Chapter 166
"Uh … It will definitely be very popular!" Andrea covered her mouth with her hand in embarrassment. After swallowing the delicious mutton, she praised sincerely. At the same time, she also gave her own opinion. "But the cooking of this dish requires people to constantly add firewood, and it's more troublesome to heat the fire."
"Andrea, you're right. Therefore, to eat such a table of hot beef and mutton, there needs to be professional service at the side, and our fee will be higher. And not only can it be used to heat beef and mutton, but it can also be used to heat other things, "Christoya explained as she gestured to the slaves standing at the side.
The slaves immediately served the cut tripe, the veins of the sheep, seaweed, and so on. After everyone tasted it, they all thought that it tasted good.
At this time, the Devers said to Wesba and Bagoule, "Look, after slaughtering a sheep, the fur can be made into clothes to keep out the cold, the bones can be used to make soup, the meat can be eaten, the intestines can be made into sausages and other purposes, and the other organs can be made into delicacies … Almost the whole body of the cattle and sheep can be sold for money, and with our full promotion, the Greeks will gradually like eating beef and mutton (the Greeks, like the people of Rome, eat grains as their staple food), and the Lucanians are the best at herding, so the Lucanian cattle and sheep are famous throughout Greece. In the future, the Lucanian cattle will be welcomed by the citizens of the Tua Union, and the Lucanians will live a better life … "
Wesba and Bagoule did not expect that the Devers would get involved in the lives of the Lucanians through this meal. They were both surprised and emotional that the Archon of a Greek city-state would think about how to make the lives of the Lucanians better. For a moment, they did not know what to say.
At this time, the Devers raised his glass. "Come, let's continue drinking!"
… …..
Eating novel dishes and drinking novel beer, with two beautiful women to lighten the atmosphere, for Wesba and the others, the banquet was naturally very enjoyable.
After the meal, there were only three men left in the living room.
Wei Sba took advantage of the fact that he was tipsy and asked, "Sir Administrator, what did you mean when you said that I can still be the leader of the tribe?"
"After you've completed your labor and become citizens of the Tua Alliance, I'll invite you to become a member of the Senate. You'll be able to make suggestions for the Lucarians living in the Tua Alliance and protect their interests. Isn't that equivalent to being the leader of a tribe?" the Devers explained.
Wesba was tempted. After being held captive in Amendola for almost half a year, he understood that the Devers really wanted to keep the Lucanians. Otherwise, he would not have tried so hard to reduce the Lucanians' labor period. Most of the youths in the tribe wanted to become citizens of the Tua Alliance and enjoy the luxurious life that they could only dream of in the mountains. However, as the chief of the tribe, he had some misgivings. Now, the Devers had given him a promise.
Thus, Wesba continued to speak under the influence of the alcohol. "According to your rules, I'm afraid it'll take four to five years for my people to become your citizens. That's a little too long!" Wesba said with some dissatisfaction. After all, he was not young anymore. Every year was a year.
"According to the Immigration Law of the Tua Alliance, it will indeed take four to five years for you to complete your labor, apply to become a probationary citizen, and then become an official citizen. However, there's a special mission. If your tribe is willing to participate, I'll apply to the Senate to turn all the men in your tribe into official Turií citizens. Not only can you become an elder of the Senate, but I'd also like to recommend Bagoule to become a member of the Senate! "the Devers' words were shocking.
Bagoule became excited when he heard that.
Wesba was excited too, but he was much more experienced than Bagoule. The fact that the Devers could give them such favorable conditions meant that the mission was not simple. "What's the mission?" he asked cautiously.
The Devers looked at the two of them and said word by word, "The Avinogis leader of Laos has formed an alliance with the Tua Alliance. They're ready to help us take back Neutum."
Both of them were shocked when they heard that. Then, they fell into silence. The Tua Alliance was ready to declare war on the Lucanians! It was not a problem for Wesba and Bagoule to help the Tua Alliance fight the Greeks. However, it was a little hard for them to kill their own people. Although the Lucanian tribes often fought with each other and massacres were not uncommon, the Devers knew what they were worried about.
Seeing that the two of them did not object, the Devers could guess what they were worried about, so he continued, "From now on, the Lucanians under the rule of the Tua Alliance will enjoy the same rights and obligations as citizens of the Alliance, just like the Greeks. You can continue to maintain your cultural traditions and customs. The Alliance will not only not interfere, but will also protect you!"
