Hanno outwardly agreed to send troops to Sicily, but he argued that Daonia's current military strength was formidable, and relying solely on Carthage's main forces wouldn't guarantee victory. Therefore, it was necessary to gather the military strength from Mago, the governor of Iberia, as they had a large army year-round, frequently engaging in combat with Iberian natives, possessing rich combat experience.
In theory, Hanno's request was reasonable, and many senators expressed their agreement. However, senators from the Magonid faction, such as Pretakuba, firmly opposed it. They argued that while Mago had an army in Iberia, it was meant to defend against incursions from Iberian natives. If they were transferred, the newly occupied Carthaginian territories in Iberia might fall back into the hands of the natives.
Hanno scoffed at this reason, loudly mocking, "Does Mago still need to defend against Iberian natives' attacks?! I've heard that the leaders of the Iberian natives frequently visit Sesi to pay their respects to him, and he scolds them as if they were slaves. Moreover, I also know that officials from Malaca and Gades visit Mago in Sesi far more often than they come to Carthage! The Iberian colonies are now very stable, yet Mago's requests for military expenses to the Senate have been increasing year by year, and his army is becoming increasingly large. I don't know who he's using this army to defend against?! Shouldn't he use this army, supported by Carthaginian gold and silver, to serve Carthage?! If he disagrees, does he have other intentions?!"
Hanno's words were truly piercing to the heart. Pretakuba found it difficult to refute for a moment, and many senators who had accepted bribes from Mago were also hesitant to speak on his behalf. Hanno's proposal even received support from neutral senators.
In the end, Hanno even made a harsh statement: "If Mago doesn't send troops, Carthage will not send troops to Sicily!"
The meeting ended unhappily.
Soon, rumors began to spread within Carthage: "Hanno fears Daonia and dares not send troops to fight, determined to violate the agreement with its close ally, Rome!"
However, another rumor spread even more widely: "Mago refuses to send troops recruited with Carthaginian citizens' tax money to fight Daonia because he wants to become the king of Iberia!"
This rumor caused a great uproar in Carthage. Many citizens gathered in front of the Senate to protest, cursing Mago as a traitor and strongly demanding that the Senate revoke his position as governor of Iberia, recall him to Carthage, and put him on trial.
When the news reached southern Iberia, Mago and his associates felt somewhat dejected.
They were well aware that this was the disadvantage of being outside the power center of Carthage, making it difficult to control the situation. Although the Magonid family had established a relatively stable base in Iberia, it would become like a tree without roots once it separated from Carthage.
Of course, they did not want to be abandoned by the Carthaginian people.
Hanno's actions could be said to have hit their weakness hard.
After discussing with Hacca and others, Mago quickly made a decision.
Thus, a few days later, Pretakuba proposed at the Senate meeting: "Esteemed sirs, as a citizen of Carthage, Governor Mago of Iberia is certainly willing to send his troops to fight, but he hopes to serve as the commander of the invasion of Sicily!"
Indeed, given Mago's status and military experience, no Carthaginian citizen dared to compete with him for the position of commander of the expedition. But how could Hanno let him have his way? Tepanlaco immediately stood up and expressed his opposition: "The situation on the Iberian Peninsula is complex, with many fierce natives. If Lord Mago were to leave, the newly appointed governor would be unfamiliar with the situation there, which might lead to instability in the newly occupied Iberian territories. Wouldn't years of effort be wasted! Therefore, it would be best for Lord Mago to continue staying in Iberia and simply send the troops over."
Pretakuba immediately retorted: "Esteemed sirs, you should all know that the members of the Iberian army are diverse, mostly foreign mercenaries. If they were to be led by an outsider, I'm afraid they wouldn't be very obedient, not only failing to achieve the desired combat effectiveness but also causing chaos. If the Senate is truly concerned about the security of the new Iberian territories, I recommend Hasdrubal, son of Himilco, as the commander of this expeditionary force. He has repeatedly led troops to defeat attacking natives in Iberia, possessing rich combat experience and being a rare talent for Carthage!"
Replacing Mago with Hasdrubal would have the same effect! Mago had a good idea! Hanno sneered inwardly.
Thus, the senators of Hanno's faction all expressed their opposition, and even Oechalton excitedly shouted: "Is it not dangerous that an army supported by Carthaginian taxes does not obey the orders of Carthage but is only willing to obey the command of one person! Do we dare to entrust the command of the army to such a person and place Carthage in potential danger! ..."
Oechalton's words were quite piercing, and he happened to hit on the concerns of many senators: The main members of the Magonid family had all gone to Iberia, and they rarely returned to Carthage even once a year. Moreover, they controlled a large army, almost entirely composed of non-Carthaginian citizens, which had already caused the Senate to worry. Now, entrusting the command of the expeditionary force to the Magonid family was clearly not what the senators hoped for.
On this issue, Aesarus, the leader of the neutral faction, maintained consistency with Hanno.
In the end, with the support of most senators in the Senate, a resolution was passed: to appoint Milerphea, the military commander of Numidia, as the commander of the expeditionary force, while Mago did not need to go on the expedition, but Iberia must send no fewer than 20,000 troops to fight.
This resolution was not only completely contrary to the results expected by Mago and others but also greatly damaged their interests. Therefore, upon receiving the news, Mago delayed the implementation of the resolution and instead sent envoys with heavy gold to Carthage to lobby the senators.
Amid the back-and-forth haggling between the two sides, the dispatch of troops to Sicily was continuously delayed.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … …
Just as the Carthaginian Senate was arguing endlessly about the expedition, the Syracuse Assembly was also engaged in fierce debate.
Over a decade ago, Syracuse was the largest Greek city-state in Sicily, even the most powerful city-state in the entire Greek world. Under the rule of the tyrant Dionysius, the Syracusans defeated the powerful Carthaginians, conquered most of the land in Sicily, and became the overlord of Sicily. Dionysius even led nearly 100,000 troops north, crossing the sea to attack Magna Graecia, attempting to expand his territory.
However, in the half-year war against the newly rising Daionian League at that time, the Syracusans, who clearly had the advantage in strength, ultimately suffered a crushing defeat in both naval and land battles. The Daionian army even attacked Sicily, leading to a rebellion by the Syracusans, who overthrew Dionysius's rule. Dionysius and his family were ultimately betrayed by Sparta and murdered.
The Syracusans, liberated from Dionysius's tyrannical rule, decided not to repeat the same mistakes. The people entrusted Heracleides, who played a major leading role in overthrowing Dionysius's rule, to form a new Syracuse democratic government.
