Back then, when Sedorum, the great chieftain of Viggiano, led his tribe to join the Lucanian tribal alliance, it frightened the tribes in the Bruttium region, who all felt that disaster was imminent. Although time has passed, many people still harbor prejudices against Sedorum and the Viggiani, which has become a concern for Sedorum. He was the first to abandon the past hatred between tribes and took the initiative to come to Cosenza, initially advocating for the establishment of the Bruttium League. Moreover, in the Bruttium region, the strength of Viggiano was second only to Cosenza, but in this council hall, his words carried even less weight than Nicotera.
At this moment, he ignored Nicotera's sarcasm and solemnly said to Pianoro: "Leave the matter of forming an alliance with Picerno and Potenza to me!"
When the meeting came to an end, no one had suggested: Let Siris go and allow it to exist independently.
Because doing so would give other tribes unwilling to be merged and incorporated an excuse, strengthening their confidence in resisting this new alliance, and the path to unification of Bruttium would become less smooth.
… … … … … … … … … …
Adepigis walked back into the house with a frustrated face.
"How is it? Are they still not letting us out?!" Antropolus asked, Welcome, welcome, welcome, face to face.
Adepigis shook his head and said angrily: "It's still the same old story, saying something like 'Some tribes in the city have experienced riots that haven't been resolved yet, and they're afraid of accidentally hurting us, leading to tensions with Daunia. Therefore, they've strengthened our protection,' and so on. I think they want to imprison us!"
"Maybe they want to cover our eyes and ears and seize the time to resolve the Siris tribe!" Antropolus looked anxiously at Anta Orestes.
Anta Orestes, however, was leisurely lying on the couch, having his slave apply ointment obtained from the Bruttians to his whip wounds. The reason he wasn't anxious was that he had seen Davos's letter in the Senate, and his understanding was that "helping the Siris tribe and protesting to the Bruttians" was just a good excuse for Daunia to intervene in Bruttian affairs and disrupt the Bruttian tribal union. If the Bruttians didn't accept it and instead destroyed Siris, Daunia would have a reason to send troops to Bruttium, which was probably Davos's true intention.
After nearly half a year of getting along, Anta Orestes never looked down on this magistrate because of his youth. On the contrary, he understood the terror hidden beneath Davos's seemingly sincere smile. Therefore, whether this mission succeeded or failed, Daunia would achieve its goal.
He said unhurriedly: "Don't worry, we can wait slowly."
… … … … … … … … … … …
Three days later, Anta Onis came to the council hall of Cosenza again, and Pianoro told him bad news: a civil strife broke out in the Siris tribe. Some clansmen hoped to return to the Greek city-states, and some clansmen demanded to merge into Cosenza. As a result, conflicts broke out between the two sides, leading to fighting, and finally, the clansmen who supported merging into Cosenza massacred the other clansmen… …
He also let Anta Onis meet several leaders of the Siris tribe, who repeatedly demanded to join Cosenza and firmly refused any help from Daunia.
Throughout the whole process, Anta Orestes spoke very little, giving the Bruttian chieftains who had been observing him a kind of illusion: the Daunians seemed to have helplessly accepted this result.
When Pianoro said to Anta Orestes with an apologetic face: "The matter has already happened, and what we can do is to try our best to settle the surviving Siris clansmen! We are worried that Daunia will misunderstand the Bruttium League because of this and make some radical decisions. Therefore, we hope that Lord Anta Orestes will return to Thurii and convey our sincere apologies and sincere desire to have friendly relations with Daunia to your Senate!… …"
Anta Orestes said calmly: "I will truthfully report what happened to the Senate, and I will also convey your words of hope for friendship without missing a word. As for how the Senate will make a decision, I cannot guess… …"
Cosenza did not prevent Anta Orestes from leaving, on the contrary, they gifted him many valuable gifts,
Moreover, Cosenza's farewell to him was quite grand.
At the farewell, Sedorum was the main character. He not only sent hundreds of Viggiano warriors to serve as guards, but also personally accompanied Anta Orestes to leave Cosenza. Because Anta Orestes considered that when entering the Bruttian mountains, the road would be difficult to travel, and even worse, the city of Besidiae was unfriendly. In addition, due to Antropolus's request, he decided not to take the same route when he returned, but to go north from Cosenza through Viggiano to Laos, and then return to Thurii through the Laos fortress.
