It must be known that throughout Greece, only the Daonian League, under the full support and assistance of Davos, a magistrate from later generations imbued with over 2000 years of medical knowledge, vigorously cultivated doctors, established hospitals and medical schools, and deeply researched treatments and medications. This led to the flourishing of Daonian, particularly Thurii's, medical endeavors, far surpassing other city-states and countries in the Mediterranean during this era. Consequently, the medicinal herb street in the port market of Thurii was unique in the entire Mediterranean world.
However, although this street was very famous in Southern Italy, it didn't have the bustling crowds of customers like other streets. After all, most of those purchasing medicinal herbs were doctors and pharmacy personnel. Patients generally obtained their medicine from pharmacies within the city and rarely came to the market to buy unprocessed herbs. Moreover, highly qualified talents like doctors only constituted a small proportion of Daonian citizens.
Therefore, Nykstratros and his companions, having just squeezed through a sea of people, felt much more relaxed upon arriving on this street. They curiously strolled along, browsing, observing, and inquiring at each shop.
As they walked, they came to a relatively large pharmacy and discovered that the owner was actually a Bruttian. He was haggling with a customer, speaking in broken Greek: "Lord Olives, I know you're from the Department of Military Affairs, and you buy a large quantity of 'Horse-Chew Fruit' from me every year, that's true. But you've come to buy them a bit too early this year, and the quantity is so large... You must know that the snow on the Cosenza Plateau hasn't completely melted yet. Only the Horse-Chew Grass growing in the lower terrain has fruited, and the quantity is already small, so the price is naturally higher. If you think it's too expensive, why not come back in the summer? By then, the price of this 'Horse-Chew Fruit' will have dropped..."
"Come back in the summer?... I'm afraid I won't be able to wait until then, Lord Kapus will probably tell me to get lost!" The customer sneered, "I might as well go to another shop to buy them."
Having said that, he turned to leave.
"Wait!" The shop owner hurriedly called out to him, hesitating for a long time before finally gritting his teeth and saying, "Considering that our Bruttian warriors also often participate in training and need to drink water infused with this fruit to quench their thirst, I'm willing to lower the price by another obol! Lord Olives, I'm really losing money this time!"
Olives immediately turned his anger into a smile: "Argos, isn't it just one obol less per pound? This stuff is all over the Cosenza Plateau, and you don't even need to spend an obol, it's all free for the taking, what's there to feel bad about!"
Argos smiled wryly: "Lord Olives, picking 'Horse-Chew Fruit' isn't as easy as you say. As soon as spring warms up, the women of our tribe have to tread on slippery mountain roads to pick them, risking being harmed by wild animals coming out to forage, and competing with other tribes. Already two women have broken their legs and are lying in the hospital! After the fruits are picked, they have to be dried, but spring is often filled with continuous rain, so we can only bake them with a stove... The money we painstakingly earn has to support the lives of thousands of people in the entire tribe, it's really not easy!"
Olives didn't bother listening to his complaints and abruptly said, "Do you care about your tribe? Or are you worried that with less money, you'll have to reduce the number of times you visit the brothel?"
Argos's expression suddenly changed, and he hurriedly said, "Don't talk nonsense!"
Olives patted him on the chest and whispered, "We're all men, I understand."
Argos looked around and stopped talking.
"Brothers, select 300 pounds of 'Horse-Chew Fruit', prepare to take it away!" Olives shouted, and a dozen strong soldiers immediately entered, squatting on the ground to pick them.
Argos couldn't help but say again: "No need to pick, they're all genuine 'Horse-Chew Fruit', the quality is excellent! The Port Market Management Department doesn't allow us to cheat, I still want to do business here for a long time!"
Olives looked at him and smiled: "That's true, just for the sake of Chief Saurus, I should trust you. Then weigh 300 pounds of fruit for us."
Olives then said to the soldiers: "I'll go wander around elsewhere.
After the fruit is weighed, you can carry them directly back to the training camp."
"Yes, Captain!"
Olives walked to the door, remembered something, and turned back to say: "Argos, yesterday Lord Davos was chatting with me and specifically talked about the matter of medicinal herb picking. He believes that 'the picking of mountain herbs should not be excessive, otherwise it will lead to the reduction or even disappearance of these plants!'"
As soon as Davos was mentioned, Argos immediately became respectful: "Lord Davos is indeed far-sighted, not comparable to others! However, Lord Olives, you underestimate us Bruttians! We have lived on the plateau for generations, and the streams, trees, flowers, and grasses on the mountain are all generous gifts from the plateau goddess Amara to us Bruttians. If we excessively take from the plateau, then we will surely face the wrath of Amara!"
Olives laughed: "That's good! That's good!" After speaking, he glanced at Nykstratros and turned to leave.
Argos instructed the slaves to weigh the 'Horse-Chew Fruit' for the soldiers. Nykstratros, Stasipus, and Lussus took the opportunity to step forward and observe this small, hard red fruit.
"May I ask what medicinal uses this fruit has?" Stasipus asked politely.
"Oh, this fruit is called 'Horse-Chew Fruit'. It used to be everywhere on our plateau, and no one cared about it. Only horses liked to eat it when they were tired from running. Later, the doctors of Thurii took this thing to study and said that boiling it in water to drink can quench thirst and eliminate fatigue, so it became valuable. In the past two years, the Daonian Department of Military Affairs has bought hundreds or thousands of pounds of fruit from me every time, for the citizen army to drink after training, and it's very effective! You shouldn't be Daonians, buy some and try it out," Argos patiently promoted to them.
"We are from Croton!" Nykstratros interjected abruptly.
Argos said "Oh", without any particular emotion, as if the hatred between Croton and the Bruttians had long become a thing of the past, vanished like smoke.
"How much does a pound cost?"
"Six obols."
"Give me a pound," Stasipus said, taking out his money bag.
Argos scooped up a large handful of red fruit, poured it into a grass bag, and saw that its weight had long exceeded one pound: "Including this bag, I'll charge you seven obols."
"Alright."
"What is this grass used for?" Nykstratros stood next to a pile of withered grass that looked like thorns and asked curiously.
"That's thistle grass. The doctors of Thurii have discovered that crushing it and soaking it in hot water for a bath can relieve skin itching, it's a good thing!"
"This thing can treat itchy skin?" Nykstratros carefully touched the sharp thorns on the grass, looking doubtful.
"Those doctors in Thurii are all students taught by your... well, Lord Davos, the descendant of the god of death, each of them has superb medical skills, just like... just like your Greek god... As... clep... ius..."
"Asclepius."
