Chapter 1083
"How can there be money?!" Gorgian belched, his face slightly red, and said with a slightly emotional tone, "Look at the roads of the kingdom, aren't they all very smooth and wide?! Isn't every bridge made of stone, both strong and durable?! Isn't the arena in every town spectacular and luxurious?! But do we need money to build them?! Do we need money to maintain them?! The kingdom's territory is vast, and there are many towns and cities. In order to manage them well, we need many officials to devote themselves. Then, do we need to pay them?! The cost of maintaining these takes up most of the national treasury's expenditure, where is there any extra money?! The kingdom works hard to maintain such a good environment for the citizens, but how much tax do the citizens pay? "
"Only 1% of the annual income!" A diner shouted, "These Diónia citizens are so lucky! I come from Delos, and my mother state was once again incorporated into the Athens Maritime Alliance. Athens forced us to provide monetary donations, which is 60% of my income! That's why I had to leave my mother state and come to live in Diónia. "
"Isn't it the same for my mother state, Milos. We were forced to join the Peloponnesus Alliance and have to pay a lot of tribute to Sparta every year. In order for Sparta to cope with the Corinth War and this time's War of Thebes, the taxes I pay every year are not less than 20% of my income. In a naval war last year, Athens won and won the dominance of the Aegean Sea. My mother state took advantage of the situation to leave Sparta and join the Athens Maritime Alliance. I thought that life would be easier, but I didn't expect that the people of Athens also want money, and the tax rate is still the same. I had no choice but to come to Turií, sigh … "Another diner also took over the conversation and poured out his grievances.
Their experience also resonated with other diners.
After a while of complaining to each other, the man named Gorgian said loudly, "Compared to our former mother state, Diónia is indeed a good place for us to live. Even though the treasury is so tight, His Majesty the Devers and the ministers still do not want to raise taxes for the people. But a 1% tax is really too little, and the official citizens' lives are so good. Why don't they take the initiative to pay a little more tax and help the kingdom solve this financial problem? That way, they can build a border army made up of free citizens. This also solves the problem of them being sent to the border for a long time. "
"Gorgian is right. These official citizens own so much land anyway. A little more tax won't affect their lives."
"If they don't even dare to pay more taxes, how can they have the face to call themselves warriors who protect the kingdom!"
The topic of the diners quickly shifted to whether the citizens should pay more taxes to help the kingdom build a border army, and the atmosphere of the discussion became more and more heated.
Maximus wasn't too concerned about this topic, but he noticed that every time the man named Gorgian opened his mouth, the discussion became more intense.
Maximus actually wanted to hear them talk about 'why the census office suspended the registration of freedmen applying for citizenship', but when he received the oatmeal and haggis soup from the kitchen maid, the diners were still discussing this topic endlessly. Meanwhile, he himself had just arrived, so it was impossible for him to start a new topic in an unfamiliar environment.
Finally, when Gorgian left, he looked at Maximus, who was staring at him from time to time, and nodded to him with a smile.
Maximus, of course, nodded back politely.
Seeing him walk away slowly, Maximus picked up the bowl and returned it to the kitchen maid behind the counter. He then asked, intentionally or unintentionally, "The person who left just now greeted me, but unfortunately, I don't know who he is."
"His name is Gorgian, and he's a clerk in the City Hall of Turií. I heard that he's going to become an official citizen soon. Don't be fooled by his high status, but he's very friendly and knows a lot of things. He's also a frequent customer here. He often says that although our shop is small, the quality of the wine is good, and the food is delicious … "The kitchen maid was not wary at all. She said a lot of things enthusiastically and praised her shop.
When Maximus heard this, the first thought that popped up in his mind was: Should I apply for a job in the City Hall as a scribe or writer?
Of course, it was necessary to consider how to earn money to support the family in the future, but the most important thing now was to decorate the house. But when the family walked out of the tavern, the sky was already dark.
Based on his experience in Rome and the slave camp, Maximus judged that all the shops in the outskirts of Turií must be closed. But the scene he saw surprised him: many shops were lit with candles, there were still many pedestrians on the street, and the patrol team was still patrolling …
Seeing the streets lit up by countless candles, Maximus and his family were overjoyed. They bought a bed and some cloth from a furniture shop not far from their rented place, and some candles from a candle shop next door. They also bought some pots from a pottery shop … Finally, they spent some money and entrusted the furniture shop's labor to move these things to their house.