After a long day's trek, they arrived at Viggiano.
Sedorum also specially prepared a lavish banquet with abundant food, warmly inviting Anta Orestes to the feast.
The next day, Anta Orestes and his party left the Bruttian mountains and arrived at Laos.
The magistrate of Laos, Avinogens, led all the dignitaries of the city to welcome him outside the city. Only at this time did Anta Orestes completely relax.
… … … … … … … … … … …
Davos's boat arrived at the port of Thurii together with other troop transport ships. He did not disembark with the soldiers, because at this time the port was crowded with people, and the Daunian people had come to welcome the safe return of their relatives. Too noisy and crowded a scene was not conducive to protecting the safety of the Daunian magistrate. So Davos followed Martius's advice and sailed west along the Crati River to the pier in the city of Thurii, and then Davos quietly returned to his mansion.
The slave steward, Libazo, was in the front yard corridor urging two slaves to scrub the reservoir in the center of the courtyard clean. Seeing Davos come in, he shouted with a face of surprise: "Master, you're back!"
"How is the family after I left?" Davos asked with a smile.
"Everything is fine, except that the lady is missing you every day, and prays for you at the Temple of Hades every day! We… … we also prayed for you at the Temple of Hades!… … May Hades bless you! We waited for you to return safely so soon!" Libazo was very happy.
Davos happily handed him something: "This is what I bought for you in Tarentum, a leather hat made by the Carthaginians, which can block the wind and sand, and can also keep you warm in winter."
Libazo took Davos's gift, extremely excited, knelt down with a "plop," and thanked him repeatedly.
Davos quickly stopped him: "You are a freeman now, and you are managing so many slaves for me, don't kneel down at every turn, it will damage the dignity of your supervisor, understand!"
After saying that, Davos couldn't wait to pass through the front door and enter the backyard.
"Boss, the master is so good to you! He even buys you things!" A slave who had just arrived said enviously.
Libazo carefully folded the leather hat, put it in his arms, and did not show off, but warned him: "You are new here, you don't know. Although the master has a noble status, he is very good to the slaves in the family. As long as you work diligently all the time, the master will see it, and in the future you will not only be rewarded, but you can also get rid of your slavery and become a freeman."
"Really?!"
"Aren't I a very good example!" Libazo patted his chest and said.
… … … … … … … … … … …
"Master, you're back!"
"Hey, Asuna, you are as beautiful as before, not changed at all."
"The lady is beautiful, what am I! Besides, it hasn't been a few days since you left, people are not the weather, how can there be any changes!"
"Hahaha… …"
"Lord Davos!"
"Oh, Andrea is also here! Are you discussing business matters together?"
Christoia, holding the child, stood up with a smile and walked towards Davos: "We were just discussing when Andrea will give birth, and if it's a girl, she will marry little Croto as his wife."
Davos glanced at Andrea's obviously bulging abdomen and smiled: "I agree! As long as she doesn't look like Buter, Andrea's daughter will definitely be a beauty, and our little Croto has taken advantage! Right, baby?" Davos took little Croto, raised his son high with both hands, and gently shook him in the air.
The little guy was not afraid at all, but waved his hands and feet in the air, and made "ya ya" sounds in his mouth.
"Look, the child also agrees," Davos said with a smile.
Christoia gently punched him twice on the shoulder and scolded him: "You sent Buter to Grumentum, causing Andrea to get pregnant, and there is no one to take care of her, how dare you say these things?"
"That was the appointment of the Senate, I can't make the decision," Davos rubbed his shoulders exaggeratedly, complaining.
Andrea said with a blushing face: "I am in Thurii now, with my family taking care of me. Buter can occasionally come back for a day or two, and I don't have to worry about anything at all, I'm fine!"
Originally, Buter served as the city administrator of Grumentum, and Andrea could accompany him. But Andrea was newly pregnant at the time, and the pregnancy reaction was severe, and Grumentum had just been occupied and was not stable. For safety reasons, Buter persuaded Andrea to stay in Thurii.
"At noon, let's hold a small banquet at home to celebrate your victorious return! And also wish Andrea a smooth delivery under the protection of the goddess Hera! What do you think?" Christoia suggested softly to Davos.
Davos certainly had no objection.
