Chapter 151
"It seems like the Devers, who are blessed by the gods, have created another miracle!" Archita sighed from the bottom of his heart. There was no jealousy in his eyes, but more curiosity. "I want to know how the Devers defeated the Turís!"
Marigi briefly told them about the battle with Amendolara, emphasizing that Amendolara attacked at night and the Crotone were too proud and unprepared. Not only did they not build their camp seriously, but they were also drunk and other reasons to reduce the degree of surprise.
However, the senators of Tarantum were still shocked by the Devers' military prowess. It was obvious that the young consul's last victory over the Lucanians was not by luck, nor was it mainly due to Tarantum's reinforcements.
The senators of Tarantum became cautious in their treatment of the emissaries from Amendolara.
Umarcas, one of the consul, said, "People of Amendolara, since you've won, why are you still in Tarantum? Are you here to show off your achievements? "
"The people of Amendolara have always respected Tarantum, who once saved us! We never dared to have such thoughts! " Marigi bowed respectfully and said, "I'm here this time because the Turís, who lost their homeland, have formed an alliance with Amendolara, so we must revise the alliance with Tarantum."
"What did you say?!" The Senate was in an uproar. "The Turís have formed an alliance with you? What alliance? "
"Could it be that Amendolara used force to occupy the land of the Turís? Just like how the mercenary leader occupied Amendolara! "A senator of the Senate said loudly.
"I object to this sir's statement!" Marigi said angrily. "What you said is not only an insult to our consul! It's also an insult to Amendolara! I find it hard to believe that this came from the closest ally of Amendolara! "
"Sir Diomiras, you're wrong! I was there on the day of the Citizen's Assembly and saw with my own eyes how the Amendolan people warmly invited the mercenaries to become Amendolan citizens! "Acheta took the initiative to stand up for Amendolan.
Even though Archita was endorsing Amendolara, Diomiras still retorted, "If it wasn't for Amendolara's coercion, why would the Turís choose to form an alliance with the weak and poor Amendolara instead of the rich and powerful Tarantum?"
"Diomiras is right. If it wasn't for Amendolara's military threat, the Turís would definitely have chosen Tarantum!" Many senators immediately echoed.
The people of Tarantum were too proud of themselves! Marigi sneered in his heart and immediately wanted to refute, but he was stopped by Ancitanos. He stood up and said gently, "Respected Elders of Tarantum, my name is Ancitanos. I was originally a general of Tuliyi and have visited Tuliyi many times. Some of you should know me, such as Lord Marcus and Lord Desittimus …"
The elders who were called out by him could only nod.
"As a Turií, I swear to Apollo that Amendola did not threaten the Turií with force! On the contrary, when the city of Turín was conquered by the Crotone and the Turín thought that they had been abandoned by the gods, only the weak Amendola refused to submit to the mighty Crotone. Even when the enemy's army was pressing down on their borders, they still maintained their alliance with the Turín. When the city of Turín was burned down and the Turís lost their homes, it was the Amendola who came in time and helped us selflessly! When the ruthless Crotone burned down the city, a crime unheard of in the history of Greece, robbing all the resources that the Turís relied on for survival and leaving unpunished, not a single city-state in Greece stood up to uphold justice. Only the weak Amendola dared to fight against the mighty Crotone, the enemy of our Turís, and even avenged the Turís!
Which city-state could have done what Amendola did to the Turís? The Turís regarded Amendola as a hero who saved them and regarded Amendola as their own family. Therefore, they were willing to share a consul, a Senate, and the rights and obligations of citizens with Amendola from the bottom of their hearts. They were like brothers in a family, without any distinction between you and me. This was the natural choice of the Turís! … "
After listening to Ancetanos's affectionate words, the Senate of Tarantum fell silent. Some even felt ashamed.
After a while, Consul Umarcas said coldly, "Amendola and the Turís have become allies, and their strength is much stronger than before. The prestige of Amendola alone is enough to deter other city-states from invading. It seems meaningless to talk about an alliance with Tarantum."