"Yes, that's the Greek deity. What these magical Thurii doctors say can't be false, besides, we've specifically tried it, and it does have such an effect, and now this grass is often ordered by pharmacies!... Nowadays, the various tribes of Bruttium have any ancestral healing methods, they run to tell these doctors in Thurii, hoping to be proven useful by them, I heard the Lucanians do the same... Lord Davos is indeed worthy of being a descendant of a god, making the wildflowers and weeds in our mountains into treasures!..." Argos said with gratitude and admiration.
Nykstratros and Stasipus exchanged glances, their eyes filled with surprise. Through these few days of learning, they learned that the Daonian Medical School was far ahead of other city-states in the research of medical theory, the experience of consultation and treatment, and the development of surgery. They didn't expect that they had also done so much work in the area of medicine!
At this time, Lussus ran into the shop and said, slightly agitated: "Teacher, there is a shop next door selling what you mentioned last time... what surgical tools!"
"Really?! Take me there quickly!" Nykstratros threw down the thistle grass in his hand and ran out with Lussus, followed by Stasipus carrying the grass bag.
After Argos saw the three of them leave, he muttered to himself: "Crotonians... humph..."
This shop selling surgical instruments, located next to the Bruttian herb shop, was small in size, but was filled with all kinds of exquisitely crafted iron and wooden tools, neatly arranged by category.
After Nykstratros and his companions entered, they happily looked around for a while, and the shop owner asked: "Are you Daonian doctors?"
"No, we are from Croton."
"Then you can only look, you can't buy!"
"Why?!" Lussus looked at him indignantly.
"These tools are all designs from the Thurii Hospital, specially made by the iron workshops. They made this request, and the Port Market Management Office is responsible for supervising, so we have no choice!" The shop owner shrugged, saying helplessly.
"Can't we give you more money?" Stasipus asked tentatively.
"Don't try to harm me, I don't want to have any blemishes on my record at the Thurii Household Registry," the shop owner rolled his eyes.
"Stasipus, come and see!" Nykstratros picked up a sharp knife the size of a leaf and exclaimed, "This is the knife that Teacher Herpus used to cut the skin during surgery, this is—"
Nykstratros picked up another small tool and said, "I remember it's called forceps, used to pick up linen cloth that has been disinfected with boiling water... and this... this curved needle, used to stitch up wounds. Look, how exquisitely they are made!" Nykstratros touched each tool with great affection.
Stasipus then asked the shopkeeper, "How much does a set of these surgical instruments cost?"
"A set?!" The shopkeeper curled his lip. "You must be a foreign doctor, not understanding that in Daonia, surgeons use different tools depending on the type of surgery they perform. Moreover, the Daonia Medical Academy constantly sends new surgical tool designs. The surgical instruments in this shop alone can be combined to perform at least five or six different types of surgeries."
"Even if you could buy them—" The shopkeeper sized up the three of them, then rolled his eyes. "You couldn't afford it."
"We can't afford it?! Tell us, how much does all this cost?" At this point, Nicostratus also came over, saying with dissatisfaction.
The shopkeeper glanced at him, pointed to the shop, and said, "Those few items you just picked up are probably worth 30 minas."
"30 minas?! Just those few small things are worth 30 minas?! This is robbery!" Lycascus exclaimed, looking shocked.
"Don't talk nonsense if you don't understand!" The shopkeeper was clearly a chatterbox, arguing with flying spittle. "Do you know how difficult those things are to make? How high the requirements are? I tell you, the time it takes to make a small knife like that is enough for us to forge 30 bronze shields, and it has to be made by the best foundry masters to create surgical tools that meet the requirements of those doctors. As people say, 'Tools that cut into the human body must be very precise, otherwise, they won't save lives, but take them!' So, do you think the price can be low! Moreover, these tools cannot be made by just any iron workshop. In Thurii, only our Theos Weapon Workshop has this ability!"
The three were rendered speechless by his words.
"Also, what I said just now was the old price. Their current price is 40 minas."
"Why?"
"Because for a period of time in the future, our workshop will not be producing these surgical instruments."
"Why is that?"
"Because our workshop has received a major task from the Daonia Department of Roads and Transportation. They want to build stone bridges and need huge iron grids to be placed in the river to empty the water, so that they can pour bridge piers inside with huge stones and stone slurry (actually 'Daevus cement'). Therefore, our workshop must concentrate all the foundry masters and collect all the high-quality iron ore to manufacture these big guys…"
… … … … … … … … … …
While Nicostratus and the other two were excitedly strolling through the port market, Aefialtes, accompanied by his wife, took a carriage north to the hot spring marshes of the Tilos River, a tributary of the Coseni River.
Daevus rose to fame in this battle, annihilating the Lucanian tribal coalition, thereby laying the foundation for the establishment of the Daonia League. The great river beach, once covered with corpses, now stands a white memorial column as high as 20 meters and 2 meters in diameter, with scenes of that war carved on it, topped by a bronze statue of Daevus holding a shield and spear.
This Great River Beach Victory Memorial Column was initially called the "Miracle Column" by the people, meaning that the Daonia Governor-General had won a great victory by defeating the many with the few, creating a miracle out of the impossible. Later, students from various city schools in the League were often brought here by teachers to make them feel the hardships of the establishment of Daonia and the greatness of Daevus. It was also affectionately called "Children's Column" by the citizens, which was not only a place for children to be educated, but also had a deeper meaning. Since this battle, the Daonia League, like a newborn baby, began to grow healthily… Of course, that's another story.
Not far from the memorial column is a large circular tomb, with the inscription "Tomb of the Warriors Who Died in the Great River Beach Battle" on the tombstone, and Daevus's inscription below: "War has become the past, bloodlines are integrated."
Two bronze statues of men stand in front of the tomb. From their attire, it can be seen that one is a Lucanian and the other is a Greek. They smile, and their strong arms are clasped together, while the Greek man's left hand points to Thurii, 20 miles to the east, making an inviting gesture, the meaning of which is self-evident.
There are no bones in the tomb. In those days, the Thurii people cremated the bones of thousands of Lucanian warriors. It is said that the burning alone lasted three days and three nights, and then the ashes were poured into the river, feeding the fish and shrimp. Later, the Daonia League was established, and for political purposes, on Daevus's strong recommendation, this tomb was built. Every year, people come here to pay homage and mourn, mostly Lucanians.
