Chapter 117
In the meeting, some people even complained that two hundred drachmas was too much.
Others retorted that it was necessary to make them feel that it was not easy to become a citizen of Amendolan, so that they would know how to cherish it.
As a result, the next day, news came from the registrar, Raphael, that the consul's wife, Cristoya, had paid in advance for ten freedmen, and at the same time, Mercies had paid in advance for six freedmen.
Only then did everyone realize the value of this group of freedmen. Mercies had a keen eye, and along the way in Persia, he had plundered many talents who could write and calculate, as well as skilled craftsmen. Most of the ordinary slaves were strong, because they were the laborers of the supply camp and had experienced many battles. With a little training, they could become qualified soldiers. What was more valuable was that they were mainly farmers in Persia. In the Mediterranean region, there were three places where farmers were very experienced in growing crops: the first was the Persia, where the fertile land of the Two Rivers produced excellent farmers; the second was the Egyptians, where the Nile River Valley would surge every July, so the Egyptians only loved two things in life: farming and worshipping the gods; and the third was the Carthage, who had two powerful treasures: sea trade and agriculture. For this, they had even specially compiled a book on agriculture. As for the Greeks, because the native land of Greece was barren, they mostly went to sea to trade, graze cattle and sheep, grow olives, make wine, and make handicrafts … And these new citizens had been fighting all over the place, so they were completely ignorant about farming.
Therefore, everyone rushed forward, and the three hundred freedmen were quickly divided up. The citizens who did not hire freedmen had to go to the market in Tarantum to buy slaves (at that time, Tarantum had the largest slave market in Greece). Some citizens even had ideas about the large number of freedmen in neighboring Turií. Of course, this was a story for another time.
After the Senate dealt with the proposal on slaves, it did not immediately dissolve, because Marigi had returned from Tarantum.
It was not far from Tarantum by sea from Amendolara, and with a favorable wind, it took less than two hours to board a ship from the port of Turií. Devers had made a mistake in sending Marigi to Tarantum. Of course, he did not have any better talents at hand at that time. As a Persia, Marigi could not enter Tarantum at first. Fortunately, Archita had anticipated this situation and wrote a letter for Marigi to bring to his father, Histiavis. With Marigi's flattery and rich and novel gifts, the senior senator, Histiavis, actively mediated for him, making the Senate and the Archon of Tarantum show enthusiasm for Amendolara's initiative to form an alliance with Tarantum.
Of course, it was not because of Histiavis that Tarantum was enthusiastic about the mercenary proposal. The actual reason was that although Tarantum and Turií had been at an armistice for decades and had now joined a defensive alliance, it was still a loose alliance with no binding force. As this alliance was initiated and established by Tarantum, it also actively contributed to it. For example, some city-states had accumulated relatively deep hatred between them, and it was already good enough that they did not undermine each other, such as Crotone and Rockley. Tarantum also had a bit of a grudge against Turií. After all, Tarantum was one of the largest states in Greece, but it actually lost twice in the face of a newly established city-state. In the end, although a truce was signed and Heraclea was built peacefully, Tarantum had lost a lot of face in Greece. Once an ally of Turií, Amendolara wanted to form an alliance with Tarantum. Tarantum's Senate felt that it was a great honor. Moreover, Amendolara's participation could also protect their affiliated city-state, Heraclea, so there was no reason for them to disagree!
However, Marigi's other request put them in a difficult position. Marigi asked Tarantum for assistance on the grounds that Amendolara had just experienced a war and was in urgent need of supplies to maintain its livelihood. Originally, as a newly formed ally, Tarantum was a wealthy city-state, so providing some supplies was a simple matter. However, the amount of supplies Marigi requested was relatively large, so the senators had to discuss the matter of assistance.
The next day, Archita led his troops back to Tarantum and reported to the Senate about his expedition. He emphasized the mercenary's combat effectiveness and the outstanding military skills of their leader, the Devers. He also emphasized that the new citizens of Amendolara were now in charge of the mercenaries.
In fact, Marigi had previously praised the mercenary's performance in annihilating the Lucanian Alliance, but it had caused some dissatisfaction among the senators, who thought that they were plotting to take credit for Tarantum. Now that Archita, whom they trusted, said the same thing and praised the Devers, they realized that this new Amendolara could do something else besides shelter Heraclea from the wind and rain. Therefore, not only did they not reduce the amount of supplies Marigi requested, but they also added some additional things.
