish a post office," Davos said confidently.
Post office?! Everyone felt strange when they heard the word Davos said, which was obviously coined by Davos himself.
"The main function of the post office is to receive letters and packages from the people of Daonia and then deliver these things to the recipients…" Davos gestured with his hands and explained patiently, "We set up post offices in every city, equipped with public officials. They receive letters and transport letters every day. At the same time, we also set up post stations every forty to fifty miles on the avenue, also equipped with public officials. There are simple hotels in the post stations, and horses are also raised. When the messengers arrive at the post stations, they can go in to rest, drink water, and then continue on their way… In this way, while the post office serves the people in peacetime, the news of other cities will be gathered to the Senate through it every day, so that we can understand what is happening in the Daonian territory; and in wartime, the army messengers can go to various post stations through our avenue system to replenish food and water and change horses to quickly deliver army orders…"
"This is a wonderful idea, worthy of being a favored one of the gods!" Cunograta couldn't help but praise, "If the… post office is established, it will not only facilitate the army and the people, but also strengthen the connection between the people of various cities. The cities of the Daonian League will become closer! I think… in the future, we can also set up post offices in our allied states to strengthen our exchanges with them." As expected of a senior former consul, Cunograta immediately saw the bright prospects that the establishment of the post office would bring to the Daonian League.
"I hope the post office can be established as soon as possible! When I get to Crimisa, I won't have to worry too much about my children!" Scombras said happily.
"I heard that you always scold 'they are disobedient, I don't want to live with them' usually?" Strombory asked strangely.
Scombras raised his head: "Those who don't have children don't understand, don't talk nonsense."
This almost caused Strombory to quarrel with him, and everyone laughed and persuaded them to stop.
Melsis stood up with a bitter face: "Your Excellency, this is building a post office and building post stations. How much money will these building expenses, the salaries of civil servants, and the cost of raising horses cost the national treasury?!"
Without Davos's explanation, Marigi preemptively said, "Melsis, don't you understand! Does the post office charge for delivering letters and packages for the people? There are hotels in the post stations, do you charge for pedestrians to stay there? I really don't know how you became the finance officer!"
Melsis didn't care at this time, but eagerly asked Davos: "Is it necessary to pay for sending a letter? How much is the price?"
Davos nodded: "The establishment of the post office is mainly to deliver messages and facilitate the people, so it should not be too expensive. I think one obol per letter is enough. The price of sending packages depends on their size and weight. This will be discussed by Marigi and the person in charge of the post office in the future."
"One obol per letter, I think the people will be very willing to accept this price. I am afraid that the affairs of the post office will become very busy in the future!" Cornelius laughed: "Because after this land distribution, the 'shares' of many citizens will be in different cities, which requires the post office to deliver messages to strengthen the management of the land."
Cornelius's words resonated with many elders. Not only ordinary citizens, but also the land they were allocated was the same, so they all agreed with Davos's proposal.
Melsis was still calculating the income of the post office, and found that the income was considerable, and immediately asked: "Is the income of the post office turned over to the national treasury?"
"After deducting the salaries of public officials and various costs, the remaining income will of course be handed over to the national treasury." Davos's words made Melsis smile: "In addition, I propose to establish a road bureau, which will be responsible for the planning, construction, maintenance, and management of roadside facilities of all roads in the League."
Davos's proposal was also approved by the elders. They enjoyed the benefits of the avenue, and at the same time, they also knew that a highway needs long-term professional maintenance after it is built, otherwise it will become dilapidated in a few years.
"Will there be a charge for using the avenue in the future?" Melsis looked at Davos hopefully.
"Free." Davos uttered two words.
"It costs at least talents to build a highway between cities (this does not include the cost of land, because the land for roads is planned in advance before the land is distributed to citizens, and belongs to the League, so there is no need to spend money, otherwise the cost will be several times higher if the price of buying land is included). The subsequent maintenance costs are even more expensive at any time. Is it okay to charge a little money?" Melsis requested.
"Roads are different from post offices. If you charge, most of the people can not take the roads we built, which does not affect their travel. Instead, the roads we have worked so hard to build were originally intended to serve the people, but in the end only a few people use them, which is contrary to our original purpose of building the avenue," Davos explained seriously.
