Chapter 342
"We don't have any other cities in Crotone. It's a waste to use the treasury's money to pay for the mail. If … Asprusstom still belonged to us, we could consider it. But if that's the case, our roads and bridges would have to be built like this. "Statipus stomped his foot. Indeed, the uneven dirt roads in Crotone could easily cause a carriage to fall apart.
"Asprusstom!" It was a pain in the hearts of the people of Crotone. Nixstratus snorted and cursed, "It's all the council's fault! You know, a few years ago, this was the Croton Plains. It was fertile land! Now it belongs to the people of Diónia … "
"We should get going, or we won't be able to make it to Crimissa tonight!" Statipus changed the topic and reminded the two.
"How far are we from Crimissa?" Nixstratus asked, rubbing his thigh. He was a little tired since he didn't come out often.
Statipus stood up and looked ahead. He pointed ahead and said, "Lycassus, go take a look at that stone tablet. How far is it to Crimissa?"
"Is the distance carved on the tablet?" Lycassus walked over, puzzled.
After a while, he pointed at the tablet and shouted, "Twenty miles from Crimissa. Is this it?"
"Yes."
"And … there's a small house carved on the next line. It's written five miles. What does that mean?"
"It means there's a station five miles ahead. It can provide temporary rest, food, and even accommodation," a passerby beside Lycassus replied.
"Oh, thank you!" Lycassus thanked him politely.
"You're doctors?" the man asked with a smile when he saw the medical box he was carrying.
"Yes, I'm going to Turií with my teacher to participate in a … uh … medical forum."
"The doctors of Dionysia have superb medical skills, and they are blessed by Hades. They can save the dying. You have found the right place to learn!" The man had a look of understanding. "What a coincidence! I'm going to Turií too. "
The man's words made Nixstratus uncomfortable. He stood up and said, "Let's go. We still have to hurry."
They walked on the sidewalk.
Beyond the sidewalk were fields of wheat that were being plowed. It was no different from what he had seen before. The difference was, that the aqueducts were crisscrossed, wider, and deeper; but the slaves worked with greater zeal, and even sang in the midst of their labors, which their masters did not restrain, and some even sang in reply. Compared to the dullness of the Crotone slaves, the Diónia slaves were more like normal people, and this was not an isolated phenomenon. Almost all the Diónia slaves that Lycassus had seen were in such a state.
Lycassus didn't quite understand. He was born in a peasant family, so he knew the life of a farmer very well. Crotone farmers usually had one or two slaves, as they couldn't afford any more. Since they needed labor to do farm work, they were very dependent on their slaves. Unlike the various workshop owners in the city who desperately squeezed them, the slaves were treated as part of the family.
When Lycassus was a child, he had been carefully taken care of by his family's slaves. He had always thought that the simple and honest old man Thrace was more like a father than his own father.
The Crotone farmers treated their slaves well enough. Could it be that the Diónia people treated their slaves better? Lycassus felt that it was somewhat impossible. He wanted to ask Statius, but when he turned his head, he saw that the two of them were discussing medical matters, so he had to give up for the time being.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the man who had spoken before walking not far behind them. His heart skipped a beat, and he slowed down his pace: "My name is Lycassus, from Crotone. Thank you for your reminder."
"My name is Caldius, a Silesian." The man smiled warmly: "I have been to Turís many times, so I know more about Diónia. If there is anything you don't understand about this city-state alliance, feel free to ask me."
The man seemed to have read his mind. Lycassus scratched his head in embarrassment and asked: "I don't understand why these slaves are so happy."
Caldius looked in the direction that Lycassus was pointing and saw the slaves singing in the wheat field. He thought for a moment and said: "That's because they have hope."
"Hope?"
Caldius' expression became solemn, and his voice was slow and long: "The great Pluto once said, 'Everyone's fate is different. Some are born rich, some poor, some unfortunate to become slaves, and some lucky to become nobles. But as long as you always have kindness in your heart and don't give up, when your life ends and you are judged by Hades, in the face of the golden scales of justice and selflessness, status and wealth in life are only illusory. What truly decides each person's soul is to go to the beautiful Elysee or the terrible hell? This is what you do in your life. The good go to the Elysee, and the evil go to hell. The hard work can enjoy music and food, and the easy work and hate work will forever be forced to do hard labor … "
Lycassus was stunned. "You … you mean … these slaves work so enthusiastically for the sake of entering the Elysee in the future?"