However, Heracleides had other ideas. During Dionysius's rule, he had served in important public positions in the city-state. At the same time, he had carefully studied the political system of Daonia. Therefore, he opposed Dionysius because Dionysius was too brutal and his oppression of the people was too heavy, which did not mean that he completely agreed with democracy. On the contrary, he believed that democracy was too free and undisciplined, inefficient, and prone to chaos. Especially with Syracuse having suffered a crushing defeat and urgently needing to quickly restore its national strength, it was even more necessary to concentrate power and quickly make various decisions conducive to the development of the city-state.
Therefore, he was slow to form a new government and instead used his identity as the supreme wartime leader to frequently issue various resolutions, which were often decided by him alone without consulting others, which was criticized by the people.
During this period, two things greatly reduced his prestige among the people.
The first thing was that Theagenes, a former important figure of the democratic faction in Syracuse, was arrested for strongly opposing Dionysius's rule. He was supposed to be executed, but with the help of friends, he escaped imprisonment and fled Sicily. After Dionysius's rule was overthrown, he actually returned to Syracuse with a few warships and some soldiers.
Based on his heroic deeds of resisting Dionysius in the past, the people warmly welcomed his arrival and elected him as a general in the Citizens' Assembly, hoping that he could enter the Syracuse wartime general executive committee and check Heracleides's increasingly inflated power.
However, Heracleides actually veto ed the election results of the Citizens' Assembly and emphasized that "any resolution requires his approval." This incident made the people very angry.
However, in a previous resolution issued by Heracleides, a large amount of fertile land that Dionysius had once allocated to mercenaries was allocated to the civilians in the port area and granted them full citizenship, thus gaining the full support of the people in the port area and the freemen.
In addition, in the wartime general executive committee, Phalaecus, Stesichorus... and others were all Heracleides's friends and supporters, so it seemed that his power was unshakable.
The second thing was that although Daonia agreed to release the captured Syracuse soldiers and sailors, Davos propose ed a condition, requiring Syracuse to make war reparations to compensate for the damage caused by the Syracuse army to Magna Graecia, and also as ransom money for these prisoners.
This compensation amount was, of course, substantial. In multiple negotiations with Daonia, Heracleides was ultimately forced to agree to pay war reparations. This was also why he wanted to concentrate power to develop Syracuse as quickly as possible and lead Syracuse out of the quagmire of defeat.
However, the Syracusan people discovered that some of the Syracusan citizen-soldiers and sailors who had been released were missing.
Heracleides immediately sent people to negotiate with Daonia, but the response from Daonian officials left them feeling helpless: Due to the fierce attack of the Syracusan army at the beginning, Daonia was on the verge of destruction. In order to obtain grain support from Carthage, they had to agree to the other party's request and provide some Syracusan prisoners to Carthage.
Heracleides had no choice but to make an issue of the war reparations, strongly demanding that Daonia reduce the amount of compensation.
However, the Syracusan people believed that Heracleides had not made his best efforts and had allowed Syracusans to become slaves of Carthage.
The people were disappointed in him, including many civilians in the port area, because many of the unreturned prisoners were Syracusan sailors.
At this time, Davos also ordered his spies lurking in Syracuse to spread unfavorable rumors about Heracleides, because Davos knew that many of Heracleides' decisions were correct, but he did not want to see Syracuse rise again.
As a result, the people's dissatisfaction and suspicion of Heracleides grew, and many people secretly spread rumors that Heracleides wanted to become the second Dionysius.
During this period of unrest, according to the proposal promulgated by Heracleides, Phaccia Pecasus, Damocles... These generals and ministers who should have been severely punished as former subordinates of Dionysius suddenly escaped from imprisonment, took some people who were dissatisfied with Heracleides, escaped from the city of Syracuse, and joined forces with the mercenaries of Massias, who were wandering in the western mountains, and actually occupied Acrae, a sub-state to the west of Syracuse.
Of course, Heracleides could not allow the remnants of Dionysius to cause trouble within Syracuse's sphere of influence, so he decided to lead an army in person. Before leaving, he instructed Phalaecus, Cychrias, Stesichorus, and others to guard the city of Syracuse, after all, he also knew that the political situation had been somewhat unstable recently.
Who knew that as soon as Heracleides led his troops to Acrae and was attacking the city, he received bad news: a rebellion had broken out in the city of Syracuse. The Citizen Assembly not only re-elected generals but also unanimously passed a proposal to try the dictator Heracleides.
Why was Heracleides able to be overthrown so easily in the city of Syracuse? That was because of the support of Phalaecus, Cychrias, Stesichorus, and others.
It turned out that these close friends of Heracleides deeply felt that after Heracleides became the leader of Syracuse,
he had become dictatorial and could not listen to their opinions. Although they were also members of the Executive Committee, they had almost no real power, and they were naturally dissatisfied. In addition, under the influence of rumors in the city, they were very worried that Heracleides would really become a dictator. So, after Heracleides led his army out of the city, under the persuasion of Theagenes, they resolutely chose to cooperate with the democrats and abandoned Heracleides.
When Heracleides heard of the upheaval in the city, he immediately led his army back, wanting to quickly quell the situation. Who knew that before he even arrived at the city of Syracuse, most of his soldiers had deserted.
Seeing that the situation was irreversible, Heracleides had no choice but to take his confidants and flee Syracuse by boat.
He did not choose to flee to the Kingdom of Daonia, which had helped him overthrow Dionysius, nor did he choose to flee to Syracuse's former ally, Sparta, but chose Syracuse's former mother state, Corinth. At this time, it was already the third year of the Kingdom of Daonia (391 BC), and the Corinthian War had entered its final stages.
In order to prevent a situation like Heracleides from happening again, the democrats who had seized power in the city of Syracuse elected 25 generals, led by Stesichorus and Phalaecus, to manage the affairs of the city-state through the Citizen Assembly. They also abolished some of the laws promulgated by Heracleides during his rule, including "the war reparations to Daonia, and the land allocated to the civilians in the port area was also taken back..."
This not only deteriorated Syracuse's diplomatic environment but also made the people in the port area very angry.
At the same time, Theagenes also proposed to increase the punishment for citizens who had served Dionysius. This caused panic among many people in the city.
Meanwhile, King Davos of Daonia ordered the Eighth Legion stationed in Catania to deploy troops on the northern border of Syracuse, putting on a menacing posture to attack Syracuse.
