Chapter 503
A hundred years later, due to Sparta's invasion of Messenia, a large number of fleeing Messenians migrated here, causing the entire city to change. Even the original name was changed to "Messenia". Only the symbol on the issued coins was always "a sickle and a dolphin".
A few years ago, Carthage's people destroyed it, and Dionysius rebuilt the city. However, the residents in the city had become colonists from Syracuse, Locri, and their allies.
Messenia was only about 13 miles away from Ligim. The Dionysian fleet arrived in a moment. Seckerian stood at the bow of the ship, looking at the city in front of him with interest. Compared to Ligim, Messenia itself was not big because it was located in the lowlands between the mountains and the sea. It was narrow, and there were no large rivers around the city. However, its extremely long arc-shaped breakwater made of a mixture of rocks and artificial magma, as well as the port surrounded by reefs, attracted Seckerian's attention.
Seeing the teams of Messengers who had been hastily gathered on the breakwater, some of them ran to the ships at the dock, and some of them mounted the sentry towers on the breakwater with bows and arrows in their hands … Secorian did not care at all. He did not intend to lead the fleet into the port at all. Instead, he did what he did in Rockley outside the port — wrecking and sinking the merchant ships entering and leaving the port. After showing off for a while, he continued to sail north.
The Syracuse colonists in Messenia never thought that they would be attacked like this when Syracuse dominated the western Mediterranean. One could imagine the anger and frustration in their hearts.
The fleet passed through the channel and arrived at Taurina after more than an hour.
The people of Taurina and the Ligim militia stationed here were equally jubilant when they heard the news that Diónia had defeated the Syracuse navy.
Initially, Seckerian thought that it would take a lot of persuasion to convince Fedun, because Fedun had failed to lead the army to attack and was ordered to return to Ligim for trial. Later, because there was no military talent among the citizens of Ligim who could replace Fedun to fight against the terrifying Syracuse -Rockley Coalition Army, he was finally allowed to return to Taurina with the support of Atilykrus to regain his military power. Seckerian was worried that Fedun would be afraid of attacking the Silo Coalition Army because of this.
But when Sykerian explained his intentions to the Lejim general, Fedun did not hesitate. He immediately expressed his willingness to work with Diónia to contain the allied forces of Silo, but before Sykerian could contact Hilos in the Bruti region, he could not come up with an effective plan.
… …
At the same time, Henepolis had just woken up.
Yesterday, the Dionysian Army cooperated with the rioting civilians in the city. Coupled with the fact that nearly half of the defending soldiers were not in the mood to fight, Laos City was finally breached.
In despair, Arobuma did not want to be humiliated by his nephew after he was captured, so he committed suicide.
Henepolis did not let the matter rest. He ordered that anyone who participated in the rebellion and worked for Arobuma should be punished!
When Arobuma usurped the throne, almost all the bureaucrats in the city sided with him. Henepolis originally wanted to take this opportunity to defeat all those who opposed and obstructed him, but he did not expect that in this way, the rioting civilians obtained the right to legally rob the officials, leaders, and rich people of the city who oppressed and exploited them. The hatred and violence buried deep in their bones were completely released, and it was a disaster for the city. Soon, the entire city was plunged into a frenzy of killing and looting.
Seeing that things were not going well, Henepolis gave another order: Stop looting and killing, or you will be severely punished!
But how could the rioting civilians who were already in a frenzy listen to the order? They even attacked the soldiers who gave the order.
Henepolis had no choice but to ask Hilos for help.
Hilos immediately sent all the troops to stop the riots caused by the rioting civilians in Laos City. He also ordered that if there was any resistance, kill without mercy.
More than 5,000 well-trained Diónia soldiers entered the city and began to suppress the rioters who broke into the houses and began to loot.
It was not until dusk that the riots subsided. What followed was the sound of moaning and wailing that enveloped the entire city. The city of Lars, which had become increasingly prosperous through the efforts of Avinogis and Arbutus in the past few years, was reduced to ruins in a single day. The dead and wounded were everywhere.
Henepolis, who rode into the city, could not bear to watch.
