Chapter 569
The people of Crotone, who used to be the strongest nation in Greece, had to scavenge for a living! As a Carthage citizen who had dealt with Crotone before, Okridon could not help but sigh when he recalled the bustling scene he had seen here.
Ciudad Crotone was huge. Okridon did not see many young men along the way. He could not help but wonder, "Did Dionysius kill all the citizens of Crotone?"
"The citizens of Syracuse are working in the fields. When Syracuse's army besieged Crotone, they destroyed all the fields outside the city. They have to take advantage of the early spring to plant more crops. Otherwise, there won't be anything to eat in autumn … "the captain of the patrol ship explained.
When he reached the center of the city, what entered Okridon's eyes was no longer the smoldering ruins, but a construction site with many people working hard.
"This is our citizens helping the people of Crotone build houses," the captain of the patrol ship said.
Okridon looked at the busy construction site in front of him. Out of the nature of a businessman, he asked, "How much do you charge for building a house for the people of Crotone?"
The captain smiled. "The people of Crotone have nothing now. They don't have the money to pay us. The citizens are volunteering to build houses for them."
In fact, the captain of the patrol ship did not tell the truth. 'Helping the people of Crotone rebuild their homes' was the suggestion of the Devers. The people who participated in the construction would not be able to get gold or silver, but their contributions would be recorded. After the war, they would be commended by the Senate of Diónia. This meant that they would be given land and citizenship. Therefore, most of the people who came to Crotone were freedmen and probationary citizens.
He then realized how big of a business opportunity this was. He had heard that the territory of Diónia had also been ravaged by the people of Syracuse. There were also the cities of Syracuse and Triene. If these cities needed the help of the people of Diónia to rebuild, the amount of resources needed would be enormous. Diónia alone would definitely not be able to supply them. If his family could also get involved …
The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. Now, he was glad that he had been chosen by Hanno to go to Diónia. If he did not seize this opportunity, Balhamun would punish him!
He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he did not see the captain go straight to the worksite, and a moment later he came with a man to Ocryton.
The man saluted Ocryton and said, "Honorable Carthaginian emissary, welcome! I am Agassia, senator of Diónia and governor of Asprustum. "
Ocryton immediately returned the greeting and said in pure Greek, "I am Ocryton, senator of Carthage. I have been appointed by the Senate to meet your king."
Previously, Agatha had heard that Ancitanos had a closed-door banquet when he first came to Carthage. She had thought that this Carthaginian envoy would be difficult to get along with, but Okridon was surprisingly easy to talk to. The two of them chatted while walking.
Under Ocryton's intentional guidance, Agassia talked more about the destruction that the army of Syracuse had inflicted on Diónia, as well as the difficulties of rebuilding Crimissa and Crotone.
Ocryton took note of all these in his heart.
The group walked out of the west gate of Crotone (although it was called a gate, it was actually just a large gap in the broken wall).
After leaving the city, Ocryton saw countless tents set up by the moat. Many people were going in and out of the tent area. It was very lively. Someone saw Agassia and took the initiative to greet him. Obviously, this senator of Diónia was very popular in Crotone.
"Is this where the people of Crotone live?" Ocryton asked casually.
"Yes. As you have seen just now, the whole city was burned down by the damn people of Syracuse. It is impossible to live in the city. These tents were part of the Dionysian Army's gift to Crotone after we seized them from Syracuse's camp … "Agassia was not angry when he said this. He was in a good mood. After all, when the news of Crotone's destruction reached Turií, the native Turií people even applauded and cheered, saying that it was the punishment of the Goddess of Vengeance to Crotone.
Agassia remembered something and quickly said, "Lord Ocryton, let me take you to meet the chief general of Crotone, Lucias."
"There is no need. My mission this time does not include Crotone," Ocryton refused directly.
If Crotone was still the powerful Crotone of the past, Ocryton might have other ideas. However, after seeing the current state of Crotone and how much they relied on Diónia, Ocryton had lost interest. Moreover, he did not want to anger the people of Diónia. Therefore, the emissary group led by Ocryton went ashore at the Port of Crotone and crossed the entire Ciudad Crotone. However, they did not meet the owner of the place and left just like that.
