Chapter 365
Therefore, when Aristocrates raised the question, he cooperated and told the truth about how he was in contact with Polyxis under Dionysius's order.
Polyxis, of course, denied it in every possible way, but the already restless emotions of the people erupted like a volcano.
"Traitor!"
"Traitor!"
"Hang him! Then let his soul receive an even harsher punishment in hell! "
…
Not only did Polyxia's collaboration with the enemy infuriate the people, but it was also because of the contempt he showed for ordinary citizens and the disparagement he showed for the citizens of different races, which made the people burn with anger. The whole square was like a calm sea that had suddenly been hit by a storm. Monstrous waves crashed head-on, trying to destroy the temporary court.
Not only Polyxis and the others were trembling under the pressure of such a person, even Senior Judge Tritodemus was nervous. Because according to the "Laws of Diónia", Polyxis' illegal actions were not worthy of the death penalty. After all, Syracuse was not an enemy of Diónia, nor was it in a state of war. Furthermore, as a senator of the Senate, Polyxis had the legal right to propose the "Citizens' Assembly" bill. However, after the jury declared him "guilty", and considering the trial yesterday, Tritodemus did not dare to make a final verdict. Instead, he frequently discussed with the assistant judge and the prosecutor, Aristocrates, in low voices.
At this moment, a loud and clear bugle sounded.
The people looked towards the direction of the sound. They saw the door of the Senate open, and the senators led by Devers walked out of the Senate Hall.
Under the protection of the guards, Devers walked down the steps and onto the wooden platform (because the wooden platform was built next to the steps).
Tritodemus hurriedly went forward to salute, but was stopped by Devers: "This is the court, and you are the master here. I am only here to solve a small problem for you."
Tritodemus immediately understood what he meant, and said gratefully: "Thank you for your help, sir!"
Dyvers turned around and saw Aristokratia bowing respectfully to him. He patted Aristokratia's shoulder intimately and praised, "Aristokratia, I didn't expect you to do such a good job!"
Then he saluted the jury members, thanking them for their hard work.
Then, he glanced at the row of people in the dock. Compared to the fear and pleading in the eyes of Oliphus, Masisakus, and the others, Polyxis had no choice but to give up. His desperate eyes revealed a fierce light as he pointed at him and cursed, "Devers, you are afraid that I will fight for more rights for the citizens, so you fabricated false evidence to frame me. One day, the people will discover your true colors, and you will not escape the fair trial of Hades!"
Devers completely ignored his existence. He walked to the front of the wooden platform, stretched out his hands, and pressed down. A miracle happened. The "sea" that was originally howling and tumbling under the platform gradually calmed down …
At this moment, he said, "Citizens of Diónia! Families of the citizens of Diónia! I am very happy to see so many people here to participate in the public trial! This shows that you love the Diónia Alliance and care about the Diónia's legal system! Here, on behalf of the Senate, I would like to express my gratitude to all of you who have been working hard in front of the court for the past two days! "
After that, he bowed to the people seriously.
The people applauded the Devers for their encouragement and sympathy.
"The law is sacred, especially in the Diónia Alliance, because Hades is supervising everything we do from below!" Devers pointed to the ground, "We know that the citizens of the Diónia Alliance come from all over the Mediterranean Sea and come from all races. Because of different customs and cultures, there will inevitably be conflicts. The law gives order to Diónia and unites everyone, so don't protest against the judgment made according to the law of the Alliance, because if the judgment is changed because of your anger, then one day, this injustice may fall on you or your family … "
The Devers' sincere words caused the people to think deeply. Some people originally thought that the Devers came to power to put pressure on Tritodemus so that his political enemy, Polyxis, would receive a heavier sentence, but now it seemed that this was not the case.
Taking advantage of the calm in the square, Tritodemus issued the sentence: Polyxis was sentenced to multiple crimes, and was deprived of his citizenship in Diónia, confiscated his illegal property, and sentenced to 30 years in prison; Oliphus, Masiscus, and other senators accepted bribes from the Syracuse, but there was no clear evidence that they had further contact with the Syracuse, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison; Enanilus, Eurippus, and other senators were sentenced to 10 years in prison because there was no evidence that they had any contact with the Syracuse, and based on the crime they were sentenced to yesterday, they were deprived of their citizenship, confiscated their illegal property, and sentenced to 10 years in prison …
The words of the Devers worked. When the people heard the sentence, they all booed with regret, but they did not take any further actions.
