Chapter 298
"Since when did we, the Bruti, become so friendly to the Greeks! Are we afraid of them just because they're from Diónia?! "Kanaru roared indignantly. Over the past year or so, although the Bruti were relatively isolated, they were still aware of the happenings in the outside world. The sudden emergence of a powerful city-state alliance around the Bruti had put pressure on the leaders of the various tribes. Only young men like Kanaru were unconvinced, "We're wolves, and the Greeks are just sheep. No matter how many sheep there are, and how fat they are, they can't defeat the wolves!"
"Alright, Karam, don't forget what your father told you before he left. You don't want him to get angry when he hears that you don't listen to our advice again. He'll deprive you of the authority you've just obtained, and pass it on to your brother." Another older man also came forward to persuade him.
Kanaru seemed to have thought of something, and his expression changed slightly. He turned around angrily and glared fiercely at Antares before he left.
Antares was listening to the translation of their conversation by his follower. The old man walked over and said in a gentle tone, "Messenger of Diónia, my name is Bagylipi, a leader of Abyssinia. His name is Brim, and he's also the leader of Abyssinia. "
Antares bowed with a smile and reported his name.
"We'll immediately send someone to inform Cosenza of your arrival. You'll be staying in Ciudad Abyssinia to rest for the time being. Once we receive news of your entry, we'll send someone to escort you to Cosenza. "
… …
The Bruti slept very simply. They covered themselves with animal fur and slept directly on the wooden floor around the fire pit.
Antares and his men were already physically and mentally exhausted after an afternoon of trekking and fear. They fell asleep immediately after dinner, and soon fell asleep. Snoring could be heard everywhere.
In the darkness, there was only one person who still had his eyes open.
Among Antares' three attendants, one was his most trusted slave, who took good care of his food and clothing throughout the journey. The other was Adepigis, a translator specially found by the Senate for Antares because he did not understand the Bruti language. Adepigis was a registered free citizen of Diónia. His mother was a Greek. She was kidnapped by the Bruti and became pregnant after she was humiliated and gave birth to him. He was a slave of the Bruti people since he was a child. He experienced hardships and finally seized an opportunity to escape from the Bruti mountains and finally came to Turií. He had a deep hatred for the Bruti people, but he was very patient. The last attendant, who was still awake, was recommended to Antares by Marigi. He said that he was from the Ministry of Military Affairs. In consideration of the future war with the Bruti people, he needed to know the internal situation of the Bruti region. In fact, he was a probationary citizen of Diónia. His name was Antares, and he was the younger brother of Aristiras, the personal intelligence officer of the Devers.
Since Izam's reconnaissance team had followed the Devers to Tarantum, Antares was indeed performing his reconnaissance duties in this regard. At this moment, he was trying to recall everything he saw during the day: the approximate time spent on the road from Turií to Abyssinia, the difficulty of the road, the location of Ciudad Abyssinia and how secure it was, the approximate number of the population and soldiers in the city, and the character of the leaders of Abyssinia through their conversations. Antares recalled over and over again until he could clearly engrave them in his mind. There were still some vague parts that he had to further confirm the next day.
When this was done, Antares turned his eyes to Antares, who was sleeping on the opposite side. This was another one of his targets. He monitored and observed the performance of the Crimissa man, who had just joined the Senate, in the coming diplomatic mission to Cosenza.
It was not the first time Antares had done such a thing. At first, he was a little resistant. He told his brother, Aristiras, that the former tyrant of Syracuse, Chieron, had once created a spy system that spied on the private lives of the citizens of the city, so he had a bad reputation. He did not want the Devers they were attached to to to become like that.
However, Aristiras persuaded him that Chieron's bad reputation was mainly because he was too dictatorial, overly suspicious and oppressive of the citizens, so the people were seething with discontent. And the Devers, as a broad-minded and cool-headed lifelong governor, knew how to maintain the freedom of the people, so they should not make such a mistake. Moreover, he was outstanding. The rapid rise of the Diónia Alliance had proved everything. He was the best commander for the fight against Syracuse and the reconstruction of Katanai. Therefore, consolidating his leadership position and preventing people with ulterior motives from stirring up trouble became one of Aristiras's important duties.
