Chapter 446
This was also one of the main reasons why Burgam and Petaru rebelled. The Diónia court was very popular in the Bruti, which caused the authority of the tribal leaders to disappear and may lead to the final collapse of the tribe.
The temples of Cosenza not only had the temples of Hades and Hera, but also the temples of Maara, the goddess of the Bruti Plateau, Brutus, the protector of the Bruti Tribe, and Hercules, the Hercules. Whenever there was a celebration, regardless of whether the chief executive was a believer or not, he had to go to these temples to show respect. This was also a strict rule made by the Senate for the chief executives of various places. For example, there was also a temple of Asenu, the god of the Lucanian mountain, in the Grumentum.
There was a training camp outside the city of Cosenza. The Ministry of Military Affairs in the inner city was mainly responsible for inspecting and registering the tribesmen who could fight, checking their weapons and equipment, notifying and urging the Bruti on the list to participate in the training. At the same time, they also had to verify and count the merits of the tribesmen, and cooperate with the City Hall to give them rewards, such as land.
This department also carried out some secret tasks, such as understanding the growth of the tribes, secretly encouraging the tribesmen to be independent, and so on. This was another important reason why Petaru and the others criticized it.
The outer city was originally the area where the great chief of Cosenza, Pienlen, forcibly moved the small tribes of the Bruti. After the Diónia took over, these small tribes were divided into their own jurisdiction and settlement areas on the outskirts of the city as a barrier to protect the periphery of the city of Cosenza. At the same time, it could also isolate the harassment of the city by wild beasts at night, such as wolves, and bring peace to the city of Cosenza.
Now the largest livestock trading market in the whole of Greece was built in the outer city. Not only the merchants in the Alliance, but even the Siletinians, Triene, and Crotone people would come here to buy. The price of Bruti horses and other livestock was cheaper than the big markets in Turií.
There was also an arena in the outer city, where rugby, football, and horse races were often held. The enthusiasm of the Bruti for these competitions was no less than that of the Turií. They could vent their suppressed wild nature on and off the field.
There was also a theater in the outer city. Originally, the Bruti people were much less interested in it than in the arena. In the beginning, there were even fewer people. Those who dared to open a theater in Cosenza were very shrewd. They quickly discovered that the Bruti were not interested in the irony, humor, wisdom, and human destiny of the Greek drama. Instead, they were interested in the stories of the Greek gods, especially the adventures of Hercules, the powerful god. When he was a mortal, he used his courage and wisdom to defeat powerful enemies and obtain countless beautiful women. This attracted the attention of the Bruti. In the legends of the Bruti, they claimed to be the descendants of Hercules. As a result, theater owners began to stage a large number of adaptations of the stories of the Greek gods, cultivating a large number of drama fans with popular and straightforward language and ups and downs of the story. This also allowed the Bruti people to begin to understand Greek culture and traditions.
There were also schools in the outer city. When it was first established, it was as unpopular as the theater, but now it was quite popular. That was because of the increase of independent Bruti people. Cosenza allowed the Bruti people who left the tribe to live in the outer city. The cost of buying land was very low, and they were allowed to live first before renting. The repayment period was even as long as ten years. As a result, as more and more Bruti people left the tribe, most of them chose to live in Cosenza because it was the center of the Bruti area and so lively. The increase in the population of Cosenza, in turn, promoted the prosperity of the city. After the independent Bruti people opened their eyes, in order to better develop themselves and their children, it was natural for them to go to school to study and improve.
Now the outer city of Cosenza was almost full of Bruti people. The hotels and restaurants were full of customers every day. The governor of Cosenza even proposed to the Senate that the outer city of Cosenza should continue to expand outwards.
Unlike the expansion of Turín, the expansion of the city of Cosenza meant that the more Bruti people directly controlled by the city hall, the more stable the Bruti area would be. Half of the soldiers of the Fifth Legion came from various tribes, and the other half were completely from the Bruti people under the direct jurisdiction of Cosenza.
This was also another main reason why Burgam, Petaru, and Khadurk rebelled. The tribesmen were like water to the tribe. Only when the water was abundant could the tribe's farmland have a good harvest. But if Diónia kept secretly drawing away the water, the farmland could only wither. How could Petaru and the rest just sit around and wait for death!
The reason why Khadurk dared to sneak back into Cosenza was because the Diónia Senate had moved the tribes out of Cosenza, so he did not have to risk being questioned by the city guards to enter the city.
Khadurk's tribe was located on the banks of the Crati River, very close to Cosenza.