"It's not entirely because of this." Caldius said softly: "The Consul Devers of Diónia, who have the blood of the Hades, were inspired by the Father and passed a bill in the Senate. 'Every year on the Hades Celebration, the slaves of the city-state who have performed well will be granted freedom.' And the Devers will also grant freedom to their slaves who have performed well on this day. Because the Devers are loved and respected by the people of Diónia, they are influenced by the Consul. If they have the power to spare, they will also consider granting freedom to the private slaves who have contributed to their family …
I remember that last year, a Nubian slave was sent by his master to the port market to buy goods. He rescued two children from drowning in the Kekrati River. Not only was the father of the children willing to pay for his freedom, but the people of the city unanimously asked for his freedom … So you see, with such an atmosphere in Diónia, how can these slaves not do their best to perform!? "
Lycassus nodded. Although the Crotone also granted freedom to their slaves, they did not use a bill like Diónia to enact it. Moreover, the number of times the slaves were released was so high and so many.
In fact, there was another reason that Caldias did not understand. Although the age composition of the citizens and prospective citizens of Diónia was mainly young and middle-aged (due to the large number of immigrants in Diónia), the number of times the citizens had to participate in military training was more than ten times that of the Crotone. They also had to undertake some garrison duties. They did not have more energy and time to take care of their own land. They relied more on the slaves. Therefore, not only did they see the slaves as part of their family, but they also had more autonomy in their work, which was more conducive to the slaves' enthusiasm.
"That's why the slaves of Siletan have been escaping to Kenapetitia from time to time in the past two years," Caldias added.
"Ah … There was also a large-scale slave escape in Crotone!" Lycassus remembered, "But it was not to Kenapetitia, but to Asprustum, which is not far from Crotone. At that time, we even held a citizens' meeting and sent people to protest to Asprustum, asking for the return of the escaped slaves. They quickly escorted the slaves back … "
"If the Siletorians and Crotone do not make any changes on the slave issue, there will be more such incidents in the future." Caldias sighed. As a Siletorian, he did not seem to be worried about this. Instead, he was happy to see it happen.
Of course, the young Lycassus did not think too much about it. He asked another question, "Oh right, you just said … those words that Pluto Hades said, why haven't I heard of them before?"
"There are too many things about the gods that you have not heard of." Caldias' eyes lit up, "You should know that when Zeus and his siblings worked together to overthrow their father, Cronus, and divided the power of their father, Hades, as the eldest brother, could have chosen the sky or the sea as his divine realm. But he chose the dark and damp hell, and thus lived underground for a long time. He created a fair and selfless abode for the weak human souls, and ensured the stability of the world above. Isn't he great?"
"Is … is that so?" Lycassus said suspiciously, "Everyone knows that Hades was forced to choose hell."
"Have you ever thought about who passed down the truth that you know? … Without the permission of Zeus, the master of the gods, how could such a secret be known to us ordinary humans? Zeus ruled over the Olympian gods, and of course he would use the contents of the rumors to his advantage. Pluto Hades was introverted, and his appearance was a little gloomy. The Greeks did not like him, so they all believed the rumors. " Caldias said solemnly, "But in fact, among the gods, Hades was the most loyal to his duty and kept to his place. Zeus, wanton and willful; Poseidon, violent and ruthless; Ares, crazy and bloodthirsty; Hermes, mischievous and playful; Hvistos, drunken and promiscuous; Apollo, proud and sinister … Only Hades, have you ever heard of anything bad happening to him? "
After listening to Caldias' words, Lycassus felt a little dazed. He covered his forehead and said after a long time, "He … he took Demeter's daughter, Parsephone, as his wife."
Caldias had a look of "I knew you would say this" on his face. He explained seriously, "No goddess was willing to go there because of the harsh underground environment. Hades had no choice but to take a wife for himself by force."
Note:
The description of the stone tablets in this chapter is not from the modern era. In the early days of the Roman Empire, there were humanized designs for the stone tablets, very similar to the signs of today. Roman merchants also sold a kind of iron cup to travelers, engraved with detailed road maps of each province to facilitate travel.
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