Chapter 379
Aesocrates could not help but look at him a few more times.
The rotating chairman, Scombras, knocked on the table with a mallet, and today's meeting officially began.
Scombras then announced loudly, "There is only one topic for today. The envoy from Athens has come to Turií. Let us hear their request."
Some of the senators who had not received the news in advance immediately became excited when they heard this. The great city-state known throughout the Mediterranean, Athens, has actually sent an envoy to our Diónia Union!
Aesocrates walked to the front stage under the curious gazes of the crowd. He stood calmly in front of the crowd, then gracefully and steadily bowed to the crowd. After straightening his body and puffing out his chest, he began his speech, "Respected senators of Diónia, I am Aesocrates, the envoy from Athens. This is the first time I have set foot on the land of Turií, but I feel very close to it! Fifty years ago, the great general of Athens, Pericles, reached out to the displaced Sybaris and promised to rebuild a new city for them. This city would carry on the ideal that General Pericles had been pursuing all his life – that all Greeks could live together peacefully and amicably, regardless of region or race (Greeks can actually be subdivided into many races, and 'Greek' is just a broad term and concept).
For this, he not only mobilized Athens, but also the whole of Greece. The whole of Greece began to move for the establishment of a beautiful pan-Greek city-state. Of course, the people of Athens contributed the most. Not only did we use the gold and silver from the treasury of Athens to purchase materials such as stone and food for the new city, General Pericles also invited the great Greek architect Hippodamos to preside over the construction and planning of the new city. He also sent two outstanding generals of Athens, Lucien and Xenocritus, to manage the new city. He also invited my teacher, the wise Protagoras, to formulate laws for Turií. The historian Herodotus and the rhetorician Tisias settled here to plant the seeds of Greek culture and wisdom for the immigrants …
With the help of such a powerful force, Tuliyi became the brightest jewel in Greece as soon as it was built. However, the people of Athens returned to the Eastern Mediterranean without asking for anything in return, leaving the newborn baby of Turií to grow up independently … "Aesocrates had aspired to be a public speaker since he was a child. However, when he grew up, his voice was hoarse. In Athens, where public speaking was prevalent and demanding, this was almost a fatal flaw. Therefore, he rarely used his speaking talent on large formal occasions, and could only helplessly turn to teaching rhetoric and oratory. Today was a rare occasion for him to speak in public, so he was very emotional.
The Dionians did not pay much attention to speeches. Instead, they felt that his emotions were infused into his hoarse voice, which had a unique appeal. In particular, the senators like Lucania and Bruti did not know much about this part of history, so they listened with great interest.
Cunogorata, Burcos, and Devers, who knew the inside story, knew very well that Athens was not as noble as Aesocrates said. Out of gratitude to Athens and the majority of immigrants from Athens, Turií's political situation had been dominated by the descendants of Athens for the first few decades. However, it was true that Athens did not forcefully turn Turií into a member of the Delian League or a subsidiary state of Athens, nor did they make any overly forceful demands on Turií. This was also a fact.
"Today, when I set foot on this land that the people of Athens once poured their heart and soul into, I was surprised to find that General Pericles's original dream had been realized. It should be said that today's Turií has exceeded his expectations! Here, not only do immigrants from various Greek city-states live together peacefully, but even other races get along well with the Greeks. " When Aesocrates said this, he felt a little uncomfortable, but his voice was full of emotion, "The magical city-state alliance of Diónia has shown a beautiful prospect of peace for the Mediterranean Sea world, which is plagued by ethnic conflicts and wars! For this, I would like to pay my highest respect to all of you who have led the people, worked hard, and achieved this grand goal! "As he said this, he bent down and bowed slowly and respectfully.
Cornelus, Scombras, Burcos, Vesba, Hemont, Bagylipi, Sedorum, and other senators were moved by his sincere words. Even the shrewd senators like Cunogorata and Marigi were moved.
Although Devers knew from Ancitanos that Aesocrates was a "supremacist of Athens", these words were not his original intention, but to gain the favor of the senators in order to achieve a certain goal. But out of politeness, he still led the senators to stand up and applaud enthusiastically as a response.