"Your Excellency is right! The people of our Daonian League can enjoy comfortable and flat avenues! They can enjoy highly skilled but inexpensive medical care! They can enjoy convenient and fast… postal services! Our citizens can be allocated land as long as they serve in the military! Our citizens can take public office and get paid as long as they pass the test!… Daonia has created so many benefits for the people. May I ask if Athens, the most prosperous Greek city-state, can do these things?!" Presinas said with passion.
Everyone thought for a moment and shook their heads. Athens might be the wealthiest, but it couldn't provide its citizens with so many benefits. As a city-state with a long history, too many vested interest groups, deeply rooted legal systems, and traditional ideologies prevented it from achieving everything that the emerging city-state league of Daonia had accomplished. Even though, it was already considered to be quite considerate of the common people among the Greek city-states.
"Can the powerful Mediterranean nation of Persia do these things?" Plessinas asked loudly again.
Everyone directly shook their heads: Persia was a dictatorial country where nobles exploited commoners and Persians exploited other races.
"Then Daonia is the Elysium of the Greek city-states! I believe that when Greeks learn about the rights our citizens enjoy, they will be even more eager to flock to Daonia!" Plessinas said with certainty.
"Plessinas's guess should be correct. Before the war with Croton, the number of free people in the port of Thurii had been increasing… And after the war, we fulfilled our promises and even distributed land to prospective citizens, so even more immigrants will definitely pour into Daonia. We need to be prepared to settle them," Cunogolata took over, giving everyone a preliminary reminder.
Hearing this, everyone was both happy and a little worried.
"Now, please allow me to add another right for the citizens of Daonia," Davos continued, "I just noticed that when you heard Cunogolata say 'more immigrants will come to Daonia,' you all seemed a little worried. What are you worried about? I think you are more worried that the Daonian League will have difficulty maintaining good urban order! Worried that so many immigrants are entering, and most of them are commoners who have not received education, and that after they all become Daonia citizens, the overall quality of our citizens will decline! It will decline sharply!"
"Lord Davos is right!" Thurii elder Massisacus immediately stood up and loudly accused, "There are already signs of this in Thurii, especially in the port, where the new immigrants with various accents are rude and uneducated, cursing, fighting, and brawling at every turn. I heard that the port patrol team has to deal with dozens of conflicts a day. Is this the case, Cunogolata?"
Cunogolata shook his head and earnestly corrected, "It's not that serious. Free people who want to successfully become League citizens wouldn't dare to violate the law and cause chaos. According to statistics, there are no more than five incidents a day at most, and most of them are resolved on their own before the patrol team arrives."
Massisacus felt embarrassed and muttered, "Three or four conflicts a day are still a lot…"
Poluxis looked at Massisacus, his eyes flickering.
Davos smiled and said, "Precisely because these problems exist, my next proposal is—to establish a school in Thurii, where all Daonia citizens, after paying a small fee, can send their children to school to learn literacy, arithmetic, drawing, music, sports…"
School?! Everyone pondered this novel word. At this time, the Academy of Athens had not yet been established. The main way Greeks received education was by wealthy nobles and rich people hiring private tutors or buying educated slaves to educate their children, or by famous scholars opening private schools, charging high tuition fees, and recruiting disciples. But for a city-state to fund the construction of a school and collectively educate the children of citizens, this was unheard of! But the elders were all very interested. Most of them felt that this would indeed help solve the problem of the low cultural quality of Daonia citizens, so they all stood up and asked questions.
Davos was very familiar with schools. Combining his experience from his previous life with the actual situation of this life, he easily answered their questions.
For example, Amintas asked, "What if citizens also want to go to school to learn?"
Davos's answer was: "Establish a special class for educating adults in the school, whose curriculum and teaching methods are different from those for young children, in order to quickly eliminate illiteracy."
For example, Cunogolata's question: "Children are of different ages and have different levels of education. How can they all benefit and improve in school?"
Davos's answer was: "Establish three levels of education: elementary, intermediate, and advanced. Children who have never learned anything enter the elementary class and begin to learn to read, do arithmetic, and read articles… Children who are already literate and have a certain foundation in arithmetic enter the intermediate class and learn how to use words to make sentences, write articles, and perform complex calculations… The advanced class mainly focuses on mastering rhetoric, speech, debate, and calculating large amounts of complex data… This is to prepare for the training of lawyers, accountants, middle-level officials, and other senior talents for the League…"
… … …
The elders expressed satisfaction with Davos's detailed answers. Even Cunogolata, who rarely praised others in public, couldn't help but exclaim: "Governor, I now truly believe that you have received the favor of the gods, otherwise you could not have come up with so many brilliant ideas, and also have complete implementation plans!"
