Chapter 270
The other powerful state of Greater Greece, Ligium, was far away on the "toes" of Italy. It remained neutral in the disputes of Greater Greece and cared more about the shipping trade than the hegemony. Locri had a grudge against Diónia, but Diónia was separated by the Southern Italian Alliance. A single Crotone was more than enough for Locri to handle. Diónia only needed a little reinforcement, and Locri would not be able to handle it. As for his backer, Syracuse, it was still entangled with Carthage for a short period of time and had no spare energy to pay attention to the land north of Sicily. Therefore, if the Devers wanted to turn Southern Italy into the most stable stronghold of the Diónia Alliance, the only thing they had to consider was the Bruti.
The area where the Bruti lived was high, not fertile, and not close to the sea. It was not coveted by the people, but because of its existence, the territory of Diónia, from Asprusstom to Grumentum, had become a slender "S" shape. Especially in the east, Asprusstom, Crimissa, Castellón, Turií, and Amendola, cities were lined up along the coast, forming a long and narrow corridor. To the Greeks who loved the sea, this was nothing out of the ordinary. But to Dyvers who had been nurtured for more than 2000 years, he felt deeply uneasy. Such a territory was too flat without any depth and the coastline was too long. If a powerful enemy were to invade, any place would become a target for the enemy. Furthermore, Diolya's army would have to march through the narrow territory to provide reinforcements. This would also lengthen the army's supply line, making it an easy target for the enemy to attack. This had already shown its disadvantages in the war with Crotone. Therefore, when the Diónia Navy was formed, the Devers set their sights on the Bruti Mountains.
Although the transportation between the Bruti Mountains and Diónia's territory was not very convenient, if they had it, Diónia's territory in Southern Italy would become a piece of land. The valley trail north of Asprusstom, the mountain trail north of Turií, and the mountain trail south of the Krati River could all be converted into a passage between Diónia and Bruti. Needless to say, the soldiers of Grumentum and Neutum could directly cross the west coast of the Bruti Mountains and reach Triene. Besides, the Bruti were weak and disunited, so they were easier to conquer.
The Devers originally planned to wait for the three territories of Asprusstom, Crimissa, and Grumentum to stabilize before launching the plan against the Bruti people. Some time ago, the Devers also asked Izam to send someone to Bruti to inquire about the news, but they did not expect the Bruti people to be so heavily guarded, and Izam's mountain scouts basically did not know the Bruti language. Not only did they not get any news, but they also lost a few men. The Devers had to suspend the reconnaissance, but they did not expect the Triene messenger, Cypross, to bring them shocking news.
"The Bruti region is different from Lucania, it is surrounded by Greek city-states," Cypross said seriously. "So every year, some Greeks or slaves escape to Bruti because of a series of reasons such as crime, persecution by political enemies, and so on, and gradually formed a unique tribe there … Many years ago, we, the Triene, had a close relationship with this tribe. We secretly sold them some goods that they urgently needed, and they passed us some news in the mountains. With this tribe, the Triene had many times prevented the attacks of the Bruti people in advance.
And this time … they have been contacting us very anxiously for a few days, because the alliance of the Bruti tribes threatens their survival, so there is no doubt that this news is true! "Cypross emphasized again.
The Devers was quite surprised. "What is the name of this tribe?"
"Xiluo, which means' Helon '."
The Devers nodded. There was no need to ask Cypross, he could also guess that such a tribe of Greeks could survive in that mountainous area, they must have taken advantage of the disputes between the tribes, or even acted as mercenaries or black market traders. Now that the Bruti people had completed the integration, this tribe of foreigners would lose the soil to survive.
There was still a question in the Devers' mind. "Why did the Bruti people not form an alliance like the Lucania, but centralize the power? Won't the other tribes object? "
After listening, Cypross showed a trace of a bitter smile, looked at the Devers, and said, "I don't know the specific reason … Maybe … it secretly learned from its neighbors. At least so far, there has not been any major unrest in the Bruti region. "
The Devers heard the mockery in Cypross' words, and he was shocked. The previous Lucania tribal alliance was a loose organization, each tribe had their own interests, and it was impossible for them to really centralize their power, so the danger to Diónia was much less. But if they were to be like Diónia, able to highly centralize their power, then it would be worth Diónia's vigilance!
