Chapter 232
Metlos Fenix believed that the Senate of Diónia was deliberately delaying time and fooling him. In fact, they had already prepared for the peace talks with Crotone. He had wasted all his efforts to rush to Turií … The newly established alliance of Diónia actually dared to fool and despise Rockley!
Therefore, he dragged his sickly body to participate in the triumphal ceremony. Because he was the messenger of Rockley, the Senate arranged for him to stay in a hotel not far from the Senate's hall. Since he lived in the city and was a VIP, he was naturally allowed to watch the triumphal ceremony. Originally, he wanted to take the opportunity to meet the Consul of Diónia to vent his dissatisfaction. At the same time, he represented Rockley to express an appropriate threat to Diónia, which had just allied with Crotone, and force them to make some changes that were beneficial to Rockley. However, after watching the magnificent and lively triumphal ceremony that he had never seen before, he was shocked by the huge military strength, high morale, and the fanatical atmosphere of the people of Diónia. He realized that this was an alliance that worshipped heroes from the elders to the commoners. They were warlike and could not be ignored. He was afraid that they would not compromise easily, so he decided to retreat …
After sending off the last contingent of freedmen, the people poured into the square. The speech of the Devers drew a perfect end to the triumphal ceremony, "People of the Diónia Alliance, I thank you on behalf of the Senate!
When the enemy invaded, you were not afraid, you did not retreat, but worked together and fought bravely! The soldiers fought bravely at the front, not afraid of sacrifice, and fought to be heroes; while you worked tirelessly to transport supplies and evade the enemy's ambush. You endured the pain of losing your loved ones and supported us in the battle!
Today, we won. This is the result of the joint efforts of all the citizens of the Diónia Alliance, prospective citizens, freedmen, and their families! We will use this victory to comfort the warriors who died on the battlefield, and hope that their souls can reach the Elysium of Hades smoothly! I, Consul Daves, will also use this victory to tell you that the days of the Diónia Alliance being bullied are over, and you will have a better tomorrow! Victory to the Diónia Alliance! … "
"Victory to the Diónia Alliance!"
"Victory to the Senate of Diónia!"
"Long live the Devers Consul!"
"Victory to the Devers!!!"
…
At that moment, the square was filled with cheers, and the whole city of Turín became a sea of joy!
… …
After the Holy Day of Sacrifice for the Sparta King Archis, after a period of preparation, the Sparta Council of Elders finally decided to elect a new King of Sparta to prevent the throne from being vacant for too long, which would lead to political instability in the country.
On this day, the 29 elders of the council hall in Sparta entered the hall early. There were also two candidates for the throne. They were the son of the former Sparta King Arkis, Leotychides, and the brother of Arkis, Agesilaus.
The chairman in charge, Kreostida, announced, "The sacred King Selection Conference has begun! First, the candidates will state the reasons why they should be the king. "
The young and energetic Kreostida stood up first and said loudly to his uncle, "Agesilaus, the ancient law clearly states, 'The first to inherit the throne should be the king's son, not his brother. If the king happens to have no children, then his brother may inherit the throne. 'If you don't want to embarrass yourself, leave as soon as possible. "
Agesilaus did not face his nephew, but the crowd. His attitude was respectful, and his tone was low, but it was certain, "Respected elders, the one to inherit the throne should be me, the only brother of Arkis, Agesilaus!"
Leotychides jumped and roared, interrupting his uncle's words, "Agesilaus, don't think that you can play dumb just because you're a cripple! Listen, the sacred Sparta law has already stipulated that as the only son of Arkis, I should naturally become the king. Stop fooling around! "
Agesilaus turned his head and looked at the flustered Leotychides. A hint of contempt appeared on his face, "That's right, that's what the law says, but the prerequisite is that you're indeed the son of Arkis! But I've heard the person you call father say more than once, 'You're not his biological son!' "
"Nonsense!" Since he was young, there had always been similar rumors that reached Leotychides' ears. It became a nightmare that troubled him, and it also became his reverse scale when he grew up. At this moment, his face instantly turned red. He jumped up from his seat, rushed over, and grabbed Agesilaus. He shouted angrily, "Damn cripple! Don't think that I won't beat you up just because you're my uncle! "
He tried his best to suppress his anger, gritting his teeth, "Listen, my mother knows the truth better than my father! Until today, she still says, 'I'm the son of the king! I'm the son of Arkis! '… "
"Silence! Silence! The meeting hall is a sacred place. No fighting is allowed, or you'll be banished! "Chairman Kleostida warned.
