Chapter 109
"But … but … people die in war … Amendorara has already died … Too many people!" Kornelus stammered.
"We will only win if we follow the leader of the Devers. Don't you want revenge? To attack the Lucanians? "Amyntas looked at Kornelus with slight disdain.
Before Cornelus could answer, Protesilaus and Tritodemus, who were behind him, cried out, "Of course we will! We must let these evil barbarians taste the power of Amendorara! … "
Amendorara had been weak for too long, and its people were changing! The Devers were happy to see this change. He immediately said, "Although our goal is to conquer the natives, we can't go to war blindly. We must first strengthen Amendorara's power and wait for the right time. So, do you all agree to submit this proposal to the General Assembly for a vote? 'Any outsider who wishes to join Amendorara and become a citizen of Amendorara, as long as he is willing to abide by the laws of Amendorara and meets certain conditions, the Senate of Amendorara will accept him as a citizen of Amendorara.' As for the conditions to be met and met, we will discuss and decide. "
"Agreed!" Everyone shouted in unison.
Kornelus sighed and closed his eyes. He understood that from now on, Amendorara would no longer be the conservative Amendorara that would not change for decades. Based on the current composition of Amendorara's citizens (the majority of the new citizens) and the current atmosphere, the proposal would definitely be passed by the General Assembly.
(A few days later, the Devers' proposal was passed by a large number of votes in the General Assembly. This bill became known as the Immigration Act of Devers in European history. Its promulgation changed the traditions of the Greek city-states, the political ecology of the entire Greek world, and finally, the history of the Mediterranean Sea. This is a story for another time.)
"In that case, I recommend Marigi to be elected as the commercial officer. He will be the first beneficiary of our new bill and set a good example for future generations!"
"Agreed!"
"We have no objections!" The new citizens, especially the squad leaders, all expressed their agreement. This was the reason why the Devers insisted on their participation. With their support, the elderly citizens could only remain silent even if they were dissatisfied.
At this moment, the atmosphere in the venue was very different from before. With a new goal, the enthusiasm of these new citizens was obviously higher. The Devers decided to strike while the iron was hot. "Do we have a construction manager in Amendola?"
"Construction officer?" "You mean the person in charge of the construction of public buildings, right? Amendolara doesn't have a fixed position. If the Senate decides to build a public facility, the person in charge will be appointed temporarily."
"The construction officer's job isn't just to build public facilities. He's responsible for supervising and building all kinds of buildings in the city and maintaining them regularly. He's also responsible for the cleanliness, hygiene, and safety of the roads. He also has to pay attention to the entertainment facilities in the city. His job involves the daily lives of the citizens and the image of the city. He's responsible for building wells, roads, temples, and arenas. It's a very important job!" the Devers said solemnly.
"Which city-state has this position?" Cornellus was a little surprised.
The Devers smiled and didn't answer. The city-state that had this position was Rome, which had the best construction technology in the world. Of course, it wasn't known if this position existed in Rome at this time.
"Since attacking the natives is the goal of Amendolar's development, the position of construction officer is very important, because we need to build strong, wide, and smooth roads and bridges to facilitate the transportation of our troops and to connect and rule the land we will occupy in the future. We also need to build grand and magnificent buildings to show the natives our superior culture and speed up their submission to us. "The Devers emphasized again and asked," Who wants to recommend themselves? "
"I'm afraid this position requires someone with construction experience," someone said. The people who were eager to try hesitated after hearing the Devers' words.
Alexis stood up decisively.
The Devers smiled and asked, "Alexis, you used to be a bricklayer?"
"Mr. Consul, if I'm the only one recommending myself, does that mean I've already taken this position?" Alexis didn't answer and asked a question instead.
"I have no objections. What about everyone else? "The Devers looked at the others.
"There's no one else but him!"
"But can he do it well?"
Everyone said.
"Tell me, how do you plan to be a good construction officer?" the Devers asked.
"I don't know how to build, but I can learn. I can also let experts who are proficient in construction work as my subordinates. There are no such people in Amendolara, but I can go to the free citizens of the nearby city-states to find them. According to the bill you just proposed, Mr. Devers, I can apply to give them citizenship … "Alexis said confidently.
The others suddenly realized that being an official of a city-state could do things like this.
Many people began to think: Should I choose a position as well?
"It seems like you're already thinking about how to be a good construction officer!" The Devers said with admiration. "I hope you and your subordinates can study construction techniques well so that Amendolara's construction techniques can be ahead of the other Greek city-states!"
"I'll do my best!" Alexis said seriously.
"Amendolara's treasury isn't rich. If we want to do a large scale construction, I'm afraid …" Cornelus reminded her.
"Of course, we won't do a large scale construction right now. We'll only take action when we're rich in the future." The Devers comforted Cornelus, then continued, "Next, I suggest that we establish a military officer, responsible for the city's defense, citizens' military training, research and maintenance of weapons and equipment, pre-war preparations, post-war statistics … and other matters."
"Agreed!" For the combative new citizens, this position was the most important, so they were a little excited.
But when the Devers asked, "Who do you think is the most suitable for this position?"
The new citizens were speechless. The most prestigious person in the army was undoubtedly the Devers, but he was already a lifelong consul and the supreme commander of the city-state's army. Other than him, Hieronymus could be considered. After all, he used to be a mercenary leader, but he was a newcomer in the Devers' team. As for the others, Capus, Amyntas, Epthenis, and so on … These company captains had made many contributions and each had their own characteristics, but it wasn't obvious who was the most outstanding.
In the end, everyone's gazes were focused on Felicius. This former adjutant of the mercenary army was usually very low-key and easily overlooked. In fact, he had been a mercenary for close to twenty years. He had rich military experience and was familiar with military affairs. Ever since Dyvers became the leader, he had been carefully assisting him. Dyvers' victories were inseparable from his silent assistance. Setting up camp, training, pre-battle preparations, post-battle statistics, and so on. Wasn't he doing the work of a military affairs officer now? It turned out that the Devers' leader had proposed this position for him! Everyone calmed down after understanding this point.
And so, Felicius was successfully elected.
"In the past, we mercenaries had a military law, but it was relatively simple. I hope that after you take office, you can gather everyone together in a few days, and I'll be participating too. We'll discuss and formulate a more complete military law so that it'll be beneficial for us to train citizens and guide battles, "the Devers said seriously.
"Got it." Felicius nodded.
When Matonis and the others heard that there was going to be a stricter military law, they immediately sighed.
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