Chapter 183
"Shut up! Drag this Lucanian traitor away, chop him up, and feed him to the dogs! " Sinsinag yelled angrily. He could not allow Hemont to preach the benefits of the Greeks here. This might destroy the morale of his people.
"Kill me? Great! The Consul and Devers of Diónia are the most protective! When you attacked his camp, he annihilated the Lucanian Alliance Army! Since the people of Krotone invaded his territory, he would capture all of them and turn them into captives! If you kill a citizen of the Dioria Alliance, believe it or not, the army of the Dioria Alliance will come to the city of Grumentum tomorrow! "Hemont shouted fearlessly, allowing the soldiers to hold his hands.
Sinsinag's face twitched a few times. He changed his words and said, "Get … get him out of here!"
Hemont laughed in his heart. He had long heard that the great leader of Picossis was a coward who bullied the weak and feared the strong. Sure enough, if it was Akepiru, he would not have dared to volunteer himself to die. "Don't you want to hear the good news I bring?!"
Sinsinag's hand stopped in the air.
"What good news?!" the leaders asked anxiously.
Hemont pushed the guards away and said loudly, "As the envoy of the Dioria Alliance, I was appointed by the Senate to discuss the possibility of peace with Grumentum and Pixius!"
Sinsinag was shocked when he heard this.
"The Greeks won't attack us?!"
"That's great! We don't have to give up Grumentum! "
"We can't trust the Greeks! If they want peace, why occupy Neutum?! "
…
There was a sense of relief in the heated debate between the leaders.
"Stupid Picossis people, have you forgotten the old saying of us Lucanians? 'You are not afraid of the wolves when you have a big stick in your hand.' " Hemont laughed. "If the Dioria Alliance didn't occupy Neutum, would you be willing to sit down and negotiate with them? The Greeks, who loved the sea, were not interested in the land of Lucaria at all. There were mountains everywhere, the land was barren, and the roads were terrible. It was difficult to do business and travel. If it weren't for the fact that the Lucanians always attacked the Turií through Neutum, the Alliance occupied Neutum to protect their territory and blocked your way south … "
The leaders thought about it and realized that it was indeed the case. They didn't say anything else.
Sinsinag asked again with uncertainty, "Do the Greeks really intend to negotiate with me?!"
"Of course it's real! Otherwise, why would I be here?! "Hemont said angrily.
Sinsinag immediately felt relaxed. He leaned back in his chair and said, "Is it because Neutum is still in chaos and you're afraid that I'll take the opportunity to attack?"
"Great leader, aren't you saying it the other way around?" Hemont said sarcastically.
Sinsinag coughed awkwardly and said, "Well, let me hear the conditions of your Dai … Dioria Alliance."
… …
Both sides had the will to make peace, so naturally, the negotiations went smoothly.
A day later, the agreement was reached: the City-State Alliance of Diónia, Picossis, and Grumentum were separated by the narrow road between the two rivers. The two sides could not invade each other, and the two sides could open a market at the junction. The Diónia Alliance could not support the enemies of Picossis. If there were small tribes or wandering mountain people not under the jurisdiction of Picossis seeking refuge in Neutum, Picossis could not stop them …
The duration of the agreement was one year. Originally, Sinsinag wanted the duration to be five years, but Hemont refused. His reason was that many people in the alliance doubted whether Picossis could keep his word. If Picossis could win the trust of the elders of the Diónia Alliance with a good performance for a year, then the next renewal period would be extended.
Sinsinag was angry, but there was nothing he could do. He needed this peace agreement more than the Greeks, so that he could deal with the hostile tribes in Grumentum without any worries, and then deal with Potentia who had accepted Lusau. As for the Diónia Alliance, that would at least have to wait until he became the leader of the Lucarians …
… …
Before the Diónia Alliance signed the contract with Sinsinag, Laos' Avinogis had already reached a new agreement with the alliance. First, Laos agreed to build the Turií – Neutum – Laos Avenue, and was willing to provide a large number of laborers. (There were originally a large number of Greek slaves in Laos, mainly the descendants of Sybaris. They were now free people, but Avinogis could not let them obtain land, so they could only sell their labor to make a living. In addition, the Lucarians in Laos were either killed or enslaved.) At the same time, Avinogis also intended to provide all the funds for the road construction. On this condition, the Devers politely declined his good intentions, and finally proposed that both sides share the cost.
Second, without the permission of Laos, the Diónia Alliance was not allowed to turn the people of Laos who entered or escaped into the alliance into citizens of the Alliance, and was responsible for sending them back.
