Chapter 598
All of the elders stood up to show their respect. This was not done spontaneously. It was a law passed by the Senate of the Kingdom of Diónia in the past ten years. It stipulated that whenever the king attended a meeting of the Senate, this etiquette was mandatory. Any senator who did not stand up or bow would be expelled from the meeting by the Supreme Censor.
As for the palace guards entering the meeting hall, it was because the number of senators in the Senate had skyrocketed after the Southern Italian War. Although the guards guarding the Senate would search the senators before entering the meeting hall to prevent any of them from carrying weapons, some of the senators who had just joined Diónia had deep conflicts. For example, Senator Crotone and Senator Lockley, Senator Triene and Senator Sibernian. During the debate on the bill, a single word of disagreement could easily lead to conflict. Several times, it even threatened the safety of the Devers. Therefore, Marigi and Plesinas proposed to allow the palace guards under the command of the Devers to enter the meeting hall with the approval of more than half of the senators. This way, they could protect the king and at the same time assist the Supreme Censor in maintaining order in the meeting hall. Of course, after ten years and some improvements to the Senate meeting system, the current Senate meetings were much more orderly.
The Devers sat firmly on the leather chair. As there were two steps below his seat, his height was basically the same as the seats at the back of the meeting hall.
The Devers looked at the nearly two hundred senators in front of him. Most of them were concentrated in the front of the center of the meeting hall so that they could hear the voices of the speakers clearly.
The most senior senators sat in the front row. The seat in the middle belonged to Cunogorata. This was a reward from the Devers for what he had done over the years. The senators also recognized his ability and prestige. However, he had been bedridden all this time. When they heard from Helpes that his condition was worsening, the Devers were a little worried.
The seat next to him should have belonged to Cornelus. He was also a senator who had worked hard and made great contributions. However, as the rotating chairman today, he stood in front of the wooden table in the center of the meeting hall to the right of the Devers. After ten years, his hair and beard were all white, and his figure was hunched.
Devers sighed in his heart. If it weren't for the fact that Cunogorata had been absent for a long time and the fact that the Senate needed a prestigious elder to stand guard for him, he might have considered letting Cornelus, who was almost 60 years old, no longer take on the heavy duty of the rotating chairman. It was too exhausting, and he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to hold on.
Seated in the center of the front row were the three Presidents of the Senate: Vespa, Cydorum, and Lysias. Although Lysias of Crotone was a late senator, he respected Crotone, which was once a powerful city in Greece. On the other hand, Crotone used to be the leader of Sileten, Triene, and Corunya. Although it was in the past, it still had some influence. Therefore, Lysias, who was once the chief general of Crotone, became the rotating chairman of the Senate after the Devers' suggestion.
Sitting in the first row were Tritodmos, Protesilaus, Raffias, Antares, Felicius, Mercies, Marigi, Plesinas, Burkos … These were the senators who had made great contributions to the kingdom before the Southern Italian War.
Other than that, the former mercenary senators who loved to sit together had also changed their seating arrangement. For example, Antonios sat alone, surrounded by senators from Sicily. Initially, Hilos did not want to sit alone, but some of the senators from Rockley and its allies that he had conquered and subjugated preferred to sit beside him. As a result, some of the former mercenary senators were very dissatisfied. In the end, Hilos had no choice but to stay away from the mercenary senators. Later on, in order to prevent a situation like Antonios from happening again, the Devers would send two to three legions to attack the designated towns of Mesapi and Pchetti each time after the Battle of Brindisi. This way, not only would every soldier gain military merits and receive training, but it would also disperse the influence of the commanders on the conquered areas.
Even so, there were still some Mesapi and Pchetti senators who were thick-skinned enough to squeeze into the group of former mercenary senators, causing the largest group in the Senate to gradually fall apart. Not only was the Devers not worried, but he was also happy to see such a situation happen. Now, he no longer needed to rely on these mercenaries to gain a foothold in the Kingdom.