Cunogolata's words were agreed upon by the elders.
Davos smiled and continued, "I propose that Ancitano be appointed as the person in charge of this school."
"Agreed!" The elders expressed their approval one after another. In the Senate, the most knowledgeable was undoubtedly Ancitano, who had been a disciple of Herodotus. Of course, some people also believed that Davos, who was rumored to have been illiterate but had received divine enlightenment from the King of the Underworld and had always been mysterious, had a level of knowledge that was difficult to estimate.
"Ah? Me…" Ancitano, who was sitting in the back row and daydreaming, was awakened and hurriedly shook his head to refuse, "I can't do it, I don't have time! The Athenian Thucydides's 'History of the Peloponnesian War' has been completed and is said to be well-received by the Athenians, but my 'History of Greater Greece' hasn't even started yet?!"
At the repeated requests of the elders, and even with Davos and everyone making a promise that all the elders would do their best to contribute information to his creation, and that they would do their best to cooperate if he wanted to interview someone…
Ancitano reluctantly accepted, but he immediately began to complain: "My lords, it's not that I was unwilling to manage the school just now, but you must know that the Daonian League, even if it only counts the city of Thurii, has thousands of children of Daonia citizens! And Governor, what you just said about them learning Greek writing, arithmetic, as well as drawing, music, and so on, how many teachers would that require?! The Daonian League simply can't find so many teachers to teach the children!"
After he said this, everyone immediately realized that this was indeed a problem. But Davos had obviously considered it long ago, and he said unhurriedly: "The Daonian League doesn't have enough teachers, but other city-states do. We urgently need cypress rosin grass, and we can specifically reduce tariffs on it significantly to encourage Cyrene merchants to transport it to the port of Thurii in large quantities for sale. We lack teachers, so of course we can also formulate a preferential bill for them to encourage outstanding scholars from other countries to actively come to Daonia… Do you think that's right?"
The elders were thoughtful, and Ancitano asked urgently, "What kind of bill?"
"My proposal is… Any foreigner who comes to Daonia to work as a teacher, even if they are a slave, will immediately obtain Daonia citizenship! But the prerequisite is that they must first pass the assessment of our Senate's specialized agency to determine that they have the ability to serve as a teacher… Hmm… This assessment can be led by you, Ancitano. But if they have citizenship and become teachers in the League's schools, they must devote their lives to teaching children knowledge. If they change careers midway, their citizenship will be immediately revoked and they will be deported! In addition, League citizenship only applies to the teachers themselves, and their children cannot inherit it unless they also pursue a teaching career…"
Davos's proposal moved everyone.
Ancitano, who had not cared about being the school administrator at first, was now a little excited and said: "Since Plessinas and Lord Cunogolata believed earlier that Greeks envied Daonia citizens and wanted to become Daonia citizens, then I think the situation of Daonia lacking teachers will soon change!… I remember that there was a League bill specifically for doctors before, and now a proposal that favors teachers has been formulated. My lords, doctors and teachers are the two most sacred professions besides the priests of the gods, one heals people's bodies, and the other improves people's minds. I thank Governor for his foresight! And I hope to get your support! The Daonian Senate has fully demonstrated its respect for knowledge! It will make our League not only prosper in trade and be strong militarily, but it will also be brilliant culturally! The Daonian League will become a great city-state league!!"
… … … … … … … … … …
The meeting went on until dusk, and there were still two people who said they had proposals to make, so the elders had to have the guards light candles and continue.
The first speaker was Scombrus, who first apologized and said: "I'm very sorry for delaying everyone's time to go home for dinner. I just consulted in detail with Lord Davos, Kapus, Hieronimus, and others, and I learned that there is a very large swamp north of the city of Crimisa, especially in the spring when rainwater floods, and the swamp also expands outwards, affecting road traffic and encroaching on farmland… I was wondering if we could invest a lot of labor to fill the swamp and build a dam for the Lacoe Ellis River, which would not only ensure the safety of the territory and prevent the occurrence of epidemics, but also add a large area of fertile land!…"
"You old man, you just got elected as the administrator of Crimisa, and you haven't even taken office yet, and you're already starting to implement your management of Crimisa!" Protosilaus joked with a smile.
