Chapter 1189
"I've long heard that the Kingdom of Diónia is very powerful in the Western Mediterranean, and that some city-states have no choice but to submit to your military force. I didn't quite believe it, but today, on our own land in Athens, in this sacred assembly, our respected Karias, the Torch Bearer of the Eleusis Ritual, was actually threatened in public by a messenger of Diónia. This makes me believe in the arrogance of Diónia!"
Iphicrates stood up, pointed at Karias, and said with righteous indignation, "Citizens, do you still remember the first sentence of his speech? 'On behalf of the two million citizens of Diónia, I greet you.' Is that a greeting? No, it's a threat! He's not only threatening Karias, but also every citizen of Athens! He's threatening that if we don't agree to Diónia's request, they will send a powerful army to conquer Athens!
But on behalf of the citizens of Athens, I want to tell you that a few decades ago, Persia, which has a larger population than Diónia, also sent a messenger here to make a similar threat. But in the end, we won the war, so we, the people of Athens, are not afraid of any threat! "
"Iphicrates is right. We, the people of Athens, are not afraid of any country, whether it's Persia or Diónia! Although Diónia has a large population, they are afraid of war with Athens. Otherwise, they wouldn't have sent a messenger here to talk nonsense! " Under the influence of Iphicrates, some citizens of Athens waved their arms and loudly expressed their dissatisfaction.
Karias was still calm. After the wave of noise subsided a little, he said confidently, "More than 10 years ago, Athens had promised Diónia that they would no longer perform the play 'The Diónia People'. But when I walked into the city, I found that many theaters were repeatedly performing this play that humiliated the people of Diónia. When the people of Athens found out that I was from Diónia, not only did they look at me with disdain, they even called me a barbarian …
The reason why I deliberately added the phrase 'two million citizens' in my speech is to remind all of you that Diónia is a big country, a powerful country in the western Mediterranean Sea. Regardless of whether you have a good or bad impression of Diónia, you should first show respect to Diónia!
Think about Sparta, who once caused you great harm. Every time their emissaries came to Athens, how did you treat them? Even when their armies plundered the villages near the port of Piraeus, you did not embarrass their emissaries and return them safely. Every time a war broke out between you and Sparta, no matter if you had the upper hand or the lower hand, you would always choose to end the war peacefully with Sparta …
Isn't it because Sparta is the most powerful city-state in Greece and you have to carefully consider the consequences of going to war with it? Now, the Sparta that you have been treating with caution is struggling to hold on against the attack of the Dionysian Army. Therefore, in the face of a holy kingdom of Diónia that is stronger than Sparta, shouldn't the people of Athens show respect and treat everything related to Diónia seriously?! "
Karias' words were deafening, causing some of the citizens to ponder.
"When the fleets of Diónia are flaunting their prowess in the waters of Athens and their allies, intercepting merchant ships and threatening the maritime safety of Athens, you still want us to show respect to Diónia? Isn't that too much?!" Another general, Karias, suddenly stood up and spoke.
Karias finally showed a hint of nervousness. The people of Athens had indeed mentioned this problem that had been giving him a headache. Indeed, the arrogant behavior of the 1st Flotilla was undoubtedly exacerbating the tension between the two countries. He had also written a letter to the commander of the expeditionary army, Crotocatax, expressing his opinion, hoping that the prince could dissuade the Sekerian from suspending patrols in the Aegean Sea at this stage to avoid further provoking the people of Athens. However, judging from the current situation, Cloto Catax had not been able to persuade the arrogant and arrogant Sekerian, so he had to rack his brains to answer this problem that had been giving him a headache.
However, just as he was preparing his words to better appease the dissatisfied citizens of Athens, Karias Stratus spoke again, "Citizens, we all know that the reason why the barren land of Attica can feed so many people and prosper to this day is not because of the abundant products on the ground, but because of maritime trade.
Through maritime trade, we can buy enough cheap food to meet the needs of the people. Through maritime trade, we can earn enough money to live a prosperous life and pay enough taxes. Therefore, the prosperity of maritime trade is related to the survival of Athens!
