Chapter 453
After many fruitless requests, Laos and his men tore off their masks and launched an attack on the Naira River Fortress.
The Naira River Fortress was located in a narrow area between the river bank and the mountain ridge, so Laos could not make full use of his advantage in numbers. Tagrou led more than 200 soldiers and defended the small but sturdy fortress tenaciously.
The bloody battle lasted until the afternoon, but Laos' army still could not break into the fortress. After receiving the request for help from the Naira River Fortress, the governor of Neutum, Hemont, personally led nearly two thousand citizen soldiers as reinforcements and arrived in time.
Laos and his men saw that the enemy was strong, so they slowly retreated …
… …
At this time, the flames of war were everywhere in Diónia, and the dark clouds of war were gathering. The Turí people were truly afraid. They often gathered in two places: one was the Temple of Hades, hoping to receive the blessing of the powerful King of Hades, so that their uneasiness could be comforted; the other was the square in front of the Senate.
The people once again appealed to the Senate to let the Consul Devers be the king, because only then could Diónia survive this crisis. Hades had already foreseen all this!
This time, the commotion caused by the people was much greater than the previous two days. The elders in the Senate were already panicking because of the terrible situation that was constantly being reported, and the protests of the people made them even more at a loss as to what to do.
"Plesinus, look at what you've done! Stop your tricks, let the Turí people return to peace, let Diónia restore order, or else the Senate will not be able to function normally, and everything will be a mess! "Cunogorata finally could not help but vent his anger at Plesinus.
"Sir Cunogorata, be careful what you say. This is the oracle of God Hades, the people's spontaneous appeal, it has nothing to do with me! Instead of bickering with me here, why don't you think about how to satisfy the needs of the people and appease their anger! "The chief priest of the Temple of Hades, Pleasinas, retorted without any fear.
"My lords, it's not a big deal to appoint Lord Devers as king. The role that the Devers had played in the past few years, wasn't it the same as exerting the power of a king? It was just a lack of a name. Don't you hope that Lord Devers will come back soon to help us defeat our enemies and save the Alliance? In fact, since the establishment of the Alliance, Lord Devers has always been the greatest support for us and the people outside! Right now, the cruel people of Syracuse are closing in on us, and they want the Alliance to become the second Xilet. They want us to suffer like the people of Xilet. With the protection of Hades, Lord Devers is our only hope. What are you still hesitating for? "Marigi's tempting words shocked everyone.
Just as some of the elders were deep in thought and some wanted to refute, the door to the hall was pushed open. The guard captain ran in with an expression of disbelief and excitement. "My lords, Turi … Turi is alive! The painting is alive! "
"What are you talking about? Turií is alive? Speak clearly! "Scombras shouted in dissatisfaction.
Cunogorata took a few steps forward and asked in disbelief, "You're saying that the fountain in Turi is producing water again?"
"Yes, my lord! Just when the people were shouting, 'Let Lord Dyvers be the king!', the fountain in Tully was revived, and now the water has flowed into the square! "The excited guard captain did not forget to add," My lords, this is a divine omen! "
The elders looked at each other in shock, including Marigi, Pryzinas, and Cunogorata. In this era of worship, the Greeks paid the most attention to divine signs. When praying to the gods, coughing, wind, rain, thunder, and so on, any sudden abnormality would be seen as a sign of the gods. The well-known fountain in Turi became an abandoned spring after the old city of Turií was burned down by the Crotone people. It had been dry for many years, but now it was producing water again. What a great divine sign! Although most Greeks believed that the spring was under the control of Poseidon, some people believed that the fountain on the ground should be under the control of Hades because it came from the ground.
"Let's go take a look!" Cunogorata could not hide his surprise and curiosity. Without hesitation, he took the lead and walked out of the Senate, followed by the other elders.
The people who had gathered in front of the Senate ran to the outer edge of the square to the left of the Senate, where the fountain in Turi used to be.