"What? Do you little brat have a problem with that?!" Scamblas blew his beard and glared at Amendolara, the younger generation he had watched grow up since he was a child.
Protossilaus Laos shrugged and said nothing.
"The drainage and filling technology for swamps, depressions, and tidal flats has become a mature technology that we Greeks often use. The Thurii people also often built dikes on the upper reaches of the Coseni River during the rainy season. We can technically achieve Lord Skomburas's proposal." Kunogorata asked seriously: "But to fill such a large swamp area into farmland, a lot of manpower and materials need to be invested. Have you considered these?"
"Didn't you just say that a large number of free people will pour into Daonia in the future! We can recruit them in large numbers to do this project. For these free people who have made great contributions to the Daonian League, we will not only shorten their citizenship inspection period as an incentive, but also consider giving them a 'portion' of the swamp area to encourage them to work harder! Also... we must consider the breeding of mosquitoes there, and I hope Herpus can send doctors to participate and rescue the sick at any time to prevent the outbreak of epidemics..." Skomburas said eloquently. Although he had never served as a city-state executive before, he had devoted himself wholeheartedly to the role of Chief Executive of Crimisa, using his long life experience to carefully consider issues, so he considered them more carefully.
"Of course, there is no problem." Herpus said immediately: "We can provide help at any time!"
"Melsis, don't be stingy with the money!" Skomburas turned to the financial officer again and said loudly: "As long as the swamp area is successfully transformed, how much farmland can it provide! How much land tax can you collect! And these are available every year! Use your brain to think about it!"
Melsis raised his hand helplessly: "Old man, don't think about it, I agree."
"Does anyone else have any objections?" The rotating speaker, Cornelos, asked.
Everyone, including Davos, shook their heads. Skomburas had settled the matter alone.
Next, Vesba stood up: "My lords, I have received news from Niu Tum that 'the Potentian army is approaching Grumantum. Sincinnagus may be worried about being forcibly annexed by the original Grumantum tribes, so he did not go out of the city to meet the enemy. He held firm in Grumantum and sent people to Niu Tum, hoping to form an alliance with us to jointly fight against Potentia.'"
"Sincinnagus has a good idea." Davos smiled faintly: "What do you think of this?"
Vesba hesitated for a moment, and then said: "I don't think it is necessary to form an alliance with Picexis. Previous events have proved that Sincinnagus is completely untrustworthy. Moreover, the battle between Potentia and Picexis will weaken the strength of both sides, no matter who wins, which is very beneficial to our Daonia!"
Davos was very happy to see Vesba thinking this way.
It shows that he has become accustomed to the life of the alliance and will consider the interests of the alliance, so he said: "Lord Vesba is right! Of course, we will not refuse him forcefully, just say that our Daonia has just gone through a great war and needs to rest and cannot start another war."
Vesba said he understood.
At this time, Hermon said: "Not only Sincinnagus is showing goodwill to us, but the tribes of the original Grumantum are also quietly contacting us, hoping to get our help to drive away the Picexis and Potentia people."
"Then what are they prepared to pay?" Davos asked.
"They said, 'willing to make Grumantum an appendage of our Daonia.'" Hermon replied.
"This condition seems worth considering." Protossilaus was a little moved and continued.
Davos looked at him and the other elders who agreed, and then said with a sneer: "These tribes once betrayed their leader Lussau, and later clashed with Picexis. The Grumantum people want to rely on this sentence to make our Daonia go to war with the two major forces in Lucania—Potentia and Picexis. Is this possible! Now Crimisa and Asprustum need a large number of citizens and reserve citizens to settle down. The Daonian army will have a period of time involving a series of issues such as reorganization and zoning, and it is impossible to send enough soldiers to Lucania. Besides, Bagule, do you think our heavy infantry can exert much power in the Lucanian mountains?"
Bagule thought for a while and said frankly: "We were able to capture Niu Tum because of a sneak attack. We did not directly fight against the Lucanian warriors. However, it is probably difficult for heavy infantry to gain the upper hand in fighting Lucanian warriors in the mountains. Just walking the mountain roads will consume a lot of energy from the soldiers. What's more, we are not familiar with the terrain. On narrow mountain roads, the enemy does not need to fight us head-on. They only need to push a few stones to cause heavy losses to us, not to mention that transporting grain is also a major problem…"
"Bagule is right! When we had to pass through mountainous areas to Armenia in Persia, we often encountered similar difficulties. No matter how brave the heavy infantry is, they can't exert any power at all." Alexis said immediately, and then the former mercenary elders also expressed their approval of Bagule's words.