… … … … … … … … … … …
Davos woke up from his sleep, reached out to block the dazzling sunlight that slanted in from the half-open window, it seemed that it was still early.
He lifted the quilt, ready to get up, but his wife Christoia's smooth back was exposed beside him.
After the noon banquet, Andrea was sent away. Asuna took little Croto away, and Davos took Christoia into the bedroom.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and the monotonous military life allows Davos to maintain his energy, so this entanglement lasted for nearly an hour, and Christoia reached orgasm two or three times.
Now, Davos gently lifted the blanket, admiring Christoia's figure. Less than half a year after giving birth, she had already regained her former slender and alluring figure: snow-white and tender skin, long and slender legs, full and plump breasts, firm and perky buttocks…
Davos couldn't help but reach out again, slowly stroking upwards along her lovely toes… Then he felt the fire rising within him again…
"…Okay, Davos… Let me… sleep a little longer, I'm so sleepy…" Christoia wriggled her body and said groggily.
Davos had no choice but to suppress his desire and cover his wife with the blanket.
… … … … … … … … … … … …
"So, your brother also went to Consentia." Davos sat in his study, listening to Aristilas' report: some of the events that had occurred in and around Thurii during his absence.
"He has been gone for six days, and no news has been sent back yet." Aristilas replied truthfully.
Davos heard something in his matter-of-fact tone and asked, "Aren't you worried?"
Aristilas was silent.
"Don't worry, the Bruttians don't have the guts to harm our envoy! They may be on their way back, or they may have been imprisoned by the Bruttians…" Davos earnestly comforted him, saying, "If there is still no news after a few more days, Daonia will issue a 'threat of war' against the Bruttians to force them to release him!"
"…Thank you, Lord!" Aristilas said, with some worry and gratitude.
Davos solemnly patted him on the shoulder and said, "Daonia will never mistreat a warrior who dares to risk his life for Daonia! When your brother comes back, he will become a formal citizen much sooner than you! But don't worry, I will remember everything you have done!"
Aristilas did not speak, but gave a respectful salute.
Davos asked again, "Is there anything else?"
Aristilas adjusted his emotions and said in a deep voice, "Yes, it's about Polyxenes."
"Polyxenes?" Davos blinked.
"We discovered that Polyxenes granted many slaves in his household free status, and then, with his help, these freed slaves applied to the Department of Agriculture to lease a lot of land…" Aristilas said, looking at Davos.
Davos listened without expression. What Aristilas was saying now about Polyxenes' actions was nothing unusual. On the contrary, Davos would probably have to praise him for responding to his call and setting an example by releasing many slaves.
But Davos knew things would never be so simple.
"These freed slaves used a portion of the income from the leased land to pay taxes, a portion for their own use, and the majority of the income was given to Polyxenes."
Hearing this, Davos's eyes suddenly widened: "How much of the income did they give to Polyxenes?"
"The exact ratio is unclear, but it is probably not a small amount. Because he has about 35 freed slaves who have applied for about 180 acres of land." Aristilas said, looking at the records in his hand.
"These slaves should be aware of the laws promulgated by Daonia regarding land leasing. Why hasn't anyone reported it?" Davos asked loudly.
"It is understood that these slaves are all household slaves of Polyxenes and have lived in his home for at least 20 years, so they should be very loyal to him. Secondly, Polyxenes used his connections in the Department of Agriculture to ensure that these slaves leased fertile land. In addition to paying 20 percent of the rent and the money to Polyxenes (registered freemen pay 20 percent land tax for leased land, prospective citizens pay 10 percent, and formal citizens only pay 1 percent land tax), the remaining income far exceeds what they earned as slaves. Moreover, these leased farmlands are all close to each other, and the freed slaves all live together in several large houses, monitoring each other. It is said that there are also some who are said to be 'their family members' living together, but it is likely that they are foremen sent by Polyxenes…"
After Aristilas finished speaking, Davos's eyes narrowed into slits, flashing with cold light. He asked sternly, "Does Bulkos know about this?"
"From the current indications, he should not be aware." Aristilas replied seriously.
"Are you sure?"
"I am sure."
