Chapter 1104
Previously, Aegnis had defended Alcibidus, saying that he was surprised by his nephew's intelligence and could not help but want to show it off to others. That was why he was so flamboyant, but other than that, he did not have any other intentions … "However, the Devers did not really believe these words, because it did not explain why he wanted to invite Plato to a banquet. Was it not because he knew that Plato was on good terms with them, and that Plato strongly advocated the philosophy of the king, so he wanted to use him to influence them?
As they had read too much about the history of the struggle for royal power in their previous life, the Devers were not afraid to speculate about this matter with the worst of intentions. Perhaps in the past, Alcibidus had indeed put all his interest and energy into business, and had no interest in politics or power. However, he had now become a big merchant, and his wealth was comparable to that of a country, so it was inevitable that he would have some other thoughts. After all, he was the son of the shrewd Adilikus, so there was bound to be some inheritance.
Therefore, the Devers decided to ignore this relative for the time being, and would continue to reduce the orders for his shipyards until he remembered this lesson!
Although they had opinions about Alcibidus, it did not affect the Devers' admiration for the candidate he recommended.
The first impression that the Devers had of Fedun was that he was fearless when facing Dionysius's army, courageous in battle, and indomitable. After Fedun joined Diónia and participated in the Kingdom Assembly, the Senate held a meeting to elect the chief executive of the town. The Ligeimian hero, who was very interested in Diónia's unique system of government, did something that shocked everyone present. Not only did he volunteer to participate in the election, but he insisted on doing so even after the chairmen tried to dissuade him out of goodwill. His reason was that he was good at grasping Diónia's laws and political system in practice.
This slightly angered the chairmen and the elders. With the mentality of teaching him a lesson, and at the same time to ensure the stability of the kingdom's political situation, they simply elected him as the chief executive of Amendolar, and at the same time, provided him with two experienced administrative assistants.
In the beginning, Fedun encountered a lot of trouble in his first period of office. He was not familiar with government affairs, the officials were not willing to cooperate, the people protested daily, and the entire town's administrative affairs were almost at a standstill … The Senate was ready to remove him from office at any time. However, Fedun was not intimidated by the difficulties. Full of energy, he seized the time to learn Diónia's laws and system at night. During the day, he ignored his status and humbly consulted his subordinates. Not only was he able to accept the people's protests, he even personally went to the places to investigate and study. Gradually, his positive attitude influenced the officials, and the people also moved the people. The officials began to cooperate, the people complained less, and the government gradually got on the right track …
Four months later, Amendolara's government affairs returned to normal. A year later, Fedun was able to handle the town affairs like a veteran who had served as a governor for many years. However, his hands-on and inquisitive style had not changed. Although Amendolara was a very stable town, it was not easy to manage it well. But after three years, most of the people here unanimously declared that Fedun was the best governor they had ever met.
That was already amazing! When they thought about Fedun's experience in the kingdom's administration, they were even more astonished. Some of the chairmen even had the thought that perhaps Amendolar should be governed by inexperienced elders. Perhaps only they could maintain their humility toward government affairs and have the patience to satisfy the demands of the picky citizens of Amendolar.
That was why the Senate chose Publius to take over the position of Amendolata's chief executive.
Fedun's outstanding performance also aroused the curiosity of the Devers. In order to see how capable this elder was, they secretly ordered him to be the chief executive of Naxos. That time, there were fewer people who opposed the election.
Judging from the current situation, Fedun's governance was still outstanding, especially the series of measures taken against the Sikaer tribe west of Mount Etna. Strictly speaking, this was not under the jurisdiction of the chief executive of Naxos, but he was brave enough to take responsibility and was not afraid of trouble. He decisively took over the matter, and the final results were good. This proactive style of doing things was what the Devers admired the most. It was also a good quality that a chief executive of a region should have.
At that moment, the Devers looked at Fedun in the middle of the hall. His sculpture-like face was covered with pitted, weather-beaten skin. He looked extremely cold, but also as calm as an old official. In fact, he was not even 50 years old, and he had only been a chief executive of the kingdom for six years. He had been a chief executive of a town for almost six years, and his resume was enough to show disdain for others.