The Devers sat back in his chair, looked at Cypross, and said seriously, "The Triene Council sent you to tell me this news, do you have any suggestions?"
Cypross had experienced the Devers' style of speaking the last time, so he did not beat around the bush, and said frankly, "The Triene Council hopes that Diónia can take the lead and lead the Southern Alliance to take the initiative to attack the Bruti, and before the Bruti tribal alliance becomes a real threat, destroy it, and restore peace to the people of Greece!"
"The Southern Alliance …" The Devers whispered, touched his chin, and pondered for a while before saying, "Starting a war is a big deal, especially against a big force like the Bruti! What's more, Diónia just ended the war not long ago, so I'm afraid it will take some time for the Senate to make a decision on this issue … "
Cypross nodded in understanding.
"In that case, Cypross, you should stay in Turií for a while, and get a good feel of the life of the Diónia people. At the same time, it will be convenient for us to discuss the issue of attacking the Bruti with you at any time. "
The Devers invited Cypross, and he immediately agreed. He smiled and said, "Turií is a city completely different from other Greek city-states! I like the architecture, the tidiness, and more importantly, the food here is not available anywhere else! "
The Devers laughed, and until Cypross left, he did not ask Cypross what he said in Cristoia's restaurant, 'What is the flaw of the political system of Diónia?' Because he did not want others to know that the Devers had eyes and ears everywhere in Turií, because no one liked the feeling of being watched all the time.
In fact, this practice of the Devers was not the first in this era. As early as 70 years ago, the successor of the tyrant Glenn of Syracuse, Thieron, had once implemented a "secret agent system", which caused great resentment among the people. Of course, the Devers who cared about their reputation would not be stupid enough to expose these dark sides. In fact, there was no need to ask, he was very clear about the biggest problem of the current political system of Diónia.
After the Senate of Diónia deliberately did not hold a citizen's assembly, ordinary citizens did not have the opportunity to participate in politics. If this was in Persia, this would not be a problem at all. But this was Greece, and the enthusiasm of the Greek citizens to participate in politics was well-known among the Mediterranean countries and city-states. Even the most conservative oligarchy, Sparta, allowed its citizens to express their opinions on the laws and proposals enacted. Of course, it was not through voting, but through the strength of their voices in support of "yes or no". The reason why the political situation in Diónia was stable now was that the Greek cities in the Union of Diónia had suffered a sharp decline in population after the war. The remaining people were still busy repairing their homes, and the fear of war made them yearn for strong protection. The army under the command of the Devers gave them a great sense of security. On the other hand, the native freedmen, who made up the majority of the population, had always been on the periphery of the city-states. They were busy making a living and had no right to participate in the affairs of the city-states, so they did not develop the habit of participating in politics, nor were they enthusiastic about politics. Not to mention the citizens of Lucaria, who used to be under the control of the elders and chiefs in their tribes, but now in the Union of Diónia, the Senate decided everything, so they did not feel any discomfort.
The Devers knew that this stable situation would not last forever. When the Union of Diónia became stronger and the people became wealthier, they would probably have higher expectations. But the Devers were not worried about this. He had already taken the corresponding measures to deal with it. Now, it was better to let the people of Diónia continue to familiarize themselves with the existing system until they got used to it …
… …
At the end of July, Dionysius led the Syracuse army to launch a full-scale attack on Motia, the core town of Carthage in Sicily.
The causeway they built from the coast had already connected to the small island where Motia was located in the bay. The siege weapons could be directly transported to the city, so the fierce siege began: the Motians used bows, arrows, javelins, and threw burning tar to kill and injure the soldiers of Syracuse; the Syracuse used dozens of ballistae to bombard the walls of Motia, forcing the defenders to stand on the walls …
After a few days of fierce fighting, the siege hammers used by the Syracuse people smashed a big hole in the walls of Motia. The army of Syracuse rushed in, and the walls of Motia fell.
Dionysius was very excited. He thought that victory was already in his hands, but who knew that the bloody battle had just begun.
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