Chapter 119
After the mass wedding, the Devers did not return home immediately. He and the senators met with the emissaries of Metapontum and Heraclea in the Senate.
One was an ally of Tarantum, while the other was a subordinate city-state of Tarantum. Since Amendolara had also become an ally of Tarantum, the meeting went smoothly and amicably. The Devers proposed that Amendolara was willing to be friendly with Metapontum and Heraclea and help each other. The emissaries of the two cities gladly accepted. The three parties also discussed the strengthening of exchanges and trade …
The Devers were busy until the afternoon when they finally returned home. They did not expect to have a guest waiting for them.
The middle-aged emissary with sharp eyes presented a generous gift and introduced himself politely, "Hello, respected Consul of the Devers! I am from Syracuse, the emissary of the all-powerful General Dionysius, Herolis. "
When the Devers heard the words' Syracuse 'and' Dionysius', he was shocked.
In his previous life, when the tyrant of Syracuse, Dionysius, was mentioned, the only thing he could think of was the story of the Sword of Damocles. This story told the Devers that it was dangerous to be a tyrant in a Greek city-state. Other than that, he did not have a deep impression of Dionysius or even Syracuse, just like any other ordinary person. Everyone's attention was focused on Athens, Sparta, and Rome. The only thing they knew was that during the War of Peloponnesus, the expedition army of Athens was completely annihilated in Syracuse, the philosopher Plato had stayed in Syracuse, and the great mathematician Archimedes had died in Syracuse … That was all.
However, after Dyvers came to this era, especially after he came to Great Greece, he often talked to Burcos, Cornelus, and the others about the local customs and practices of Great Greece after work, so he knew that Syracuse was not an ordinary state. If the Greek city-states, led by Athens and Sparta, successfully resisted the invasion of Persia's army, then under the leadership of Syracuse, the Greek city-states and Sicily defeated Carthage's army in the south (coincidentally, the day of the victory was close to the time of the Battle of Salamis in the east), and at the same time, they helped the Greek city-states in the Apennines to repel the attack of the natives. Therefore, a few decades ago, Syracuse was the tyrant of the Greek city-states in the western Mediterranean, and its system of government was that of tyrants. This time, Syracuse once again implemented the tyrant system, and the one in power was the so-called all-powerful General Dionysius.
After a brief understanding of Dionysius's experience of usurping power from others, the Devers could see that this person was not only good at using power, but also ruthless in his actions. His military and political abilities were not weak, and he was also lucky (Carthage had taken advantage of the civil strife in Syracuse to attack Syracuse and its allies, and had even started to attack Syracuse City. In the end, a plague broke out and was repelled by Dionysius). Moreover, he knew the principle of "political power comes from the barrel of a gun", so he vigorously cultivated and hired private armies to consolidate his power. Devers had already labeled this tyrant of Syracuse as a "dangerous" person. Although he did not know how this person developed in the history of his previous life, he had read a book in his previous life. There was a sentence in the book that left a deep impression on him: "From the moment a rising country is born, it unconsciously and unconsciously wants to firmly grasp the power and land that it once obtained when the country was strong." In the past, Syracuse was the tyrant of Sicily and Great Greece! What about Syracuse now? One had to know that a person without great ambition would not dare to come out and become a tyrant …
Devers's mind was filled with thoughts, but his face was full of smiles. "Oh, I really did not expect the distinguished guest of Syracuse to come to our small mountain town! Please sit down! "
When Hercules sat down, Devers asked, "May I ask, Lord Hercules, why did Syracuse send you here?"
"When I received the order and set off for Turií, I did not know that you had become the consul of Amendolara. The original order is no longer applicable, but I still feel that I should say it first." Hercules cleared his throat and said, "When Lord Devers and your army defeated the enemy of Turií and annihilated the Lucarian army, the Greek people of Sicily were very happy. They all said that this was the most glorious victory that Greece had had against the natives in recent years! When Lord Dionysius learned of this, he immediately decided to hire you with a generous salary to go to Sicily to fight against the great enemy of the Greek city-states, Persia's lackey — Carthage. "
Devers's heart slightly relaxed, but he pretended to be curious and asked, "Generous salary? How generous? "
"A soldier gets four Dalic gold coins a month, and you — — twenty Dalic gold coins a month." Hercules finished speaking and stared at Devers.
