Chapter 105
Cornelus and the other five nodded at the Devers' words. They all felt that the Devers were calm and clear-headed, and that it would not be a problem for him to become a consul. The new citizens, on the other hand, were a little disappointed and sighed.
At this moment, Hilos shouted from the crowd, "Since he can't be a king, he can at least be a lifelong consul! Just like Dionysius of Syracuse, not only did Syracuse not become the enemy of the surrounding city-states, but they even sought help from Syracuse! "
"Yes! Let's be a lifelong consul! That way, we won't have to worry about a mediocre person ruling Amendora! "Olivers also shouted.
"Devers, lifelong consul!" Matonis, Giogris, and the others continued to shout.
The enthusiasm of the new citizens was ignited again.
Hearing the waves of cheers, Cornelus was anxious. He wanted to tell these mercenaries who only knew how to kill that Dionysius of Syracuse had seized power through violence and bloodshed, and he was not elected by the citizens. Syracuse was the most powerful city-state in Greece, and the other city-states would not dare to be hostile to it.
Facing the boiling crowd, Cornelus flinched again. He looked at the Devers again, hoping that the cool-headed young leader would reject the unreasonable demands of the soldiers again. However, the Devers said, "Since the citizens of Amendora have chosen me to be a lifelong consul, I accept the position you have given me. I accept the position you have given me. I swear to Hades that I will use all my wisdom and ability to lead you to make Amendolar even more prosperous and powerful, and give you a better future! "
The crowd cheered.
"These free people who don't know anything! They have no idea what being a lifelong consul means! Cornelus, you have to persuade the young leader! " Hearing his companion's panicked whispers, Cornelus mustered his courage and stepped forward. "Devers … Hmm … Amendolara has never had a lifetime consul. This is against Amendolara's laws and traditions. We must make them stop this farce!"
Devers turned around abruptly, his eyes shining. "Farce?! You call this a farce?! Wasn't the Citizen's Assembly the highest authority in a city? Any bill doesn't have to be proposed by it, but it has to agree before it can be implemented, right?! Were the people who were shouting under the stage citizens of Amendola? Weren't they far more than half? Did the resolution proposed and passed by them follow the legal procedures of Amendolar?!!!!!!!! … "
Devers's voice was like iron nails stabbing into Kornelos, and he could not resist at all. He stammered, "But … but …"
"Or are you going to say to them, 'Citizens, your proposal is wrong, we won't accept it!'" Devers sneered and continued.
Kornelus looked at the dense, cheering crowd under the stage. He swallowed and subconsciously shrank back.
Devers sneered and said to Kornelus, "After the defeat of Athens, the model of democracy in the Greek city-states, some citizens had already begun to doubt the democratic system of government. The reason why Athens was able to promote the Thirty Tyrants was inseparable from their support. Many Greek city-states in the east had already begun to abandon the democratic system of government. Isn't the suffering of Amendolara today due to the bad effects of the democratic system of government? "
The Devers's voice was very loud. Not only Kornelos, but the other five citizens on the stage heard it clearly. All of them could not help but be speechless. Indeed, at that time, Consul Marcellis strongly advocated defending the city against the Lucanians and opposed leaving their hometown. Another Consul, Glatbalo, was inclined to temporarily move to Turií, and the people were thus divided into two factions. Under the situation where the two sides could not come to an agreement, some of the people did not wait for the decision to be reached and forcibly left Amendolara, including the few people led by Kornelus. In the end, in order to prevent division, the people of Amendolara had to pass a resolution and leave together …
Guilt and fear struck him at the same time. Kornelus felt his throat dry up. He swallowed again and heard the terrible Devers solemnly say, "Don't worry, I swear to the Hades that your rights and interests will not only be protected, but will also be better! … "
Just as the Devers made their promise to Kornelus and the others, someone under the stage said, "I agree with the Devers to be the Life Consul!"
"I agree too!"
…
The citizens expressed their agreement.
Step by step, Cornelus made his way to the front desk. He didn't know what the consequences of his decision would be for Amendolar. He only knew that if there was no result today, the furious mercenaries would smash Amendolar into pieces.
Kornelus, who was no longer in the mood to regret whether he had 'invited a wolf into the house', stood in front of the stage, calmed himself down, and reluctantly said, "The proposal for the Devers to be the Life Consul of Amendolara has been approved. From today onwards, the Devers will be the Life Consul of Amendolara until their souls return to Hades …"
"Victory!"
"Victory!!"
…
The new citizens under the stage cheered as if they had won a great battle, forming a sea of joy.
Some of the former citizens of Amendolara were angry and cursed under their breath; some were indifferent as if the matter had nothing to do with them; some were cheering with the new citizens …
Sesta and a few officers who had different opinions felt lost, but they still tried to squeeze out a smile.
With a smile on his face, the Devers strode forward and said loudly, "As your newly appointed Life Consul, in order to better govern Amendolara, I propose that Kornelus be the Adjutant!"
"Agreed!!" Not only the excited new citizens, but many of the former citizens also cheered in unison. They thought that with Kornelus's help, this young and unfamiliar Life Consul would at least not do anything rash, but they did not know that Kornelus's mood had hit rock bottom.
Cornelus did not do this entirely because Dyvers had changed the power structure of Amendolara and created a new position. It was mainly because he had hoped to elect another Consul. Even if it was only once a year, he would at least be able to check and balance Dyvers' power. He did not expect that Dyvers would not give him this chance at all. He had directly erased the political tradition of Amendolara of having two Consul. The position of Adjutant in Amendolara sounded like it was subordinate to the Consul. Dyvers was trying to dictate!
To the Devers, after more than half a year of training and the knowledge of his previous life, he did not quite agree with the democratic system of the Greek city-states in this world, especially in this era of war. He was confident that ruling with himself as the leader and the others as his assistants was more effective than ruling with many people separately! And more powerful!
After prior analysis and preparation, he believed that although the Greeks had a tradition of independence and freedom, the specific issues had to be looked at in detail, especially when it came to the special profession of mercenary. Due to the long years of war, they were used to obedience, or else they would not be able to win the war. The soldiers worshiped the generals who led them to victory, and the great reputation that the Devers had accumulated over the past half a year was enough for the soldiers to trust and entrust their lives to them. Furthermore, after their previous experience in Persia, they had seen the vastness of the Persia Empire, and their views on monarchy and dictatorship were naturally different from the ordinary Greeks. Of course, if they were elected after half a year of peace, the situation would probably be different.
After careful planning, the Devers finally achieved their goal. A Life Consul was actually a Lifetime Dictator! In his memory, in the history of Rome in his previous life, Sula and Caesar seemed to have both held this position. Because he was afraid of causing resentment from other city-states, he changed the term from 'dictatorship' to 'ruling' as a cover.
Looking at the cheering crowd below the stage, the Devers were filled with excitement and imagination. Under the sky in the west, the sun is about to set. After today, the old Amendarra will be a thing of the past. Tomorrow, a new Amendarra will be born …
Note: The Devers won a foothold for themselves in the test of blood and fire, but Amendarra is so insignificant among the thousands of city-states in the Mediterranean Sea. If the Devers want to achieve their ambitions, they still have a long way to go. In the process of developing themselves, they will also face more difficult and crueler tests!
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