Chapter 1188
"Although I've never been there, I've carefully studied and studied the affairs of the Kingdom of Diónia. What I'm saying is the truth!" said Calestratus with certainty.
"Diónia is different from Athens. Its territory is too vast. To govern such a big country, of course, strict order is needed to ensure that any decisions and decrees are fully implemented," said Calestratus with a solemn expression. "Thanks to the efforts of the officials of Diónia, the citizens of Diónia have enough land and are relatively well-off. Not only do they have enough bread for three meals a day, but they can also often eat meat, drink in taverns, soak in hot springs, watch football matches in arenas, watch plays in theaters, and watch beasts in zoos … The citizens of Diónia live a rich and colorful life. They are also very hospitable. I hope that the citizens of Athens can travel to the Holy Kingdom of Diónia. They will definitely be warmly received by them, which will help to remove the misunderstanding between our two countries and promote friendship."
His words caused a hushed discussion among the citizens of Athens.
At this moment, a man stood up from the front of the hall and shouted, "Isn't it because you have annexed the city-states of Greece and plundered their wealth that the citizens of Diónia can have enough land? While the citizens of Diónia are enjoying themselves, have they ever thought of the people of Greece who have lost their homes and are suffering from hunger and cold? "
Calestratus remembered that the person who spoke was a student of Isocrates, and could not help but nod.
Calestratus asked in surprise, "How did you come to this conclusion?"
"It's the truth, don't deny it!"
Calestratus laughed, "I used to think that the people of Athens were the wisest and most inquisitive of the Greek city-states, but now I find that I'm wrong. Some people really make up rumors to deceive everyone based on their own preferences! If you really want to know the truth, you should go to the Western Mediterranean Sea, to Crotone, Locri, Naples, Syracuse, Tarantum, and other towns. You will find that most of the people in these towns are still the people of the original city-states, but their situation is much better than before they joined the Kingdom of Diónia, and their lives are much better — "
Calestratus interrupted again, "But you have just said that Crotone, Tarantum, Locri … these were once the children of our Greek city-states, but they have lost their independence and freedom. They have been annexed by Diónia and become an ordinary town under your kingdom. Even Turií, which the citizens of Athens are very familiar with, has become the center of the Kingdom of Diónia!"
When Calestratus mentioned Turií, he deliberately emphasized his tone, causing a commotion in the hall. He then looked at Calestratus and asked suspiciously, "Now that the army of Diónia has set foot on the land of Peloponnesus, aren't you trying to repeat the story of Turií, Crotone, and other Greek city-states, so that the whole of Greece will eventually become the territory of the Kingdom of Diónia?!"
His words caused a greater commotion in the hall. Some of the citizens of Athens even cursed out loud.
Calestratus' face twitched, but he did not immediately defend himself. Instead, he stood there without a change in his expression. When the citizens of Athens returned to silence, he sneered and said, "Lord Calestratus, I heard that you are a respected orator, but shouldn't you respect the truth in your speech and not make things up?
If you understand the situation in Greece, you should know that before the establishment of the Holy Kingdom of Diónia, the city-states in Greece were constantly at war. It was not inferior to the situation in Greece today. Even the Turií you just mentioned was not occupied by Diónia, but burned down by another Greek city-state, Crotone. Diónia merely rebuilt this city on the ruins of Turií.
Diónia had never taken the initiative to invade any of the Greek city-states, but they were constantly provoked and attacked by these city-states. For example, Crotone launched two attacks on Diónia … Tyrant Dionysius led the Syracuse Coalition Army and crossed the sea to attack the southern city-states dominated by Diónia … Tarantum tore up the alliance treaty at a critical moment when Diónia was defending against the Syracuse Coalition Army and launched a sneak attack on Diónia's rear … And after Carthage, a foreign city-state, declared war on Diónia, Syracuse actually colluded with them …
Diónia finally defeated these powerful enemies through many arduous battles. When these Greek city-states joined the Kingdom of Diónia, most of them were chosen by the citizens of these city-states through a citizens' assembly held by these city-states. This was because they did not want to face war every day and live in constant fear. They needed a strong backer who could shelter them from the wind and rain.
