Chapter 115
The Devers and Cristoya were given a house that originally belonged to the former Consul of Amendolara, Marcheris. It also had two of Marcheris's children: a six-year-old daughter, Cynthia, and a three-year-old son, Adoris.
When Cristoya heard the news in the afternoon, she immediately asked for a few slaves from Merces and rushed to Marcheris's house. When the Devers returned to their new home, the house was basically cleaned up. But he didn't have time to admire his new home. He only hurriedly took a few bites of bread and met the two children he was going to adopt. The two children hid behind Cristoya nervously and peeked at him. It could be seen that the 21-year-old Cristoya had already won the trust of the two orphans.
Before he could say anything, Asistes rushed over and said, "Bagoule is here."
The Devers hurriedly asked Asistes to bring him to the side room.
After starving for an entire day, Bagul's hands were tied behind his back and brought to a side room. He simply lay there, motionless, on the ground. His body was weak, and his spirit was in despair. He no longer held any hope for survival.
At this moment, he heard a low voice. "Is this the son of the Lucanian leader, Vesba, the warrior Bagoule that the Lucanians speak of?"
Another voice replied, "Yes, Consul."
"Why do you look like a dead dog?" Hearing the person's mockery, Bagoule still didn't move, not even blinking.
"And Andrea praised him to me as a brave man. Haha, he doesn't even dare to look at me. "The person continued to mock him.
This time, however, Bagoule opened his eyes. He saw a man younger than the one who had brought him here. He was a little surprised because he had clearly heard someone call him Consul.
"Ann … How is Andrea?" His hoarse and weak voice was filled with deep concern.
Devers didn't tease him anymore. Instead, she stepped forward and said seriously, "She's fine. She's been begging me to let you go. She wants to be with you."
Bagoule closed his eyes. His face, which was covered in blood and dirt, showed extreme pain. He suddenly turned over, and his chest began to rise and fall rapidly …
After a long time, he opened his eyes and looked at the Devers with tears in his eyes. "… Go out? Can you let us out?! Will you give us freedom?! "
"What do you think?" The Devers sneered. "Think about everything you've done in Amendolara. You've massacred Amendolara's citizens, humiliated Amendolara's women, forced the Amendolara people to do heavy labor, locked them in narrow spaces, and given them only a small amount of food and water … In less than half a year, the population of Amendolara has been reduced from 1,500 to 500. This is all because of you and your people! The old, the young, the women, and the children of Amendolar, from top to bottom, would love to eat your flesh and drink your blood! Do you think you can escape this punishment?! "
The Devers' words were like a gust of wind that extinguished the candlelight in Bagoule's eyes. He lay stiffly on the ground like a puppet, despair shrouding his face once again.
"But …" The Devers changed the topic. "I, the Devers, the new lifelong consul of Amendolara, will never agree with killing for revenge! Of course, the sins of the Lucanians must be repaid, but I hope it will be in another way. "
Bagoule's eyes regained some vigor. He looked up at the Devers and asked eagerly, "What way?"
"All the men of your tribe will become slaves of Amendolara's city! They will be responsible for building roads, repairing walls, digging canals, repairing farmlands, and herding cattle and sheep … In times of war, they will serve as auxiliary soldiers and accompany the citizens to battle! "The Devers stared at Bagoule.
Bagoule was silent for a while. In fact, after they occupied Amendolara, they treated the people the same way. God Asenu, this is retribution! But what he was most worried about was not the men of his tribe. "What about the women?"
"Of course, they will also be slaves of the city. They can shear sheep, learn weaving, and harvest olives … As for the underage girls and widows among them, my soldiers and the new citizens of Amendolara will marry them! "The Devers emphasized the last sentence.
Bagoule was shocked. He turned over and sat up, looking at the Devers in disbelief. "Not concubines?!"
"Yes, wives!" The Devers said with certainty. "This is my sincerity! I ask you and your people to be slaves of Amendolara for five years. You must bear the insults of any citizens in silence. Of course, if a citizen of the city tries to attack you, he will be severely punished. But if your people escape or attack the citizens of the city, I will execute ten Lucanians for each one that escapes! If you injure a citizen, I will also execute ten of your people! "The Devers's expression was a little ferocious.