Of course, this is not the main reason why this once desolate area has become lively today, but the hot spring marsh on the opposite bank of the Tilos River, pointed to by Daevus's statue's spear, which used to be full of wasteland, ponds, and snakes, has now been replaced by a huge building. Dozens of aqueducts built with 'Daevus cement' introduce hot spring water gushing from the crevices of the mountains into this building, and finally, a large waterway introduces the hot spring water flowing into the building back into the river. This is the famous Thurii Hot Spring Grand Bathhouse in all of Magna Graecia.
Greeks do not like to take baths, but the Daonians have developed the habit of bathing for hygiene under the long-term education of doctors led by Herpus in the hospital in recent years, and they know that bathing in hot spring water is more beneficial to the body. So, on the day the Grand Bathhouse opened, almost all the men of Thurii ran to the hot spring marshes, wanting to give it a try.
As a result, the bathhouse was overcrowded. Later, the Grand Bathhouse also revised the rules for this, setting time slots and limiting the number of people entering.
After taking a hot spring bath and enjoying various novel services, the men of Thurii reluctantly returned to the city and began to spread the word everywhere about "how wonderful it is to bathe in the Grand Bathhouse." Some even praised: This is an Elysian paradise established by the Governor-General in the world!
Moreover, not long after, the people also learned that this bathhouse also allowed women to enter.
From then on, the people of Thurii flocked to the Grand Bathhouse every day and regarded it as an indispensable enjoyment in their lives, and the people of other Daonia cities also came from time to time to enjoy it.
At the same time, the Thurii people also regarded the "Hot Spring Grand Bathhouse" as one of the three major entertainments for entertaining distinguished guests from afar (the other two are tasting Thurii cuisine and watching ball games in the arena), which made the "Thurii Hot Spring Grand Bathhouse" famous far and wide.
The Hot Spring Grand Bathhouse is also free to the public on certain special days in Daonia, making the Grand Bathhouse, which is already cheap (only one obol), even more popular with the people. For example, these days, because of the Marriage Festival, the Grand Bathhouse is free to all couples who come to bathe. This is also why Aefialtes brought his wife here.
Today, there are many couples coming to the Grand Bathhouse, and everyone is consciously lining up in a long queue, moving little by little towards the entrance of the bathhouse.
At this time, there was a commotion from the back of the queue, and Afa turned his head to see what was going on.
"What happened?" his wife asked curiously.
"It's nothing, it seems that two senators from the Senate have also come," Aefialtes said casually. There are nearly a hundred senators in the Senate. Except for the people of Thurii who can recognize all of them, most of the Daonia citizens in other cities only know the chief senator Daevus, the senators who have served as administrative officials in their city, and the elders who hold important positions in the legions. This is not surprising. Whether it is training or combat, the serving citizens naturally have a deep memory of those officers.
Finally crossing the Tilos River wooden bridge and standing at the entrance, the administrator glanced at Aefialtes and his wife, and asked, "Are you husband and wife?"
The two nodded.
"Daonia citizens?"
Aefialtes nodded again and said, "We are also a couple participating in this year's Marriage Festival. Are there any private rooms in the small bathhouse?" As he spoke, he stretched out his left hand, and his wife stretched out her right hand, both wearing an iron ring on their ring fingers, with the emblem of Hera, a "peacock," engraved on it. Because of Daevus's suggestion, the Temple of Hera, which Agnese is in charge of, not only presides over the celebration but also issues rings blessed by the goddess Hera to newlyweds participating in the celebration (of course, a small processing fee is charged) to encourage and supervise the stability of their marriage.
"Congratulations to you!" After confirming, the administrator turned around and looked at the wooden wall nailed with many long nails, only one of which had a key hanging on it. He took it down and put it in Aefialtes's hand: "Hera bless you. This is the last one. The room number is written on the wooden sign. After entering the room, bolt the door, and no one will disturb you. Return the key by noon."
"Okay, thank you!" Aefialtes led his wife into the middle passage, while the left and right passages each led to the men's and women's bathhouses.
As time passed, the long queue at the entrance was almost at the end.
The bathhouse administrator saw the two people in front of him, and was immediately stunned, and then put on a smiling face: "Lord Poluxis, Lord Enanilous!"
"Are there any private rooms?" Poluxis asked directly.
The administrator pointed to the wooden wall behind him with only iron nails left, and said apologetically: "Because of the Marriage Festival, the rooms are all full."
Poluxis curled his lips in dissatisfaction, and disregarding that the administrator was an employee of Daevus, said with slight sarcasm: "Look at our Governor-General, he really knows how to take care of the people of Daonia!"
Enanilous didn't respond, and had the slave behind him take out four obols to pay the fee for himself, Poluxis, and the two accompanying slaves.
After they went in, the administrator excused himself to urinate, walked into the room behind, and quickly found the supervisor of the Grand Bathhouse: "Poluxis and Enanilous have come to take a bath together!"
… … … … … … … … … … …
Following the left passage for a short distance, a vast area appeared in front of him, with a large pool in the middle and several small pools next to it, all steaming with hot air and mist.
Many men were soaking in the pool, enjoying the nourishment of the hot spring water; some were lying on the wooden benches by the pool, receiving massages from their own slaves or from slaves specially trained by the bathhouse; and a few were leaning against the long wooden benches by the wall, chatting with each other… They all had one thing in common—they were naked.
Although the bathhouse was a bit crowded due to the large number of people, it didn't feel stuffy. Besides the thick, tall stone walls surrounding it, the bathhouse had no roof, which facilitated air circulation. Some people even liked to bathe there when it rained.
Polyklesis looked at the somewhat crowded bathhouse ahead and said with some envy, "I estimate that five or six thousand people come here to bathe every day. Davos must be making a lot of money!"
"Who told you not to join when the Archon was raising money in the beginning?" Enanias retorted, then took off his cloak and shoes, handed them to a slave, stepped onto the smooth marble floor, and strode towards the hot spring pool.
Polyklesis hurriedly followed.
Enanias slowly sat into the pool. The comfortable water temperature made him exhale in relief. He scooped up the spring water and thoroughly wet his head and face.
The figures constantly moving back and forth in front of them blocked people's view, and no one noticed that the two senators were sitting naked in their midst.
Enanias closed his eyes, leaned against the pool wall, seemingly asleep, causing Polyklesis to swallow back the words that had reached his lips several times.
After soaking in the large hot spring pool for more than ten minutes, Enanias went to a small pool next to it. The water was not deep, and the bottom of the pool was covered with sea sand. Another small pool was paved with pebbles, and another had river mud at the bottom.
Enanias simply lay down, rubbing his back with the soft, fine sand... After soaking for another ten minutes, until his skin was flushed, he got out of the pool and called a bathhouse slave to massage his whole body.