In the end, the newly appointed Syracusan generals expressed their surrender and had to increase the amount of war reparations. As for the civilians who caused riots in the port, Theagenes and others ruthlessly sent troops to suppress them.
Just at this time, Phaccia Pecasus and Massias led the rebel army in Acrae to advance towards Syracuse, and shouted the slogan "To avenge the citizens who once served Dionysius", which surprisingly gained the approval of many Syracusan people.
Therefore, Theagenes led the citizen-soldiers with wavering morale out of the city to fight, but was defeated by Phaccia Pecasus' rebel army, which was smaller in number than them, and had to retreat into the city to defend.
Phaccia Pecasus and Massias were both generals with rich combat experience and were very familiar with the city of Syracuse. Phaccia Pecasus pretended to attack the southern city of Syracuse fiercely, but Massias led a small number of elite soldiers to quickly bypass the mountains to the north and rushed to the northern city wall of Syracuse, ambushing Hexapylon, thus breaking into the city and entering the Poplecles area.
The people in the city were shocked.
At this critical moment, the General Executive Committee, composed of 25 generals, was discussing whose responsibility for the loss of the city should be investigated, and at the same time, they were arguing endlessly about how to defend against the enemy, and could not come up with a concrete measure. It was not until Massias' army approached the inner city that the generals hastily pieced together troops to meet the enemy, and the result was naturally another defeat.
The panicked democrats had no choice but to retreat to Ortygia Island, and Phaccia Pecasus took the opportunity to enter the city and join forces with Massias. His former mercenaries took the opportunity to retaliate wildly in the city, and the people suffered unspeakable hardships.
Heracleides, who was far away in Corinth, had been paying attention to the developments in Syracuse. At this time, after learning about the current plight of the people, as a patriot, how could he stand idly by? So, he requested some reinforcements from the Corinthian government and led them back to Ortygia Island by boat.
At this time, it was already the spring of the sixth year of the Kingdom of Daonia (388 BC). The Syracusan people warmly welcomed Heracleides' return and begged him to forgive their betrayal.
Heracleides delivered a heartfelt speech on Ortygia Island, saying: "...No matter how the Syracusans treat him, he will come to protect this country and its people without hesitation. If he cannot save his mother state, he would rather burn himself to death in the ruins of his homeland!..."
The Syracusan people, including his former friends and political enemies who opposed him, were deeply moved by his words. The people shouted: "Save Syracuse!!! Save Syracuse!!!..."
Seeing that the morale was high and the people's hearts were available, Heracleides immediately formed an army, opened the long-closed gates of Ortygia Island, rushed out of the isthmus, and launched a fierce attack on the rebel army.
Phaccia Pecasus and Massias hurriedly led their troops to meet the enemy.
The people in the city, hearing that the leader of the army was Heracleides, also rose up to respond.
The rebel army was defeated repeatedly. In the end, Massias was killed in battle, and Phaccia Pecasus was also captured. The rebel army was basically wiped out.
Heracleides, who had won a complete victory, greatly increased his prestige. Therefore, he did not hold a Citizen Assembly, but brazenly abolished the General Executive Committee and deprived Theagenes, Phalaecus... and the other 25 generals of their power. The people did not express any objections to this.
This time, regaining power, Heracleides clearly wanted to establish a political system in Syracuse similar to Daonia, but also incorporating the Corinthian system.
This was a political system in which a small number of elites ruled the majority. To this end, he relied more on the Corinthians to help him complete this transition.
The turmoil in Syracuse in recent years had made the people suffer a lot. In addition, Heracleides re-established the laws he had promulgated in Syracuse before, and many people benefited from it. Therefore, the people acquiesced to Heracleides' changes to the political system and seemingly dictatorial practices, without expressing strong opposition. Heracleides' political enemies, such as Theagenes and Phalaecus, lost the support of the people, and they could not cause a big storm. The political situation in Syracuse began to stabilize.
Heracleides' rule gradually became stable, but this stability harbored danger.
Among the Corinthians who followed Heracleides to Syracuse, there was a young nobleman named Andromachus. Because of his bravery in battle, he was appreciated by Heracleides and served as the city guard commander, responsible for protecting the safety of the city of Syracuse, and also served as Heracleides' palace captain. But he was jealous of Heracleides' achievements and attempted to replace him.
In the eighth year of the Kingdom of Daonia (386 BC), when Heracleides went to the Temple of Apollo to offer sacrifices, assassins bought off by Andromachus assassinated the General Plenipotentiary of Syracuse. Then Andromachus took the opportunity to usurp the supreme power of Syracuse.
In order to consolidate his power, he promoted the Corinthians on a large scale, which caused many complaints among the Syracusan people.
Several months later, at the harvest festival gathering of Demeter, Heracleides' widow publicly revealed the truth about her husband's assassination.
The people were furious. They gathered together to overthrow Andromachus' rule.
Andromachus also gathered troops to suppress them, but in the end he suffered a disastrous defeat and died in the chaos of the army.
When power once again fell into the hands of the Syracusan democrats, Theagenes, Phalaecus, Stesichorus, and others, having learned from past lessons, did not create another strange polity of twenty-five generals as before. Instead, they restored the traditional democratic system of Syracuse, with ten generals, a council of one hundred, and a citizens' assembly. They also continued some of the policies and laws implemented during Hieron's reign, and continued to pay the war reparations to Dionysia.
In the years since Syracuse was defeated by Dionysia, its political situation had been turbulent, which exhausted the people's energy and enthusiasm, and also disappointed some elites about Syracuse's prospects. For example, Philosanus accepted an invitation from the Dionysian Academy to teach in Thurii, and also wrote several letters to King Davos, requesting him to reduce the war reparations demanded from Syracuse.
It was not until the eleventh year of the Kingdom of Dionysia that Davos generously cancelled the war reparations.
The political situation in Syracuse stabilized again, and it began to gradually recover its vitality. However, during the previous period of turmoil, Syracuse's agriculture and trade suffered heavy losses, and many free citizens and merchants fled, choosing the booming Catania.
When the quieted Syracusan people opened their eyes and looked outward, they were shocked to find that Syracuse, which once dominated Sicily and intimidated the western Mediterranean, was now not as strong as Catania, a city under the Kingdom of Dionysia, its former enemy. Moreover, the allied states that once flocked around Syracuse, such as Camarina, Gela, Agrigentum, and many other city-states, had long severed ties with Syracuse and instead flattered Dionysia...