Davos stared at Aristilas's face for a long time, and heaved a slight sigh of relief in his heart. He had a very good impression of Bulkos, especially after Davos led his army to defeat Croton and entered Thurii, Bulkos took the initiative to cooperate and stabilize the political situation in Thurii. Moreover, he actively responded to the new policies promulgated by Davos. Although he and Polyxenes were both famous nobles in Thurii and owned a lot of land, he took the initiative to give up ownership of most of the land and released some slaves…
"It's good that he doesn't…" Davos said softly, but he knew in his heart: this time, Bulkos was probably going to be burdened by friendship.
"Are there any other people doing this kind of thing?" Davos asked again with a gloomy face.
"We are still investigating, but there are so many cities, and we don't have enough manpower…" Aristilas said with difficulty.
"How many people do you need? Draw up a plan. After I read it, if I think it's feasible, I will increase your funding. This matter must be investigated seriously for me! Investigate carefully! Focus on all the senators in the Senate and the citizens who hold public office in the alliance!" Davos's tone was stern. He did not expect that corruption would breed less than two years after the establishment of Daonia, and he was very angry.
But as consul, Davos also had to consider other issues, so he reminded: "The investigation must be carried out quietly, without alarming anyone. Report to me immediately if there are any developments!"
"Understood, Lord!"
… … … … … … … … … … …
"Davos! Davos! …" Mercis called out his name with a look of indignation, and hurried into the living room.
Davos knew that this fat man must have something to ask of him again, so he put on a stern face and said, "Mercis, here you must call me Consul."
"Alright then, Consul." Mercis came to Davos, stretched out his hands, and said, "Please remove me from my position as Alliance Finance Officer, this job is impossible to do!"
"Why? You don't want to take a vacation for a while and travel to other places, do you?" Davos first teased, then saw Mercis's serious face, and then said in surprise: "Haven't you been doing a good job all along!"
"You asked Mariagi to tell me to prepare four legions and two months' worth of grain reserves in advance, right?" Mercis questioned.
Davos understood now, and he nodded and said, "That's right, I told Mariagi."
"I can't do that!" Mercis said sadly: "Four legions are at least 30,000 people, consuming nearly 60,000 catties of grain every day, and two months is nearly 4 million catties! Such a huge amount of grain, not counting the rising prices in the future, we will have to pay at least… There is not that much money in the national treasury now, even if we include the Alliance land tax revenue in September and October and the usual commercial tax revenue, it is still not enough, because we also have to pay the salaries of all public officials, the construction of the Castron-Cremissa Avenue and the Cremissa-Asproustum Avenue, the reconstruction of the Cremissa swamp area, and Plessinas's application to build small Hades temples in Amendolara, Cremissa, Niuutum and other cities, each of these projects requires money! Hmm! A lot of money!"
"Okay, Mercis. I know that you have exhausted all kinds of methods to save expenses for Daonia, and it is indeed very hard! But if you let go and don't do it, I can't find a better finance officer than you in the alliance! Can you bear to see our hard-earned alliance collapse due to the lack of effective management of the national treasury!" Davos quickly praised.
"Now the alliance is getting bigger and bigger, and the income and expenditure are quite large. It is indeed not something that ordinary people can do to manage them well!" Mercis got Davos's praise and immediately regained his spirits. He no longer vented his dissatisfaction, but thought for a while and said, "Consul, I can prepare at most three legions and one month's worth of grain. If you don't accept it, then replace me!"
One month! Davos stroked his chin. In the past, when he led his army to fight, the battles mostly took place near Daonia's territory, and the scope and scale of the battles were not large, and they ended very quickly. Among them, the Second Croton War, which lasted the longest, did not exceed fifteen days, so he did not feel the pressure of logistics. This time, fighting against the Bruttians is to conquer a region and be enemies with an entire race, and the difficulty will inevitably increase greatly. Even if the war goes smoothly, he expects that the end time will inevitably be longer than in the past, and two months is just a conservative estimate. But I didn't expect that this would already make Daonia feel strenuous and unable to provide full support.
War is a contest of national strength! A sentence popped into Davos's mind. He was a little helpless, thinking that at the beginning of the year, Syracuse led an army of 80,000 to attack Carthage, and the war has been going on for half a year, and it has not ended yet. Daonia is still rising too fast, the foundation is too weak, and the accumulation is insufficient!
"Davos, I have a way to solve the problem of military grain supply." Mercis took a step forward, called Davos's name affectionately, and said somewhat mysteriously.