This was a piece of fertile land with water and grass, a reward given by the Devers for Khadurk's timely return. As the Bruti area had achieved peace and unity, there were no fences around the tribe's settlement, and no tribesmen stood guard at night. Only hounds crept outside the thatched huts, watching out for wild beasts that might take away the cattle and sheep.
Khadurk would come back a few times every year, but there were almost no hounds scattered outside tonight. This made Khadurk feel relieved, but also a little surprised.
He led his men around the thatched huts, and walked towards the big courtyard in the center.
Bam! Bam! Bam! … "
"Who is it?"
"Open the door, the great leader is back!"
"Who?"
"Open the door, it's me! Khadurk! "
Perhaps hearing the familiar voice, the person in the courtyard opened the door a crack, raised an oil lamp to look outside, and hurriedly opened the wooden door.
"Great leader, why are you back at this time?!"
Khadurk did not answer, and walked straight in.
After his men came in, they quickly closed the door, and stood around the courtyard, looking around vigilantly.
"Where's Vitotiru?" As soon as Khadurk's voice trailed off, a surprised voice came from the front, "Great leader, you're back! Why didn't you inform me beforehand, I could have sent someone to welcome you! "
Vitotiru walked out from the living room, his face full of surprise.
Then the brazier in the middle of the living room was lit, and the whole courtyard was lit up.
Khadurk frowned, because the excited Vitotiru's voice was a little loud, "Quiet! Get Daru, Gilrion, and Korak here, I have something important to discuss with you! "Khadurk said in a low voice. Although he had no choice but to live in Tuliyi, serve as a senator, and attend every meeting, in order not to lose control of the tribe far away in Cosenza, he appointed Vitotiru, who had some reputation among his people, but was gentle and lacking in boldness, as the chief of the tribe, in charge of ordinary affairs. At the same time, he appointed three clan leaders who were loyal to him to assist Vitotiru in managing the tribe, and important matters were decided by the four of them. In fact, it was often difficult for the four of them to reach an agreement, and in the end, they would have to send someone to Turií for him to make the final decision. So, although he was far away in Turií, he never lost control of the tribe.
"It's so late, why call them?" Vitotiru was both confused and reluctant.
"Go get them! Don't ask so many questions! "Khadurk was getting impatient.
"Taric, go get the three of them," Vitotiru ordered his subordinate helplessly.
"Yes!" His subordinate was about to leave with the oil lamp.
"Go with him," Khadurk said, pointing at one of his subordinates. He was still on guard.
The two of them opened the door and went out, while Khadurk led Vitotiru into the meeting hall.
"Great leader, what happened?" Vitotiru asked, confused.
Khadurk looked at him and said in a low voice, "We have to leave with our tribe by tomorrow morning!"
"Why?!" Vitotiru was shocked.
"Because Syracuse is here, the Diónia Alliance is about to be destroyed! For the survival of our tribe, we have to go to Syracuse! "Khadurk tried to put on a serious expression, but his tone was too exaggerated.
"… We … We want to betray Diónia …" Vitotiru's expression changed, and his voice was trembling.
"What betrayal!" Khadurk was enraged. "This is Bruti, the place where our ancestors lived for generations! Diónia used force to occupy this place and took away our freedom! Now we have to leave Diónia's control, and when Syracuse completely defeats Diónia, we will take back this land! "Khadurk waved his fist and said hatefully. The repressed life in Turií for the past few years had made him furious. At this moment, the flickering flames from the brazier reflected on his face, which was twisted with anger, making him look hideous.
"Betrayal is betrayal. The highest punishment in Diónia's law is death!" A voice suddenly sounded from the side door at the back of the meeting hall, and a figure was reflected on the wall.
Khadurk heard this and was shocked. He subconsciously looked at Vitotiru, and the short and fat old man had distanced himself from Khadurk with unprecedented agility.
In the blink of an eye, more than ten figures rushed out from the side room. The face of the person in front was illuminated by the fire. It was Hilos.
"Run, it's an ambush!" Khadurk was shocked, and immediately turned to run back, at the same time reminding his men.
However, the courtyard door was also pushed open at this moment, and fully armed soldiers rushed in.
"Take them all down!" Hilos ordered coldly.
Soon, Khadurk and his men were captured.
"Hilos … I … I rushed back to deal with urgent matters in the tribe. You barged into my tribe's meeting hall without reason, injured my men, and tied me up … Hurry … Let me go! Or I will accuse you of your crimes to... to the Senate! And … if you alert my tribesmen and let them see how you treat their leader, it will definitely cause a commotion. If there is a big commotion, the position of chief executive of Cosenza that you just got might be revoked by the Senate! Let me go, and let us talk. "Khadurk's hands were tied behind his back, and he was pressed to the ground, but he still threatened.
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