The Syracusans both cherished the past glory and hated the culprit who caused all this—Dionysia. Moreover, most of the tax revenue Syracuse obtained each year was used to pay war reparations. Therefore, a strange phenomenon appeared on the island of Sicily: while all the Sicilian Greek city-states were befriending the Kingdom of Dionysia, Syracuse, from top to bottom, was alienating this powerful neighbor. They rejected every invitation to Dionysian celebrations, but repeatedly clashed and conflicted with Dionysia's allied city-states—Leontini and Tauromenium—over border land issues.
These actions of Syracuse were seen by Carthage, so the Carthaginian envoy this time bore the mission of "getting Syracuse to join the alliance against the Kingdom of Dionysia."
.................
Inside the Syracuse City Hall, after the Carthaginian envoy walked out of the conference room, the expressions of the ten Syracuse generals were somewhat solemn.
"I don't understand, Dionysia and Carthage have maintained friendly relations for more than ten years, why is there a sudden war?!" General Hictas from the port area asked with doubt. Compared with the Syracusan people in other regions, the civilians in the port area still had a trace of goodwill towards Dionysia, because it was with the help of the Dionysians that the civilians in the port area finally organized and resisted Dionysius's tyranny,
thus forming a force that could not be ignored in Syracuse's political arena.
"Isn't this obvious! The reason why Carthage and Dionysia have been able to maintain friendly relations for more than ten years is because they both need time to restore their own strength. In fact, not only Sicily, but the entire western Mediterranean cannot accommodate two powerful countries. They will inevitably go to war because of conflicting interests. It used to be Carthage and Syracuse, but now it's just changed to Dionysia..." Paronius's voice was low, as if recalling the past of Syracuse. As an official who once served Dionysius, after the riots broke out, due to the opposition of his sailors, he did not join the war to suppress the insurgents, and therefore later escaped punishment. And in the later war to overthrow the murderer Andromacus, he fought bravely and made great contributions, gained the recognition of the people, and had been elected as a general several times.
"If Dionysia and Carthage go to war, it will be a great opportunity for Syracuse! In recent years, since Dionysia occupied Catania, Naxos, and Siculi in Sicily, the impact on Syracuse has been too great. Free citizens are more willing to live in Catana and Naxos, merchant ships are more willing to trade in Catana, and other city-states in Sicily are more willing to interact with them. If this continues, when will Syracuse be able to regain its former glory!" Chief General Theagenes clearly supported cooperating with Carthage to jointly fight against Dionysia.
"But, can Carthage defeat Dionysia?" Cuchias revealed his worry. More than ten years ago, he had experienced the war that determined the hegemony of the western Mediterranean, and witnessed a Dionysian legion landing in Sicily and finally defeating the tens of thousands of troops led by Masias.
"Yes, the Dionysian army is too powerful! The year before last, they also easily defeated the Sicels and occupied many of their towns. Now the Sicels are like dogs, revolving around the Dionysians." Phalaecus took over the conversation. As a comrade-in-arms who once fought side by side with the Dionysian army and jointly overthrew the rule of Dionysius, he knew the strength of Dionysia very well. He also did not support confronting Dionysia: "Syracuse's strength is not what it used to be. It is already surrounded by Dionysia's cities and its friendly allies. Once we declare war on Dionysia, their army can immediately kill us under the city. The Dionysians may be hoping that we will break the agreement, so that they can break through the city of Syracuse and achieve the goal of unifying eastern Sicily!"
The conference room fell silent. Over the years, with the passage of time, the generals all knew that the reason why Syracuse could exist independently was because of the agreement reached between Carthage, Sparta, and Dionysia.
At this time, Stesichorus said in a deep voice: "Everyone, if we don't provoke Dionysia, will Dionysia let Syracuse go? Once Carthage is defeated, is there still a possibility for Syracuse to remain independent?! No! We will be forced to integrate into the Kingdom of Dionysia like Catana, Croton, and Locri, becoming an ordinary city, losing our proud long history and glory! Therefore, I think helping Carthage is also helping ourselves!"
Stesichorus's words moved the other generals.
"Everyone, you only see the strength of Dionysia, but Carthage is also very strong. In recent years, the Carthaginians have conquered Numidia in the African interior, and also conquered the southern part of the Iberian Peninsula. The land they own is even larger than the Kingdom of Dionysia. More than ten years ago, when Carthage fought against us, it could organize an army of 100,000 people, and now it can easily reach it!"
Theagenes waved his arms with excitement, trying to persuade the other generals: "In addition, don't forget Carthage's ally, Rome, which is likely to go to war with Dionysia. It is also very powerful, the hegemon of central Italy, with a strong heavy infantry, and is by no means so easy to deal with. Carthage and Rome have joined hands, which has made Dionysia difficult to resist, not to mention listening to the words of the Carthaginian envoy just now, they have other helpers... Dionysia has fallen into the encirclement set up by Carthage, what are we waiting for if we don't join at this time!"
For decades, the Syracusans have had close military and trade ties with the west coast of Italy, especially with the Campanian League. Although the Campanian League has leaned towards Dionysia in recent years, the unwilling Syracusans have not reduced their attention to it, so they know more about the situation in Rome.
"More than ten years ago, Dionysius also put Dionysia in a siege, what was the result? We all know very well." Hictas said lightly.
"But this time is different!" Theagenes glared at him, still wanting to continue persuading.
Hictas said coldly: "Indeed, this time is different, because compared with more than ten years ago, Dionysia's territory has increased several times, and its strength has also increased several times."
Theagenes was choked by the words and didn't know what to say for a while.
At this time, Phalaecus pondered and said: "I think it's better to do this. Let's not agree to the Carthaginians first, so that we won't blindly put Syracuse in a dangerous situation. If Carthage does declare war on Dionysia and occupies a great advantage, then it won't be too late for us to join it."
"I agree." Cuchias immediately expressed his approval: "This is a prudent approach!"
Soon, the other generals also expressed their approval, including Stesichorus.
Theagenes finally nodded helplessly, but he was very angry in his heart: he could be said to be the chief general of Syracuse with the least power in so many years. The other generals either jointly participated in the riots against Dionysius in those years, had deep combat friendships, and gained a lot of supporters; or they were representatives of some special people's groups. After he escaped from Syracuse in those years, his foundation in the city had already been swept away, and because he first provoked the rebellion against Hieron, he was suppressed again after Hieron successfully returned, and the people who supported him, who had finally gathered together, left him.
The reason why Theagenes, who did not have strong strength to support him, has been able to serve as the chief general for two consecutive years is because the citizens of Syracuse need someone like him who has no strength but has prestige to balance a group of powerful former friends of Hieron to avoid dictatorship.
