Chapter 236
The senators looked at each other and did not speak for a while. The former mercenary senators were proficient in land battles, but not in naval ones. The Lucaria senators knew how to fight in the mountains, but were fearful of the sea. Amendola had no ports or warships, so the senators naturally had no experience in naval battles. The only ones left were the Turís senators …
Cunogorata looked at the others and said, "I recommend Enanilus, he was originally a general of the Turís navy."
The other Turís senators also expressed their agreement. The Devers also recognized Enanilus's talent in this area, or they would not have discussed with him about the establishment of the navy. The only worry was that Enanilus's family owned a shipyard, and the Devers were worried that he would use it for his own personal gain. But on second thought, the shrewd and stingy Merces was not easy to fool.
Compared to the talented army, there were too few people who knew how to fight on the sea! Devers sighed in his heart.
In the end, Enanilus successfully became the commander of the navy of Diónia. He said with an excited expression, "We, Diónia, have strong heavy infantry, I no longer have to worry about our warships being burnt to the ground before they even leave the port!" It seemed that when Turís was captured by Crotone, he was still brooding over the fact that Turís warships were either destroyed or captured.
"The army of Diónia has already made a name for itself. What I can do is to lead this new navy to actively cooperate with the army, and create a greater victory for the Alliance of Diónia!" After Enanilus finished speaking, all the senators, including Amyntas, smiled and applauded Enanilus's inauguration.
Polyxis stared at Enanilus's back, a hint of a smile on his face.
The second proposal of the Devers was about the construction of the road from Castellón to Crimissa to Aspuztum. As soon as this proposal was made, it was unanimously approved by all the senators. The Diónia Alliance had already enjoyed the benefits of building the avenue. Even if the Devers did not mention it, the other elders would have made similar proposals. By this time the people of Diónia had developed quite a difference of opinion from the rest of the Greeks. They no longer believed that a city only needed to be well connected by sea, and did not need to think much about roads. Not only did they care about sea routes, but they also believed that building good roads was an essential infrastructure for the development of a city.
However, the Devers' second proposal did not end there. He continued, "When we besieged Crimissa, the messengers sent messages between Turií and Crimissa every day. They traveled more than a hundred miles back and forth, and the horses were exhausted. Sometimes, important messages could not be delivered in time. As the territory of the Diónia Alliance expands, the cities at the border will only get further away from Turií. How can we keep abreast of the situation in the other cities of Diónia so that the Senate can respond to any sudden incidents in time? "
The Devers's question caused everyone to ponder.
"We have merchant ships that come and go frequently, so we can keep abreast of the situation in the other cities. We can set up a special kind of boat to deliver letters. It's fast and doesn't consume horses, "Marigi suggested.
"There are several problems with using the sea route to deliver letters. First, ships can't sail during storms, especially in winter. Second, this is only suitable for port cities. Inland cities like Neutum and Asplustum can't deliver letters. Third, during war, it's easy to be intercepted because the sea is too big to be completely defended. Moreover, the army can't always march along the coastline. So how can urgent orders and letters be delivered from the ship to the commander in time? "
The Devers pointed out the drawbacks of using ships to deliver messages. Marigi was speechless. He said embarrassedly, "Sir, I haven't thought about it yet."
"It seems that we still have to go by land. We are now building roads to connect all the cities of Diónia. This way, it should be faster and more convenient to use mules and horses to deliver letters, "Cornelus said.
"You're right. We should prioritize the land route and supplement it with the sea route. I think what we should do now is to arrange for specialized public officials to be responsible for the delivery of letters and make it a daily affair of the city-state. So, I suggest that the Alliance set up a post office. "The Devers said confidently.
A post office?! When everyone heard the Devers say this word, they found it strange. It was obviously coined by the Devers themselves.