The elders with the most combat experience were not optimistic about fighting in the mountains, which made Protossilaus a little ashamed. He was very good at recognizing his mistakes and said embarrassedly: "It seems that the continuous victories some time ago have made me a little proud."
The elders who agreed to accept the conditions of the Grumantum tribe also lowered their heads slightly ashamed. In Thurii and Amendolara, war was a painful thing. However, since Davos came, victory seemed to be easy, giving everyone the illusion that Daonian soldiers were invincible! This has made everyone a little arrogant.
But Davos did not lose his caution. He clearly remembered that when Rome began to conquer mainland Italy in history, the biggest obstacle it encountered was not the coastal Greek city-states, nor the fierce Gaul tribes in the north, but the Samnite people in the central mountainous area. When the Roman heavy infantry, who dominated the plains, attacked the Samnite people in the mountains, it was almost impossible to move forward. The fighting lasted for decades, during which the Romans suffered several Failure and were forced to seek peace in humiliation. Davos certainly didn't want to repeat Rome's mistakes.
"Aren't we going to attack Lucania then? Governor, don't forget that you promised us to occupy the Lucania region!" At this time, someone stood up and questioned Davos.
It was Polyxis! Kunogorata, Bulkos and others frowned, and Capus and Amyntas looked unhappy, but Davos looked calm: "We are not forcibly attacking the Lucania region, but it does not mean that we are going to give it up. The most affected by the war between Potentia and Picexis are undoubtedly the small tribes scattered on the land near Grumantum and the ordinary people in the city. Hermon told me that the Lucanians who fled to Niu Tum said that Picexis and Potentia were plundering their cattle, sheep and property, and forcibly incorporating them into the vanguard…"
"Yes, Governor. When these people arrived in Niu Tum and saw that the Lucanians who became Daonian citizens were living very well, they were very envious! They now long for Grumantum to restore peace so that they can continue to live a peaceful life under the protection of a powerful force." Hermon said solemnly: "And we Daonia are the only ones who can help them realize this beautiful wish!"
"So I still need you to send people to be more active near Grumantum, preferably sneaking into the city, so that these Lucanians who have been deeply hurt by the war can understand this!" Davos instructed.
Hermon nodded in agreement.
"Bagule, after you go back, tell Sesta to gather the young Lucanians in Niu Tum and have you conduct assault training according to the original Lucanian combat methods. However, the organization of the troops should preferably be in the existing form, because this will be more disciplined. In addition, you must keep it secret and not let the enemy in the north know."
Davos's words made Bagule excited and said: "When will we attack?"
"Wait for the opportunity." Davos uttered a sentence, then looked around at everyone and said firmly: "I would rather let Potentia and Galagus become vassals of Daonia than let Grumantum escape our control! The location of Grumantum City is very important, controlling the upper roads to the north, east, and west of Italy, and must be personally controlled by Daonia!"
… … … … … … … …
Kroton's troops had just arrived in Siris and continued south after joining the small number of reinforcements sent by Trina and Siris. The Kroton fleet had been sailing south and had already passed Siris and was approaching the sea near Caulonia.
At this time, the fast ship serving as reconnaissance at the front sent back information: the Locri fleet appeared on the sea ahead, about o ships!
Askamus, the commander of the Kroton Navy, immediately ordered: the fleet slowed down, lowered its sails, lined up in a battle formation, and prepared to meet the enemy!
Soon, the warships that received the order gathered together to form a formation with three-tiered oared warships in the center and other warships of various sizes lined up on both sides, trying to sail close to the coast, because it was the east wind at this time. Although the sails were lowered, the wind could still be used to save the sailors some energy, so the fleet tried its best to seize the upwind position.
Before the formation was completed, the Locri fleet appeared on the sea less than a nautical mile away from them.
Askamus decisively ordered: speed up and prepare to attack!
From west to east, the Kroton fleet was divided into five columns, each with ten ships, ready to rush into the enemy's line of defense at an extremely fast speed, and then use the advantage of having more ships to achieve one-on-one or two-on-one close combat (this was once a common naval tactic created by the Athenians to fight more with less.