However, Theagenes, who is stubborn and competitive, has always firmly believed that he is the one who can help Syracuse revitalize its glory.
.......
The fine rain was still falling.
Alcibiades led the pack train away from the port district, and after getting on the main road, he went straight to Thurii.
Since Alcibiades had a lot of property in Thurii, he came to Thurii almost every month or two, and every time he came, he would find some changes in the Thurii urban area, which often made him sigh: The development of the Daonian Kingdom is really too fast!
And this time, there have been many new changes in Thurii: In the past, there were more than a dozen large waterwheels along the Krathis River in Thurii, which transported clear river water to the urban area day and night through elevated aqueducts, and then through the transfer of water towers, to large fountains distributed in an orderly manner throughout the city. Residents only needed to go to the fountain closest to their home to fetch water, which was very convenient, and there was no need to worry about water use at all. However, this drought taught the Daonians a lesson, not only making them cherish water more, but also making them take more water storage measures in advance, such as building reservoirs in the courtyards of every household in the residential area outside the city, and covering them with wooden boards to prevent water evaporation. Some citizens even raised funds to build small shrines to Poseidon in their residential areas.
Although the drought was over, the temporary grain shops built by the Thurii City Hall in various markets around the city were still crowded with people, even more than before, because by this time the people's homes had basically run out of grain.
Alcibiades looked at the long queues in front of him, the people basically maintained good order, and he thought of a series of things that had happened in the country recently:
His motherland, Rhegium, did not have fertile land, and its output was not much. In addition, after becoming a free city of the kingdom, Rhegium relied on Daonia, trade was prosperous, the territory was safe, the citizens were wealthy, and luxury prevailed, so the people did not have much surplus grain. After the drought also ravaged Rhegium, several rivers in the territory dried up, and the city quickly began to run out of food.
The Rhegium Council felt panicked and hurriedly asked the Daonian Kingdom for help. Davos ordered a batch of grain to be allocated to Rhegium, and sent people to repeatedly tell them: It is necessary to control the amount of purchase for each person.
However, the Rhegium officials did not take it to heart at all. The grain was put on the market and was bought up by the Rhegium tycoons in the blink of an eye, so they had to ask Daonia for help again.
Although Davos's face was very ugly and he was angry, he still approved another batch of grain to be allocated to Rhegium, and warned them: Daonia's reserve grain is to supply nearly 2 million people in the entire kingdom, and there will be no more grain to supply Rhegium. If there is another shortage of grain in the future, please find your own way.
Logically speaking, Rhegium should have learned its lesson this time, but in fact it did not.
The Rhegium generals and council members privately divided the grain among themselves. Some people even took the grain and put it in their own grain shops to sell at high prices. The Rhegium merchants also took action, going to various parts of the Mediterranean to buy grain, and then transporting it back to the Rhegium market to sell at high prices. They even went to Daonian territory, wanting to make money in the same way, but were severely punished by the Kingdom's Ministry of Commerce.
There were not only wealthy merchants in the city of Rhegium, but also ordinary civilians and a large number of free people in the port. They did not have enough money to continue buying grain on the market, and the price of grain in various grain shops in the city was too high, but the Council did not impose strict restrictions,
which made the people complain.
At this time, someone revealed the fact that "the Rhegium Council embezzled the relief grain given by Daonia free of charge twice", which finally aroused the anger of the people. They gathered together, robbed grain shops, beat merchants, and even shouted the slogan "We don't want to be a free city, Rhegium should be completely incorporated into Daonia."
Just as Alcibiades was leaving Rhegium and coming to Thurii, the riot was still going on…
Alcibiades sighed, suppressed this annoying emotion, and went straight ahead. After passing the city guards' inspection, he led the pack train into the inner city.
It was almost dusk, and Victory Square was still bustling with activity: Merchants were shouting loudly; wandering poets were singing loudly here; some students from the Daonia Academy were giving speeches, both exercising their courage and knowledge, and promoting the major they had learned to the people; some artists were also doing simple performances of their newly created poems, music, and even dramas here, and going back to continue to improve their works based on the audience's reactions and feedback.
Around Victory Square, people were discussing the content of the Senate's announcements posted on the stone walls that day; young people were reading stories from books under the steps in front of the library, surrounded by children listening attentively; and by the Thurii Fountain, women were drawing water and chatting, while children were laughing and playing water fights… This was a warm and peaceful scene!
Seeing this, it was hard to believe that Daonia was actually at war, and that an even greater war was about to break out! Alcibiades thought to himself. He crossed Victory Square, bypassed the Senate's Great Council Hall, and came to the forbidden area named "King's Hill" by the people of Thurii, where he was immediately stopped and inspected by the Palace Guards.
Alcibiades stated his identity and origin, and immediately a guard rode a horse to the King's residence on the top of the mountain to report.
While Alcibiades was waiting, the guards were checking the items he was about to take up the mountain, which Alcibiades was used to.
At this time, a white covered carriage pulled by two white horses came from the east under the protection of the guards. Although the carriage was not inlaid with gold and silver, the exquisite design of the carriage, the gorgeous patterns painted on the canopy, and the beautiful drapery on the white horses all showed the elegance and wealth of the carriage's owner.
"Brother!" The cloth window on the side of the carriage was lifted, revealing a beautiful face.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … …
Agnes had Alcibiades get into the carriage, and had the pack train that had already been inspected follow closely behind, heading towards the top of the mountain.
"Is Father's health any better?" Agnes asked with concern.
"It's still the same as before, paralyzed in bed and unable to walk. The doctors sent by His Majesty have treated him several times, but there hasn't been much progress… But he's not as irritable as he used to be. A few days ago, he even said to me, 'I want to come to Thurii to see you.' But, you know…" Alcibiades shrugged helplessly.
As soon as Agnes heard this, her face was filled with melancholy. Of course she knew what Alcibiades was referring to.
Over the years, Artikulklus, the chief general of Rhegium, would always use various ways to subtly hint to Davos that he should choose Apox, the son born to Agnes, as the heir to the throne.