"Oh, what's the way?" Davos's heart moved.
"The autumn harvest is coming soon. After the autumn harvest, almost every citizen's family will have enough grain. Can't we just let them bring their own rations for 20 days or a month!"
Upon hearing this, Davos fell into deep thought. The usual practice for Greek city-state citizens going to war was to bring three days' worth of rations, at most five days. He had never heard of having to pay for so many days' worth of rations, which was no different from a direct donation. Citizens were obligated to fight for the city-state, offering their blood and lives, but they were not obligated to donate their property for the sake of the city-state. Doing so would probably cause dissatisfaction among the citizens, dampen their fighting spirit, and, even worse, set a bad precedent…
Seeing Davos hesitate, Melsis continued to persuade him, "Although the soldiers are required to bring more rations, they won't lose out at all. After defeating the Bruttians, they will be able to divide up even more land!"
Davos pondered for a moment and shook his head, saying, "The plan to distribute land according to military merit was established by Daonia long ago. We cannot use this law to demand extra benefits from the citizens."
"Davos…" Melsis wanted to persuade him further.
Davos interrupted him and said thoughtfully, "However… Melsis, you have reminded me. We can borrow a certain amount of grain from the citizens in the name of the Senate… After the national treasury is full, we will repay the borrowed grain to the citizens with interest. What do you think of this method?"
"That's a good idea!" Melsis said loudly, "But the interest rate can't be too high."
"You set the interest rate." Davos felt relieved that the problem of military rations had been solved, and his mood lightened. "You are the best finance officer in Southern Italy! But you'd better come up with a plan as soon as possible and propose it at the Senate meeting."
"With your support, Davos, how can the bill not be passed!" Melsis was also in a good mood, and he took the opportunity to flatter him, then said, "The day before yesterday, I went to the Tino River and saw that your… under construction… um, the Great Thermal Baths are almost finished. When are you going to officially open it to the public? Don't forget to let me know early, I want to be the first citizen to enter the Great Thermal Baths and enjoy it!"
When he was in Persia, Melsis enjoyed the massages from the female slaves trained by Davos. At the same time, he also heard Davos describe how the combination of massage and hot spring baths was not only more comfortable but also more beneficial to the body, and he had long yearned for it. Since the construction of the Great Thermal Baths began, he had inspected it more often than Davos, the real owner.
Davos was of course aware of this and readily agreed to his request.
After Davos sent Melsis away, he returned to the living room and pondered over the map of the Bruttian region drawn by the Silus envoy: How to wage war against the Bruttians? Which place would be the best breakthrough point in order to shorten the war process?…
After a long period of contemplation, he got up and went to the corridor to relax his brain and sort out his thoughts.
"Father!" Adoris, who was playing catch with a slave in the center of the courtyard, waved to him and greeted him.
Davos also responded with a smile and reminded him to be careful. The adopted brother and sister that Davos had adopted had finally integrated into the family after more than a year of living together, after their initial unfamiliarity and restraint. According to Christoia, Cynthia, in particular, had become very sensible and often helped her take care of little Cloe. After Davos came back, he hadn't seen this intelligent and lovely adopted daughter yet. She should still be studying at school now.
Davos thought as he walked around the corridor. After walking around for a while, he ran into Henipolis, who had returned from outside.
As the son of Avinogis, the magistrate of Laos, Davos placed Henipolis in his own home from the very beginning when he arrived in Thurii to study. This was both to win over Avinogis and to cultivate Henipolis's sense of identity with Daonia. Davos's approach has gradually been promoted among the senators. The children of leading figures from allied city-states such as Castron and Nium, or the chiefs of Lucanian tribes, are mostly not staying in hotels when they come to Thurii to play and study, but are invited to live in the homes of senators. For example, the child of Amyclis, the chief general of Castron, lives in the home of Cunogolata.
"Lord, you're back!" As soon as Henipolis saw Davos, he began to shout, "How is it, have you defeated those barbarians?!"
Davos smiled and said lightly, "Taranto has already signed a peace treaty with them." Then he changed the subject: "I heard that you are now studying with Lord Ansitanos."