However, in the past few years, the maritime trade in Athens has been shrinking, and the income of the merchants has been decreasing. Many workshops have begun to reduce production or even close down. The number of unemployed people in the city of Athens and the port is increasing, but the price of food is gradually rising … Do you know why?! "
Karias Stratus' words were like a burning torch thrown into a pot of oil, and the entire hall immediately boiled over.
"That's because the merchants of Diónia sell a large amount of cheap olive oil in various cities, resulting in very few people buying my goods. They are piled up in the cargo stations, and in the end, they rot and deteriorate. Those are all money!"
"The price of a fine amphora has never been lower than six Drachmas, but the merchants of Diónia can sell it for four Drachmas. They are malicious business competition against us in Athens. If I let them continue like this, my pottery shop will go bankrupt!"
"I am an excellent accountant. I have worked as an accountant for the great merchant of Parsons for decades, and I have always been conscientious. A few days ago, he suddenly told me that because many of his shops overseas have been in a slump and their income has plummeted, he had to fire me. Several old people who have worked for him for many years also left with me. I was very dissatisfied with him, but now I know that it is all the fault of the merchants of Diónia! "
…
Wave after wave of condemnation continued to hit Karias in the middle of the hall, causing him to feel great pressure. He frowned and his mind turned quickly, quickly thinking of ways to resolve the anger of the citizens of Athens.
However, at this moment, he heard Karias Stratus' deep and powerful voice, "Thank you for the speech you made to the citizens of Athens! We are all clear about the thoughts and demands of Diónia. Next, we will discuss whether we should continue to be friendly with Diónia or help Sparta. Or should we help the Spartans? 'That's an important issue, so please — "
"Please wait, I still have something to say!" Karias felt a strong sense of uneasiness, so he eagerly requested.
"Please abide by the order of our assembly and leave the hall immediately!" Karias looked at him indifferently and said firmly.
Karias wanted to say something but stopped. In the end, he sighed helplessly. Before the guards arrived, he took the initiative to leave the center of the hall. Although he was a little disappointed, he still faced the insults of the citizens of Athens with his head held high and walked out of the Athens Assembly that he had once looked forward to …
… …
In the afternoon, he was invited to the city hall of Athens. The General Executive Committee headed by Karias Stratus was waiting for him.
Karias said to him solemnly, "On behalf of all the citizens of Athens, we officially inform you that Athens has decided to join the Greek Alliance and help Sparta resist the invasion of Diónia!"
Although Karias was already mentally prepared, the resentment in his heart had not dissipated. He sneered coldly, "Your efforts to manipulate the entire citizen assembly have not been in vain. Congratulations, you have finally achieved your goal."
Karias appeared very calm. He said frankly, "You are indeed eloquent, but there will definitely be a war between Athens and Diónia. This is unavoidable. Choosing this time to start the war is the best time for Athens."
"It seems that you are very confident in Athens' victory!" Karias sneered again.
"I know that Diónia is very powerful." Karias looked at Karias with a deep gaze. His words were forceful, "But has Diónia always been powerful? When you resisted the invasion of Dionysius's army, when you learned that Carthage had declared war on you … didn't the relatively weak Diónia feel the same as today's Athens? Diónia, which has only been founded for a few decades, dares to take risks again and again. Do you think that Athens, with its glorious history, does not have the same courage? "
He paused for a moment, and then said with some meaning, "In the assembly this morning, you used Sparta to incite the emotions of the citizens of Athens many times. But let me tell you the truth. The facts of the past few decades have proven that no matter how tyrannical Sparta is, it will not do much harm to the fundamental interests of Athens. However, Diónia has not yet fully entered Greece, and Athens has already been greatly affected. For the independence, freedom, and prosperity of Athens, the citizens of Athens have the same courage as during the Greek War!"
Karias was silent for a while, then stared at him and said with a little respect, "Then let us decide the winner on the battlefield. I hope that after the war, I can still sit with you and discuss the future of Athens!"
After that, he bowed slightly and then strode out of the city hall.
Karias looked at the back of Karias as he left, and his face suddenly became solemn. He turned to the others and said, "Next, we have to hurry up and talk to the people of Persia!"
… …
"Teacher, bad news! Bad news! " Aurelias barged into the room, out of breath.
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