Chapter 227
"Myron, the people of Crimissa are now citizens of the Diónia Alliance!" Lysias sighed.
Myron's roar stopped abruptly. Breathing heavily, he kicked over the wooden chair by the window and strode out of the room.
… …
News of Myron's anger quickly reached Antares' ears, but he did not care at all. Previously, when the people they sent to contact Diónia brought back the Devers' request, the generals of Crimissa were hesitant to join the Diónia Alliance. It was the resolute Antares who insisted and finally convinced everyone to agree to the Devers' request.
"Eurippus, take a hundred citizen soldiers to guard the temple and prevent the soldiers of Crotone from robbing our treasury when they retreat!"
"Preades, you too, take a hundred citizen soldiers to guard the granary!"
"I'll go with the others to find Lysias and see if we can get some of the supplies that the Crotone have piled up at the port. After staying in Crimissa for so long, the people of Crotone have to pay for their accommodation! "Antares said fiercely.
"What about the people? The soldiers of Crotone might also go to their homes to cause trouble! "someone asked anxiously.
"Didn't the Devers already announce that Crimissa will be merged into Diónia? Let every family engrave the words' I am now a citizen of Diónia 'on their wooden door. Let's see which Crotone person dares to risk starting another war and rob the citizens of Diónia! "
After Antares finished speaking, the people around him looked awkward and fell into silence. Crimissa, which had been independent for decades, was going to be merged into the Diónia Alliance. Diónia would govern the city of Crimissa in a direct manner. This meant that most of the original members of the Crimissa Council would lose their power. If not for the situation, they would not be willing to do so. In fact, some of the Crimissa people had already responded to Lucias' call and were willing to retreat to Crotone with the army. However, due to the promise made by the Devers and the rapid rise of Turií and Amendola after their fall, most of the citizens of Crimissa who had been oppressed by the larger states were no longer willing to live such a life. Instead, they chose the winner of the war – the Diónia Alliance.
"Everyone, please buck up and work hard to do these things well!" Seeing this, Antares loudly encouraged them. "We are not doing this for others, but for ourselves. As long as we can smoothly hand over a complete and resource-rich city of Crimissa to the Diónia Alliance, and let them fully understand our sincerity and ability, more people may be selected to enter the Senate of Diónia, and fight for more benefits for Crimissa in the future!"
… …
In the afternoon, the first batch of ships filled with Crotone soldiers began to leave the port of Crimissa.
Compared to the somewhat excited soldiers, Myron's expression was gloomy. When the city of Crimissa disappeared from his sight, he turned back and said to Lucias, "The covenant you signed is to hand over the position of the overlord of Greece to Diónia with your own hands! From now on, Crotone will have to act according to Diónia's will! "
Lucias was silent for a moment, then said, "Then who caused all this?"
The corner of Myron's mouth twitched, his expression bitter.
"You'd better think about how to deal with the questioning of the council when you return," Lucias sighed.
… …
At the same time that the army of Crotone left Crimissa by ship, the Devers led the army into the city of Crimissa. Originally, he only wanted to bring a few people in symbolically, but he was opposed by his generals. For safety's sake, he was asked to bring half of the legion. Antares, Eurykpus, Pleades … and the rest of the people left behind by the Crimesa Council were all waiting outside the city to welcome them.
The Diónia camp sounded a lively melody played by bugles and military drums. When the people of Crimissa were attracted by this music that they had never heard before, the soldiers of Diónia, dressed in neat military uniforms, marched in a neat manner to the rhythm of the melody, forming a long line of four columns, marching unhurriedly towards the city of Crimissa.
At the forefront of the line was the captain of the Devers's guard, Martius. He held up the military flag that represented the Supreme Commander of the army of Diónia. The statue of Pluto Hades was glittering and dazzling. Then came the band composed of the buglers and drummers of the army, followed by the thousands of outstanding soldiers selected from the First Legion, the Second Legion, and the Legio III. The flags of the legion, the squad, and the company were held high in the air at intervals, causing the long line of flags to flutter and shine. The soldiers were all smiling and had an imposing appearance, giving the people of Diónia the feeling that the people of Diónia were not here to show off and declare sovereignty, but to marry. Otherwise, the music would not be so cheerful and the colors would not be so gorgeous. The people of Crimissa even noticed that the soldiers of Diónia did not carry shields and spears. This surprised them, but they were also a little touched, because this was the trust that the people of Diónia had in Crimissa!