Ten minutes later, Enanias finally got up, paid the slave for the massage, and dragged his limp body to a deserted corner, sat on a long bench by the window wall, and closed his eyes to rest.
Polyklesis came to his side and sat down, stretched lazily, and said, "Soaking in a hot spring bath is really comfortable! You have to admit, the bathhouse that Davos built has really brought great benefits to the Thuriians! Why didn't we think of doing this before? No wonder he is favored by the gods!"
Enanias slowly opened his eyes, glanced at him, and said slowly, "Since you know how capable Davos is, why do you still often take the lead in opposing him in the Senate? Polyklesis, I remember you weren't so bold before!"
Seeing that Enanias was finally talking to him, Polyklesis felt relieved, but said with a grievance, "Of course I know that without Davos, the Daonian League would not have the status it has today. I also want to do something with Davos, but he doesn't give me a chance at all! He only values his mercenaries who only know how to speak with their fists, and puts them in high positions even though they are illiterate! And those even more barbaric barbarian leaders, with their foul smell, sit in the Senate every day, shouting and yelling in Greek that no one can understand! And the Amendolara people, who were once driven by us, wear the so-called 'original citizen' badge every day, deliberately showing off in front of us... But we are the true masters of Thurii City, but now we can only stand aside in the Senate! I, Ophiris, Masisakus... are just wearing the guise of senators, doing it for the Thuriians to see, but in fact, we are no different from ordinary citizens! ..."
Enanias glanced around. The noisy and crowded bathhouse made no one notice the strangeness of the two of them. He reminded in a deep voice, "You're too excited, keep your voice down! Polyklesis, it's just that your turn hasn't come yet. Maybe next year, you'll be able to serve as the administrative officer of a certain city."
Polyklesis sneered, "Enanias, you don't need to comfort me. Even you don't believe what you're saying. Think about it, a Persian has been sitting in the important position of trade commissioner for so many years, without rotation or election. Is my ability worse than his! I have also served as one of the 'Ten Generals' of Thurii many times. Even because I have nothing to do in the Senate, I am sometimes sent by Davos to help this foreigner and be driven by him! Is the Daonian League still a place for us true Thurii elders to stay?!"
Enanias opened his mouth,
but said nothing.
"Of course, you might say, 'You and Bourkos, Ancytanos, and Plessinas are all highly valued by the Senate.'" Polyklesis sneered, "How can Plessinas compare to us! He is just a commoner, and now he is completely Davos's dog. Davos uses him to bite people. And Ancytanos puts all his mind on the book he wants to write and doesn't care about anything else. In fact, he doesn't have any power. Bourkos has always served as the agricultural officer, but he deals with farmers and slaves every day. How many times can he return to Thurii City in a month?! Sometimes he can't even attend important Senate meetings. Saying he's a senator, I think he's more like an ordinary League civil servant. As for you—Enanias, you do hold the power of the navy, but—"
Polyklesis paused deliberately.
Enanias turned his head and asked seemingly casually, "But what?"
Polyklesis chuckled and said, "In the past few years, Davos has allowed foreigners to build shipyards in Thurii, breaking your family's monopoly on shipbuilding. I wonder what you think about that?"
Enanias's eyebrows twitched slightly, and he said slowly, "That's because... the Daonian territory is too vast and needs more warships to protect our coast, and my family... cannot produce so many warships in a short period of time..."
"Oh, you're really thinking about the League!" Polyklesis said sarcastically, looking at him sharply: "It's a pity that Davos doesn't seem to be grateful to you. What do you think about the fact that he gave his second wife's family more warship quotas than your family?"
Enanias was silent. The skin flushed red by the hot spring water concealed the embarrassment on his face. He knew very well that because of his family's monopoly on shipbuilding in recent years, negligence in management had led to quality problems with the completed warships on several occasions. For this reason, Davos had spoken to him several times alone, which is why the Senate later passed the bill proposed by Davos to "allow merchants from allied city-states to build shipyards in Thurii"...
"Also... what do you think about Sekerian, the hero who conquered Bithynia, the standard-bearer at the triumphal parade, and whose statue is in the Hall of Heroes, who in just a few years has rapidly risen from an ordinary sailor to the commander of your squadron, and frequently enters and exits Davos's mansion?" Polyklesis's follow-up question changed Enanias's expression.
"Davos made you the naval commander because he had no choice but to use you. He had no one under him who understood naval warfare. But now he seems to have found someone, and he seems to trust him more than you! Enanias, do you think Davos still needs you, an old Thurii nobleman who is out of tune with his crude mercenaries?!"
Polyklesis's words bit at Enanias's already uneasy heart like a venomous snake.
Polyklesis kept watching Enanias's face. At this time, he sighed, "If we old Thuriians don't think of a way, I'm afraid we can only become spectators in the Senate, doing nothing until we die of old age. I'm not willing!"
Enanias clenched his fist and shook his head, saying, "Polyklesis, you don't understand Davos's power! Even the sailors in the Daonian navy under my command, composed of reserve citizens and free men, regard that young man as the true commander, and I am just an executor. Not to mention the soldiers and generals of the Daonian army—"
"Enanias, what are you thinking! Do you think I'm plotting to overthrow Davos!" Polyklesis interrupted him, shaking his head with a chuckle: "No! No! No! I'm not that stupid! We must admit... Davos's great contribution to the Daonian League. If it weren't for him, Thurii would have ceased to exist long ago. We are just asking for a little bit of power back for the citizens of Daonia, and at the same time, we want to limit Davos's power a little bit, so that he doesn't arbitrarily neglect and dispose of us old Thuriians!" Polyklesis pointed to the men in the bathhouse with some excitement and said, "Do you think they don't want to participate in the citizens' assembly?! What flows in the blood of the Greeks is a passion for politics and participation in politics. It's just that Davos's glory has made them temporarily forget it. As long as someone keeps reminding them, like I have been doing, then the situation will change greatly! The protests of the people of Thurii, Crimisa, and other cities show that the situation is already changing! ... Enanias, for our own sake and for the sake of the Daonian League, are you willing to join me in the Senate to continue to advocate for 'convening a citizens' assembly' to make the distribution of Daonian power more equitable?!"
Listening to Polyklesis's Incitement speaking, Enanias's face changed uncertainly. Finally, he said hesitantly, "But... there are too few senators in the Senate who support this proposal!"
"Actually, there are quite a few. I have already gained the support of some people..." Polyklesis whispered a few words into Enanias's ear.
Enanias looked astonished: "Really?"
"Just like the last time I told you how to use the liberation of slaves to obtain more land, when have I ever lied to you!" Polyklesis reminded him.
