Chapter 124
The Devers realized that the ancient Greeks were not fools. They knew how to protect the economy of their city-state.
"We, Amendolas, have nothing now, so we don't have to worry about anything. Reduce our tariffs. If the surrounding city-states charge 2%, we will charge 1%. If they charge 20%, we will charge 10%. As long as we attract people here, our trade will develop, and our citizens will take the initiative to look for opportunities to earn money for their families. "The Devers, who were short of money, had decided to poach them.
"Sir Devers, I've been waiting for this decision of yours!" Marigi was happy, but he quickly reminded, "However, Heraclea and Metapontum have a good relationship with us and are allies. I believe we can negotiate well with them. However, we don't have a good relationship with the Turís. Foreign merchants who ship goods from the Turís to us for storage and then sell them in the Turís market might be obstructed. "
This was indeed a problem! The Devers rubbed his chin awkwardly.
The Devers had a good relationship with the Turís and were the benefactors who saved the Turís. However, after the mercenaries became citizens of Amendolas, the Devers could not take the initiative to contact the Turís because of the hatred the people had for the Turís. The Turís became angry after many visits were obstructed. Amendolas were originally the "little brother" of the Turís, but now they were inexplicably arrogant. This hurt the self-esteem of the Turís. At the same time, the Devers were angry that the mercenaries had "deceived" them (the Turís' view).
Thus, the relationship between the two sides became stiff. This stalemate was not good for Amendolas, nor was it good for the Devers. Not only did it affect Amendolas' economic diplomacy, but it also affected the Devers' strategic plans and the promises he made in the Senate.
In the Devers' plan, Amendolas should take advantage of the weakened Lucaria to pursue and invade the land of the Lucanians. However, in the past few days, when he calmed down, carefully studied the map, and personally surveyed the surrounding terrain, he found a big problem. To the north of Amendolas, there was Heraclea, which was still an ally and had the support of Tarantum. To the south, there was Turís. Although their power was now severely weakened, the Devers could not lead the army to attack them. This was because the Turís had no grudge against Amendolas and were once allies. The Devers and the Turís were once mercenaries invited by them. If they attacked for no reason, it would undoubtedly arouse the dissatisfaction and vigilance of the Great Greek city-states. Moreover, Amendolas was still small and could not afford to provoke public anger. To the west of Amendolas, between Amendolas and Heraclea, along the Sinni River, one could indeed reach Lucania Municipality. This was the path that Vespa had once taken with his people.
For this reason, the Devers had specially looked for the Bagoule to ask about it. Only then did they know that the west of Amendolas was a barren land with many mountains, rivers, lakes, dense forests, and snakes. The Bagoule tribe had stayed there for more than a year, and out of more than ten thousand tribesmen, only less than four thousand were left. That was why Vespa did not want to go back to Lucania after he took over Amendolar. It would be slightly better if they went downstream to Amendolara, but if they went upstream to the Lucania Kingdom, the number of casualties caused by the injuries on the way would be staggering. Once the Lucanians attacked, they would not be able to count on reinforcements from the back at all.
Therefore, the only way was to pass through the Xubari Plain and trek west through the rugged mountain path to reach Laos. Although the road was long, at least there would be fewer non-combat casualties. To pass through the Xubari Plain, he had to maintain a good relationship with the Turís.
The Devers rubbed his chin. Originally, he had planned to wait until the new families in Amendolas had settled down and the hatred was gradually forgotten. It would be better for him to negotiate with the Turís then. But now, it seemed that whether it was to improve economic trade, military strength, or diplomatic relations with the Turís had become a bottleneck that needed to be solved urgently. So, the Devers made up his mind. "Marigi, don't worry! I will hold a meeting in the Senate this afternoon to discuss the issue of the Turís. I hope to improve diplomatic relations with the Turís. "
"Sir Devers, as long as you propose a proposal, they will not dare to disagree with you!" Marigi's words were not flattering. It was the truth. However, the Devers still had to consider the feelings of the elders in Cornelus. After all, this involved the unity between the old and the new citizens of Amendolas. But he did not want to go into detail with Marigi now, so he only smiled. After all, the Persia still needed a long time to adapt to the political system of Greece.