Marigi put on a sincere face and said, "Before I came, Sir Dyvers had repeatedly told me, 'Tarantum lent a helping hand during Amendolar's most difficult time, and he is Amendolar's great benefactor! No matter what happens to Amendolara in the future, my gratitude to Tarantum will never change. I hope to be a long-term ally of Tarantum and be on good terms forever. I hope to repay this kindness in the future when I have the chance! "
The Senate of Tarantum fell silent again.
Another consul, Desitimus, stood up and said, "Now, the two emissaries from Amendola and Turís, please leave for the time being. We will discuss the alliance."
… …
"Everyone, it is said that Consul Devers of Amendola is a very young man. Young people are often full of energy and ambition. More than half a year ago, he was a mercenary leader. Now, he is a lifelong consul of two cities. Such a fast promotion and expansion speed is very similar to that of the man in Syracuse of Sicily! That's why I don't trust him very much! " Diomiras expressed his concern, "I'm afraid that if Tarantum forms an alliance with them today, one day they will turn the spearhead against us!"
Diomiras' words caused the senators to laugh, "Diomiras, you are too timid! The three to four thousand citizens of Amendola and the remaining few thousand of Turís add up to less than ten thousand people. Why would Tarantum be afraid?! Are you really from Tarantum?! "
"Whether Amendola and Turís can survive the anger of Tarantum is a problem. Do they still have time to think about other things?!"
Amidst the mockery of the elders, Diomelas sneered and said, "Everyone, when Tuliyi was first established, our ancestors in the Senate of Tarantum also mocked us like you are today. What happened in the end? We were defeated by the Turís twice in a row! But it seems that we haven't learned our lesson! "
After listening to Diomiras' words, some of the senators seemed to be in deep thought, while some looked unhappy and scolded, "The original Turís had the strong support of Athens. Otherwise, the final winner would have been us! The current Amendola and Turís are far from being comparable to the former Turís. Diomiras, if Tarantum has to worry about this, then what are we still doing here? We might as well emigrate as soon as possible! "
"I'm reminding everyone that Tarantum needs to be vigilant against Amendola! Amendola has such a terrifying archon with military talent. Now that it has merged with Turís, it is likely to develop into a powerful state in the northern part of Greater Greece in the future, causing trouble for Tarantum. In order to prevent such a situation from happening, we don't need to support it. Instead, we need to deliberately limit its development! "Diomiras persuaded patiently.
Archita immediately stood up and said loudly, "Since Lord Diomiras is afraid of Amendola, then we should ally with them because the Devers have always kept their promises. Whether it was previously hired by the Turís, when the Turís suffered a crushing defeat and faced the danger of being surrounded by the Lucanian army, he still led the mercenaries to stay and turned defeat into victory; or when the army of Tarantum was forced to the gates, he still did not give up on the alliance with the Turís. This means that once the new alliance with Amendolara is formed, not only will Dyvers, the Life Consul, not harm Tarantum, but they will also lend a helping hand when Tarantum is in trouble one day! "
At this time, Desitimus said in a deep voice, "Archita is right. Senators, don't forget what the biggest threat to Tarantum is. It's not Amendola, nor is it Turís, but the Mesapi who have surrounded Tarantum! The Mesapi are already difficult to deal with, and the damn people of Athens have taught them heavy infantry tactics and armor making. Now, they are getting more and more difficult to deal with year after year. Look at how many people they kill and how much farmland they destroy every year! Our roots and temples are here, not in Amendola, not in Turís! Tarantum only has one city, but the Mesapi occupy most of Apulia. If they are allowed to develop like this, I'm afraid that in the future, the people of Tarantum will lose all the land outside the city and be trapped in the city. This is the real reason why we have advocated the establishment of the Great Hellenic Defense Alliance in recent years! It's a good thing that Amendola and Turís have formed an alliance! When we encounter difficulties in the future, they can give us more help! So, why can't we form an alliance with them?! "
There was a long silence among the senators, and most of them looked solemn.
Therefore, in the end, the proposal to form an alliance between Tarantum and the Amendola- Turís Alliance was passed. When the two sides concluded the alliance, although Tarantum promoted the new alliance to a relatively equal ally, it still proposed that Tarantum would be the leader in future joint military operations.
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