Enanias clenched and unclenched his hands, finally clenching them into fists.
… … … … … … … … … … … …
"Honorable Senators, I have a proposal." Polyklesis stood up from his seat.
The others, seeing this situation, immediately showed a helpless expression of "Here we go again."
"Please speak, Lord Polyxenes." Presiding Chairman Cornelius, of course, couldn't show such an expression; he could only nod, signaling for the other party to speak.
"When the Lucanian and Bruttian tribes joined our Daonian City-State Alliance, we had a formal agreement with them: 'Do not interfere in the internal affairs of the tribes, ensuring the independence and integrity of the tribes.' However—"
Polyxenes waved his arm and said loudly, "However, a few years have passed, and the independence of the tribes has been severely affected, with many smaller tribes even ceasing to exist.
What is the reason? It's because the young men of the tribes have successively requested to leave their tribes and live independently, leading to a sharp decline in tribal populations.
Without enough labor to sustain themselves, they have been forced to disband… The agreement we signed with the Lucanian and Bruttian tribes was made under the gaze of Hades.
Now, the survival of the tribes within the alliance is severely threatened, which not only gravely impacts the reputation of our Daonia but also causes hesitation and doubt among other races in Magna Graecia who wish to align with us.
To live up to the tribes' long-standing support and trust, I propose that the Senate should legislate to 'prohibit tribal members from leaving their tribes to maintain tribal integrity.'"
Some senators exchanged glances, feeling puzzled: What was going on? Polyxenes, who usually showed no interest in non-Greek affairs and was even somewhat indifferent, was now starting to care about tribal matters.
Vespas, Hemon, Bagilipi, and others had strange expressions, while Sedorum, Bergam, Petalou, Cadurc, and others seemed to be deep in thought.
At this moment, Pleisthenes stood up: "I do not agree with this proposal! The adult men of Lucania and Bruttium are now basically Daonian citizens or provisional citizens.
As citizens of the alliance, they naturally enjoy freedom of choice, and the Senate has no right to make such a regulation! Don't you agree, Tritodemus?"
The current Chief Judge, Tritodemus, nodded and said, "The first detailed rule of the 'Daonian Law' is 'to guarantee citizens' rights and freedom of choice,' and no new bill shall violate this bottom line!
I believe that whether it's the tribes or their members, everyone hopes to live a stable and prosperous life.
And from the current situation, they have all achieved good development within the Daonian Alliance, and I think there is no need to change it."
Davos listened to their arguments quietly, tapping his fingers on the wooden chair… Caldias came to the Temple of Hades in Thurii to meet the chief priest, Pleisthenes, and explained his intentions to him.
Pleisthenes readily agreed to his request, so the young man from Siris entered the Temple of Hades as a devotee to study.
Every morning and evening, Caldias had to study the doctrines of the Temple of Hades (the main tenets of the Hades doctrine were proposed by Davos, primarily advocating that people who do good and punish evil, love their country and family, abide by laws and regulations, and are enthusiastic about helping others will ascend to the Elysian Fields after death, while those who act contrary to this in their daily lives will surely go to hell to be punished… He also elaborated in detail on the formation of heaven and earth, the conflicts of the gods, the Elysian Fields, and hell, based on the original Greek pantheon.
Of course, it was biased towards Hades, portraying him as a benevolent deity, similar to the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva in the East, who endures for humanity.
Then, through further interpretation and compilation by Pleisthenes and several subordinate priests, there are now several thick volumes of works solely concerning Hades and his temple, not including the chronicles of his wife, Persephone).
During the day, Caldias followed the priests in handling temple affairs.
Every morning, the people of Thurii flocked to the Temple of Hades in an endless stream.
Farmers going to plow, fishermen going out to sea, merchants going to do business… whenever convenient, they would first come to the temple to pray before leaving with confidence.
At the same time, people making vows and fulfilling vows would also drop a few coins into the donation box and light a small oil lamp in front of the idol to express their sincerity.
There were also people seeking oracles who, after drawing lots, would ask the priests for guidance and answers (the wooden lots were inscribed with abstruse sayings, and the quality of the answer depended entirely on the priest's skill).
Of course, there were also some people who had been helped by the priests of the Temple of Hades, bringing gifts to thank the temple… Today, Caldias's job was to greet and send off the people bringing offerings.
From morning until now, he had barely stopped, and although he was tired, he felt fulfilled.
Just then, as he was seeing off a white-haired old man down the hill, he suddenly heard someone shouting, "Help! Help!…"
He looked in the direction of the sound and saw a man covered in blood running towards him in a panic, with two people chasing closely behind him.
Although he had only been at the Temple of Hades for a few days, he already had the self-awareness of a Hades priest to help those in distress.
He immediately went forward, wanting to help the man up and ask, "What happened?"
The man saw someone blocking his way and felt even more anxious.
The words of that person echoed in his mind: Only by running to the Temple of Hades and asking the King of the Underworld for help can you escape your current predicament and become a true Daonian citizen!
He forcefully pushed Caldias aside and continued running up the hill towards the Temple of Hades.
Caldias staggered a few steps, nearly falling.
As soon as he stood up, the two people behind him caught up, and he immediately questioned loudly, "Who are you?! What happened?!"
The two burly men looked at Caldias, who was wearing the white robes of a Hades priest, and their expressions were somewhat hesitant.
During their hesitation, the man had already rushed to the front of the temple.
The crowds of people coming and going and the priests greeting and sending off visitors made the two men hesitate, and they eventually left, disgruntled.
The man burst into the temple, fell to his knees with a thud before the statue of Hades, and while kowtowing, he pleaded, "Merciful Hades! Please help me! Help me…"
The people inside and outside the temple heard his desperate cries and, not knowing what had happened, gathered around to see what was going on.
At this moment, the priests inside the temple also rushed over… Polyxenes's proposal only received the support of a few people, such as Petalou, Cadurc, and Bergam, and thus did not pass.
However, after a while, he brought up the matter again, requesting to convene a citizens' assembly.
The senators voted again, and surprisingly, nearly 15 people supported him.
This included senators serving in the military, such as Enanilus, Euricpus, and Pleiades, as well as former Bruttian tribal leaders like Bergam, Petalou, and Cadurc… Although it still didn't reach half, with the abstaining senators, Polyxenes's supporters accounted for one-third of the voters.
For Polyxenes, this was an absolute and huge victory.
No wonder after the vote ended, he declared with a hint of triumph: "The result of this election shows that more and more senators are realizing the importance of the citizens' assembly.
For Daonia to achieve the same glory as Athens, more citizens must participate in the alliance's decision-making to truly realize equality and freedom for all races within Daonia!