The Devers and the other commanders, as well as Avinogis, did not ride horses. They walked in the middle of the line, surrounded by guards with red capes on their shoulders, so they were more eye-catching.
The line stopped in front of the gate of the city of Crimissa.
Antares and the others came to greet them, while the Devers also walked out of the line under the protection of the soldiers.
Antares walked straight to the Devers, not because he had seen the Devers before, but because the news that the Consul of Diónia was young had long spread throughout Greece, and it was obvious who was the youngest among the high-ranking commanders.
"Lord Devers, former Chief General of Crimissa, Antares, and former members of the Council of Crimissa welcome your arrival!" After saying that, he bowed respectfully. Some people behind him followed suit, while others stood silently.
The Devers immediately returned the bow and said, "Thank you for your trust and support in the Alliance of Diónia! The facts will prove that your choice is absolutely correct!! "
"Oh, is that so?! Then what will we gain by fully supporting Crimissa to join Diónia?! "Someone interrupted.
"Of course!" The Devers ignored the strange tone of his voice, and said loudly in a serious tone, "Become a citizen of Diónia, no matter where you go in Greece, you will be respected! Any act that dares to violate your rights, the Alliance will seek justice for you, no matter if you are a noble or a commoner! You are brave and good at fighting, and you can constantly obtain land with your military achievements! You are outstanding, and you can finally become a senator in the Diónia Senate with your achievements! Even if you are an ordinary citizen, you will enjoy the convenience of life provided by the Alliance of Diónia. The cheap and highly skilled hospitals provide health insurance for the citizens, the smooth roads and bridges provide convenience for the citizens to travel and trade, the agricultural officers provide technical assistance to the citizens in farming, the commercial officers can apply for low-interest loans for your business, and we also have the well-trained public militia to ensure the safety of the territory … So, when you are familiar with the life in Diónia, and understand the system and laws of Diónia, you will know how different it is from other city-states, and you will be proud to be a citizen of Diónia! "At this moment, the Devers were obviously boasting and proud.
The eyes of Antares, Eurippus, and the others were sparkling, and they seemed to be very moved, while some were thinking.
"Oh … Since Diónia is so good, then do we have a chance to become consul in the future?!" At this time, someone said.
As soon as this remark came out, Capus, Dracos, Hieronymus, and even Avinogis all widened their eyes. They all felt that the person who spoke had bad intentions, and was obviously criticizing the Devers.
Most of Crimissa's people also changed their expressions, for fear that if they angered the Devers, they would do something bad to Crimissa.
The Devers, on the other hand, looked calm. This was undoubtedly the most criticized thing about Diónia by other Greek city-states. He knew very well that Crimissa was, after all, different from Amendolara and Turín. These two cities were saved by the Devers when they were on the verge of destruction, and the people were grateful to them. At the same time, they needed strong protection, so there was not much objection to the Devers becoming lifelong consul of the Alliance. In addition, the Devers had always been law-abiding, and they often discussed everything with the members of the Senate, and rarely acted arbitrarily. The only time they monopolized power was not long ago, when they stood out from the masses and strongly advocated the battle of Crotone, and they eventually won. So, over time, the people also accepted it. There was no need to mention Neutum. The Lucanians had always believed in power, so they had no objections.
Only when Crimissa, who was once an enemy of Diónia, was conquered by the power of Diónia, there would always be people who would be indignant and open their eyes to find faults with Diónia. So, of course, the Devers would not be polite. "Diónia was able to develop into a powerful state in Greece in a short period of time, and even defeat Crotone, because we have a political system different from other Greek city-states. I heard that some Crimissa people have left with the Crotone people. If there are people who don't like Diónia, you are still free to leave now. But in the future, if you want to stay and become a citizen of Diónia, please adapt to Diónia's system as soon as possible and abide by Diónia's laws!"
The hidden sharpness in the Devers' words made some of the Crimissa people who still wanted to object tactfully shut up.
"Look, this is Diónia's — Hmm." The person who spoke just now wanted to criticize Diónia again, but his mouth was covered by two guards sent by Antares.
"Master Devers, it's our fault for making the soldiers of Diónia wait here for so long. Please enter the city together!" Antares said apologetically.
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