Chapter 357
"Go ahead, Lord Polyxis." Of course, Cornelus couldn't show such an expression, so he could only nod and ask Polyxis to speak.
"When the Lucania and Bruti tribes joined the Diónia City-State Alliance, we had a formal agreement with them, 'not to interfere in the internal affairs of the tribes, and to ensure the independence and integrity of the tribes'. However —"
Polyxis waved his arm and said loudly, "However, a few years have passed, and the independence of the tribes has been seriously affected. Many small tribes have even ceased to exist. What's the reason? Because the young men of the tribes have asked to leave the tribe and live alone, which has led to a sharp decline in the tribe's population. Without enough labor to sustain their livelihood, they had to disband … The agreement we signed with the Lucania and Bruti tribes was completed under the watch of Hades. Now, the survival of the tribes in the alliance has been seriously threatened. This has not only seriously affected the reputation of Diónia, but also caused the other tribes in Greece who want to join us to hesitate and doubt. In order to live up to the support and trust of the tribes, I propose that the Senate should pass a law to 'prohibit the tribes from leaving the tribe, in order to maintain the integrity of the tribe'. "
Some of the elders looked at each other and felt strange: What's going on? Polyxis, who had always been indifferent to the affairs of non-Greek people, had actually begun to care about the tribe's affairs.
Vesba, Hemont, Bagylipi, and the others had a strange look on their faces, while Sedorum, Burgam, Petaru, and Khadurk were deep in thought.
At this moment, Pleasinus stood up, "I don't agree with this proposal! The adult men of the Lucania and Bruti tribes are basically citizens or prospective citizens of Diónia. As citizens of the alliance, of course they have the freedom of choice, and the Senate has no right to make such a rule! Don't you think so, Tritodemus? "
The current senior judge, Tritodemus, nodded and said, "The first rule of the 'Law of Diónia' is to 'protect the rights and freedom of choice of citizens', and any new bill must not violate this bottom line! I think that whether it is the tribe or the members of the tribe, they all hope that everyone can live a stable and prosperous life. Judging from the current situation, each of them has achieved a good development in the Diónia Alliance. I don't think there's a need to change anything. "
Devers listened to their argument quietly, her fingers tapping on the wooden chair …
… …
Kardias went to the Temple of Hades in Turií and asked to see the priest in charge, Plesinas, to explain his wishes.
Plesinas readily agreed to his request, so the young man from the Siridean entered the Temple of Hades to study as a believer.
Every morning and dusk, Kardias studied the teachings of the Temple of Hades (The main idea of the Hades doctrine was proposed by Devers, mainly to promote: people who do good and punish evil, love the country, family, abide by the law, and are eager to help others will ascend to Elysium after death, while people who behave in the opposite way will go to hell to be punished … He also gave a detailed exposition on the formation of heaven and earth, the disputes of the gods, Elysium, and hell on the basis of the original Greek mythology. Of course, he was biased towards Hades, establishing him as a good god who was willing to endure for the sake of mankind, similar to the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha of the East. Then, after further interpretation and compilation by Plesinas and several of his subordinates' priests, there were now several thick books on Hades and his temple, not including the book about the deeds of his wife, Persephone). During the day, Kardias followed the priests to deal with the affairs of the temple.
Early every morning, the Turís came to the Temple of Hades in an endless stream.
Farmers who wanted to farm, fishermen who wanted to go out to sea, merchants who wanted to do business … As long as it was convenient, they would first come to the temple to pray, and then leave with confidence. At the same time, the people who made a wish and fulfilled a wish would also put a few coins into the donation box, light a small oil lamp, and place it in front of the statue to show their sincerity. After the people who begged for the oracle drew a wooden stick, they asked the priests to answer their questions (the wooden stick was engraved with mysterious sentences, and the good or bad answers depended on the level of the priests). Of course, some people who had been helped by the priests of the Temple of Hades brought some gifts to thank the temple …
Today, Kardias' job was to welcome the people who brought gifts. From morning until now, he had hardly stopped. Although he was tired, he felt full.