Devers showed an expression of surprise. "Four Dalic gold coins, more than double the salary that Turií hired us for! Is Syracuse so rich? "
"To be able to invite the hero of the Persia expedition and the famous general who annihilated the Lucanian army to help us, this is the glory of Syracuse. No matter how much money we spend, it is worth it!" Hercules said very seriously.
Now I am a famous general! Devers rubbed his chin that had a little stubble, feeling a little proud of himself. His impression of the envoy had increased greatly, but he said with a face of regret, "Unfortunately, we are no longer mercenaries, but citizens of Amendolar."
"That's right. I didn't expect you and your army to take back Amendola without taking a break after destroying the Lucanian Alliance. This is another glorious victory!" Hercules praised sincerely. One must know that at that time, sieging a city was indeed more difficult than fighting in the field. Of course, he would not know that Devers and the mercenaries had used a night attack to catch the Lucanians off guard. Therefore, he said sincerely, "It is Amendolar's fortune to be able to invite you to become their citizens! However, I have no choice but to give up on this order. Now, I would like to represent the all-powerful general of Syracuse, Lord Dionysius, to make a new request. "
Devers made a 'please speak' gesture.
"I would like to invite you to lead the army of Amendolar and Syracuse to repel Carthage's invasion and return peace to the Greek city-states of Sicily! Of course, Syracuse will pay you and your army handsomely. At the same time, I know that Amendolar has just gone through a war. Syracuse is willing to provide you with the supplies you urgently need, free of charge, to help Amendolar recover as soon as possible! "Felistos said seriously.
"I heard that Syracuse and Carthage signed a truce agreement the year before last. Did Carthage break the agreement and start a war again?" Dyvers did not comment on it and asked in return, "I heard that Syracuse and Carthage signed a truce agreement the year before last.
Harolis was slightly embarrassed, but he quickly spoke with deep sorrow. "The reason why Carthage chose to stop the war was because his army was hurt by the plague. That was Apollo's punishment! However, Carthage still occupies many Greek city-states in Sicily, from Serinus in the westernmost section to Agrigento in the middle of the south coast, to Gela and Kamanlina near Syracuse. Thousands of Greek citizens are enslaved by Carthage, living a life worse than death. Moreover, Carthage's huge army is stationed in Kamanlina, threatening Syracuse at all times. Whether it's for the safety of Syracuse or to save the people of the Greek city-states like Gela and Agrigento, Syracuse must deal a heavy blow to Carthage, dispel the greed of this city-state built by the Phoenicians towards the Greek city-states of Sicily, and restore the former territory of Sicily! "
Devers pondered for a long time (in fact, he had already made up his mind). Then he shook his head and said, "I really want to help the people of Sicily, but I am now the consul of Amendolar, and I must be responsible for the people of Amendolar. You see, I am busy all day and have no time to rest at all, let alone travel far. On the other hand, the citizens of Amendola are busy reorganizing their families, restoring the city's agriculture, order, and safety, so it's impossible for them to follow me to Sicily. So, thank you and the almighty General Dionysius for your invitation. I can only apologize! "
Harolis originally only had a glimmer of hope, so he was not too disappointed when he heard this answer. He just sighed and said, "That's a pity! I hope I will have the opportunity to work with you in the future. "
Devers said politely, "Convey my apology and gratitude to General Dionysius for me!"
Then, Devers sent Harolis out.
When he was about to reach the door, Harolis stopped and turned around. "Master Devers, please allow me to ask a personal question."
"Go ahead."
"As far as I know, when you took back Amendolara, the citizens of Amendolara were almost wiped out. You could have just let your men occupy Amendolara … What made you choose to let the people of Amendolara hold a referendum to decide your fate?" Harolis asked seriously.
Devers met Harolis's probing gaze and thought to himself, 'Could it be that this emissary is dissatisfied with Dionysius's use of mercenaries to usurp the power of Syracuse and achieve a high-handed rule?'
The two looked at each other for a while before Devers said, "We mercenaries are tired of war and death. We just want to live a peaceful life, not to plunder wealth and gain power. If we don't want Amendolar to fall into repeated riots, every soldier who wants to become a citizen of the city should follow the laws of Amendolar and follow the legal procedures of the city to become a citizen of the city. Only then will the original citizens not have any complaints about us, and we will also have peace of mind. Only then can the city remain stable … "
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