When Henipolis first came, his mind was unsettled. First, he went to the hospital saying he wanted to study medicine, but after staying for a while, he gave up because he couldn't stand the wails of the patients and the bloody scenes. Later, he ran to the Institute of Mathematics, but was dizzy from the tedious calculations. He also stayed in the arena for a while, practicing rugby. It wasn't until the school was established that he applied to study with Ansitanos, a scholar who was already somewhat famous in Southern Italy. At least he has been performing well for the past few months.
"Lord, that old man Ansitanos is too much. He uses me as a slave, not only arranging a lot of scribe work for me, but also often running errands for him…" Henipolis complained bitterly.
"If that's the case, I'll talk to Ansitanos and find you another teacher." Davos said seriously, looking like he was thinking of him.
Henipolis quickly waved his hand: "No! Don't go! If you say that, who knows how he'll torture me in return!"
He lowered his head and stammered, "…Actually…actually studying with him…I really learned a lot, which made me interested in history…Today, he also asked me to write an article about 'Why Sybaris perished'."
"Oh." Davos became interested: "Why do you think Sybaris perished?"
"Of course, it's because of the difference in the commanding ability when Sybaris fought Croton! Croton was able to defeat Sybaris because they had Pythagoras, just like Daonia today can defeat Croton because we have you, Lord!" Henipolis replied without thinking, and flattered him along the way.
We! Davos heard this word, his eyes flashed, and he laughed: "There is also a more important reason. The long-term wealthy and luxurious life not only corrupted the bodies of the Sybarites, but also corrupted their minds, causing them to lose their courage and fighting spirit. Otherwise, even if Pythagoras won the battle with a trick, with the powerful national strength of Sybaris, they could completely reorganize their army and continue to engage in a protracted war with Croton using their abundant resources and sufficient population, so that the Crotonians would not be able to take advantage of the victory and easily occupy their city-state!
Today's Croton is the same. After being the overlord of Magna Graecia for a long time, they became arrogant and lost their vigilance, and at the same time, they became accustomed to peace. When our army set foot on the Croton Plain, they hurriedly asked for peace. If they chose to continue fighting with our Daonia, our alliance would not have achieved today's status so quickly. So there is a saying that goes, 'Difficult environments make city-states strive for survival, and comfortable lives make countries prone to destruction!'"
Henipolis's eyes lit up, he repeatedly recited the last sentence, and then said excitedly: "Lord, what you said is so good! I want to write it in my article and let the old man know how great I am!"
Davos said mischievously: "Don't say it was me who said it."
"Of course!"
Laughter came from the courtyard.
… … … … … … … … …
A few days later, Antaooris returned to Thurii. After the Senate learned of the Bruttians' actions, they were greatly angered and vowed to severely punish Bruttium.
A day later, Sipros, the envoy of Trina, brought a small number of Silus people who were lucky enough to escape the Bruttian tribal alliance's encirclement to Thurii.
Davos personally received them and formally promised that Daonia would, at the appropriate time, seek justice for them from the Bruttian tribal alliance.
Then, these Silus people, whose relatives had been brutally murdered and who had lost their homes, not only told their tragic experiences in the Senate, but also told the Daonian people in the square and at the assembly, arousing the sympathy of many citizens, who said one after another: We should help these poor Greeks and avenge the hateful Bruttians!
For a time, a tense atmosphere of war permeated Daonia, but the Senate did not issue a war mobilization, because the autumn harvest was coming…
… … … … … … … … …
Corinth, a Greek city-state in the Peloponnese, a city-state with a long history like Sparta. Because its Corinthian Isthmus is located in the geographical center of mainland Greece, it not only makes it an ideal place for Greek alliance gatherings, such as the Greco-Persian Wars decades ago, but also the Peloponnesian League army often assembles here before departing. At the same time, its unique geographical location also brings convenience to trade.
As early as more than a hundred years ago, Corinth's fame was greater than that of Greece. It was not only the richest in the Mediterranean, but also very developed in culture. For this reason, the powerful and confident Corinthians created the Isthmian Games and quickly became one of the four major sports games in Greece.
This quadrennial celebration of the sea god Poseidon, held one year after the Olympic Games, was supposed to be held this summer, but was postponed to September for some reason. Even so, Greeks who came to participate in and watch the games still flocked to this isthmus city-state from all over the Mediterranean. Almost all well-known Greek city-states sent athletes to participate. Even Sparta, which had some conflicts with Corinth in recent years, also sent a team to participate. Only the Athenians still resented that after the end of the Peloponnesian War, when the Peloponnesian League city-states were discussing how to deal with Athens, the Corinthians insisted on killing all Athenians and turning the Attica region into a wasteland, so they did not send anyone to participate.
