Chapter 610
Zantiparis, as the military censor, must not have played a supervisory role at all out of consideration for the Devers. This led to another problem that gave the Devers a headache. Most of the senior generals of the Dionysian Army were former mercenaries. Many years of friendship had allowed them to maintain a good personal relationship, thus forming a complex network of relationships in the army. Although it made it easier for the former mercenary leader, the Devers, to control the army, it also made it easy for corruption to breed.
It seemed that it was time to break the isolation of the army and improve the style of the army … Doctor fell into deep thought.
… …
The next day, during the Senate meeting, the Devers attended again. He suddenly mentioned that he had just received news that the Naxos Administrator, Strompoli, could not return to Turií on time due to an important local case. He requested the Senate to immediately elect Strompoli's successor to go to Naxos and take over from him.
The elders were in an uproar as they discussed among themselves. Laodisian, on the other hand, panicked.
In the following election, the senators, who were secretly instructed by the Devers, finally elected Myron as the new Naxos Administrator. After congratulating Myron, the Devers announced that yesterday, Antonios had resigned from his post as Minister of Military Affairs due to poor health. After careful consideration, he decided to appoint Hilos as the Minister of Military Affairs. Although the main military affairs were decided by the Devers, the Minister of Military Affairs was, after all, an important minister of the kingdom. The appointment and dismissal of the Minister of Military Affairs was reported by the Devers to the Senate.
Hilos had been informed by the Devers yesterday evening, so he did not show any surprise. However, the other senators were in an uproar again. Many politically minded senators were wondering: Antonios, who had crossed the sea alone, defeated the last counterattack of Syracuse, conquered the Catania Plain, resigned from the highest military position in the kingdom just because of "illness". What happened?
Considering the Devers' eagerness to elect the chief executive of Naxos, some keenly felt that it might have something to do with Naxos. Just as the senators were whispering, the Devers once again announced that the Ministry of Military Affairs would set up a military court, and the Supreme Court of the Kingdom would assign personnel to serve as military judges, who would rotate regularly. At the same time, the position of military inspector was no longer held by military officers. Instead, it was held by the highest inspector of the kingdom, and the position was rotated regularly.
The entire Senate was in an uproar.
The former mercenary veterans, led by Capus, objected to the Devers. They believed that it was enough for the army to have the Military Law of Diónia to regulate the behavior of officers and soldiers, and for the military judge to punish the officers and soldiers who violated the Military Law! Now that the Dionysian Army was operating normally, there was no need to set up a military court or bring in outsiders, who could disrupt the peace and order of the army, or even leak secrets.
The Dionysian Army, led by Cornellus, believed that it was a wise decision by His Majesty the Devers to put the army under the supervision of the Law of Diónia, which would make the whole kingdom more fair and just.
The Devers still let the senators argue with each other without giving any explanation, but under his insistence, his proposal was passed.
The entire Senate meeting ended in an uproar.
After the meeting, Laodisian went straight to Antonios's mansion. However, the door, which used to be unimpeded for him, now prohibited anyone from entering. The reason was that "Antonios is not feeling well and will not see any guests for the time being."
Laodisian changed his words and said that he wanted to see his daughter, but the guard refused.
In the end, considering that Laodisian was still his father-in-law, Antonios sent someone to warn him not to run around for Paphogris anymore, and not to hold frequent banquets and attract attention.
Antonios's words made Laodisian even more confused …
… …
At this moment, in the office of the Royal Palace of Diónia, sat the new administrator of Naxos, Myron, and the highest ranking judge, Tritodemus.
"I've just finished a meeting. I called you two here because I have something important to tell you." The Devers took out a letter with a solemn expression and handed it over, "This is the secret letter I received from Strompoli yesterday. Take a look, but you must swear to the Hades that you will not reveal the contents of the letter to anyone else!"
Myron and Tritodemus looked at each other and immediately did as they were told.
Tritodemus took the letter and opened it to read. Myron also moved closer.
The letter detailed the process of Paphogris's murder, as well as the fact that Paphogris had found a slave as a scapegoat. At the end of the letter, the imprisoned slave wrote that the leader of the Sikere tribe, Arconis, had a close relationship with the Laodisian family, and had given them a large amount of gold and silver many times …
"Arconis …" Myron muttered the name. It sounded familiar, but he just could not remember where he had heard it before.