As time goes on, I believe that other senators who expressed opposition will also realize this, because you are the leaders of Daonia, the wisest among the people!
I look forward to the day the citizens' assembly is convened!" Polyxenes's speech was powerful and resonant.
The senators' expressions subtly changed, and they all looked towards Davos, who was seated calmly in the front row.
Bagilipi had now understood the intention behind Polyxenes's previous proposal: Polyxenes knew that the proposal would not pass, yet he wanted these tribal senators to see that as long as Davos's power remained unchecked, the tribes' predicament would not change, but he could bring about a turning point for this issue.
Currently, the Bruttian and Lucanian tribes, as relatively independent administrative organizations within the Daonian Alliance, have been greatly impacted.
Several years of subtle influence have made the young people in the tribes yearn more for the free life of alliance citizens, unwilling to be constrained by tribal rules, and thus they have successively left their tribes… Bagilipi was aware of this situation, and his tribe was in Bysilia, located next to Thurii.
The year before last, Davos, for the sake of easier management, directly placed Bysinia under the jurisdiction of Thurii, making it more closely connected with Thurii both politically and economically, and naturally, it was more affected; his tribe was almost defunct in name.
But Bagilipi was quite open-minded; he understood that this was the general trend, and besides, it was not a bad thing for the Bruttians.
His confidence came from the young man in front of him. Yet, at this moment, the authority of this young executive was being challenged, and he couldn't help but worry for him.
Davos, however, said calmly at this time, "Senators, Polyxenes just mentioned the citizens' assembly and said, 'Only by holding a citizens' assembly can the equality and freedom of the people be achieved.'
If your memory serves you well, Polyxenes, you should still remember how Thurii rapidly declined a few years ago? And how it was burned down?
What role did Thurii's citizens' assembly and your so-called 'equality and freedom' play in this? Can you tell me?"
Hearing this, Cunogorata, Ancitano, Burcos, and others all looked dejected.
Polyxenes hadn't expected Davos to bring this up; he was stunned for a moment, then argued defiantly, "Thurii being burned down was merely a momentary oversight.
Neonsis was too careless, which allowed the Crotonians to succeed in their surprise attack.
And Thurii's rapid decline in strength was due to a crushing defeat by the Lucanians; this was the incompetence of Achirodoaxes and Pheres.
None of this has anything to do with the citizens' assembly!"
"Is that so?!" Davos sneered and said loudly, "I'm afraid your former Thurii colleagues would not agree with the reasons you stated. The destruction of the city of Thurii was because the citizens' minds were occupied by the deaths of relatives and friends and fear of the enemy, and they were driven by some with ulterior motives to drive away the truly capable leaders! The generals they elected in panic were helpless in the face of difficulties. Moreover, ordinary people, driven by self-interest, were unwilling to fulfill their promises and grant citizenship to freedmen, which led to a series of tragedies later on! All of this proves that the chief culprit in the destruction of the old city of Thurii was the citizens of Thurii and the Citizens' Assembly they formed!!"
Cunogolata sighed softly. At this moment, the face of his tragically deceased daughter suddenly floated into his mind, causing him to feel heartbroken.
Polyklesis was momentarily speechless, reluctantly explain road : "That… that was just a special situation—"
Davos loudly interrupted his explanation: "The citizens of Daonia want political rights, of course they can have them, aren't we always doing this! The 'Daonia Law' has already stipulated that 'regardless of status, as long as they are citizens of Daonia, they can serve in public office in the Daonia League without restriction.' And we will also formulate more laws to allow them to further participate in the administrative decision-making of Daonia. But—"
Davos suddenly raised his voice and shouted sternly: "The Daonia Senate will never indulge the people and allow them to have unlimited freedom, so that they can wantonly destroy the order and overall interests of the Daonia League for personal gain, or even be used by some with ulterior motives to destroy the Daonia League that we have worked so hard to build! Anyone who attempts to destroy the good life of the Daonia League today will be severely punished by the Senate! Absolutely no leniency!!"
Davos's decisive words exploded in Polyklesis's heart like a thunderbolt, making him tremble with fear. He murmured in a low voice: "…According to you, most of the Greek city-states will be destroyed, because—"
With a loud "bang," the door of the venue was suddenly pushed open. Polyklesis subconsciously looked back and saw Matonis, the patrol captain of Thurii, hurriedly walking towards the podium at the front of the venue.
What happened?! This was not only Polyklesis's question, but also the question of some of the senators in the venue.
Davos narrowed his eyes, looked at the podium, tapped the back of the chair with his fingers, and thought: Finally, it's here…
Cornelius listened to Matonis's whispers, and the look of astonishment on his face grew stronger and stronger. From time to time, his eyes glanced at Polyklesis, which made him begin to feel a little restless.
After Matonis finished his report, Cornelius had never encountered such a thing before, and he didn't know how to start for a while, so he had to ask for help from the audience: "Lord Davos, please come over here."
Davos walked forward calmly.
Seeing Davos and Cornelius whispering to each other on the podium, the senators became even more curious and suspicious. They stretched their necks and pricked up their ears, wanting to know what they were saying. They vaguely heard Davos saying firmly: "…No! Everything will be executed according to the laws of Daonia!…"
At this time, they heard Cornelius shout again: "High Judge Tritodemus, please come to the stage."
The senators were all in an uproar, guessing what had happened.
The three of them communicated on the podium. From time to time, Tritodemus also asked Matonis, who was guarding beside him, about the situation.
Finally, Davos returned to his seat. Tritodemus stayed by the podium. Cornelius pondered how to speak. He cleared his throat and cautiously organized his words: "Um… um… Ladies and gentlemen, just now—"
"Cornelius, please speak quickly! You're killing me!" Scombros shouted loudly, and the senators burst into laughter, and the tense atmosphere in the venue seemed to be dispelled a little.
But Cornelius still looked serious: "Ladies and gentlemen, just now, something happened in the city of Thurii. A freed slave was hunted down and ran to the Temple of Hades for help…"
The senators were immediately in an uproar.
Although the Daonia League has not been established for a long time, it is not that there have been no murder cases. However, this was the first time that a "victim ran to the gods for help." After all, Hades was alarmed, so the handling of this matter had to be more cautious.
When Polyklesis heard the word "freed slave," a strong sense of unease rose in his heart. He moved his butt back and forth, as if there were nails stuck on the wooden chair.