After a period of busywork, the room looked brand new.
Although Fulvia looked a little tired, she kept wiping the sweat on her forehead, but her eyes shone with happiness, "Maximus, we finally have a new home!"
Maximus looked at the two children who were playing on the bed, and his heart was filled with emotions. He nodded wordlessly …
… …
There were more than a dozen military camps in the Kingdom of Diónia. They were not only bases for military training for the citizens, but also military fortresses. Among these military camps, the Turií military camp was different. Not only was it the largest and had the most citizens participating in the training, but it also had a unique function — training officers.
In the past, the staff of the Ministry of Military Affairs mainly trained and learned in this military camp. After the war in the Western Mediterranean, the Devers ordered that all mid-level officers must undergo training and pass the assessment before they could be promoted to senior officers.
The training location was also set in the Turií military camp, which made the Turií military camp even more dazzling in the Dionysian Army.
That morning, the tactical practice room in the Turií military camp was full of people. In the middle of the field were the two most outstanding people among the senior students — Sextus and Patroclus. They were going to have a practical deduction assessment.
Tomid, the chief of staff of the inquisitor (he had taken over the position of chief of staff after Felicius resigned after the war in the Western Mediterranean), coughed and said, "I announce the start of the assessment!"
The room immediately fell silent.
The referee, the commander of the Second Legion, Matonis, held a wooden plate in front of the two people who were about to take the assessment and asked, "Which one of you wants to throw the dice?"
Sextus said modestly, "Cross, you go first."
"Okay." Patroclus simply grabbed a square dice carved from sheep bones on the wooden plate and threw it gently.
"It's an even number." After seeing the result, Matonis immediately ordered, "Patroclus, you'll attack next. Sextus, you're mainly in charge of defense. Next, you'll throw the dice."
Sextus cautiously grabbed the two dice and tossed them up with all his might.
The two dice spun on the ground a few times. When Matonis saw them clearly, he said loudly, "It's a nine!"
The other referee, the former chief of staff, Felicius, immediately picked up a form and looked at it. He then said, "The tactical map number 9 is a mountain with an average height of more than 300 meters, and there's a river with a width of 50 meters."
As soon as Felicius finished speaking, it immediately caused a round of discussion among the team officers who were watching the battle. It was obvious that such a terrain was very advantageous for the defense side.
At that moment, a large wooden map was placed between Patroclus and Sextus.
While the two of them carefully observed the map and began to think about possible tactics, the chief referee and the other four referees (all of whom were at least legion commanders, and all of whom had rich battlefield experience and outstanding achievements) were also making use of the time to discuss in low voices.
After a while, the chief referee, Tormid, stood up and said in a clear voice, "In view of this tactical map, after discussion, we have finally decided that the defense side will have 4,000 soldiers, including 500 medium Samonai infantry, 1,500 light Samonai infantry, 1,500 Samonai javelin throwers, and 500 Samonai pikemen. The attacking side will have 20,000 soldiers, including the two Legion of Dionysia 18,000 soldiers, 200 siege troops, 500 Diónia cavalry, 500 mountain reconnaissance troops, and 500 supply camps. The defending side will have an advantage in supplies. As the attacking side is deep in enemy territory, they can only carry their supplies once and can only supply them for 30 days. After 30 days, if the outcome of the battle cannot be decided, the attacking side will be declared the loser!"
As Tormid spoke, Patroclus and Sextus picked up the wooden boards in their hands and recorded the data.
After he finished speaking, the two of them looked at the map and compared the data on the wooden boards, thinking about it.
"This is an example of the battle where the kingdom attacked the Samonai Mountains. Although the terrain is complicated and marching is difficult, Patroclus has two royal legions under his command. As long as we can find the main force of the Samonai, we should be able to win."
"I don't think it's that simple. Didn't the instructor say that the combat power of the Sammonae people is not weak, especially their javelin throwers? Besides, they are good at fighting in the mountains. The reason why we were able to conquer them is that we have never really fought with the Sammonae people in the mountains. We have destroyed their main forces on the plains several times. Now that Sextus can defend the mountains with all his strength, the situation will definitely be very different."
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