Chapter 101
When Kornelus was led into the Senate by the soldiers, he was both excited and nervous.
Ever since Amendolara was occupied by the Lucanians, Kornelus's life had been like hell for the past six months. During the day, he was held captive by the Lucarians, herding cattle and sheep, chopping trees, and carrying supplies. If he slacked off, he would be scolded, beaten, and even denied food. At night, he would be locked up in the temple of Zeus with the others. Although the temple was large, thousands of people were crammed together, eating, drinking, and urinating in it. The air was foul, and the space was small. Children and adults often cried, and they could not sleep well at night. At the same time, the Lucanians only gave them half a full meal every day, which made their bodies weak. Many of them fell sick and died.
During the long period of imprisonment, Kornelus, like the others, had exhausted all his physical and mental resistance. He had resigned himself to his fate, thinking that he would live like this until he quietly returned to the underworld.
However, yesterday, they were urgently gathered to prepare the carts and load the supplies. They were busy until night. Even the ferocious Lucarians had to do the work themselves. From their panicked expressions, Kornelus sensed something.
Sure enough, the people who could speak Lucanian whispered to them that he had overheard the conversation of the Lucanians. They said things like, "The army of the Grumentum was destroyed by some Greek mercenaries," "Those Greeks are all murderous beasts, very scary …" and so on.
This news made the people of Amendolara excited. They saw the hope of escape. Late at night, many people tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. Then, they heard the faint sound of fighting.
"What happened?!" The sensitive people of Amendolar got up and went to the entrance of the temple, peeking out through the crack of the door. The guards of Lucania panicked and shouted at each other in panic. The people in the temple could hear clearly, "The Greeks have entered the city!"
The people were excited. When the usually decisive consul, Grate Baflor, saw the guards leaving, seemingly to reinforce the enemy fighting at the foot of the mountain, he immediately organized the people to fight back. The people of Amendolara who hated the Lucarians worked together to break open the gate. They swarmed in and used stones and fists to knock down the few remaining Lucanian guards who had lost their will to fight.
As soon as the people left the temple, they ran into the Lucarians who had returned to reinforce them. In fact, the Lucanian warriors could not resist the attack of the mercenaries at all. In a moment of desperation, Wesba thought of the more than a thousand Greek people imprisoned in the temple. Perhaps they could be used as hostages in exchange for the survival of his tribe. Unarmed and weak, the people of Amendolara were no match for the Lucarian warriors. However, they had just broken out of the cage, and reinforcements were coming. Filled with anger and hope, the people of Amendolara were unwilling to surrender again. In the end, Magistrate Gratbaflor was the first to die in battle. The strong citizens who were charging at the front were almost all gone. Just when the Lucarians could no longer control their bloodthirst and were about to kill the remaining trembling citizens of Amendolara, the Greek mercenaries arrived.
In front of the people of Amendolara, these strong and burly soldiers showed their might. In an instant, they killed the ferocious enemies and forced them to kneel and surrender.
When these murderous soldiers walked towards the people of Amendolara, the people of Amendolara could not help but tremble. They didn't expect that these soldiers would help them up with concern, prepare clean beds, and serve them steaming hot oatmeal. There was also a doctor who carefully examined their bodies and treated their wounds. It was like entering Elysium from hell!
Cornelus shed tears of gratitude more than once. Like the others, he began to inquire about the origins of this team that fought valiantly and were full of love for their compatriots. The soldiers, doctors, women who were called 'nurses' by the soldiers, and slaves did not shy away from telling the people everything about themselves. Therefore, Cornelus knew that this Greek troop came from Asia Minor. Under the leadership of Prince Cyrus the Younger of Persia, they went deep into Persia and fought against the army of the king of Persia. Then, they fought for thousands of miles and returned safely to Byzantium. They accepted the employment of the Turií and came to Greece. After the defeat of the Turií, the mercenaries joined forces with the reinforcements from Tarantum and annihilated the allied forces of the Lucanian tribes. Then, without any rest, they attacked Amendolara that night and saved the people …
The story of the mercenaries was as legendary and fascinating as the epic 'Odyssey'. What made Cornelus even more amazed was the leader of the mercenaries, the Devers. According to the soldiers, this young leader was originally just an ordinary soldier with nothing special about him. However, when he fought with the army of the king of Persia, he fell unconscious and woke up. Not only did his personality change drastically, but he also became intelligent and solved many problems. The soldiers all thought that he was favored by Hades, the King of the Underworld, and that he became different. Thus, they elected him as their leader. The Devers did not disappoint them and created one miracle after another. He led the soldiers out of the siege and returned to Greece. He also went against everyone's opinion and accepted the invitation of the Turií. When they lost the battle and everyone was pessimistic and lost, he resolutely attacked the powerful Lucanian army and annihilated the enemy with a great disparity in strength, creating an almost impossible miracle. Then, when everyone thought that the mercenaries needed rest after the war, he launched another attack on Amendolara within a day …
Therefore, when the mercenary told Cornelus that the leader of the Devers wanted to see him, he could not wait to see this young leader who led such a unique army and was respected and admired by the soldiers. He was called the 'Blessed One', the 'Child of Miracles', and 'Our Devers'.
As soon as he entered the hall, a young man with a smile on his face greeted him warmly, "Lord Cornelus!"
Cornelus was stunned. "You are?"
The guard who led the way said proudly, "This is our leader of the Devers!"
Although he knew from the mercenary that the Devers were young, when he stood in front of him in person, Cornelus was still surprised by how young and easygoing he was. He was not at all like the experienced mercenary leader that he had imagined. He momentarily lost his composure.
The Devers were also sizing up the elder of the Senate of Amendolar. It was said that his family was one of the founders of Amendolar more than two hundred years ago. It had continued to this day and had produced countless consuls and elders. It could be said to be a prestigious family in Amendolar. Although Cornelus was only an elder, he was kind and willing to help others. He had a high reputation among the people, which was why the Devers chose him first. Looking at the middle-aged man who was emaciated because of the long period of imprisonment, the Devers asked with concern, "I heard that you were injured last night. Are you feeling better now?"
Cornelus touched the bandage on his abdomen and said gratefully, "Much better! Much better! Your doctor's medical skills are very high! Leader of the Devers, thank you for coming in time last night. Otherwise, we would all be dead! "
The Devers' heart skipped a beat. They looked at Cornelus carefully. His sincere expression did not seem to be fake. Last night, when he learned that the Lucanians had a fierce battle with the people of Amendolar at the temple, they deliberately slowed down their attack, causing most of the young people of Amendolar to die in battle. He could not help but feel a little guilty and quickly said, "Well … Lord Cornelus, I invited you here today because I have a message for you. We will be leaving soon."
Cornelus was shocked. "Why?"
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