Chapter 1203
With Cloto Catax's assurance, the crowd felt more at ease. In addition to the fact that they were in a hurry to leave, they temporarily threw this troublesome problem to the back of their minds.
Klotokatax also specifically ordered his men to prepare rations and horses for them. Klotokatax's warm-hearted behavior completely dispelled their doubts.
After sending these people away, Cloto Catax heaved a sigh of relief. But he quickly regained his spirits and walked to a room next to the meeting hall.
Even if the Helaoth were cowardly and clumsy, Cloto Catax would not agree to the initial suggestion of the Peliasi to exclude the Helaoth from the management of the new government. Without the Helaoth's restraint, the Peliasi would become the new Sparta in a few years.
Of course, he would not allow the Sparta to be marginalized in the new government. On one hand, with the existence of Sparta, Diónia could confidently face the doubts of the Greek city-states who were concerned about Sparta and argue that "they did not destroy this ancient city-state, but merely changed its political system, just like what Sparta did to other city-states when it was strong". On the other hand, allowing the weakest Sparta to join the new political system might make the new Sparta's political situation more stable, and it would be more beneficial to Diónia's control over Sparta.
After saluting the Diónia soldiers at the door, Cloto Catax gently pushed the unlatched wooden door open.
Inside the room were 30 Sparta elders led by Agesilaus and five censors. It was a little crowded, but the assassins were unusually quiet.
This was a little out of Klotokatax's expectation. His gaze slowly swept across everyone's face, and finally, a trace of a smile appeared on his face. Although these Spartans appeared to be very calm, they could not conceal the anger in their eyes. "Everyone, I believe that you have heard what I said in the venue just now, and I'm afraid that you have already discussed it. Now, can you tell me your decision?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a younger censor could not help but roar, "You are humiliating the people of Sparta! As the descendants of Hercules, we will never cooperate with the filthy and lowly Helaoth — "
"Cough! Cough! Cough! " Agesilaus suddenly coughed loudly and turned around to look at the censor coldly.
The censor's roar came to an abrupt stop.
Agesilaus coughed again, then looked at Cloto Catax and said calmly, "We, the people of Sparta, have no other choice but to listen to your arrangements … But I want to know, how the people of Sparta should cooperate with the Peliasi, and those … Helaoth to establish a new Sparta government?"
Cloto Catax did not directly. Instead, he looked at the Sparta man who roared earlier. "Sparta," said. of. of.
The man glanced at Agesilaus, lowered his head, and gritted his teeth. "… Yes."
"If we don't do this, do we have any other choice?!" Agesilaus then said loudly, "If we, the people of Sparta, accept the fate of the Helaoth, we might as well choose death!"
His words were not so much a reply to Cloto Catax, but a reminder to the people of Sparta. They were all dejected and silent.
"It seems like you have reached a consensus. That's good!" Cloto Catax deliberately said loudly. The unwillingness and pain in their eyes made him feel a little better. "The people of Sparta must also elect ten councilors and two censors within four days to form a new government of Sparta together with the candidates elected by the Peliasi and Helaoth!"
"Thirty councilors, six censors …" Agesilaus said with a probing gaze. He deliberately said softly, "It sounds similar to the previous Sparta."
"No, there is a difference." Cloto Catax answered straightforwardly, "They are only responsible for the operation of the entire government. The designation and promulgation of laws and major decisions have to be discussed and approved by the General Assembly. All citizens of New Sparta have the right to participate in this assembly."
Speaking of this, Cloto Catax also deliberately said, "Of course, the previous Sparta also had a General Assembly, and it is indeed somewhat similar."
Everyone's expression changed slightly. The General Assembly of Sparta had always been a pretense. The real supreme power lay in the Elder Council. However, the new government created by the people of Diónia had completely changed the power structure of Sparta.
An elder could not help but ask, "What about the king?"
Cloto Catax said loudly, "The new Sparta will no longer have a king. We will elect two consuls for a one-year term, and they will be mainly responsible for commanding the army in battle."
Everyone subconsciously looked at Agesilaus.
Agesilaus, on the other hand, looked very calm as if this matter had nothing to do with him. He asked, "When can you release the people of Sparta from imprisonment?"