"The main function of the post office is to receive letters and parcels from the people of Diónia, and then deliver these things to the recipients …" The Devers gestured with his hands and explained patiently, "We will set up a post office in every city with public officials. They will receive and deliver letters every day. At the same time, we will set up courier stations every forty to fifty miles on the main roads, and they will also be staffed with public officials. There will be simple hotels in the courier stations, and horses will be kept. When the messengers arrive at the courier stations, they can rest and drink water before continuing on their journey … In this way, while the post office serves the people during normal times, news from other cities will be gathered through it to the Senate every day so that we can understand what is happening in the territory of Diónia; and during wartime, the messengers of the army can use our main road system to go to various courier stations to replenish food and water, change horses, and quickly convey the orders of the army … "
"This is a wonderful idea. As expected of the Favored!" Cunogorata could not help but praise, "If the post office is established, not only will it be convenient for the army and the people, but it will also strengthen the relationship between the people of various cities. The cities of the Alliance of Diónia will become closer! I think … in the future, we can also set up a post office in our alliance to strengthen our communication with them. " As an experienced former Consul, Cunogorata could see the bright future that the establishment of a post office would bring to the Alliance of Diónia at a glance.
"I hope the post office can be established as soon as possible! When I reach Crimissa, I won't have to worry too much about my children! "Scombras said happily.
"I heard that you always scold 'they don't listen to you and you don't want to live with them', right?" Strompoli asked, pretending to be curious.
Scombras raised his head. "You don't have children, you don't understand. Don't talk nonsense."
His words almost caused Strompoli to quarrel with him. Everyone laughed and tried to calm them down.
Merses stood up with a bitter expression. "Consul, we have to build a post office and relay station. How much will the cost of these buildings, the salaries of the civil servants, and the cost of rearing the horses be spent on the national treasury?"
Without the need for the Devers to explain, Marigi spoke first, "Mercies, do you still not understand? Does the post office need to pay for delivering letters and parcels to the people? There are hotels in the courier stations. Do people need to pay to stay there? I really don't know how you became a financial officer! "
Marigi seized the opportunity to make a run at Mercies.
Mercies didn't mind. Instead, he asked the Devers anxiously, "Do we need to pay for delivering a letter? How much? "
The Devers nodded. "The main purpose of setting up a post office is to deliver messages and make it convenient for the people, so it can't be too expensive. I think one letter for one Opol is enough. As for the delivery of parcels, the price depends on their size and weight. Let Marigi and the person in charge of the post office discuss this. "
"One letter for one Opol. I think the people will be happy to accept this price. I'm afraid the post office will be very busy in the future!" Cornelus smiled. "Because after we distribute the land this time, many of the citizens' 'land' will be distributed to different cities. We need this post office to deliver messages and strengthen the management of the land."
Cornelus's words resonated with many of the elders. Not just the ordinary citizens, but also the land they were distributing. Therefore, they all agreed with the Devers's proposal.
Mercies was still calculating the income of the post office. When he realized that the income was considerable, he immediately asked, "Will the income of the post office be handed over to the national treasury?"
"After deducting the salaries of civil servants and various costs, the remaining income will naturally be handed over to the national treasury." The Devers's words made Mercies smile. "In addition, I propose to set up a road bureau. It will be responsible for the planning, construction, maintenance of all the roads in the Alliance, as well as the management of roadside facilities."
The Devers's proposal received the approval of the elders. They enjoyed the benefits of the road, but at the same time, they knew that after a road was built, it needed long-term professional maintenance. Otherwise, it would become dilapidated in a few years.
"In the future, there will be a fee for using the road, right?" Mercies looked at the Devers hopefully.
"For free," Dyvers spat out two words.
"Building a road between cities will cost at least 30 Talient (This does not include the cost of the land, because the land used for the road was planned before the land was distributed to the citizens. It belongs to the Alliance, so there is no need to spend money. Otherwise, including the price of buying the land, the cost would be many times higher). The subsequent maintenance costs are also being spent at any time. Can't we charge a little money?" Mercies pleaded.
"Roads are different from the post office. If we charge a fee, most of the citizens can choose not to use the road we built. This will not affect their travel. On the contrary, it will cause the road we worked so hard to build to serve the citizens, but in the end, only a few people use it. This goes against the original purpose of building the road," the Devers explained seriously.
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