"The patrol team in the city, led by Lord Matonis, quickly rushed to the temple. Under the identification of the freed slave, they rushed to the scene of the murder and arrested several men who were trying to resist. After an emergency interrogation, the situation confessed by the suspects was basically consistent with what the freed slave said…" Tritodemus had already taken over Cornelius's words, and his eyes shot two cold beams directly at the center of the venue: "Lord Polyklesis is the instigator behind the scenes!"
As soon as these words came out, there was an uproar.
Polyklesis jumped up like a cat whose butt was on fire and shouted: "This is slander! This is slander!…"
"Whether it is slander or not must be known after a more detailed investigation." Tritodemus's expression was calm, but his tone was like a knife: "Because the situation they revealed also involves more serious crimes, saying that 'you, Lord Polyklesis, frequently give slaves freedom, not out of goodwill, but in order to control them, use your power to deceive the Department of Agriculture, rent fertile land for them to cultivate, and then most of the income from the land belongs to you…', if the situation is true, this is already a serious violation of several laws in the 'Daonia Law', such as 'No illegal occupation of land! No restriction of others' freedom!…'!"
Polyklesis's heart was beating wildly, and he protested in a panic: "It's not like that! This is not the truth! I… I didn't coerce any slave, no! They are all voluntary! Yes! It's voluntary! They… voluntarily give back part of their income to me to thank me for giving them freedom! If you don't believe it, go and see, some of the slaves I have released have already become formal citizens!…"
"We will also investigate the situation you mentioned, and we will never let a noble senator of the Senate be wronged! However, the laws of Daonia are the same for everyone, even if you are a senator! Now that this case has involved you, we will temporarily restrict your freedom until the matter is finally resolved." Tritodemus said expressionlessly. Several patrolmen had already entered the venue. Under the leadership of Matonis, they were preparing to go forward to hold Polyklesis.
Polyklesis struggled desperately. In his peripheral vision, he saw Davos looking at him coldly. He suddenly realized something and immediately made a dying struggle to the surrounding senators: "Ladies and gentlemen, this is a conspiracy! Davos's conspiracy! He saw that my efforts threatened his dictatorship, so he used this despicable means to frame me! Ladies and gentlemen, save me! Please save me! Otherwise, if I fall today, the next one may be you! You…"
The patrolmen forcibly "helped" him out, and his words still echoed in the venue.
Polyklesis, who was still complacent before, was instantly knocked down into the dust. This sudden reversal was too stimulating. The senators looked at Davos with complex expressions.
But Davos didn't care about what Polyklesis said at all. He leaned leisurely on the wooden chair.
And what Tritodemus said next made En Arilus, Orifis, Masisacus and other senators tremble with fear: "Considering that this case involves too many people, after discussing with the chief executive, it was decided to impose a curfew on the entire city and prohibit going out until the matter is over!"
The Senate meeting ended in shock. While everyone was still panicking and talking, Davos had already strode out of the side door of the venue.
"Lord Davos, please wait for me! Please listen to me…" En Anilus, who was usually steady in his words, shouted in an almost pleading tone and chased after him. Orifis, Masisacus and others followed closely behind.
Cunogolata saw this scene in his eyes. He showed a sneer, turned around and wanted to walk out of the door, but saw Bulkos sitting there blankly behind him, muttering: "How could Polyklesis do such a thing?…"
In this Senate, Bulkos and Ansitanos were a few senators who did not kick Cunogolata when he was down, so Cunogolata said: "It is difficult for a former rich man to endure the current poverty."
Bulkos raised his head in astonishment, and Cunogolata had already walked out of the venue with brisk steps.
… … … … … … … … … …
On this day, the people of Thurii were shocked to see patrol teams dispatched everywhere to search Polyklesis's mansion, and then successively restricted the freedom of En Arilus, Orifis, Masisacus and other senators.
In the afternoon, a urgent letter also came from Crimisa that "a freed slave sought help from the Temple of Hades." Without waiting for the Senate's decision, Protesilaus, the chief executive of Crimea, who had previously received Davos's secret order, had already ordered the patrol team to arrest a small number of nobles from the original Crimisa. The feedback also caused Eurikus and Plerades to fall.
In fact, Davos's secret service organization, headed by Aristilas, had already grasped everything, but it just needed a plausible reason to throw it out.
The news that "nearly ten senators of the Senate were detained" was like a major political earthquake in Thurii, causing people to talk about it and rumors to spread.
How could Hermes in the hotel not feel the violent shock in the city of Thurii? He immediately realized that the situation was not good, quickly packed his things, and prepared to take a boat back to Sicily immediately.
Just as he descended the stairs, Hermes felt a "thump" in his heart. Three patrol officers were standing in the hotel lobby.
"He's the Syracusan!" someone shouted, pointing at him.
The fully armed patrol officers stepped forward and asked coldly, "Hermes, the Syracusan?"
"What do you want?!" Hermes said, panicking slightly. "I am an envoy from Syracuse! I demand to see your Archon!"
"That's even more reason to come with us!" a patrol officer sneered, forcibly escorting him out of the hotel.
This scene undoubtedly added more fodder for the citizens of Thurii, who were already bewildered today...
......
"Father, I heard that Polyxenes has been arrested for violating the laws of the League!" Sostratus rushed into the living room excitedly.
Cunogolata glanced at him and said in a relaxed tone, "This matter has already shaken the entire city. Are you only finding out now? What have you been doing all day?"
"What else could I be doing! I was at military training, it was my turn today, it exhausted me!" Sostratus complained, sprawling lazily on a wooden chair. "It's a pity the Great Baths are closed, otherwise I would have come back even later."
Cunogolata frowned, disliking his eldest son's lazy appearance. He said sternly, "All young and middle-aged citizens of Daonia must participate in military training. I don't see anyone else as afraid of hardship as you. Learn from your younger brother, who not only diligently participates in the afternoon training at school, but also actively seeks out people to practice fighting with when he gets home!"
"So, the hope of our family rests on my younger brother, while I... I only aspire to be a rich man, with delicious food to eat, beautiful women to sleep with, and competitions to watch... that's all," Sostratus said nonchalantly.
Cunogolata raised a white eyebrow and was about to speak when his younger son, Dicaearchus, exclaimed, "Big brother, did you know that not only was Polyxenes detained, but also the senators Enanius, Massisacus, Orifis, Euricles, and others have also been arrested."
"Really?!" Sostratus sat up straight, leaning forward and asking anxiously, "Father, you analyzed for me last time, saying 'Enanius, Massisacus, Orifis and the others are likely to side with Polyxenes, impacting Daifus's power.' How did they all end up finished?!"
