Chapter 102
"It's the Turií again! The selfish Turií! The damn Turií! May the Goddess of Misfortune curse them! "Cornelus said through gritted teeth.
The Devers could guess why a good man who had always been kind to others would hate them so much (Archita had told him). He pretended to be curious and asked, "Master Cornelus, I remember that the Turií and Amendolara are allies, but you seem to hate the Turií very much."
"The Turií threatened us to leave Amendolara temporarily to help them defend the city. Otherwise, if the Lucanians besieged Amendolara, they would not provide any help. At that time, considering that the Lucanians were invading from the south, the north was safe. We had no choice but to open the city gates with a large number of supplies, preparing to move to Turií. In the end, we were caught off guard by the Lucanians who risked their lives to float down from the Sinni River. In the past six months, we have suffered a lot. The temple has been defiled, the women have been humiliated, the children have starved to death, and the citizens have been massacred. "At this point, Cornelus had tears streaming down his face." All of this is because of the selfish decision of the Turií, but their city is still intact! Every one of us from Amendolara hates the Turií more than the Lucanians! "
"Sigh!" The Devers let out a long sigh, not knowing what to say.
"I heard from your soldiers that it was your decision to take back Amendolara, not the order of the Turií?" Cornelus asked while wiping his tears.
"That's right."
"That's good. We don't owe the Turií anything anymore! We will pay you double the amount they used to hire you, as long as you stay! "Cornelus said resolutely.
The Devers said helplessly, "Why do you have to do this? We have three thousand mercenaries, and the money and food we spend every month is not a small amount. Amendola is not a rich city, and we have accepted your employment. When the time comes, we will leave. We don't have a home. We have to go out and take on missions to earn money to make a living … "Devers looked a little sad. His words reminded Cornelus," If you don't have a home … "He blurted out," Then stay. "
As soon as he said that, he seemed to be encouraged and said loudly, "Yes, all of you stay! Become a citizen of Amendola! "
… …
Before this, the square in Amendolar was used by the Lucaria people as the location of their military camp. It was also the only place where the mercenaries encountered any decent resistance in the city last night. This afternoon, the square had been cleaned up. Only the traces of blood on the marble floor indicated that a battle had taken place here.
The survivors of Amendola, except for the young children, gathered in the square, including women and teenagers.
At this moment, standing on the wooden platform in the middle of the square were the five remaining famous citizens of Amendolar, led by Cornelus. Cornelus looked at almost all the citizens of Amendolar, old and young, and most of them were women. Most of them had not recovered and even needed the help of mercenaries and doctors. He could not help but feel sad again. A year ago, Amendolar had four thousand citizens (the citizens of a Greek city-state could only be adult males), and the total population was more than ten thousand. Now, there were only a thousand people left, mainly women and children. Not to mention protecting the country, they could not even complete the daily labor of planting wheat and herding cattle and sheep. This made him even more determined.
"Citizens, women, and children of Amendolar, I, Cornelus, a member of the Senate, have gathered everyone in the square today because there is an important matter that we need to decide together! More than two hundred years ago, our ancestors left Sybaris and came here to build a city. For two hundred years, with the nourishment of the Sislino River and the Burano River, and the protection of Mount Amendolar, we lived in peace and had abundant resources. Even when our mother Sybaris was destroyed, our land was never affected by the flames of war. But … since last year, our citizens followed the Turís and invaded the Lucanian territory, we … "Cornelus choked with sobs, and many people below the stage burst into tears.
"My wife did not want to be humiliated by the Lucarians, so she killed herself by hitting her head against a pillar … One of my children also died of an illness … All of you below the stage have had the same tragic experience as me … In two hundred years, Amendolar has only experienced this one war, and this time, Amendolar has almost become a thing of the past, just like our mother Sybaris. When we prayed day and night in the temple for Zeus' salvation, Zeus answered our call and sent our saviors. They are the mercenaries from the Ionian region of Greece, our compatriots! " Cornelus pointed to the back of the crowd, where the Devers, some officers, and some soldiers, as well as the witness, Acita, who was dressed in casual clothes, were standing there, waiting quietly.
"They defeated the ferocious Lucarians, saved us from suffering, and took good care of us! To be honest, I have seen many mercenaries before, but they are completely different. They are like family! " Cornelus' words won the approval of many people below the stage, especially the emotional women.
"But they are about to leave us, leave Greece!" As soon as he said that, many people began to panic.
"If they leave, what should we do? Who will guarantee the safety of Amendolar? The Turís? "Cornelus paused for a moment, and the crowd below the stage scolded.
"No! I would rather be destroyed by the Lucarians than be deceived by the Turís again! "
"The selfish Turís are not allowed to enter the city of Amendolar again!"
…
Amidst the angry voices of the people, Cornelus took advantage of the situation and said loudly, "This painful lesson has taught us that we can only rely on ourselves to defend our own home! But Amendolar is very weak now, so what should we do? "Cornelus looked at the people below the stage and asked the same question again, causing them to ponder.
"The Consul of Amendolar is dead. As a member of the Senate, I, Cornelus, am now proposing an important motion. I request to convene a citizens' assembly to vote on whether to pass it. As the number of citizens is too small now, and this matter concerns the interests of every Amendolar, I have specially requested for all Amendolars to participate in the vote. " As soon as Cornelus finished speaking, before there was a commotion below the stage, the other four people on the stage expressed their support.
Most of the women below the stage were excited to vote for the first time in their lives, so naturally, the people who opposed the motion could not make a splash.
"I've heard from others that although Cornelus of Amendolar is a good person, he doesn't seem to have much of an opinion on political affairs. I didn't expect him to make such a shocking move today!" Archita said to the Devers, half surprised and half suspicious. After all, letting women vote to decide the major matters of the city was unprecedented in the Greek city-states. Perhaps it had only happened in ancient times. Legend had it that the women's votes played a key role in making Athens the patron goddess of Athens.
The Devers smiled and did not speak. Of course, it was his idea to let the women participate in the vote. Compared to the men who valued interests more, the women were more emotional and more eager to be protected by the strong. Facing the mercenaries who saved them and treated them kindly, their choice was obvious.
"Since everyone has agreed to this, then my next suggestion is …" Cornelus's gaze swept towards Dyvers and the others in the distance. "Accept our benefactor, the mercenaries who saved Amendolara, as citizens of Amendolara. Then, we won't have to worry about the safety of the city anymore!"
The people below the stage were in an uproar. After all, it was not easy for a free person to become a citizen of a Greek city-state, let alone accepting more than 3,000 people as citizens at once. This was very rare (Greece was not Rome, after all).
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