In the Pine Forest Arena, the stands were packed with people, their excitement palpable as they eagerly awaited the start of the preliminary races. Athletes from various city-states were entering the arena one after another, greeted by cheers from the spectators.
However, the start of the competition was delayed, as the judge was arguing with some people at the entrance. The audience began to grumble in dissatisfaction, and a Corinthian official responsible for maintaining order rushed to the entrance and asked the judge, "What's going on? Why hasn't the race started yet?!"
"Look, this person claims to be a runner in this race group and has already received a number. But he's not Greek!"
The Corinthian official looked in the direction the judge was pointing: the athlete had shoulder-length auburn hair, deep-set eyes, a prominent nose, full lips, a slender figure, and well-defined muscles. Although his bare body was covered in olive oil, his fair skin was still visible… His appearance was clearly not that of a typical Greek.
The official was stunned: "How could the priests of the temple have approved his participation?!"
"I think the officials of his city-state must have registered him, and the priests didn't know he was a foreigner," the judge replied.
The official said angrily, "Which city-state is he from? Don't they know the registration rules for the Isthmian Games?!"
"Daonia! We are from Daonia!" Adrianks squeezed forward, arguing loudly, "Lizaru is Lucanian, but he is a citizen of Daonia. According to the rules of the Isthmian Games, as long as you are a citizen of a Greek city-state, you can participate. We meet the requirements!"
Daonia?! The official felt the name was somewhat familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had heard it. He assumed it wasn't a major or powerful city-state, so he sternly lectured, "Only Greeks can participate in the Games. This is common knowledge, because no Greek city-state would grant citizenship to a foreigner! Don't block the entrance and delay the competition any longer! Leave immediately, or I will have you removed!"
Adrianks was speechless. He was born into poverty and had always been a mercenary. He had never participated in a Greek games before and was unfamiliar with the rules. This time, the Daonian Senate decided to send a team to participate, hoping that a senator would lead the team to show their importance to the Isthmian Games. Adrianks had actively signed up because he loved sports, and besides this, there were too few places in the Senate where he, a senator who only knew how to fight and couldn't read, could use his talents. So, after becoming the head of the Daonian delegation, he had repeatedly traveled to Croton, seeking advice from experienced athletes, and had even led the team to Corinth with the Croton delegation. But now it seemed that the Crotonians had obviously been secretive, probably wanting to see the Daonians make a fool of themselves.
Just as Adrianks was regretting this, Lizaru shouted loudly, "Our alliance's Archon Davos once said,
'Regardless of race, as long as you are a citizen of the alliance, you should enjoy the same rights!' So in Daonia, whether Greek, Lucanian, or Thracian, everyone can participate in rugby games together!"
The Corinthian official was stunned by his strange Greek pronunciation, and then laughed in anger. He raised his head and shouted to the audience above the arena, "Audiences, is what this foreigner saying true?!"
The audience had long been impatient and rushed to the lowest level of the stands, shouting and cursing, "What a ridiculous fallacy! Only someone who could say these things could be the leader of you barbarians!"
"Get out of the arena, barbarian! Go back to the city-state that can give you citizenship and let you participate! I think it must be a dirty and terrible place!"
"Out, barbarian! Don't defile our sacred Greek place!"
… …
Mockery and curses came at Lizaru and Adrianks as densely as swords.
Adrianks' face was livid.
Lizaru was furious. He loved competition and never admitted defeat. Since becoming a citizen of Daonia and hearing about the four major games, he had longed to compete with athletes from all over Greece, because he believed that no one could run faster than him! When the news that Daonia was sending athletes to participate in the Isthmian Games reached his ears, it was already a bit late, and he had registered in a hurry. He had finally arrived here, but they wouldn't let him participate!
He looked unwillingly at the lively arena, suddenly roared, and darted out.
"Hey, what are you doing?!" the judge exclaimed.
"Catch him! Catch him! !" the Corinthian official shouted anxiously.
Lizaru powerfully strode forward, vigorously waving his arms, roaring like a wolf, his bare feet stepping on the soft mud, light as a free mountain breeze whistling across the plains. He sprinted with all his might, leaving the Corinthian officials and their men who wanted to catch him far behind.