What the Devers did not understand was that Fedun was tough, and Alcibidus was flexible. Their personalities were not compatible, but they still got along well. Perhaps it was because they were both from Lijim, or perhaps they had worked together to quell the chaos in Lijim, and thus formed a friendship. Or perhaps it was because their personalities complemented each other …
But in any case, with the support of Alcibidus (Alcibidus was a relative of the royal family after all, and he had some supporters in the Senate, the other elders would not want to have a conflict with him unless it involved great interests), and with Fedun's own ability, he believed that he could win a lot of support. Moreover, Fedun had fought side by side with the generals of Diónia in the war against Italy, and he had made a good friend. He believed that his odds of winning were very high. As long as he did not do something illegal with Alcibidus in the future, the Devers were willing to give these excellent administrative talents a bigger stage to make full use of their abilities.
After Alcibidus sat down, another elder stood up and said, "I recommend Myron …"
So, it was Frinyris from Correnia … Myron was not surprised at the recommendation. After all, Correnia used to be a member of the Crotone Alliance.
Lucias was familiar with the leaders of Correnia before, and after he joined Diónia, he strengthened his relationship with these elders from the former Crotone Alliance, but it was a pity that it was difficult to unite them into another major faction in the Senate.
The reason was simple: three of the five rotating presidents were from the former Crotone Alliance. Although Cypross had a good relationship with many people, he had never been too close to anyone in private, nor did he form a faction; Antares and Lucias did not get along well. Therefore, the Clotho Faction, which Lucias had hoped to form the most powerful faction in the Senate of the kingdom, was still a bubble.
The land of Catania was vast and had a large population. Agriculture, commerce, forestry, and animal husbandry were all relatively prosperous. Therefore, there were many competitors, and the arguments between them were more intense. Myron's long tenure in the Catania region was pointed out. Fedun was also questioned about his short time as the town's governor and his lack of experience. He was questioned if he could govern such an important region well. There were also candidates who were directly exposed for the mistakes in their resumes … and so on.
Arguments were everywhere in the meeting hall.
Usually, it was time for the ceremonial officer to play his role. He would stop the emotional elders from speaking insulting words, and he would also warn those who stood up and spoke against the order of the speech. In short, they were trying their best to maintain the order of the meeting hall and prevent this sacred place from turning into a noisy market of verbal abuse.
The heated arguments in the meeting hall could not change the elders who already had a candidate to support, but it could influence the elders who were still neutral.
This was also what the Devers hoped to see. In such a competitive situation, the elders who were mediocre and did not have any achievements in the past did not dare to stand up for election. This was to avoid being criticized by the others, which would lead to embarrassment and embarrassment. Only in this way could the elected governor be at least above average.
The final result of the election was — Fedun won.
As Myron applauded and congratulated Fedun, he felt a little uneasy in his heart. Although the election was going as Lucias expected, he also felt nervous when he saw how fierce the competition was.
"The next election is for the Syracuse region!"
The name "Syracuse" alone was enough to attract many elders to participate in the election, but when the ceremonial officer called out Felicius' name, everyone's heart tightened. The people from the army were finally going to make their move!
"I recommend Lord Adrianx!" Felicius only said this one sentence before he stopped, because he thought that Adrianx's political achievements were already widely known, and he did not need to say more. However, he gave many elders the impression that the people from the army were indeed domineering!
His recommendation scared off some of the candidates, but it also aroused the dissatisfaction of others. Therefore, there were also a few people who participated in the election. The debate was still intense, but the final result was still — Adrianx won with a high number of votes.
It was proven that, as one of the founders of Diónia and another important faction in the Senate, although the army did not usually take the initiative to speak up in meetings, once they got serious, they could influence the direction of the meeting.
"The next election is for the south coast of Sicily!"
Antares' words made the Devers pay a little more attention, because he originally had his eyes on Amicles, but now that Amicles had become the governor of the Strait of Messina, he wanted to see what kind of candidate the elders would recommend.
Unexpectedly, the first name that the ceremonial officer called out surprised him. "Lord Amyntas!"
Amyntas stood up abruptly, his two sharp eyes swept over the elders who were whispering to each other, and his voice was loud enough to drown out the noise in the meeting hall. "I recommend Agathia. He once followed His Majesty on an expedition to Persia, and was also a founding elder when Diónia was first established. He is fully qualified to be the regional governor!"
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