Bagoule was silent for a while, then asked in a low voice, "What about after five years?"
"After five years, you will all become free people. If you want to become citizens of Amendolara, you can apply to the city. If you want to return to your hometown, we won't stop you, but I think you might not want to leave by then," the Devers said confidently. "Also, if you perform well, such as helping the citizens to win the war, using a very short amount of time to build a good road, and so on, then the five-year period can be reduced …" Dyvers said confidently.
At this moment, Bagul's expression was much livelier than the lifeless one he had when he first entered. After all, it was easy to imagine the joy in his heart that he had escaped from certain death to hope for freedom. Moreover, he could sense that the new Consul had good intentions for the Lucanians. Otherwise, he would not have allowed his soldiers to marry Lucanian women and make them relatives of his captive tribesmen. So, he said, "I agree with your proposal, but I have to go back and discuss it with my people, especially my father. After getting their consent, should we sign an agreement? "
"Agreement?" The Devers sneered. "There is no agreement here, only an agreement."
"What!" Bagoule was shocked. He could only rely on a few words from the other party when it came to the survival of his tribe.
"Don't you know that all the citizens of Amendolara want you to be executed? Only I don't agree. (Actually, the new citizens don't hate the Lucanians. After all, they are not victims, but victors and beneficiaries.) Under such circumstances, I can only slowly convince them. I can only slowly convince them that your good behavior and time will wear away their hatred. You don't have the right to sign an agreement with me yet. Either you believe me, or you go back and continue to be imprisoned until you die! "The Devers said sternly.
Bagoule's face was ashen. He said in a hoarse voice, "You're too young … Why should we …"
The Devers said confidently, "Why should I? Because I'm the commander who defeated the Lucanian army. The soldiers trust me because I always keep my promises! And as the lifelong consul of Amendolara, the people are willing to trust me because I promise to bring safety to Amendolara so that it will never suffer again! "
Bagoule looked up at the Devers blankly. The strength in the Devers' eyes and the sincerity in their words made Bagoule choose to give in. He said in a low voice, "I will go back and discuss with my people. If we agree, I hope you can keep your promise!"
"Of course! In fact, when the time comes, the people who have become your relatives will take the initiative to ask for your freedom. "A smile appeared on the Devers' face.
Bagoule did not say anything after hearing that. It was a shame for these Lucanian warriors to rely on women to fight for their freedom, but they had lost the war!
After Bagoule left, the Devers said to the silent Asistes, "Tomorrow, you are responsible for bringing Bagoule to the place where the Lucanian women are imprisoned. Let him pick out the women to marry the soldiers, and then find someone to dress them up well. At the same time, get your uncle Antonius, Capus, and the other officers to incite the single soldiers to go to the Senate and ask them to marry the Lucanian women! "
"Are the soldiers willing to marry these indigenous wives?" The Asistes asked curiously.
"So you have to spread the rumor that the Lucanian women are tall, fit, and can work hard …"
"Are these … true?" The Asistes expressed his doubts. One must know that the Greeks advocated the "beauty of the human body". Just the "fit and healthy body" alone could attract the attention of many Greek men.
"Of course it's true. Think about it, the Lucanians live in the mountains, climbing up and down every day, and exercising all the time. Moreover, they are famous for their animal husbandry. The Lucanian beef cattle produced by the Greek city-states are the best offerings to the temple of Zeus. They eat more meat, and we eat more grains. Who do you think will grow taller?! " The Devers explained very seriously.
The Asistes recalled the captive Lucanians and nodded in realization.
"In addition, marrying the Lucanian women, and the city-state (actually, he came up with it on the spur of the moment and has not mentioned it to the Senate) has a preferential bill. 'If they occupy the land in Lucania Municipality in the future, they will have priority or more land distribution. Because they are the son-in-law of the Lucanians, it will be easier for them to get along with the locals. '"The Devers further increased the weight of attracting the soldiers.
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