Cunogolata twitched his loose facial skin a few times, then snorted coldly, "What's so strange about that! The Archon has always been on good terms with the other senators. Even if someone points at him directly in the Senate, he doesn't hold a grudge... After being with him for so long, I actually forgot how he, this life-long Archon, came to be. A wolf... is born to eat meat! I'm afraid not only me, but many people in the Senate will probably once again feel the same way they did when the League was first established... Hmph..."
He said with emotion, then sneered twice, "Not only did Polyxenes and his gang violate the law, but they even dared to dream. I'm afraid Daifus won't let them off easily this time!"
"Absolutely don't let them go! I heard that Polyxenes also colluded with Syracuse. Treason is punishable by death!" Hatred gleamed in Dicaearchus's eyes. He could never forget that day... when the people of Thurii turned into rioters and stormed his house... and behind those rioters was Polyxenes...
"Syracuse?! Are you saying that Dionysius would have dealings with Polyxenes?!" Sostratus widened his eyes.
You should know that with the rise of Daonia, it and Syracuse, two powerful city-states, are very close to each other in the south and north, but there are almost no diplomatic exchanges.
A story circulating in Magna Graecia illustrates the delicate relationship between the two city-states: One day, in a port city of Magna Graecia, a Syracusan merchant and a Daonian merchant met, and the two boasted about their respective countries. The Syracusan merchant said: "Daonia's founding time is not even a fraction of Syracuse's centuries of history,
And we Syracusans were the overlords of Magna Graecia and Sicily hundreds of years ago, and we still are!"
The Daonian merchant retorted, "Don't be complacent. Our Daonian League has become so powerful in just five years. In another five years, it will definitely be twice as powerful as Syracuse!"
Of course, this is just a story fabricated by busybodies. Syracuse and Daonia are like two fierce beasts in the forest, cautiously guarding their own territory. The two sides have always kept to themselves.
But now, Sostratus was inevitably astonished to hear the news that "Dionysius had actually reached into Daolia."
Cunogolata reached out and gently patted his younger son's head. He knew what he was thinking. It was a pain that his whole family would never forget: "Whether Polyxenes colluded with Syracuse or not needs to be determined by the League's interrogation. Don't spread rumors."
Cunogolata pondered for a while, then said solemnly, "If it's true... it would be a big trouble for Daonia!"
"Father, will there be war?!" Sostratus and Dicaearchus asked in unison.
Looking at the excited eyes of his two sons, Cunogolata knew that the younger son's excitement was due to his desire for battle, while the eldest son was probably thinking about how to seize the opportunity to make a fortune in the market. He shook his head slightly, thinking and saying: "...Syracuse and our Daonia are both big city-states, and every move is related to the safety and survival of the Greek city-states in the western Mediterranean. How can conflicts easily break out! I'm afraid more of it will only be diplomatic protests and negotiations..."
Dicaearchus sat back down, slightly disappointed. Sostratus's eyes shifted, not knowing what he was thinking.
"Sostratus, I heard your brother-in-law say a few days ago that you went to see him, hoping that he could purchase a batch of your goods," Sostratus suddenly changed the subject.
Sostratus was startled and quickly said, "I just made a small suggestion to him. Father, you also know that my brother-in-law is a serious person, and it's impossible for him to agree."
Back then, a riot broke out in Thurii, and Cunogolata's family was expelled from Thurii. His youngest daughter was raped and committed suicide, and his eldest daughter was forcibly divorced by her husband's family. Since then, she has been living alone at home. Perhaps this disaster hit her very hard, and she has been unwilling to remarry. It was not until Cunogolata learned about "Daifus's concern for Hilos's marriage" that he became interested and made a suggestion to Daifus, and the two hit it off.
At the urging of both parties, Cunogolata's eldest daughter actually requested to see Hilos first before deciding whether to marry him. Daifus, as the matchmaker, actually agreed to this "absurd" request. Hilos was already doing it for Daifus's sake, and didn't care too much.
As a result, the two met and actually hit it off. Especially after experiencing the betrayal of her first marriage, Cunogolata's daughter felt that Hilos was simple, honest, and stable, and was a person worthy of entrusting her life to, and she took the initiative to ask Cunogolata to contact Silos.
In the end, the two married, which further strengthened Cunogolata's relationship with Daifus.
After Hilos stepped down as the administrative officer of Aspruz Tum and the commander of the Fourth Army, he happened to catch up with Daifus's further reform and decentralization of the military affairs department. Originally, the power to handle specific military affairs was concentrated in the hands of one military affairs officer, but now Daifus divided it into three parts:
The first is military administration, which is responsible for the appointment of military personnel, the rotation of troops in various key locations, naval patrols, citizens' service, statistics of battle achievements, etc. by the military affairs officer Felius. Of course, important military personnel appointments, such as the commander of the army and the captain of the army, must be personally named and confirmed by Daifus;
The second is military training, which is supervised by Hieronimus, who retired from the Third Army, and is responsible for supervising the military training of citizens in various cities, checking the training effectiveness, arranging instructors, etc.;
The third is the logistics of the army. In this era, the Greek city-states did not have specially assigned personnel to manage the logistics of the army. Since Daifus gained a foothold in Amendolara, he has sent Melsis to manage the logistics of the army. However, with the expansion of the alliance and the increase of affairs, Melsis is too busy managing the alliance's finances alone. Moreover, local government affairs and the army cannot be too involved and must be separated, so military officers are needed to specialize and professionally manage the army's logistics affairs. The first person Daifus thought of was Hilos. He not only had rich military experience, but also had administrative management experience. He was stable, serious, and meticulous in his work, and he was one of Daifus's most trusted people, so he could take on great responsibilities.
"I forbid you to harass your brother-in-law again! Especially during this special period, do not have any contact with him!" Cunogolata ordered with a serious expression. As an old politician, he had already sensed the impending political storm.
Sostratus lowered his head and repeatedly said yes.
How could Cunogolata not understand his disobedient son? He immediately said, "You are not young anymore. Several families have sent matchmakers to propose marriage to me recently. Don't go out these two days, and quickly settle your marriage!"
"Ah?!" Sostratus's eyes widened instantly.
"Great! I'm finally going to have a sister-in-law!" Dicaearchus jumped up happily.
......
In Daifus's mansion study, Daifus was talking to the agricultural officer Bulcos.
"Bulcos, I don't agree with you resigning from your position as agricultural officer! The fact that you have been continuously elected as agricultural officer by the senators for four years is precisely their high recognition of the achievements you have made in Daonia's agriculture. You should know that only with you sitting in the Ministry of Agriculture, me and our soldiers dare to leave the city-state and go out to fight, because we know that our farmland will not be barren..." Daifus earnestly persuaded.