… …
It was already noon when Ocryton and his entourage arrived at the Diónia camp in Siletina. It had only been two days since the people of Syracuse attacked the camp. Even though the burned Left Camp was being rebuilt by the soldiers of Diónia, there were still wooden fences blackened by smoke and burnt tents in the camp … Ocryton imagined the fierce battle that took place here.
After receiving the notice from the cavalry sent by Agassia, the Devers went out of the camp to welcome them. They had the guards line up neatly on both sides of the road. The bugles, drums, and flutes played a beautiful melody …
Ocryton was pleasantly surprised by such a grand welcoming ceremony. He happily followed the Devers into the main tent.
In the history of his previous life, Carthage was too famous as a strong opponent of Rome. This was the first time the Devers had seen Carthage. They could not help but look at the emissary before them curiously. He was slightly plump, of average height, black hair, dark brown eyes, thick black eyebrows, and slightly tanned skin. If not for his straight nose bridge and slightly wide nose, he looked similar to his compatriots in his previous life. The Devers inexplicably had a good impression of him.
Ocryton was also looking at the new King of Diónia. Before he went on this mission, he had specially investigated the situation of Diónia. He knew that the establishment and rapid rise of the Diónia Alliance had a lot to do with this person before him. But … Lord Balhamun above, he was too young! He was so young, yet he had so much power. It was really enviable!
"Honorable emissary of Carthage, Carthage is a great city-state. We are very grateful for your great help during the most difficult times of Diónia! With the precious food supply, we can carry on this terrible war … "
The sincere words of the Devers made Ocryton happy. He immediately said, "Honorable King of Diónia, Carthage is not only rich in grains. Our other goods are also famous in the western Mediterranean. The invasion of Syracuse has caused great damage to Greece. It is truly distressing! We, Carthage, wish to provide assistance to Diónia and other city-states in the reconstruction. I wonder if Your Majesty … "
The Devers was taken aback. The way the emissary of Carthage spoke reminded him of Merces. He smiled and said, "Previously, the friendship agreement between Diónia and Carthage includes free trade. We naturally welcome Carthage to provide abundant goods to hasten the reconstruction of Greece. If Lord Ocryton has his own caravan, I can provide you with special assistance in doing business in Greece. "
"Really?!" The moment Ocryton spoke, he realized he had lost his composure. He hurriedly coughed a few times and sat back on his wooden chair.
The Devers turned to Henepolis who was standing by the side and said solemnly, "Henny, note down this matter. Note down Lord Ocryton's name as well. Inform the commercial officer, Marigi."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Henepolis glanced at Carthage's emissary with a disdainful gaze. He then sat down at the wooden table and started writing.
Ocryton tried his best to suppress the urge to say "thank you". He praised loudly, "Senator Carthage admires the outstanding performance of the Diónia Alliance in this war. Although Diónia is weaker than Syracuse, they were able to defeat Syracuse at sea and on land. They crushed Dionysius's ambition to conquer Greece! You must know that Dionysius, the dictator of Syracuse, is extremely greedy and violent. He has destroyed many famous city-states in Sicily. We, Carthage and the other Greek city-states have suffered greatly. Dionysius's powerful military force has rendered us helpless. The victory of Diónia over Syracuse has caused the people of Sicily and Carthage to rejoice! "
"We were forced to do so!" Devers sighed and answered with a solemn expression, "If we couldn't defeat Syracuse, Syracuse would destroy Diónia. Therefore, the people of Diónia united and fought back with all their might. Although we managed to repel the enemy, we paid a huge price!"
"When I came here, I saw the great destruction that Syracuse had caused to Greece. I deeply sympathize with the great sacrifices that Diónia has made in this war. But it was all worth it, wasn't it?" Okridon politely expressed his concern, then turned around and pointed outside the tent. "The army of Syracuse has been besieged by Your Majesty's army in the Sirium, and it looks like the people of Syracuse are powerless to break through your blockade. However, I'm afraid it won't be easy to take down a city defended by tens of thousands of people. Your Majesty, what do you plan to do next? Continue to besiege the enemy until they run out of food and surrender? I believe that with so many Diónia soldiers out on the battlefield, Diónia must be under a lot of pressure! Of course, Carthage is willing to continue providing food aid to Diónia at a fair price … "
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