When Marigi read out the alliance with Tarantum in the meeting hall, the old citizens didn't feel much when they heard it. It was still an alliance, but the other party was changed from Turií to Tarantum. The content didn't change much. However, the Persia man in front of them, the current citizen of Amendolara, Marigi, attracted their attention. Not only because of his fluent Greek, but also because of the two bills that he had introduced, the old citizens had mixed feelings for a moment.
Then, Marigi read out the list of aid from Tarantum: 100 tons of grain, 1,000 catties of salted fish, 200 sets of round shields and bayonets, 100 bolts of linen …
Every time they heard the number of supplies, they were pleasantly surprised. In the end, before Marigi finished reading, everyone cheered. Tarantum was too generous! Not to mention anything else, 100 tons of grain was enough to support all the people of Amendolara for six months. By then, Amendolara's wheat fields should be harvested. The biggest problem of Amendolara was easily solved, and the senators felt like they were in a dream.
"Due to the large amount of the above materials, Tarantum will be divided into several batches and shipped to Heraclea by sea before being shipped here. The first batch will be sent here tomorrow! "As soon as Marigi's voice fell, everyone applauded.
At this moment, the Devers took the opportunity to say loudly, "Everyone, in view of Marigi's great contributions to Amendolara, I propose that Amendolara's citizen and city-state commercial officer, Marigi, become a senator of the Senate!"
The proposal was enthusiastically supported by the new citizens, and the old citizens reluctantly raised their hands.
Next, the Senate also decided that Cornelus and Antonios would lead the emissaries to visit Tarantum the next day to express their gratitude to their allies and further discuss the details of the alliance.
After the Senate meeting ended, Marigi followed the Devers out of the hall.
"Thank you for your help, sir! But you made me a citizen of Amendolara, a commercial officer, and a noble senator! "Marigi said gratefully.
"Looks like I didn't lie to you." The Devers chuckled.
"Sir, you've always been a man of your words. How could you lie?" Marigi seemed to have forgotten what he had said when he first came to Greece.
"Marigi, you must remember that this wasn't my decision. This is because the senators are thanking you for your contributions to Amendolara!" The Devers reminded him even though he was being humble.
Marigi looked around and said in a low voice, "What Senate! I only know that if it wasn't for you, I'm afraid I wouldn't even be a citizen of Amendolara. Marigi will always be loyal to you, Sir Devers! "
Marigi's words were sincere. The Devers smiled again and said, "It seems like you still have to slowly adapt to life as a citizen of Greece."
Marigi wanted to say more, but the Devers patted his shoulder and asked, "How's Tarantum?"
Marigi was a smart man, so he didn't say anything else. Instead, he said seriously, "It's too short. I walked around in a hurry, and it feels like Tarantum is huge. There are a lot of people, and many of them are rich … There are many merchant ships at their port, and the market is bustling. The daily trading volume is probably not low …" Marigi looked envious.
The Devers nodded and asked again, "I heard that the Mesapi are invading Tarantum. What's the situation now?"
If he hadn't joined the mercenary army, Marigi wouldn't have cared about these things, let alone be able to say anything. After hearing and seeing from the mercenary army, he also had some understanding of military affairs. "The Mesapi have retreated. Their invading troops are mainly composed of cavalry and light infantry. They won't clash with the heavy infantry of Tarantum at all. They can only invade the land outside Tarantum, but Tarantum can't do anything to them because they can't catch up with the Mesapi at all."
"Cavalry? Are there many Mesapi cavalry? "The Devers asked keenly.
"I don't know. However, I heard that the terrain south of Tarantum doesn't have too many high mountains, and there are few rivers. Most of it is flat grassland, so the Mesapi graze a large number of cattle, sheep, and horses there. "
The Devers's heart skipped a beat. He originally thought that on the Apennine Peninsula, except for the Gauls in the north who raised horses on a large scale because of the vast plains and swamps of the Po River Valley, so their cavalry was strong. The other forces in the Apennine Peninsula were mainly infantry, and a small number of cavalry was just for show. He didn't expect that in the south, at the "heel of the Italian leather boots," there was actually a tribe that was mainly cavalry (in fact, this was an error in Marigi's intelligence. The Mesapi army was not mainly cavalry). He must get Antonius to visit Tarantum and properly investigate this Mesapi force.
Note: Mesapi
messapi
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