However, at this moment, Polyxis suddenly broke free from the control of the soldiers and shouted to the people below the stage, "I did it for you! For the freedom of the citizens! One day you will regret the sentence you gave me today! … "
His behavior was like pouring a can of oil into a furnace that was about to be extinguished, and the anger of the people was suddenly ignited again. Angry curses attacked the wooden stage again, and some people even spat on it.
The guards hurriedly took Polyxis and the other prisoners off the wooden stage. When he passed by the Devers, Enanilus did not dare to look in that direction until he got off the wooden stage and stood at the bottom of the steps of the Senate. Looking at the senators on the steps, Enanilus' heart was filled with endless regret. Just because of a moment of greed, he went from being a respected senator to a prisoner that was reviled by everyone …
At the end of the public trial, Tritodemus, Aristocrates, and the other jurors left the wooden stage one after another. However, the people in the audience did not disperse, because Dyvers, who was on the stage, did not leave either. They knew that the consul must have something to say, so compared to the end of yesterday, the square gradually returned to its original calm.
Facing thousands of expectant eyes, the Devers knew in their hearts: What did the people of Diónia want to talk about at this moment? What did they want to get?
But first, he wanted to start from another topic: "Just now, Polyxis said that everything he did was for the sake of the citizens of Diónia. If he had not committed crimes such as illegal occupation of land and restriction of civil liberties, I would be very happy to hear this, because this is the duty of a qualified senator of Diónia."
A burst of sneers sounded under the stage, expressing their contempt for Polyxis' ugly behavior of "saying one thing and doing another", which diluted the impact of Polyxis' last words.
"I am also very grateful to His Excellency Dionysius of Syracuse, for taking the time to care about the political life of the people of Diónia in addition to his fierce battle with Carthage. I heard that the people of Syracuse are not very rich, so there is no need for him to waste a large amount of money here. If he could spend it on the people of Syracuse, perhaps it would make their lives a little better! Most importantly — — "The Devers sneered and said loudly:" He, Dionysius, the tyrant of Syracuse, didn't wipe the sh * t off his ass, what right does he have to criticize the Alliance of Diónia and disturb the normal order of Diónia! "
The Devers' sarcastic words caused the people to roar with laughter.
"The Senate will send an envoy to Syracuse to lodge a protest to Dionysius, demanding an explanation and an apology! Perhaps you are worried that this will attract the hostility of Syracuse? I can tell you clearly that Syracuse is indeed powerful, but Diónia is just as powerful. Since the establishment of the Alliance five years ago, we have never lost a battle! Dionysius of Syracuse is already having a hard time dealing with the strong enemy of Carthage in the south. Do you think he would dare to risk being attacked from both sides and provoke us? Citizens, the Legion of Dionysia formed by you is not only the true steel wall of Diónia, but also an incomparably sharp sword. When you are armed, it is enough to dispel any city-state's ambition towards Diónia! "
The words of the Devers resonated with the people, arousing their courage and sense of honor.
"Sir Devers is right. Our First Legion is invincible, we are not afraid of any enemy's attack!"
"Our Second Legion is not bad either. If the people of Syracuse dare to step on the land of the south, we will drive them into the sea and feed them to the fishes and prawns!"
"In the mountains, no one can defeat Legio III. We are the strongest there!"
"You should know that in the Legion of Dionysia, we, Legio IV, are the only legion that has taken down the enemy's city. We are the strongest in terms of siege!"
"Not only do we have a strong legion, we also have an invincible commander! Under the protection of Hades, the people of Syracuse must be out of their minds to dare to oppose us! "
"Long live the Legion of Dionysia!"
"Long live the commander!"
The quarrel at the beginning turned into a tsunami of cheers. The shadow in their hearts when they first heard that the people of Syracuse were playing tricks on them seemed to have been swept away.
The Devers once again pressed his hands down. When the cheers died down, he said in a deep voice, "This time, Polyxis, Enanilus, and the other senators have committed such a huge crime. They have seized so much public property of Diónia, and a large number of public officials of the Alliance were involved in this case. Not only did it shock me and the Senate, it also shocked all of you here, and it shocked the entire Diónia Alliance! This is my dereliction of duty! The Senate's dereliction of duty! You should be angry, and you should criticize the Senate! But after the anger, we need to think about how to prevent such a terrible incident from happening again! "
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