What made him even more uneasy was that the people who were holding the bodies of their loved ones and crying by the roadside looked at him with eyes full of hatred …
Henepolis, who was deeply remorseful and frightened, did not feel much comfort even when he saw that his rescued mother was safe and sound. At night, he lay in bed, and as soon as he closed his eyes, the tragic scene that he saw during the day appeared in his mind. His ears were filled with the cries of the people, and he tossed and turned, unable to sleep. It was not until dawn that he fell asleep due to excessive fatigue.
He only woke up at noon, so he had breakfast and lunch together.
His mother also dined with him. Although Arobuma had rebelled, he only put his brother's widow under house arrest. The other treatment was the same as usual, so the woman was not hurt. She was only worried about her son's safety. Now that Henepolis had returned safely and defeated the rebels, she was in a good mood. "Child, Iliandos came to see you a few times in the morning, but I stopped him."
"What did he want from me?" Henepolis asked listlessly as he chewed on the bread and thought about other things.
"He asked what to do with the civilians who were imprisoned. I asked him to release them all. " Henepolis's mother was the cousin of Tura, a Lucanian nobleman and the former leader of Laos. Tura betrothed her to Avinogis in order to better control and win over Avinogis, who was the leader of the original Sebaris descendants. Therefore, the relationship between Avinogis and his wife was not good.
Later, Avinogis united with Diónia and overthrew the rule of the Lucanians in Laos. Tura and his forces were almost slaughtered. The reason why he did not punish his Lucanian wife was that she was Henepolis's biological mother. On the other hand, for decades, the Lucanians had ruled Laos and gradually integrated with the Greek descendants of Sebaris. When Avinogis rebelled, many small Lucanian tribes expressed their support and surrender. Therefore, having a Lucanian wife could reassure the uneasy Lucanians.
However, the woman bore the hatred of the destruction of her family in her heart. Today, she finally smiled, "Those 'black pigs' who only know how to roll in the mud (the former Lucanians in Laos called the slaves of Sebaris) should have died a long time ago! Son, you've done a good job. These are the people who killed your uncle Tura's family! Do you know, your uncle's second daughter, your cousin, is so beautiful. I made an agreement with Tula that she would be your wife in the future, but those damnable — "
"Enough!" Henepolis suddenly smashed the wooden glass filled with wine on the ground. The wine splashed everywhere.
The woman was shocked.
"I'm full." Hennepolis stood up. Without looking at his mother, he turned around and walked out.
"Henny!" The woman called out pitifully.
Henepolis did not look back. He was holding back his anger. He punished the officials and tribal leaders who helped Arobamus usurp the throne, not to avenge their betrayal, but to build a better political system, a system like Diónia where everyone owned land and had the right to participate in politics. He was different from his mother who hated the people of Laos! But —
When he thought of the corpses all over the ground and the pairs of hateful eyes, his anger immediately dissipated. He began to doubt himself again. Did I really do something wrong? Just as Arob Mass said, I've been too extreme in my actions? …
'Arobamus …' Henepolis remembered that when he saw his only uncle's corpse last night, he did not feel any joy of revenge. Instead, his mind was filled with the scene of his uncle playing with him when he was young. It made him feel empty and lost.
He wandered aimlessly and finally came to the city hall that was next to his house.
There was a beautiful chair in the center of the city hall. He walked up to it and sat down slowly, facing the circular stone benches in front of him.
This hall was built by Henepolis's father three years ago with reference to the Greek city-states. But unlike Diónia and other Greek city-states, there was an extra chair in the center of this hall, a chair specially for the life consul. He did not know if his father and his uncle felt superior and different sitting in this chair, but he did not have such a wonderful feeling at all. Instead, he felt like a lamb being stared at by dozens of greedy eyes like hungry wolves. It made him feel sick and uncomfortable. After he became the consul, he came to the hall a few times, but he was not willing to come again.
At this moment, he was sitting in the chair, staring at the empty hall in a daze until Alliandos hurried in. "My lord, I finally found you."
Henepolis came back to his senses and looked at the anxious face of the loyal subordinate left to him by his father. He asked disinterestedly, "What's the matter now?"
"Those poor people who were released are not willing to leave. Instead, they are asking when you will honor the promise you made, my lord." Alliandos's words made Henepolis inexplicably angry. "Honor?! They want me to honor my promise?! Look at what they have done. I have been merciful to them by not executing them one by one! "
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