After Antares was convinced by his brother, he had followed and investigated the movements of many senators in the Senate. It should be said that most of the senators supported and agreed with the Devers' position as lifelong governors. Although a few, such as Polyxis, were dissatisfied with the Devers, they did not take any concrete actions. As for Antares, he was the leader of the three Crimissa men who entered the Senate. After coming to Turií, apart from attending Senate meetings, he rarely came out and had little contact with other senators, which made Aristiras very curious. This diplomatic mission was a good opportunity to learn more about this Crimissa man, and at the same time, it could also provide reference for the Devers' future use and appointment of senior officials. At least from his current performance, although Antares was a noble of Crimissa, he was able to endure hardship and was courageous. Antares was looking forward to his next performance.
In the afternoon of the next day, a messenger came from Cosenza, and Antares and his party were allowed to enter Cosenza.
Bagylipi also sent ten warriors to "escort" the Diónia emissaries to Cosenza.
The group left the city and began to travel west along the mountain road, but they were stopped not long after.
Kanaru appeared in front of them on horseback and said triumphantly, "Greeks, I haven't even entertained you, and you want to leave just like that?"
Antares and his party immediately felt nervous.
At this time, the Bruti warrior in charge of the escort stepped forward to persuade Kanaru, but was stopped by his men, "Don't worry, I won't let you go back without an explanation."
After he made the promise, his face darkened, and his eyes were fierce, "Give them five lashes! Let them know that the Greeks won't be able to pass through my Ciudad Abyssinia without paying a price! "
After he finished, before Antares and his party could react, they were swarmed by the Bruti warriors and pressed to the ground.
After five lashes, everyone's skin was lacerated. Adepigis was angered by the beating, and he cursed in Bruti.
Kanaru listened, but he laughed and shouted, "Give him three more lashes!"
Adepigis wanted to continue cursing, but Antares shouted in a low voice, "Adepigis, don't forget what we are here for!"
Adepigis was shocked and slowly lowered his head.
Kanaru saw that the Greeks did not respond, and he was quite bored. He did not dare to go too far in case he incurred his father's anger, so he shouted, "Cowardly Greeks, let's go." He shook the reins of his horse with both hands and rode eastward along the road.
Antares and the other three supported each other and moved forward with difficulty.
Although the terrain was getting higher and higher, the road was no longer rugged and difficult to walk on. The continuous mountain peaks gradually retreated to the two sides. In front of them was a gently undulating grassland. Dense layers of soft grass were dotted with colorful wildflowers, like a vast, boundless, colorful carpet, extending into the distance … Herds of cows, sheep, and horses were either eating grass quietly on the slope, or running and playing with their hooves raised. Grass huts were scattered among them, and some of them even had smoke rising from their chimneys.
More and more people could be seen on the road. They were herding cows and sheep, carrying goods on their backs, and appeared at different places on the slope, heading in the same direction.
In the evening, Antares saw a huge, towering shadow in front of him with the help of the moonlight. He knew that Cosenza had arrived.
As it was already past the time to enter the city, Antares and his party could only set up tents outside the city for the night.
The next morning, the Bruti warriors who were escorting them immediately reported to the city.
Soon, Antares and his party were welcomed by the guards sent by the Tribal Alliance, and they were invited to enter the city of Cosenza.
After breakfast, Antares was brought to the meeting hall of Cosenza. Compared to the grass hut in Abyssinia, this place was much more magnificent.
There was one person sitting in the middle, and three people sat on both sides. The seat in the middle was obviously higher, and it seemed that there was a hierarchy.
Antares was thinking about the news of the Bruti tribes forming the Tribal Alliance under the leadership of Cosenza, and he bowed respectfully. "Respected leaders, I am Antares, the messenger of Diónia, and I bring greetings from the Senate of Diónia!"
Before Adepigis could translate, the person in the middle said in Greek, "Messenger of Diónia, welcome to the center of the Bruti Tribal Alliance, Cosenza. I am the leader of the entire Tribal Alliance, Pienlen."
As soon as he finished speaking, the person closest to his lower left stood up and asked in Greek, "The Bruti have never had any contact with Diónia. May I know why the messenger is here this time?"
As soon as this was said, everyone in the meeting hall focused their attention on Antares.
Antares did not expect the Bruti people to put the question on the table as soon as they met. He did not answer immediately, but turned around and asked, "May I know who you are?"
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