Chapter 302
Hearing this, the Devers fell into deep thought. It was customary for the citizens of the Greek city-states to bring their own rations for three days when they went out to fight, and not more than five days at most. They had never heard of paying so many rations. This was no different from directly donating. Citizens had the obligation to fight for the city-state, to sacrifice their blood and lives, but they had no obligation to donate their property for the city-state. Doing so would probably cause dissatisfaction among the citizens, and it would also dampen their passion for battle. It would also set a bad precedent …
Seeing that the Devers were hesitating, Mercies continued to persuade them, "Although the soldiers are required to bring more rations, they are not at a disadvantage at all. After defeating Bruti, they will be able to get more land! "
The Devers pondered for a while, then shook his head and said, "The distribution of land according to military merits is a plan that Diónia had formulated before. We can't use this bill to ask for extra benefits from the citizens."
"Devers …" Mercies wanted to persuade them again.
The Devers interrupted him and said thoughtfully, "But … Mercies, you reminded me. We can borrow a certain amount of grain from the citizens in the name of the Senate … When the treasury is full, we will repay the citizens who borrowed the grain with interest. What do you think of this method? "
"This is a good idea!" Mercies said loudly, "But the interest cannot be too high."
"The interest will be set by you." Seeing that the problem of rations was solved, the Devers were in a good mood. "You are the best financial officer in Southern Italy! But you better come up with a plan as soon as possible and bring it up at the Senate meeting. "
"With your support, Devers, how can the bill not be passed!" Mercies was in a good mood and took the opportunity to flatter him. He then said, "The day before yesterday, I went to Tino River and saw your … under construction … Hmm, the big hot spring bathhouse is almost finished. When are you going to officially open it to the public? Don't forget to inform me as soon as possible. I want to be the first citizen to enjoy the hot spring bathhouse! "
When Mercies was in Persia, while enjoying the massage from the female slaves trained by the Devers, he had also heard the Devers describe the combination of massage and hot spring baths. Not only was it more comfortable, but it was also more beneficial to the body. He had long yearned for it. Since the construction of the hot spring bathhouse, he had visited it more often than the real owner, the Devers.
Devers, of course, knew this and readily agreed.
After sending Mercies away, the Devers returned to the living room and looked at the map of the Bruti region drawn by the Xilu emissary, thinking hard: How to fight against the Bruti? Where would be the best place to break through and shorten the war? …
After pondering for a long time, he got up and went for a walk along the corridor to relax his mind and clear his thoughts.
"Father!" In the middle of the courtyard, Adoris, who was playing catch with the slaves, waved to him.
Devers responded with a smile and reminded him to be careful. Devers had adopted this pair of siblings. At first, they were strangers and reserved, but after living together for more than a year, they had finally integrated into the family. According to Christoya, Cynthia, in particular, became very sensible and often helped her take care of little Crowe. After returning, Devers hadn't seen this smart and cute adopted daughter. She should still be studying in school.
Dyvers thought as he strolled around the cloister. After walking around, he bumped into Henepolis, who had just returned from outside.
As the son of Laos' Consul Avinogis, when Henepolis first came to Turií to study, the Devers placed him in their home from the beginning. This was not only to win over Avinogis, but also to train Henepolis and cultivate his sense of identity with Diónia. This practice of the Devers gradually spread among the Senate Senators. For example, when the children of the leading figures of Castellón, Neutum and other allied city-states or the leaders of small Lucanian tribes came to Turií to play and study, most of them did not stay in hotels, but were invited to stay in the homes of the Senate Senators. For example, the children of the chief general of Castellón, Amicles, lived in Cunogorata's home.
"My lord, you're back!" Henepolis shouted as soon as he saw the Devers, "How did it go? Did you defeat those barbarians?"
Devers smiled and said faintly, "Tarantum has signed a peace agreement with them." Then he changed the topic, "I heard that you're now studying with Lord Ancitanos."
