Chapter 247
Giogris was considered a rich man in Amendolan (actually, it was his wife's). He owned ten acres of land in Amendolan, planted with olive trees that were more than ten years old. He also had his own oil press to produce olive oil. At first, they only had a simple carriage, mainly used to transport the finished olive oil to the port of Turín. Since Dania and Giogris got married, she bought a carriage for her husband to ride, considering that Giogris frequently traveled between Turín and Amendolan for military training and handling some military affairs. In fact, Giogris mostly rode a horse.
Although there were not many people on the road at this time, all the carriages set off in order. The road from Amendolan to Turín had been built for almost a year. For the sake of safety and convenience, the people had formed some customary rules under the guidance of the Alliance.
Now that the Alliance's road department had been established, Heraclede Jr. was successfully elected as the head of the department. According to the news, he was going to work on two things immediately. One was to submit a bill to the Senate on the maintenance and use of roads in Diónia. He was going to change the road rules among the people into the official road rules used by the Alliance to improve the efficiency of road use. The second was to propose a new design plan for the road and a plan to renovate the old road to the Consul Devers.
The coachman drove the two horses to run at a constant speed. The wooden wheels, which were bound tightly by iron sheets, spun rapidly on the flat road with clanging sounds.
In the bumpy carriage, Giogris listened to his wife's chatter while thinking about some things he heard about the new road department.
"I'm going to buy four more slaves tomorrow." His wife's words caught his attention.
"Don't we have enough slaves at home?" Giogris asked doubtfully.
"I haven't seen the three acres of land you've been given in Crimissa. I heard that it's all good land. According to the regulations of the Alliance's Ministry of Agriculture, it can only be used to grow wheat. You're busy with the Alliance's military affairs, so you don't have time to work in Crimissa. Of course, I'm going to buy more slaves to take care of the land for us, "Dania explained.
"It's only three acres of land. I don't think we need so many slaves. It'll cost us a lot just to feed them. "Giogris was used to being poor, so he still kept a good habit of being thrifty.
"My dear, you don't know that the average citizen's family in Dionia has at least two or three slaves. Everyone understands that only by freeing up the adult males in the family for military training will they be able to make contributions in the war, gain glory, and win more land and benefits. The slave market in Turi Port was only built half a year ago, and now it has expanded several times. The price of an ordinary slave has increased from 160 Drachma to 200 Drachma. If I don't buy a few more now, when I want to buy more in the future, I'm afraid the price will have risen to 300 Drachma. "
"Besides, the extra slaves can be sent to Crimissa to speed up the cultivation of our land, dig ditches, and plant wheat seedlings. When the farm work is done, a few of them can go back to the oil press in Amendola to help transport the pots and take care of our olive oil shop at the port … When autumn comes, the busiest season, we need more labor to harvest the wheat, harvest the olives, extract the oil, and grind the flour … When the farm work is done, we have enough slaves. There's no need to hire temporary labor, which is a waste of money and inefficient …" Dania explained in detail to Giogris.
Giogris didn't know much about these things, but he trusted his wife's ability, so he nodded and said, "If that's the case, we'll do as you say."
Dania happily nestled in Giogris's arms.
The carriage stopped in front of the south gate of Turií. According to the rules, carriages were not allowed to enter the city, so Giogris and his wife could only get off the carriage and walk, with the slaves carrying his weapons and equipment behind them.
Along the way, many citizens were accompanied by their wives, and even the elderly and children came to see them off.
Ever since the example set by Dyphus, who often appeared in public with Kristoya, and the assimilation of a large number of Lucanians, the tradition in Dionysia of the wives of citizens of the Greek city-states to stay at home and keep to a minimum.
"Giogris! Giogris! "
Giogris heard someone calling him and quickly looked back. It was Olivers.
He rushed over with his Persia wife, Mitra.
After the four of them greeted each other, Olivers said excitedly, "I heard that you're back in the First Legion again this time!"
"Because Captain Hilos has become the governor of Asprustum, and I'm just here to fill in for him temporarily." Giogris still maintained his old habit of calling Hilos captain in Persia.