The Corinthian official's anxious shouts also reminded the athletes waiting at the starting line, and they began to chase after the rule-breaking foreigner.
Lizaru was not afraid, but even more excited.
The audience watched in amazement: facing the athletes' encirclement, the foreigner moved nimbly like a civet cat, his steps as fast as a cheetah, dodging them one by one… …
The race turned into a chase and capture. Most of the audience not only did not complain, but felt excited. Some of them even stood up to cheer for the "lone hero" on the field.
As one of the best running backs in Daonian rugby, Lizaru used his skills and practiced dodging while maintaining his forward speed, one lap… … two laps… three laps… …
The cheers from the audience grew louder and louder, until the Corinthian official called more people to block the space on the field and hugged him.
The panting Corinthian official gave Lizaru a punch without saying a word.
Lizaru struggled to break free, but there were too many people pressing on him, and he could only glare at the Corinthian official.
"Stop it! Stop it! … …" Adrianks hurried over and grabbed the Corinthian official's fist that was raised again: "Release our civet cat citizen, or I will protest to the Corinthian Council!"
"Protest?!" The Corinthian official glanced at him and sneered, "Arrest him too! Disrupting the sacred Isthmian Games is a major crime! Lock them up first, let your strange city-state alliance make compensation, and then come and get them!"
A group of people escorted Lizaru and Adrianks out of the arena.
At this moment, Lizaru struggled and roared loudly: "I, Lizaru, a citizen of Daonia, am the champion of the Isthmian Games race! ! !"
… … … … … … … … … …
The arena returned to order, and the competition resumed, but the spectators on the sidelines were still discussing the farce just now.
"That person ran very fast just now, but it's a pity he's a barbarian, otherwise he might have won the championship!"
"Which race is he from? He actually said he was a citizen of a Greek city-state. Which city-state has granted citizenship to a barbarian?!"
"He seemed to say Daonia. Is Daonia a Greek city-state? I've never heard of it."
… …
The audience at the Isthmian Games came from all directions. Of course, there were Greeks from the western Mediterranean, and there were quite a few of them, so they naturally became the answerers to these questions.
"Daonia is a city-state alliance that was established just last year. It is located in the north-central part of Greater Greece, and its central city is Thurii. The foreigner just now should be a Lucanian. The Daonians have occupied a lot of Lucanian land and have also generously granted citizenship to the Lucanians living in their territory."
"So this Daonian alliance doesn't just give citizenship to one barbarian, but many?!"
"Yes, not only Lucanians, but also Thracians, Egyptians… … As long as they are willing to become Daonian citizens, after their assessment, if they meet the conditions, they can become formal Daonian citizens after a few years, and they can also get a 'land grant'!"
"Oh, wise Athena, am I dizzy and heard wrong?! Barbarians can not only become citizens, but also get a 'land grant'! This is simply… … This is simply… … Is Daonia really a Greek city-state alliance?!"
"Iavones, you Peloponnesians are indifferent to what is happening in the western Mediterranean. As long as you take a boat to the Gulf of Taranto, the word you hear the most is Daonia. Not only are tens of thousands of free people flocking to Daonia, wanting to become citizens of that alliance, but the councils of various Greater Greek city-states are also paying attention to Daonia's movements… …"
"Free people want to become citizens and get a 'land grant', I can understand that. But why are even the high-level officials of various Greater Greek city-states — —"
"Because Daonia is already the most powerful city-state alliance in southern Italy!"
"What?! Are you kidding me?! I remember that the powerful city-states of Greater Greece are Croton and Tarentum?!"
"Hehe, not long ago, Croton was defeated by Daonia twice in battle, and it no longer has its former glory. As for Tarentum… … When I came to Corinth, I heard that it was forced to invite Daonia to help them drive away the barbarians who were invading their territory. Daonia has agreed to send reinforcements… … You don't know how big Daonia's territory is! It now governs Thurii, Amendolara, Crimisa, and a large area of Lucania, as well as Laos and Castrum as its subordinates. It and Tarentum are allies. In addition, Croton, Terina, Sybaris, and Caulonia have also formed the Southern Italy Alliance with Daonia… … Tell me, isn't it the most powerful force in Magna Graecia!"