When Henepolis first came, his mind was unstable. First, he went to the hospital and said that he wanted to learn medicine, but he stayed for a while because he could not stand the patients' cries and the bloody scenes, so he gave up. Later, he went to the mathematics research institute, but he was confused by the complicated calculations. He also went to the arena for a while to practice football. It was not until the school was established that he applied to study with Ancitanos, who was already a well-known scholar in Southern Italy. At least, he performed well in the past few months.
"My lord, that old man Ancitanos is too much. He used me as a slave. Not only did he arrange a lot of work for me as a scribe, but I also often ran errands for him …" Henepolis complained.
"In that case, I'll go and tell Ancitanos to change your teacher," said the Devers seriously, as if he was very considerate of him.
Henepolis quickly waved his hand, "No! Don't go! If you say that, I don't know how he'll torture me later! "
He lowered his head and stammered, "Actually … Actually … Learning from him … I really learned a lot. It made me interested in history … Today, he asked me to come back and write an article about 'Why Sybaris Perished'."
"Oh." The Devers' interest was piqued. "Why do you think Sybaris perished?"
"Of course it's because of the difference in commanding ability between Sybaris and Crotone! Crotone was able to defeat Sybaris because of Pythagoras, just like how our Dionysia was able to defeat Crotone because of you, my lord! "Heniboris replied without any hesitation as he flattered Leylin.
We! When the Devers heard this, his eyes flashed, and he chuckled, "There's another more important reason. Long-term prosperity and luxury not only corroded the bodies of the Sybaris people, but also their minds, causing them to lose their courage and fighting spirit. Otherwise, even if Pythagoras won the battle with cunning tactics, Sybaris was a powerful nation. They could have reorganized their army and used their abundant resources and sufficient population to continue the war against Crotone. Crotone would not have taken advantage of their victory and easily occupied their city!
Today's Crotone is the same. As the overlords of Greece for a long time, they have become arrogant and have lost their vigilance. At the same time, they have also gotten used to peace. When our army set foot on the Croton Plains, they hurriedly asked for peace. If they had chosen to continue fighting against Diónia, our alliance would not have achieved today's status so quickly. There's a saying that goes, 'Difficult circumstances make a city strive to survive, but a comfortable life makes a country more likely to perish!' "
Henepolis' eyes lit up. He repeated the last sentence over and over again, then said excitedly, "My lord, that's great! I'm going to write it in my article and let the old man know how great I am! "
The Devers said mischievously, "Don't tell him that I said it."
"Of course!"
A burst of laughter came from the courtyard.
… …
A few days later, Antares returned to Turií. When the Senate learned of what the Bruti had done, they were furious and threatened to punish the Bruti severely.
A day later, the Triene emissary, Cypross, brought a small number of Western Ru who had luckily escaped the Bruti Tribal Alliance to Turií.
The Devers personally received them and officially promised that Diónia would seek justice for them against the Bruti Tribal Alliance at the appropriate time.
Then, these Western Ru who had their relatives slaughtered and lost their homes not only recounted their tragic experiences in the Senate, but also in the squares and gatherings to the people of Diónia, arousing the sympathy of many citizens. They said that these poor Greeks should be helped to avenge the Bruti!
For a time, the atmosphere of war was tense in Diónia, but the Senate did not issue a call for war, because the autumn harvest had arrived …
… …
Corinth, a Greek city-state on the Peloponnesus Peninsula, a city-state with as long a history as Sparta. Due to its geographical location in the center of the Greek mainland, the Isthmus of Corinth not only made it an ideal place for Greek alliances to gather, such as during the Greek – Persian War a few decades ago, the armies of the Peloponnesus Alliance often gathered here and set off. At the same time, its unique geographical location also brought convenience to trade.
As early as more than a hundred years ago, Corinth's prestige flourished in Greece. Not only was it rich, but its culture was also very developed. For this reason, the powerful and confident Corinth people created the Isthmus Games, which soon became one of the four major games in Greece.
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