Especially at a family banquet two years ago, Artikulklus, who had drunk a little too much, actually publicly declared: "…Christoia is not a pure Greek (the Greeks in Asia Minor often intermarry with foreigners), and she was once a Persian princess. If her child, Kroto Katatakis, inherits the throne, it may cause public criticism. Moreover, Kroto Katatakis is too gentle in nature and is not suitable to succeed the king, while Apox is intelligent and pure in blood, and should be Davos's qualified heir…"
After these words were spoken at the banquet, Davos was furious. He was most taboo about others interfering in this major national matter concerning the succession to the throne, deliberately provoking disputes, and undermining his family. So, in anger, he not only smashed the wine jug in his hand, but also ordered the guards to drive him out of the mansion and ordered him to return to Rhegium immediately and never be allowed to come to Thurii.
From then on, Artikulklus's prestige in the Rhegium Council was greatly reduced, and the councilors who used to please him also began to stay away from him. Artikulklus, who was hit by this, was depressed and drank all day long. One day, he suddenly fell and fell into a coma. After being rescued, he was awake, but his lower body was paralyzed and he could not walk…
Thinking of these past events, Agnes looked sad: After this incident happened, she, who was caught in the middle, was the most uncomfortable. On the one hand, she felt very sorry for Christoia. Although Christoia generously said afterwards that Artikulklus was talking in his sleep and she didn't mind, and she still got along with Agnes as harmoniously as before, Agnes had always felt guilty; on the other hand, she felt that she should bear some of the responsibility for her father's alcoholism and illness. So this incident had always made her feel guilty.
At this moment, she hesitated for a while and said, "…I will ask His Majesty to revoke the original ban and allow Father to come to Thurii!"
Alcibiades shook his head and said, "Agnes, don't ask His Majesty! You also know Father's temper. It's better for you and the children if he doesn't come to Thurii!"
When Agnes heard this, she opened her mouth, but finally remained silent.
Seeing this, Alcibiades comforted her again, "If Father can't come, you can go to Rhegium to see him."
Agnes's eyes suddenly lit up: That's right, I can go to Rhegium, His Majesty shouldn't stop me!
The two chatted in the carriage for a while about the recent interesting events in the city of Rhegium, and then arrived at the King's residence.
As soon as they got out of the carriage, they saw several figures rushing over: "Uncle! Uncle!…"
According to blood relations, only Agnes's two children are qualified to call Alcibiades uncle, but in order to prevent the children from being estranged due to this difference in kinship, Davos specifically talked to Alcibiades and asked all the children to call him uncle from the beginning.
Therefore, the children running in front were not Apox and Avia, but Brianthes and Eunice.
"Uncle, what good gifts did you bring us this time?!" Brianthes said, his eyes fixed on the pack train behind the carriage.
Younis didn't speak, also looking at him eagerly.
The reason Alcibiades was popular with the children was that he would bring them all sorts of gifts every time he came.
"Of course, your uncle has brought gifts for you all this time. But don't rush, line up and take them one by one." Alcibiades smiled, touching Briantes' little head.
"Line up! Everyone line up!" Younis immediately put on the airs of an older sister, directing her younger siblings to line up quickly according to their age.
"Great job, Younis!" Alcibiades praised, waving to his subordinates.
The servant immediately led a pure white pony.
"Oh, she's so pretty!" Younis's eyes stuck to the pony and couldn't leave.
"This is a pony I bought from the Bedouin nomads east of Canaan. It is said to be especially good at running. Younis, she is yours now." Alcibiades said with a smile.
"Really?! That's great!" Younis was so excited that she hugged Alcibiades and kissed him hard: "Uncle, thank you so much!" After saying that, she ran over to lead the pony.
The servant hurriedly handed the reins to Younis. The pony snorted and then gently licked Younis's hand. Younis shouted excitedly again.
Alcibiades touched his face, smiled casually, and looked back at his own nephew: "Apoxes, do you want a horse too?"
Apoxes tilted his head, revealing a sly smile: "Uncle, if I also want a white pony, can you get one?"
This little guy has keen observation skills! Alcibiades patted him on the shoulder affectionately and smiled: "I don't have a second pony, but I have this—"
He waved his hand, and the servant brought seven or eight bundles of papyrus rolls.
Alcibiades pointed to them and said seriously: "These contain Egyptian poems, stories about Egyptian gods, and some history of Egypt… I spent a lot of time and effort to buy them from Greek scholars in the Egyptian city of Naucratis. I will be very sad if you don't like them!"
Apoxes immediately gave Alcibiades a strong hug excitedly: "Thank you, Uncle, I like them very much!"
"Uncle, what about mine?!" Briantes asked impatiently.
"Don't worry, you won't be left out." Alcibiades said, and the servant walked over again.
"Wow, a puppy!" Briantes exclaimed excitedly, only to see a milky white puppy barking in the servant's arms.
"This is a Saluki dog, known as the 'Pharaoh's Hound' in Egypt. They are very good at running and are loyal to their owners. They can catch geese and hares, and dare to fight crocodiles and hippos. When you grow up—" Alcibiades hadn't finished speaking,
Briantes had already excitedly picked up the puppy and ran away.
"This child!" Alcibiades smiled and looked at his niece Avia, who was standing in front of him.
The always quiet Avia was staring wide-eyed at a little black cat held in the arms of another servant.
Alcibiades didn't say much and immediately put the kitten in her arms.
Avia hugged the kitten a little flusteredly.
The kitten meowed, gently rubbing her hand with its whiskers.
Avia thought it was so cute and raised her head to ask Alcibiades: "Uncle, what's its name?"
"It doesn't have a name yet. From now on, you are its owner, so of course its name will be chosen by you." Alcibiades smiled.
So, Avia stroked the kitten with her hand while thinking with her head down.
"Brother, I heard that in Egypt, black cats are the incarnation of gods…" Agnes, who had been watching from the sidelines, said worriedly.
"In the hearts of Egyptians, not only black cats, but also cows, crocodiles, eagles, leopards… many animals are objects of their awe, but it doesn't prevent them from raising cats and dogs, and killing crocodiles and hippos. What's more, this is Daonia, the land under Hades' protection, and the children are descendants of the King of the Underworld, so what is there to worry about!" Alcibiades said half jokingly and half seriously.
Agnes dispelled her worries and asked: "Did you go to Egypt this time?"
Alcibiades nodded: "Yes, I specially brought you a set of high-end cosmetics specially used by Egyptian queens and princesses, and also brought a set for Queen Christoia."
Following the direction of Alcibiades' finger, Agnes saw several large, beautifully decorated wooden boxes being carefully unloaded from the pack animal by slaves.
Agnes didn't decline and said with a slight joy: "Brother, you've really gone to so much trouble!"
Having reached the age of nearly 40, she already felt that her skin was starting to sag and her hair was gradually losing its luster, so she really needed to dress up and take care of herself. As far as she knew, the country most proficient in this aspect in the Mediterranean was Egypt.
