Chapter 360
Burcos was unmoved. With a pained expression, he said, "To think that so many people were found to be occupying land illegally … To be honest, I'm very surprised! … I feel even more pained by my dereliction of duty! If I don't resign, I won't be able to answer to the people of the Senate … I also hope that the Senate will investigate me and confirm my innocence! "
Listening to his words, the Devers's mind was in a whirl. He had known about the corruption problem of Polyxis and the others a few years ago, but he had tolerated it and allowed it to spread and involve more people. On one hand, Polyxis and the others wanted to achieve their goals, so they had to buy more slaves and release more slaves. This was exactly what the Devers wanted to see. On the other hand, most of the people who were involved in this shady business were the nobles and the rich of the cities. Only they had the ability and connections to achieve their goals. The Devers could take this opportunity to catch all these people who were secretly resisting the bill that he had enacted to benefit the people. Therefore, it wasn't that no one had discovered the problem in the past few years. It was just that several important civil servants under Burcos had been bribed to cover it up. At the same time, the Devers had also secretly suppressed the matter. It was only today that the lid was lifted. From the bottom of his heart, he felt guilty towards Burcos.
"Daddy! Daddy! … "At this moment, the half-closed door was suddenly pushed open. Four-year-old Crotocatax ran in." Come and play with me! "
As he spoke, he jumped onto the Devers's chair.
The Devers hurriedly hugged him and said in a pleasant tone, "My little Croo, I'm discussing something with my uncle. I don't have time now. Go and play with Brother Adoris, okay?"
"Brother is reciting poems and doesn't have time to play with me. He said that if he doesn't recite well, he'll be punished by the teacher tomorrow … Sister is helping mom with the flowers, no one is paying attention to me!" Little Croo hugged the Devers's neck and said pitifully, "Daddy, come and play with me, okay?"
Seeing that the consul, who was usually revered by everyone, had no idea what to do with the child, Burcos was both surprised and a little emotional. He stood up and said, "Lord Devers, you don't have to persuade me anymore. I've made up my mind. I'll be leaving first."
"Alright." Devers held his son in one arm and stood up. "I agree with you resigning from your position as the agriculture officer, but I won't allow you to be lazy! Right now, there are a lot of things to do in the Alliance. I can't handle it all by myself. You must continue to come and help me! "
Burcos was silent for a moment, then said, "Let me think …"
"Don't even think about it. You're the Senator of Diónia. This is your duty! Once this is over, you will take up a position in the Alliance's Public Officials Management Committee! "Devers said in a domineering manner that did not allow him to refuse.
Burcos neither agreed nor refused. He walked to the door and asked hesitantly, "How will the Senate deal with Polyxis?"
He was asking the Senate, but in fact, it was not the Devers who made the decision. The Devers answered vaguely, "The court will decide how to punish Polyxis and the others after the trial …"
Burkos could tell that the Devers had no intention of letting Pollux and the others go. He sighed inwardly, because he had also heard the news of Pollux colluding with Syracuse.
"Little Krol! Little Krol! " At this moment, the beautiful figure of a woman appeared in front of Burcos.
"Madam!" Burcos recognized her as the second wife of the Devers, Aegnis, and hurriedly greeted her.
Aegnis did not know the Senators of the Senate like Cristoya did. She did not recognize most of them, and could only return the greeting out of courtesy.
"Mother Aegnis! Mother Aegnis! Why are you back so late! " Little Krol was happy. He danced away from his father's embrace and ran over excitedly.
The Devers were finally freed. He accompanied Burcos to the entrance of the mansion.
"Lord Burcos." The Devers looked out at the dark street outside and said in a low voice, "I still remember the first time I saw you. You were running around to save Turií, doing your best to do what you thought was right. You weren't even afraid of being criticized by the Turií Council. Now, Diónia seems strong, but it is also facing many difficulties, and there are powerful enemies coveting it. At this time, we cannot retreat. We must unite and face the difficulties head-on. Only then will we be able to break through this dangerous obstacle! "
Burcos stood at the entrance of the mansion. After a moment, he faced the expectant gaze of the Devers and said, "I understand."