… …
At the southernmost tip of the Peloponnesus Peninsula, there was a land called Laxidimon in ancient times, and now it was called Lagonia. This land was surrounded by some natural barriers, with the east and south facing the sea. In the north stood the dark and terrible mountains, and in the west lay the desolate and tall Tegetos Mountains. Its five peaks, which stood like sharp claws, were often covered with snow even in the hot summer. The small plains protected by these dangerous terrains were run through from north to south by the muddy and rapid Eurotas River. At the mouth of the river, in the red rocks on the promontory cliff was the tomb of Helen, who had once dazzled Greece and caused the Ten Years of Trojan War. Along the river, to the middle of the river, there was a city without walls called Sparta.
It was a rather rustic city. Although it seemed to cover a large area, except for the temple, the other buildings were low and simple. However, it had a kind of quiet and peace unique to the countryside, without the noise of the vendors in the market or the frolicking of the actors. In the morning, people in the city got up early. The Helots went to the fields to work, the housewives stayed at home to take care of the house, and the men went out to participate in military training, and some participated in political affairs.
The Council of Elders and the Overwatch Council were the two most powerful institutions in Sparta. On this day, both institutions were dealing with the affairs of Asia Minor at the same time. For the powerful Overwatch Council, Tiburon's arrogant words to Cleethorpes in Ephesus were destined to be a joke. The evidence of his malfeasance was conclusive, and the emissary of the Asia Minor Alliance was still in Sparta, waiting for the result of the trial. No one dared to intercede for him, and he almost had no chance to defend himself. He was fined and sentenced: banished.
At this point, Tiburon would be driven out of Sparta.
In the Council of Elders, except for King Arcis who was seriously ill and could not be present, so he entrusted his brother Agesilaus to attend on his behalf, the other 29 elders arrived on time. First, they discussed the aftermath of the city-state of Ellis.
The city-state of Ellis was located near the Olympia area of the Peloponnesus peninsula. It had always been supported by Sparta, which was why it was able to win the right to host the Olympia from another city-state, Pisa. Unexpectedly, during the Peloponnesus war, it turned to Athens, and the year before last, it also stopped King Arcis of Sparta, who went to the Olympia to offer sacrifices to the temple of Zeus because of the Delphic Oracle …
These things finally angered the people of Sparta. Six years after Athens surrendered, they declared war on Ellis and sent King Arcis, who had been humiliated, to lead an army to invade Ellis. If it wasn't for the earthquake, which made Arcis think that it was not a good omen and take the initiative to withdraw. Then the war would have ended at the beginning of the year. Under the urging of the censor, a few months later, Arcis led his troops to successfully invade the territory of Ellis again. They burned, looted, destroyed fields and buildings, and captured a large number of livestock and slaves. Finally, they arrived at Ellis. This city, which was also not protected by walls, trembled under the threat of Sparta's powerful force. The people rioted because of fear. In the end, although the riots were suppressed, the power of the city-state of Ellis was greatly damaged.
Arcis did not take the opportunity to attack the city of Ellis. After all, it was an ancient Greek city-state. As the host of the Olympia, it enjoyed a reputation among the Greek city-states. Arcis withdrew his troops and returned to his country. Not long after, he fell ill.
After a discussion, the elders agreed that if Ellis did not want to be attacked by Sparta again next year, it would definitely come to peace talks. Sparta had to force Ellis to allow towns such as Friksa, Epitalion, and Epitalion to become independent from Sparta. This would further weaken Ellis so that it would no longer have the ability to resist Sparta. If Ellis agreed, then Sparta would also allow it to have the right to host the Olympia and the jurisdiction over the Temple of Zeus at the Olympia.
The reason why the elders of Sparta were unwilling to return the right to host the Olympia and the jurisdiction over the Temple of Zeus to Pisa (because the Olympia and the Temple of Zeus were originally within Pisa's territory) was because they believed that Pisa had always held a grudge against Sparta ever since the Olympia area was separated from Pisa's territory by Sparta a hundred years ago. Moreover, Pisa and Sparta's mortal enemy, Argos, had always been on good terms.
After dealing with the matter of Ellis, Elder Lysander stood up and said, "Elders, I believe everyone has read the report that Chalisopus sent from Ephesus. The Overwatch Council hopes that we can come up with a solution as soon as possible. "
One of the elders muttered with dissatisfaction, "The Overwatch Council is too overbearing now. They're actually ordering us around!"
No one present seemed to have heard it. Only King Pausanias said coldly, "That's because of Lysander's support!"
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