"What temporary! Devers will definitely let you stay in the First Legion! "Olivers curled his lips and smiled mysteriously.
"Why?" Giogris asked doubtfully.
"Because as a captain in the First Legion, it's easier to be the head of the other legions." Olivers leaned over and whispered, "I heard that yesterday Devers proposed a bill to the Senate and it has been passed. 'In the future, those who serve as a commander for five years and perform well will be elected by the senators to become members of the Senate!"
Before Giogris could say anything, Dania, who was listening with her ears pricked up, said excitedly, "That means my husband will become a senator of the Senate in the future!"
Olivers glanced at her and said with a smile, "Yes, but after me. To become a senator of the Senate, it's not just about fighting, you also need to have the ability to manage. To be like me, not only do I usually serve as the patrol captain of the Turís, but I also hired a private teacher to teach me how to read, count, and speak. Next year, I'm also going to fight for the position of secondary agricultural officer and commercial officer … "
Dania looked at her silent husband and secretly made up her mind: in the future, she would also urge him to study harder, engage in more local affairs, and not always train recruits in the Ministry of Military Affairs … and so on.
Olivers looked at her again, and he found it very interesting: the honest Giogris married a wife who looked smart was very suitable.
He carefully looked at Dania, and suddenly showed a strange expression on his face. "You're pregnant?"
Dania stroked her belly proudly. "It's been five months!"
"My wife is also pregnant!" Olivers also announced proudly, and Mitra shyly lowered his head.
"Among our comrades in this team, I'm afraid only Captain Hilos and Matonis are not married, right?" Giogris suddenly said.
"You're really out of touch with the news! Cunogorata likes Hilos and wants him to be his son-in-law, and he also wants the Devers to be the matchmaker. The Devers have already agreed, and with the Devers, that blockhead Hilos can't refuse! As for Matonis, didn't you notice that he was a little strange when we left Crimissa? " Olivers smiled mischievously. "I asked my men to secretly ask around in his brigade, and it turns out that this big guy has a crush on a girl in Crimissa … Hahaha!"
"Really?!" Giogris looked surprised.
"Of course it's true! But don't ask him, or else he'll beat you up and drag me into it, "Olivers reminded.
… …
According to the alliance agreement, Dionia not only wanted to defeat Rockley as soon as possible, but it was also a chance to display the might of the alliance in the southern Italian city-states to increase its influence in this region. Therefore, not only did Dionia send out the most elite First Legion, but they could also transfer experienced soldiers from other legions to fill in the gaps of the First Legion due to injuries and illnesses. Even the personnel responsible for the transportation of the supplies were made up of more than a thousand mercenaries led by Zantiparis. This not only ensured the safety of the supplies, but it also served as a powerful supplement for the combat troops. Of course, Dyvers, Felicius, and the others also had their own selfish motives. They hoped that these former comrades could make new contributions and become preparatory citizens of Dionia as soon as possible.
The First Legion consisted of more than 7,000 people, the supply escort team consisted of 1,500 people, a total of nearly 9,000 people, and countless supply wagons made up of pack beasts. After being inspected by Dyvers and the Senate in the Victory Square, this huge army set off towards the south in a grandiose manner.
… …
The first time Rockley heard of the Diónia Alliance (it wasn't called that back then) was during the first Crotone War. The Crotone army was defeated and captured by the much smaller Amendolara army.
The people of Rockley were pleasantly surprised and excited. They were happy to see another city-state to the north of Crotone that could cause trouble for the Crotone. Following the principle of "the enemy of my enemy is my friend", Rockley sent messengers to contact Amendolara, hoping to form an alliance to deal with Crotone together. In the end, Amendolara did not respond. Instead, they signed a truce with the Crotone and returned the thousands of Crotone soldiers to Crotone half a year later. During the negotiations, Rockley even became a bargaining chip for Amendolara to threaten Crotone and reach a truce. As a result, the people of Rockley began to resent Amendolara.
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