"After the new Sparta government is established."
"Our people are all locked up, how can we carry out the election?!" Someone protested.
"Tomorrow, all the adult men of Sparta will be gathered at Hillers Port for the election."
"I have one more question." Agesilaus looked at him and asked seriously, "I just heard you say that you want to distribute land to the Pyriasis and the Helaoths. In other words, you want them to take away the land that originally belonged to us citizens of Sparta?"
"Please note that Diónia has occupied all of Sparta. All of you have become prisoners, and the land of Lagnia has become the spoils of war of the Dionysian Army! In order to rebuild Sparta, His Majesty the Devers generously took out these lands and distributed them to the citizens who are willing to work for this new government.
To put it bluntly, even if these lands are still owned by you, the Pyriasis and the Helaoths have already obtained their freedom and no longer have any obligation to you. With the manpower you have, you will not be able to take care of so much land. What's more — "Cloto Catax raised his eyebrows and showed a mocking smile," Do you people of Sparta know how to farm? "
Everyone's expression was a little ugly, but they could not refute for a while.
The guards around Cloto Catax increased their vigilance, but he continued as if he did not see it and continued, "In the past few days, I have carefully checked some information about Sparta and found a problem. The number of Sparta citizens has been decreasing year by year. The war is not the main reason. According to the information, many people have not been able to pay enough taxes for a long time. Not only have they lost the right to participate in public meals and become inferior people, but they have also been deprived of land … I originally thought that it might be because of the years of war. Even if there are Helaoths helping them to farm the land, they do not have enough time to supervise and manage the harvest of the land.
But the strange thing is that the nobles of Sparta are able to pay the full amount of taxes every year. Later, someone secretly told me that this is because they can often become the commander of some of the cities and strategic locations controlled by Sparta. They get a lot of money through bribery or other means, which is more than enough to buy food and pay taxes …
I also found a problem. The land of the Sparta civilians that you have confiscated has been distributed to the royal family and the nobles, the reason being that they have the ability to guarantee a better harvest. As a result, the land gradually concentrated in the hands of the nobles, and more and more Sparta civilians have lost their land and become inferior people … Haven't you noticed? The situation in Sparta now is very similar to the situation before the Sage of Sparta came to Kugu to change the political system! "
"You're spouting nonsense!" Someone blurted out.
Cloto Catax looked at him and was not angry at all. Instead, he said with pity, "You are the censor, right? Whether as a civilian or a censor, you did not notice that the greedy nobles are wantonly devouring the land of the civilians. This is your dereliction of duty! You should also thank Diónia. If we did not forcefully rebuild Sparta, there would be many Geindun appearing in this land! "
The faces of the people in the room became very ugly.
Agesilaus coughed and immediately changed the topic, "How much land are you going to allocate to each new citizen of Sparta?"
"About five acres."
"There are too many of them. I'm afraid it's not enough."
Cloto Catax said calmly, "We have given the territory of Tygia to the Mandinians. However, the Mandinians do not have a large population to begin with, and they could not manage such a vast and fertile new land. Under our persuasion, we believe that they are very willing to accept these Heros who did not get a land in Sparta as new citizens of Mandinia. "
Agesilaus was stunned. "What about the Tegeans?"
"They are all being escorted to the Turií slave market to be sold. This is the consequence of betraying the alliance and secretly attacking our allies," Cloto Catax said coldly.
Everyone felt a chill in their hearts. At that moment, they did not dare to make eye contact with the young man.
Seeing this scene, Cloto Catax suddenly felt a little bored. No matter how much he scared the people of Sparta, he would not be able to get his brother Adoris's precious life back. He said disinterestedly, "Alright, everyone, I hope that you will go back today and organize your citizens. Lead them safely to Hillers Port tomorrow and ensure that the election goes smoothly."
Cloto Catax left, and the room was silent.
After a long time, someone asked anxiously, "King Agesilaus, what should we do now?"
Agesilaus was still calm. He said softly, "We can only endure for now to avoid the fate of the Tegeans. However, the reckless actions of the people of Diónia will definitely force Athens and Corinth to unite against Diónia. When that happens, our chance will come! "
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