… …
The next day, the results of the Senate's internal trial shocked the Senators. Pollux and the others had illegally occupied land and colluded with officials and merchants. The seriousness of the situation was secondary. The most important thing was that Pollux had indeed been in contact with Syracuse, and he was not the only one. Oliphus, Masisakus, Euripides, and the others had also received gifts from Syracuse.
The Senators felt that this was a thorny problem.
The Moderates, such as Cunogorata and Cornelus, suggested that Pollux and the others should be tried in secret, and then a messenger should be sent to Syracuse to protest, so that Dionysius would curb his ambitions.
The Radicals, such as Antonios and Amyntas, demanded that the trial be held in public, so that the people would know the crimes committed by Pollux and the others, and also the ambitions of Syracuse. They also wanted to send a messenger to Syracuse, so that Syracuse would apologize and compensate them.
The Devers finally proposed that the trial be held in public in the Victory Square. His reason was that the case of Pollux and the others had not only caused an uproar in the city, but also alarmed the entire Alliance. Rumors were spreading in every city, and the people were in a state of panic. Even the allied city-states of Diónia were paying attention. The Senate needed to tell the people the truth, and at the same time, remind the people of Diónia that the Diónia Alliance was still in a bad situation, so they could not slack off!
The Senate agreed.
… …
At dusk, the governor of Picossis, Antares, received an urgent letter from the Devers.
In the letter, the Devers explained in detail why Euripides, Preades, and Crimissa were arrested. At the same time, he stated that they would be given a fair and just trial. In addition, he also praised in the letter, "Antares has been the governor of Picossis for two years. Not only has he stabilized the Lucanian tribes in the city, but he has also successfully assimilated them into Diónia. He has also developed the port of Picossis, and promoted the prosperity of trade. The Senate expresses its gratitude for his contributions in the Lucanian region! … "
Antares stood on the rooftop of his mansion, and after reading the letter, he sighed in his heart. He vaguely knew about the matter of Euripides and Preades. These two colleagues of Crimissa were keen to enter the Dionysian Army and lead the legion in battle. But unfortunately, when they entered the Dionysian Army, Diónia's war with the outside world had stopped. They did not have the opportunity to accumulate military achievements, and at the same time, they had to re-familiarize themselves with the new way of fighting. Training with the new recruits was already hard enough for them, but the positions of the five Legion Commanders were already filled up, and there were still many people queuing up behind them. Regardless of whether it was battle merits or battle experience, the two of them had almost no hope of becoming the leader of the Legion. Being able to become a company captain was already an extra favor from Davis on account of the fact that the two of them were veterans. But they felt that it was a shame for them to only hold such a low position as a veteran like Antonios, Felicius, and Capus. So they went to the Devers many times, hoping that they could be promoted to a higher position in the army, but were rejected by the Devers by saying, "Everything in the army will be carried out according to the Military Law of Diónia." From then on, they had a lot of complaints about the Devers.
The two of them had come to Antares several times, hoping that as the leader of Crimissa, he could come out and join forces with Polyxis to propose a general assembly, but they were rejected by him. It was not that he did not feel a bit of resistance towards the situation where the Devers controlled the Senate, but the Devers did not restrict him from doing things. Instead, they gave him a wider scope to display his talents …
Looking at the busy port in the distance, listening to the stiff Greek accents of the people on the streets nearby … This was the place where he had worked hard for the past few years!
Under the afterglow of the setting sun, a sense of accomplishment rose in his heart …
When he returned home, he immediately wrote a reply to the Devers, thanking them for their recognition of his work, and firmly supporting the Senate's decision to put Polyxis and the others on trial.
… …
Early the next morning, a large wooden platform was set up in the Victory Square of Turín. The Turín's patrols, as well as a temporary brigade of the First Legion, were in charge of maintaining the order of the entire square.
Diorians who came from all over the country entered the square one after another. Most of them were ordinary citizens of Diónia, some had just become probationary citizens and had not yet been allocated land, some were foreign merchants who had transferred to Diónia from other cities, and some were family members of those who were arrested this time …
On the large wooden platform, in the middle sat the senior judge, Tritodemus. Logically speaking, as the Consul of Diónia and also the Chief Judge, the Devers should have been present at such an important trial. But due to a well-known reason (Polyxis had never been on good terms with him), out of the principle of abstention, he did not attend. Neither did the other senators.
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