As we have seen, the Greek mainland has been at war for more than 10 years, but during this period, the Greek territory has always been peaceful, and the people live a prosperous life. Facts have proven that the choice made by the Greek people was not wrong! "
Karias' last sentence was sonorous and forceful, and the hall suddenly became even more silent.
"Uh — —" Kalistratus wanted to interrupt again.
This time, Karias had learned his lesson and quickly continued, "Of course, Greece is Greece, and Greece is Greece. The situation is completely different. Diónia sent its army to Peloponnesus for no other reason than two reasons.
The first is what I said just now, to fulfill the alliance treaty and to help the Thebes defeat Sparta, who has been incessantly waging war in Greece. The second is to help the Mercenians. I remember that Athens has been kind enough to help the Mercenians who were enslaved by Sparta many times. Our king has also made a promise to the Mercenians who have been exiled to Tyndaris. So, take this opportunity to let the Mercenians, who are also Greeks, regain their freedom and independence.
I can swear to God that when Sparta is defeated, the Dionysian Army will quickly retreat to the Kingdom of Greece and will never occupy a single inch of Greece! "
Karias raised his hands, palms facing the sky, and finished speaking with a solemn expression.
Many of the citizens of Athens were moved.
Suddenly, a voice sounded, "The messenger of Diónia is swearing to God. Can you tell us which God it is?
Karias saw an old man standing in front of the hall. The old man had white hair, but his face was too dark, making him look a little gloomy.
He hesitated for a moment, then said calmly, "The God of Heaven, Hades!"
"I heard that Diónia worships Hades as the protector of your kingdom. Is the Hades that you believe in one of the twelve main gods of Greece, Hades?" the man continued to ask.
"Of course," Karias said cautiously. "It's just that Diónia's understanding of Hades Hades is a little different from the Greek people."
The man did not ask what was the difference, but said with a serious expression, "We Greeks believe that Hades is in charge of death and is unapproachable. Ordinary people don't even dare to call him by his name, instead calling him 'That God' instead.
There is no temple for Hades in Greece. The only temple that has no statue or name but is closely related to Hades is in Eleusis in the Attica region of Greece. There is a bottomless cave there, which is recognized by the Greeks as the entrance to hell. For this, we Greeks have established a secret ceremony to worship Hades. Almost all the famous people in Greece have participated in this ceremony — "
"I know about the Eleusis Ritual."
"No, you don't! You Diónia people don't know about it at all! " The man roared, "The Eleusis Ritual originated in Athens and was tacitly approved by Hades, so it is widely respected and respected by the Greek people. It is the most orthodox ritual dedicated to Hades in the entire Greek world!
But you Diónia people build statues and temples of Hades. Not only do you not revere Hades, but you even make up lies about the descendants of Hades to deceive the people — "
"Shut up!" Karias roared and glared at the man, "The fact that our great King of Devers is a descendant of Hades is the consensus of all the people in the Kingdom of Diónia! In just 30 years, he became the king of the most powerful country in the Western Mediterranean from a mercenary. He turned Diónia from a small alliance into a powerful kingdom that included all the civilized city-states in the Western Mediterranean. It was because of Hades' divine revelation and blessing that Hades even performed miracles at several critical times to help the kingdom overcome difficulties. These were witnessed by tens of thousands of people in the kingdom. Therefore, the citizens of the Holy Kingdom of Diónia were willing to worship Hades as the kingdom's protector and become devout believers of Hades!
Hades is a merciful god. He doesn't care about the different ways of worship adopted by the Greek people in different regions. But if someone publicly slandered his son and insulted the devout belief of the people of Diónia in Hades, then the millions of devout believers of Hades in Diónia will not be afraid of hardship and death. They will definitely make the blasphemer pay a heavy price! "
Under the pressure of Karias' majestic aura, the man was a little timid. He subconsciously stepped back, completely forgetting that he was sitting on a stone staircase. If it were not for the help of the people next to him, he would have almost fallen.
This man was the torchbearer of the Eleusis Secret Conference. He had a similar name to the messenger of Diónia, Karias. The "Peace of Karias" signed in Sparta was named after him, which showed how prominent his reputation was in Greece.
But at this moment, his poor performance made Karias frown: "Hades, this is such a good topic to criticize, but unfortunately, Karias messed it up! When the peace treaty was signed in Sparta, his performance was not good either. If I had known this would happen, I would not have expected anything from him.
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