In the past, the people of Turi attached great importance to the spring that lent its name to the city. They built a large pool for it, and in the pool, there were several lifelike statues of the Goddess of the Spring and the Nymphs. They were all dressed and playing in the water, which made people daydream. It became a lively place for children to play in the water, old people to rest and relax, men to talk about politics, and women to slaves to draw water. However, after a fire, not only were the statues in the pool destroyed, but the fountain also stopped flowing. There was a rumor among the freedmen that this was the punishment of the gods for the Turií people's treachery.
When the city of Turií was rebuilt, Heraclides had the craftsmen build a circle of stone walls to surround the fountain, making it look like a well. After a few years, it had become the most inconspicuous existence near the Victory Square.
Now, hundreds and thousands of people surrounded it. The people who had been worried about the safety of the Alliance were now dancing with joy. When they saw Cunogorata and the other senators coming, they immediately shouted, "Come and see, my honorable lords! The great Hades has heard our cry, and he has responded! "
"Even Hades has agreed to let his descendant, our Devers, be king. What are you still hesitating for?"
"Let the Devers be king, then we can get the blessing of Hades, drive the enemy out of their home, and restore peace to Diónia!"
…
"Everyone, please be quiet. Let us go in and take a look!" Cunogorata said loudly and patiently.
The people quickly made way for them.
Cunogorata and the others stepped into the water and saw that the "stone well" that was half a meter high was filled with water, and the water continued to gush out of the well, flowing towards the Victory Square, forming a long waterway.
Cunogorata put his hand in the water. The water was clear and piercingly cold. A strong upward force lifted his palm from the mouth of the spring.
That's right, the fountain in the painting had come to life. This could not be faked! Cunogorata retracted his hand and wiped it on his clothes.
"This spring water is really sweet!" Marigi drank a mouthful of water and praised loudly, causing the other senators to follow suit.
Cunogorata looked at the clear spring water that could almost reflect his appearance. He was really confused. Was this really the wish of the gods?!
However, the people did not give the senators too much time to think. Looking at the eager eyes of the people, the senators knew that they had to give them a clear answer today.
After a short but intense discussion, Cunogorata announced to the people on behalf of the senators, "People of Diónia, after discussion, the Senate has accepted your request and elected the Consul Devers as … as the king of the Alliance of Diónia. Of course, we still have to seek the permission of the Devers themselves! … "
Before Cunogorata could finish, the people were already cheering, "Long live the Devers King!!! … "
When they returned to the Senate, most of the senators felt a little lost. Although the Devers were life Consul of Diónia, they were still senators of the Senate and had similar status. Now that the Devers had suddenly become the king, his status was much higher than the senators. This difference made them feel a strong sense of loss.
Cunogorata coughed a few times, wanting to remind everyone to keep their spirits up and discuss the important issue of 'the Devers King' seriously, and how to reasonably limit the Devers King's authority. However, before he could say anything, the guard captain rushed in again.
Cunogorata's heart skipped a beat. As expected, he shouted anxiously, "Sirs, some of the warships of the Syracuse fleet have docked at the coast north of Castellón. It is said that hundreds of people have landed and are preparing to ambush our villages along the coast!"
Everyone was shocked. The scene of the Crotone fleet pillaging the villages of Diónia was going to happen again.
Fortunately, before this war, the Devers had considered the absolute advantage that the Syracuse fleet had and thought of this possibility. Before he left, he ordered the Ministry of Military Affairs to make some arrangements based on previous experience. For example, setting up observation posts along the east coast of Diónia, building simple defensive facilities in every coastal village, and setting up a small garrison camp in between a few villages …
Before Cunogorata could make a decision, Capus stood up and said decisively, "I request to immediately lead the troops to stop the Syracuse fleet from coming ashore, to prevent them from causing more losses to our people!"
The senators did not object to Capus's request. In fact, he was the only one in the Senate who was familiar with the unique military tactics of Diónia, and could lead the troops into battle. At this point in the war, there were only a few dozen senators left in the Senate.
"Looks like we'll have to enlist the Free Citizens again." Kunogorata's expression was solemn. At this moment, the Tuliyi citizens were almost exhausted, and they could only go to the port area to recruit free people. However, the number of free people there was not much left, other than a large number of sailors of the Ionian fleet and laborers for the logistics of the army.
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