Aesocrates did not show a trace of complacency on his face. He calmly waited for the applause to weaken, and then said, "Because of the unique friendship between Athens and Turií, both sides will lend a helping hand and do their best to help each other in times of difficulty! Shortly after the founding of Turií, it was Athens who helped Turií resolve the threat of Crotone and signed a peace agreement with Crotone on behalf of Turií. It was also with the help of Athens that Turií defeated Tarantum on the Seiris Plain and reached a reconciliation with Tarantum.
When the war between Athens and Sparta broke out, they sent an army to conquer Syracuse. When they passed through the Greek city-states, only Turií offered sincere help and sent troops to help!
Decades passed in the blink of an eye. A few years ago, Athens and Turií both suffered a catastrophe. During the War of Peloponnesus, the Attica region of Athens was completely turned into ruins and had not been fully restored to this day. The city of Athens was occupied by Sparta and supported a group of tyrants who hated democracy and advocated dictatorship. These tyrants ignored the law, wantonly harmed citizens, and robbed property. The freedom-loving people of Athens fled and suffered the pain of being uprooted from their homes …
On the other hand, Turií also suffered the tyranny of power. The Crotone plotted and caused Turií to fall. The city of Turií, which was built with the sweat and blood of the people of Athens and Turií, was completely burned down and countless people died in the fire …
When this shocking news reached Athens, the whole city fell silent. Many people who had good memories and feelings for Turií shed tears, including my deputy, Lysias … "Aesocrates was full of emotion and sorrow. Many of the elders were touched and became solemn.
"Fortunately, the people of Athens and Diónia stood up bravely after the huge blow. We wiped away our tears, buried our loved ones, and rebuilt our homes with our hands …
The past is gone, but it cannot be forgotten. Today, the Greek world is still not peaceful. Power runs amok and bullies the weak. Sparta is in the east, and Syracuse is in the west. They are all coveting their fellow Greeks with greed and ferocity, just like hungry wolves drooling over fat sheep. The weak sheep must unite to deter the powerful wolves and avoid a repeat of annihilation!
This is the main reason why I'm here. We, Athens, stretch out our hand from the east and want to hold the hand of our former brother, Tuliyi, from the west. We want to connect Greece and Greater Greece as a bridge. Not only do we strengthen trade and cultural exchanges, we want to bring more benefits to the lives of the people of both sides. We also want to reach an alliance and cooperate with each other in military affairs, so that we can tightly protect the precious freedom and rights that were once taken away from us and now we especially cherish them! "
When Aesocrates finished his speech, the hall fell silent.
The Devers could not help but admire the Athens orator for making the alliance sound so euphemistic and provocative. He even ignored the fact that Turií had once expelled the descendants of Athens, not to mention the fact that Athens had formed the Delian Alliance and suppressed many of its allies who opposed it. He put Athens and Turií in the position of victims, trying to resonate with the elders.
However, Aesocrates forgot one thing. This was Diónia. The place where he gave his speech was not the Citizen's Assembly. Any decisions and affairs in Diónia were not decided by the Citizen's Assembly, but by the elders of the Senate, led by the Devers. These elders were either veterans who had been in politics for many years, capable people who could handle complicated affairs, or leaders who had been in charge of the lives of thousands of people. They were the elites of the Diónia Alliance. Of course, they would not make decisions based on impulse like ordinary citizens. Perhaps they could be moved for a while, but when it came to making decisions related to the future of the Alliance, they would definitely consider the problem from the perspective of interests.
When Aesocrates was invited out of the hall, several former Bruti leaders such as Petaru, Burgam, and others stood up to express their support: to form an alliance with Athens to fight against Sparta and Syracuse together. In fact, this was not their original intention. Previously, when Polyxis and the others were sentenced and denounced as "traitors" by the whole of Diónia, the voices of the people were completely discredited. Although Petaru and the other elders who had supported their request to hold the Citizen's Assembly were safe and sound because they were not involved in these matters, they still felt uneasy and wanted to use this opportunity to express their innocence and determination.
The other elders were basically against forming an alliance with Athens to fight against Sparta and Syracuse. Although they had already felt the ambition of Dionysius during the trial of Polyxis, the difference in strength between Diónia and Syracuse made them unwilling to take the initiative to provoke the Greek overlord of the Western Mediterranean. Moreover, Syracuse had already signed a friendly agreement with Diónia.
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