At this time, he had just sent a white-haired old man down the hill when he suddenly heard someone shouting, "Help! Help! … "
He heard the sound and saw a man covered in blood running towards him in panic, and there were two people chasing him.
Although he had only stayed in the Temple of Hades for a few days, he already had the self-awareness of a priest of Hades who helped those in distress. He immediately went up to the man, wanted to help him up, and asked, "What happened?"
The man saw that there were people blocking his way, and he became even more anxious. The man's words echoed in his heart: Only by running to the Temple of Hades and asking Pluto for help, can you get out of your current predicament and become a true citizen of Diónia!
He reached out and pulled Kardias away, and continued to run to the Temple of Hades on the hillside.
Kardias staggered a few steps and almost fell.
As soon as he stood up, the two people behind him caught up to him, and he immediately asked loudly, "Who are you people?! What happened?! "
The two strong men looked at Kardias, who was wearing the white robe of a priest of the Temple of Hades, and hesitated.
Just as they were hesitating, the man had already rushed to the front of the temple. The people coming and going and the priests who came and went made the two men hesitate, and they finally left resentfully.
The man broke into the temple and knelt in front of the statue of Hades, kowtowing and begging, "Merciful Hades! Help me, I beg you! Help me … "
The people inside and outside the temple heard his miserable cry, and did not know what had happened. They all came over to see what was going on.
At this time, the priests in the temple also hurried over …
… …
Polyxis' proposal only received the support of Petaru, Khadurk, Burgam, and a few others, but it was not passed.
However, after a while, he brought up the matter again and asked for a citizens' assembly.
The elders voted again, and the number of people who supported him was actually close to 15, including: Enanilus, Eurippus, and Preades, who served in the army, as well as the former leaders of the Bruti tribe, such as Burgam, Petaru, and Khadurk … Although it was less than half, including the elders who abstained, the supporters of Polyxis actually accounted for one-third of the votes.
For Polyxis, this was definitely a huge victory. No wonder after the voting ended, he proudly declared, "The result of this election shows that more and more elders are aware of the importance of the citizens' assembly. If Diónia wants to achieve the same glory as Athens, it must let more citizens participate in the decision-making of the Alliance, in order to truly achieve equality and freedom for the citizens of all races in Diónia! As time passes, I believe that the other elders who expressed their opposition will also realize this, because you are the leaders of Diónia, the wisest of the people! I look forward to the day when the citizens' assembly is held! "Polyxis' speech was sonorous and powerful.
The faces of the elders changed slightly, and they all looked at the Devers sitting in the front row.
At this moment, Bagylipi had already figured out the intention of Polyxis' previous proposal: Polyxis knew that the proposal would not be passed, but he wanted to let these tribal elders see that as long as the power of the Devers was not restricted, then the plight of the tribes would not change, and he could turn this problem around. At present, the relatively independent administrative organizations of the Bruti and Lucania tribes have been greatly impacted by the Diónia Alliance. A few years of subtle influence made the young people in the tribes yearn for the free life of the Alliance's citizens, and they no longer wanted to be restricted by the tribal rules, so they left the tribes one after another …
Bagylipi was aware of this situation, and his tribe was in the city of Bissilia, which was located next to Turií. The year before last, the Devers directly placed Abyssinia under the jurisdiction of Turií on the grounds that it was easier to manage, making it more politically and economically connected with Turií, so it was naturally more affected. His tribe almost existed in name only.
But Bagylipi was very open-minded, he understood that this was the general trend, and this was not a bad thing for the Bruti. His confidence came from the young man in front of him. But at this moment, the authority of this young governor was being challenged, he couldn't help but worry for him.
At this time, the Devers said calmly, "Dear elders, Polyxis just mentioned the citizens' assembly, and said, 'Only by holding a citizens' assembly can we achieve equality and freedom for the people. ' If your memory is good, Polyxis, do you remember how Turií rapidly declined a few years ago? How were they burned down? What role did the Turií's citizens' assembly and your so-called 'equality and freedom' play? Can you tell me? "
Hearing this, Cunogorata, Ancitanos, Burcos and the others all looked gloomy.
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