"Arconis, the son of the former king of Sikere, Agilas, and the leader of the Tanik tribe. He lives in Kephalodion, central Sicily," the Devers reminded him briefly.
Myron suddenly remembered. Oh, it's this Tanik tribe! A few years ago, they annexed another Sikere tribe, and their leader fled to Naxos to ask us for help. At that time, we were on a campaign against Mesapi, so we only sent an envoy to order the Tanik leader, Arconis, to return the occupied land and people. In the end, he did so, and even wrote a letter of apology to the Senate … I remember this very clearly. "
"He did it?! I thought so at first, but now it seems that's not necessarily the case. Do you know who the envoy that the Senate sent was?! "The Devers's face showed a hint of anger after being deceived.
"Laodisian!" Myron and Tritodemus exclaimed at the same time.
"These past few years, we've been focusing on the affairs of Greece and Southern Italy, and maintaining stability in Sicily. We're not familiar with the affairs of the Sikere people, so we mostly rely on the elders of Sicily to make decisions and deal with them …" The Devers tapped his fingers on the table and said in a low voice, "Yesterday, I specially checked the records of the Senate's meetings in the past years. More than half of the discussions related to the Sikere people were related to the Tanik tribe, and the final results were mostly in their favor."
"This is treason!" Myron slammed the chair heavily. "Your Majesty, we should arrest Laodisian and interrogate him!"
"This is only the testimony of a slave. It has not been verified," Tritodemus said in a more mature tone.
"Tritodemus is right. The Sikere people are our allies, and normal interactions between them are not restricted by the law. That's why we need evidence! Besides, I suspect that Laodisian is not the only one who has a close relationship with the Tanik tribe. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many elders of Sicily speaking up for the Tanik tribe. That's why … "The doctor said in a low voice with a serious expression," Myron, hurry to Naxos and replace Strompoli. Send patrols to seal off Laodisian's mansion there and search for evidence. If you find evidence of other elders being involved in this matter, I'll allow you to expand the search area! "
"What if the elders of Sicily and Katanai are found to be suspects?!" Myron's eyes were bright, and he asked in a slightly excited tone.
Of course, the Devers knew that Myron had always been more aggressive in his methods. He turned to another person and said, "Tritodemus, use the excuse of 'adjudicating the murder case in Naxos' as well. Hurry to Naxos as soon as possible and help Myron find evidence. At the same time, make sure that everything is within the scope of the law, so that you won't be criticized by the other elders in the Senate!"
The Devers said this mainly to remind Myron. Seeing him frown, he knew that Myron understood. He continued, "If we find that Katanai and Sicily are also involved in this matter, Tritodemus, you'll be responsible for contacting the governors of these two cities. I'll also write a letter to ask them to cooperate with you. Try to gather all the evidence and not let anyone escape!"
"Don't worry, Your Majesty!" Tritodemus immediately promised.
"Mister Myron, I've given you a difficult problem as soon as you took office. Do you feel the pressure?" The Devers said to Myron in a relaxed tone and joked.
"Isn't this the reason why Your Majesty made me the governor of Naxos?" Myron said straightforwardly.
The Devers was stunned for a moment before he laughed. This old politician who had been the chief general of Crotone for a long time was definitely not as straightforward as he looked.
"Naxos is the Naxos of Diónia. It's time to reorganize!" The words of the Devers gave Myron a clear hint. He immediately nodded and said, "Understood, Your Majesty."
"What should we do with Pavel Grace, the son of Laodisian?" Tritodemus asked cautiously. He knew the Devers well, so he asked, "According to the kingdom's laws, he shouldn't be given a heavy sentence!"
Dyvers laughed coldly. "Mobilizing the registered freedman to make a new report. Furthermore, he has defied the law and lied after swearing an oath to Hades. He even let a slave take the blame. Furthermore, he must have been involved in collusion with the Sikere people. How should we sentence him for these crimes?"
Tritodemus' eyes lit up.
… …
After sending the two away, the Devers welcomed the new military minister, Hilos.
"Your Majesty!" Hilos stood in front of the desk and bowed respectfully.
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