Thousands of years of long history, wealthy life, and the special environment (desert area, with strong wind and sand, and sun exposure) have made Egyptian women, regardless of their wealth, extremely value beauty and dressing up. Over a long period of time, they have designed numerous cosmetics, skin care products, and decorations.
Just like the Egyptian cosmetics that Alcibiades bought, just the various formulas composed of various creams and protective oils, mixed with some plant extracts and various essences and balms made from flowers, fruits, and herbs for moisturizing the skin and covering up odors were carefully placed in bottles and jars of various sizes, filling two large boxes.
This does not include face makeup, such as finely ground mineral stone powder mixed with ingredients such as cat, hippopotamus, or crocodile fat, used to apply eyeshadow and eyeliner, outline eyebrows, blush, lips… This is enough to fill another large box.
And there are even more kinds of accessories, with wigs being the most important. Egyptians generally believed that gray hair and congenital baldness were extremely unsightly, so they invented wearing wigs and even tried to formulate various formulas to help gray hair restore its original color. These wigs were made of human hair and plant fiber pads, long, short, thick, dense… all kinds of wigs, filling another large box.
As for those exquisite earrings, necklaces, anklets, hairpins… there are even more kinds, with a dazzling array. Alcibiades also carefully bought many Egyptian tools for makeup, such as small tweezers, clips, small razors, eyebrow pencils made of ivory…
So Agnes was not wrong to say that he had gone to a lot of trouble.
"Has Cloto not returned yet? I also brought him a gift." Alcibiades asked seemingly casually.
"He and Adoris have both been summoned to participate in military training. This training lasts for two days, and they will spend the night in the barracks, so they won't be back until the day after tomorrow. Alas, war is always constant! I hope Cloto won't be sent to the battlefield." Agnes said with some worry.
Cloto Katakus will soon be 19 years old. As an adult citizen of Daonia, he has been participating in military training for more than a year and is now a reserve soldier in the First Legion. Moreover, in other times when he does not have to participate in military training, Davos arranges for him to do chores and errands in the Department of Military Affairs to familiarize himself with all aspects of the entire military affairs department.
As for why Adoris is also undergoing military training in Thurii? That's because Davos discovered that originally transferring Adoris to the Fourth Legion in Kroton was to hide his identity, but the effect was not obvious, but instead made Adoris's life and training very inconvenient, so he simply transferred him back to Thurii, where he is now a soldier in the Second Legion.
Alcibiades was slightly disappointed that he didn't get to see Cloto Katakus. He wanted to get closer to Davos's biological eldest son. Judging from the various signs that Agnes had told him in the past, Davos may have already regarded Cloto Katakus as his heir. Unlike his father Atilikrus, Cloto Katakus is not worried about this. He knows that Cloto Katakus has deep feelings for Agnes and her son, even more than for his biological mother Christoia.
When Christoia heard that Alcibiades had arrived, she immediately asked the chef to prepare dinner.
Christoia didn't like Atilikrus. The embarrassing scene two years ago made her very angry. Fortunately, it was just a family gathering, and it was strictly controlled by Davos afterward, and it was not publicized.
With Christoia's lofty image as a living Buddha in the Daonian people, she does not think that Atilikrus's words will cause any damage to her image. What's more, Davos has repeatedly stated privately that Cloto Katakus is his heir to the throne, and he is also working hard to train him. In addition, Agnes has always felt guilty about this, and she is more respectful when getting along with her, which allows Christoia to get along with Agnes as harmoniously as usual.
And Agnes's brother Alcibiades is completely different from his father. Through Christoia's long-term observation: every time he comes to the mansion, he not only respects himself very much, but also brings constant gifts. Moreover, he likes every child very much and has no obvious bias.
Therefore, Christoia will of course return the favor and entertain him warmly.
"His Majesty just sent someone back to say that he has some important political affairs to attend to today, so he will be back later. He entrusted me and Agnes to entertain you well as hostesses!"
Christoia smiled, glanced at Agnes, and then raised the wine glass in her hand and said to Alcibiades: "Thank you very much for bringing us so many gifts again, and they are exactly what we need! Agnes and I toast you to express our gratitude! At the same time, we warmly welcome your arrival!"
Alcibiades immediately expressed his gratitude. After taking a sip of wine, he heard Christoia say again: "Because of this drought, not only did the wheat seedlings wither, but also various fruit trees were severely affected, and even the production of wine has dropped sharply, so the food tonight is a bit simple. I hope you don't mind!"
Alcibiades had long noticed the food on his table: meat soup, grilled fish, bread, and a small half-jar of wine… The dishes were actually quite plentiful, but compared to the hospitality he had previously received here, it was indeed less. Remembering the big merchants in Rhegium, including himself, who still held banquets from time to time even during the drought, with food far more abundant than this, he couldn't help but sigh, "It's already very good! I imagine what you usually eat since the drought is even simpler than this!"
"We already eat much better than most people in Daonia! I know many citizen families can only eat two meals a day, and their main food is wheat porridge…" Agnes said with a sigh, as the chief priestess of the Hera Temple, she had learned a lot about the situation from the people who came to the temple to worship during this period.
Alcibiades was silent. In fact, he was very clear that with Davos' supreme position and wealth in Daonia, even during the drought, he could have allowed his whole family to live a life of extravagance. However, his brother-in-law must have strictly demanded his family, as always, setting an example for the people of the Daonian Kingdom. Moreover, this habit and practice had deeply influenced his family. Perhaps only someone like him could become a king!
Alcibiades pretended to be nonchalant and took a big gulp of meat soup, then praised, "Your cook is still great! Even with less food, the things he makes are still so delicious!"
"You must be very tired from traveling all the way from Rhegium! Since you like it, eat more and replenish your strength." Christoia said with concern, then sighed, "Thank Hades' blessing, this terrible drought is finally over!"
She looked at Alcibiades and asked with concern, "I heard that people in Rhegium rioted because they couldn't afford grain, and many nobles and merchants were injured. Was your shop damaged?"
"Thanks to His Majesty's prestige, those angry people completely bypassed my shops and workshops!" Alcibiades said gratefully. This was indeed the truth. The people of Rhegium in the riots had requests from the Daonian Kingdom, so naturally they would not attack Alcibiades, who had a marital relationship with King Davos.