Agesilaus pushed his nephew's hand away, and his expression became calmer. He said solemnly, "Respected elders, perhaps you still remember that year when there was an earthquake in Sparta, Arkis left his wife and led the guards to provide disaster relief. He was gone for almost a year. Poseidon's anger filled the people of Sparta with reverence. At the same time, this god was the most convincing witness that Leotychides was not the son of Arkis! Because of time! Leotychides was only born ten months after Arkis left his wife! "
As soon as he said this, the elders seemed to be deep in thought. Some of their expressions also became solemn.
"Nonsense!" Leotychides flew into a rage again. He was stopped by the guards who were already prepared, so he could only roar angrily.
"Alright, that's the end of the candidates' statements." Chairman Kleostida quickly said, "Elders, do you have anything to say?"
Diopettis stood up and said, "Everyone, as you know, before this meeting, I had already received Pausanias's authorization to represent the Elder Council to go to Delphi and seek an oracle from Apollo. He warned us, 'The people of Sparta should beware of the king becoming a cripple!' Therefore, I believe that Apollo has already given us a warning. If Agesilaus becomes king, it will definitely bring danger to Sparta! "He then passed the parchment in his hand to everyone. Some of the elders nodded as they read.
Diopettis glanced proudly at Lysander, who was sitting in front of him, and then made a placating gesture to Leotychides.
Agesilaus tried his best to maintain a calm expression, but his hands were clenched tightly behind his back. He saw the elders glancing at his feet from time to time, and he subconsciously moved his left foot back.
At this time, Lysander stood up. His influence was great, and he immediately gathered everyone's attention. "As we all know, the oracle of Apollo in Delphi has always been profound and difficult to understand. If we only understand it literally, we will often come to a wrong conclusion! " Lysander looked around at everyone and said loudly, "Back then, the king of Lydia received the oracle of 'a great kingdom will perish' and thought that Persia would be defeated. In the end, it was his kingdom that perished. If the people of Athens had really built a wooden wall according to the literal meaning before Persia invaded, they wouldn't have been able to defeat Persia in the naval battle … Therefore, we should understand this oracle more deeply! If the king we elect isn't of the true bloodline of Agis, then wouldn't the system of two kings that we are so proud of, the divine bloodline inherited from Hercules, be missing a leg?! "
It should be said that Lysander's words were thought-provoking. Coupled with his influence, it caused the elders to whisper and discuss non-stop.
Leotychides glared at Lysander angrily, but he didn't dare to scold him like he did to Agesilaus. Although his power was intentionally weakened by the council of elders a few years after the end of the Peloponnesus War, he was still the hero of the people of Sparta. His rallying power was amazing, and he wasn't someone that an heir to the throne could humiliate.
The other king of Sparta, Pausanias, didn't have any obvious bias towards the two heirs to the throne of Agis, but he was very hostile and wary of Lysander, who once wanted to shake the 'system of two kings'. Therefore, he would often oppose anything that Lysander supported. However, in the meeting to elect a new king, according to tradition, the other king could attend, but didn't have the right to make suggestions or vote. This was because the reason why Sparta was a system of two kings was to achieve mutual checks and balances, so the king had to avoid arousing suspicion. Pausanias could only signal to one of his trusted elders, Helipidus.
The elder had to stand up in a hurry and said with a stutter, "Sparta is now the overlord of Greece, but if … the king of Sparta is … um … a person with a disability, it will only cause the other city-states to secretly ridicule Sparta, thus reducing their respect for Sparta. Moreover, we, Sparta, have never had a king with a disability! Never! "
As soon as he finished speaking, Lysander immediately continued, "That's right, Agesilaus is a cripple. However, he is brave in battle, upright, and has always been respected by our elders and people. He is a traditional and pure warrior of Sparta, and he didn't bring shame to the reputation of the royal family! But please take a closer look at Leotychides. Who do you think he looks like? "
Leotychides was strong and handsome, and his appearance was more inherited from his mother. However, under the guidance of Lysander's words and the influence of the rumors, the more the elders looked at him, the more they felt that he looked like the handsome and romantic man of Athens – Alcibide.
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