Wesba was touched when he heard that. He quickly asked, "We can continue to worship the god we worship?"
"Not only can you continue to worship, but you can also build altars and temples for your god. I've heard of it. You Lucanians have an important festival called … hmm … Bullfighting Festival? "
"Bullfighting Festival (a celebration of two bulls fighting each other to celebrate and bless the prosperity of livestock)," Bagoule interrupted.
"After joining the Tua Alliance, you can continue to hold it! Make it grander, and let us Greeks participate too! "the Devers said excitedly.
"Archon, is what you're saying true?" Wesba was visibly moved.
"I can swear on the name of Hades!" the Devers said solemnly with his palms facing the sky.
Wesba and Bagoule were finally convinced by the Devers's generosity. Since the culture, customs, and religion of the Lucanians would not be changed, it was equivalent to the Tua Alliance's Senate and the Devers becoming the leaders of the Lucanian tribes. If Lucania could be unified, it would reduce the conflicts and killings, and give the Lucanians peace!
Wesba found an honorable reason for his compromise. After a brief discussion with Bagoule, he immediately expressed his willingness to join the Tua Alliance's army and take part in the operation to take Neutum.
… …
The next day, the Tua Alliance called for another emergency meeting of the Senate.
Since the Turií Senate's hall had yet to be repaired, the meeting was held in the same location as the last one, in Armendolara for the sake of secrecy. Therefore, Sorikos and the coachmen brought the honorable senators to Armendolara early in the morning.
There were two topics of discussion in the meeting. One was that the Asistes had brought back the treaty signed by Avinogis, and the war against Lucania was about to begin. The other topic was to make Wesba's tribe citizens of the Tua Alliance.
Although many foreigners had become citizens or prospective citizens according to the Immigration Act, the most typical example being Marigi, who was sitting in the meeting room, many senators, especially the Turií senators, found it hard to accept such a large number of Lucanians, who had brought great harm to both Turií and Armendolara, as citizens of the Tua Alliance.
Many of them objected, with Polyxis's words being the most unpleasant. He protested loudly, "The Archon's actions have severely hurt the feelings of the Amendolarans and Turií. He wants to turn the civilized city of the Greeks into a barbaric and filthy stronghold of the Lucanians, and turn the people who have just survived the Lucanian war back into their slaves!"
Even Scombras and Strompoli, who had gradually begun to accept and support the Devers, joined the ranks of the opposition.
Antonios, Capus, Alexis, and the others all stood up and supported the Devers' decision. They believed that the Lucanians, like the Greeks, loved life, and were civilized and polite. They even built the road and helped the Tua Alliance defeat the Crotone. They truly wanted to serve the Alliance!
Polyxis immediately retorted, "This is just an expedient measure by the cunning Lucanians to regain their freedom. In short, you outsiders will never understand our pain! "
Polyxis's words angered the senators of the mercenary army. The debate in the meeting room became even more intense, to the extent that they were even cursing each other.
The rotating chairman, Raphael, rang the bronze bell several times to stop the quarrel, but no one paid any attention to him.
The Devers had no choice but to stand up and shout, "Please be quiet! Otherwise, please leave! "
The meeting room quickly returned to silence. Polyxis still wanted to say something, but he saw the Devers's sharp eyes piercing him like knives, and he immediately lowered his head in fear.
The Devers looked around at the crowd and said loudly, "Since everyone thinks that forming an alliance with Avinogis and seizing Neutum will be of great benefit to stabilizing the west of the Alliance and preventing the Lucanian invasion, then let us temporarily put aside our emotions and other reasons, and seriously consider this problem. After seizing Neutum, how are we going to govern it?"
The Devers paused for a moment, and without waiting for the others to answer, he continued, "According to what you just said, in order to stabilize Neutum, we can only kill all the Lucanians in the city, or turn them all into slaves and migrate to Turií, and then migrate our people over, right?"
This was the traditional practice of the Greeks during the era of colonization, and the senators who opposed before had no objection.
"First of all, Neutum is a mountain city, and it is located in the mountains. There is not much arable land, so we can only rely on grazing. If we let the Greeks, who love the sea, migrate to a mountain city surrounded by mountains and not rich in land, I can't be sure how many people would be willing to go. I believe you can give me an accurate answer."
Comments