At this moment, the Devers placed his hands on the armrests of the chair and leaned against the back of the chair in a more comfortable position. He then said to Cornelus, "Let's begin."
The first item on the agenda for this Senate meeting was the report of the Chief Executive of Enona, Asistes, whose term had expired.
Debriefing was a necessary procedure for every Dionian Elder who was about to step down from his post.
On one hand, it was to let the other senators understand and evaluate their performance during their term. If they performed well, it would be easier for them to take up new positions in the upcoming elections. If they performed poorly, they would have a reason to be idle the next time. This also forced the senators to not slack off when they took up their positions. No one could tolerate being seen as incompetent by their colleagues.
On the other hand, it would be easier for the other senators to understand the current situation and difficulties of the position or the region through the retiring senator. This would make it easier for them to consider the proposals related to the position or to decide whether or not to take up the position.
Three years ago, Asistes had given a report to Enona, so this time, he was familiar with the process and spoke in a more concise manner.
After he finished his speech, applause rang out around him. Of course, many of the applause was for the sake of reward.
At this moment, the rotating chairman, Cornelus, said loudly, "My Lords, it is now time to ask Sir Asistes questions."
The Asistes immediately felt nervous. The most difficult part of the report had arrived!
As soon as Cornelus finished speaking, Felicius immediately stood up. "My Lords, I remember that three years ago, Sir Asistes once said that Enona wanted to be the bridge between the Campanian Alliance and the Kingdom of Diónia. I would like to ask Sir Asistes, in the past three years, what achievements has Enona made in this regard? "
The Asistes heaved a sigh of relief and looked at Felicius gratefully. As expected of a senior officer in the mercenary army, this was completely helping him.
In the previous report, the Asistes had already mentioned this. Now, he only needed to elaborate. "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your wise decision to allow the Kingdom of Diónia to form an alliance with the Campanian Alliance. This is the basis for Enona's rapid development of relations with the various cities in Campania!
"As we all know, due to the Samnai's invasion of the various cities in Campania, some cities have fallen into the hands of the Samnai, including the ancient city of Capusa. "Although the Samnai and the Campanian Alliance have reached a peace agreement under our mediation, the land that the Samnai have occupied cannot be returned. Hence, there are many Campanians who have lost their homes and land in the Campanian region.
In the past, in order to survive, most of them could only work as mercenaries. "Ever since Enona became a new piece of land, although the original inhabitants, the Samnai, have all left, the growth of its population has been very slow. This is because the Greek immigrants from the eastern Mediterranean are more willing to settle in the Magna Graecia region of the Kingdom, as it is closer to the mainland, and the customs are similar and more familiar. Very few of them are willing to move to Enona in the middle of the west coast of Italy. A few years ago, the residents of Enona were mainly some of the original Legio III soldiers and their families —"
At this point, the Asistes nodded slightly at Vesba, Hemont, and the other Lucanian senators, as the soldiers of the Legio III were mainly Lucanians. "Enona has a lot of uncultivated land, but it lacks labor. Hence, when Lady Alexis was in office, she took some measures to attract Campanians to work in Enona. "Under the guidance of Lady Alexis, due to the improvement of the diplomatic environment, I proposed some new measures, such as allowing the Campanians to rent five acres of land even if they are unwilling to become citizens of Diónia. If they want to cultivate uncultivated land, they can rent more than ten acres at a time … After six years, a lot of uncultivated land in Enona has been developed into farmland, and the tax revenue has been greatly increased.
"At the same time, I provided cheap accommodation for the Campanians in Enona. The port, the market, and all other places that require labor are open to them. They are basically treated the same as the free citizens of Diónia. As a result, a large number of Campanians poured into Enona, greatly promoting the rapid development of Enona's port. Enona, which only had a simple dock ten years ago, has now become one of the most important ports in the middle of the west coast of Italy!"
Comments