Marigi observed Devers' expression and immediately stopped talking about this topic. He raised his voice and said, "Oh, Sir Devers, I almost forgot to mention another idea. The medical skills of our mercenary medical camp's doctors are quite high. When we opened the clinic in the market we built in Tuliyi, many Tuliyi citizens and freedmen came to see us. Later, more and more patients came because of our reputation. When we were about to demolish the market and move to Amendarra, some patients begged us not to leave … Do you think we should open a big clinic in Amendarra? We can attract patients from neighboring countries to see us. We can also let them stay in Amendolas and buy goods. This will increase the income of our city. "
Marigi's words reminded the Devers. He had been so busy recently that he forgot that Amendolas had a special product. It was medical! He said excitedly, "The clinic is too small. If we want to build one, we should build a big hospital!"
"Hospital?"
"Not only can the hospital diagnose and treat the patients, but we can also let the seriously ill stay in the hospital. We can observe and treat them at the same time. This is more beneficial for the patients' recovery. At the same time, we can conduct medical research, hold medical lectures, and train young doctors. I believe such a place will attract many patients! "The Devers explained to him in detail.
Marigi was a little dazed. Even though he did not understand some of the content, he could not help but say, "I have never heard of a clinic in Persia that can be built into a hospital like the one you described. This is really … really great!"
"I said it's great, but to reach the level I described, we have to take it step by step. Let's make preparations first. To tell you the truth, I already owe Helps two medical lessons that I haven't attended! " The Devers' words reminded Marigi that the young man in front of him was the real leader of the medical camp. When the doctors mentioned the Devers, they all respected him. Wasn't it a gift from God to have a young man who was well-versed in military, political, business, and medical skills? Walking out of the Devers' house, Marigi felt that he had followed the right person.
At the moment, the Devers thought that since Amendola was going to be built into a medical center for all of Greece, could it also be made into a big entertainment center?
With this thought in mind, he immediately walked to the side room.
In the side room, Kristoya was discussing some bank loans with a few freedmen who worked as accountants. Beside her was her personal maid, Asuna (Asuna was an Egyptian slave who was sent to the medical camp by Mercies to help. When Kristoya was managing the medical camp, she found that she was smart and capable, so she asked Asuna to come over from Mercies). She was arranging tasks for the male and female slaves that Kristoya had just bought from Tarantum.
As soon as the Devers entered the door, Asuna saw him. She immediately bowed and said, "My lord, you are back."
The freedmen also bowed respectfully, while the new slaves were confused and did not know what to do.
"Kristoya, did you buy the leatherworker I asked for?" the Devers asked.
"I did. But the money for a leatherworker is enough for me to buy four or five ordinary slaves, "Kristoya complained.
"You have to look at the long term when doing business. Don't be fooled by the fact that a leatherworker costs a lot now. In the future, this leatherworker will earn more than the price of thousands of slaves." The Devers teased her half-jokingly. He did not dare to make any intimate gestures in front of everyone.
"Yes, a big merchant!" Kristoya glared at him and said, "My family needs a leatherworker anyway." She then pointed at one of the slaves. "That's the one you want."
The Devers walked over, and the skinny old man bowed respectfully. "My lord."
"You are a Greek?!" The Devers was slightly surprised to see his appearance.
"Yes, my lord."
"Where are you from? What is your name? Why did you become a slave? "
"My name is Torricas, from Ephesus," the old man said calmly. "I could not pay my debts, so I became a slave."
"As long as your skills are good, in a few years, you will be able to save enough money to redeem yourself and become a freedman," the Devers promised.
"My son died on the battlefield, and my wife died a long time ago. I am the only one alive. If you do not chase me away, I am willing to stay here until I meet the man who crossed the river … "Torricas's relaxed expression stunned the Devers. He then nodded helplessly." In that case, you can rest assured and spend your remaining years here. " After saying that, he brought Torricas to the courtyard and used a wooden stick to draw a pattern on the soil planted with flowers and plants.
"Is this an olive?" Torricas looked at the simple pattern on the ground and said uncertainly.
"This is a rugby ball made of cowhide!" The Devers's eyes were bright.
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