"Your Rhegium council is going too far, completely disregarding the life and death of the people. It's their own fault for being attacked by the people!" Agnes said somewhat angrily. After all, that was her hometown, and how could she not be anxious when she heard that people in her hometown were starving and suffering: "If you had allowed my sister's bank to enter Rhegium in the first place, then the people there today could have borrowed money from the bank to buy food!"
Agnes's words were obviously a bit naive. The riots in Rhegium were not a problem of whether the people had money or not, but rather the unrestrained, crazy behavior of the entire merchant class making a fortune from the national disaster. However, when Rhegium became a free city of the Daonian Kingdom, one of the conditions put forward by the Rhegium people was that Christoia's bank was not allowed to enter Rhegium, because Rhegium's commerce was developed, and usury was an important way for Rhegium merchants to make money. If Christoia's bank was built in the city, with its loan interest rate far lower than usury, the entire usury industry in Rhegium would soon collapse.
Alcibiades awkwardly wiped his face with his hand and suddenly said, "Perhaps it won't be long before Christoia's bank enters Rhegium."
Christoia's almond eyes widened slightly, showing surprise, and she asked, "Why?"
Alcibiades realized he had misspoke, coughed dryly, and said with a slight apology, "This matter still has to wait until I see His Majesty Davos and get his confirmation before I can say it."
Christoia was thoughtful. She sipped a glass of wine and was about to speak. Brianthes, who was dining beside her, had already complained impatiently, "You adults only talk about things we don't understand, it's so boring! Uncle, you went to Egypt before, have you ever seen a fish in the Nile that can not only swim in the river but also crawl on land, and is very fierce, not only eating people but even lions can't beat it, is it true?"
"Brother, you're talking about crocodiles, right?" Apoxis immediately corrected.
Alcibiades smiled and said, "Whether crocodiles can defeat lions, I'm not too sure about that. But crocodiles do eat people, and according to Egyptian rumors, crocodiles even ate one of their great pharaohs."
Apoxis immediately said with interest, "Uncle, can you tell us this story?"
Under the children's urging, and also to avoid Christoia's questioning, Alcibiades did not refuse. He carefully recalled it and said, "You should all know that the center of Egypt is in Memphis."
The children nodded together. At school, the teachers had taught them basic knowledge about this.
"Then do you know that the Egyptian pharaoh was also honored as the King of Upper and Lower Egypt?"
Only Apoxis nodded, the other children shook their heads.
Alcibiades patiently explained, "A long, long time ago, Egypt was not a unified country. It was divided into two countries, Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. Because Lower Egypt was located in the downstream area of the Nile, at that time, due to floods, there were swamps everywhere, and fierce beasts roamed, so the population was small. Later, the king of Upper Egypt launched a war and finally unified Egypt.
After many, many years, through the efforts of generations of Egyptians, they gradually transformed the vast swamps and wetlands in the lower reaches of the Nile into fertile plains. One pharaoh named Menes played a great role in this. He also built the city of Memphis on this fertile plain and moved his capital to Memphis…"
Except for Avia, the other three children were gradually attracted by Alcibiades' narration and listened very carefully.
"…Menes was a very promising pharaoh. Under his rule, the Egyptian kingdom became stronger and more prosperous. One day, it was very hot, but he took his entourage to hunt. Before long, they felt thirsty, so the group came to the Nile River. Pharaoh Menes asked his men to fetch water, and he sat by the river to rest. As a result, not far from him, a piece of what appeared to be a tattered tree trunk was floating in the river. In fact, it was a crocodile's disguise. It suddenly pounced on Menes, who was not far from it, bit him in one bite, and dragged him into the river before the entourage could react…
The Egyptians organized a large army to search in the Nile River, but in the end, they did not find his body. Before long, the Temple of Amun issued an oracle, saying that King Menes had been taken to the heavens by the crocodile god because of his great achievements…"
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
In the evening, Davos, who had returned to his mansion, received Alcibiades in his study.
"This time you came, you brought a lot of gifts for Christoia, Agnes, and the children. They are all very happy. The children even prefer to see you rather than me, their father!" Davos said jokingly.
"Your Majesty, it's not easy for me to come once. Buying these gifts is just a matter of convenience. It doesn't cost much money. I'm also very happy to make them happy," Alcibiades said quickly.
"To the children, you are a good uncle! To Christoia and Agnes, you are a good relative! To me…" Davos smiled slightly: "You have done very well! Agnes has already told me about her wanting to go to Rhegium to see your father. I basically agree, but not now. The situation in Rhegium is chaotic right now, it's not very safe. I wonder what measures your council is preparing to take to stabilize the overall situation?"
At this point, Davos finally got to the main topic.
Alcibiades was ashamed and said in a low voice, "The council is still debating whether to suppress the riots, and has not yet come up with a specific plan…"
"Do you want to apply to the Daonian Senate to send our army to suppress the people of Rhegium?" The cold smile at the corner of Davos's mouth flashed and disappeared. In fact, he knew the situation in Rhegium very well, and even this riot in Rhegium was due in part to the efforts of his intelligence department.
According to the laws of Daonia: Rhegium, as a free city, cannot have its own army (of course, at this time, the main body of the city-state's army—the vast majority of ordinary citizens—has mostly participated in the riots), and the kingdom cannot interfere in its city's internal affairs under normal circumstances. Therefore, if Rhegium wants to quickly quell the riots with its army, it can only apply to the Daonian Kingdom.
Alcibiades smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying, "It is a very cruel thing to stab one's own compatriots with swords and spears. Not only me, but some sober-minded people in the city of Rhegium do not agree with this approach."
"Oh?" Davos asked with a slightly surprised expression, "Then what are you going to do?"
"Your Majesty, I believe you already understand very well that in the past two years, the Rhegium Council's management of the city-state has been very chaotic. Many people are not trying to manage the city-state well, but rather want to use their power to satisfy their own selfish desires. Therefore, after they are elected through various fraudulent means, they often formulate proposals that are beneficial to their interests and detrimental to the development of the city-state. Many public positions in the city are held by their relatives or people who have no ability but have bribed them… Rhegium seems prosperous, but in fact, the people's dissatisfaction has been accumulating for a long time, and this drought is just a way for the people to vent their anger…"
Alcibiades said painfully, and Davos listened with a calm expression. Of course, he knew the situation in Rhegium very well. In fact, if Articrates had not fallen ill, the political situation in Rhegium would have been better. After all, he had the ability and prestige to control the council, but now none of the generals and councilors elected in Rhegium can control the overall situation, resulting in the fact that the riots have been going on for several days, and the council has not yet come up with a decent measure.