Chapter 623
Facing Gherney's expectant gaze, Dyves did not hesitate. He immediately nodded and said with a firm tone, "Dionya will never let those allies who are truly on friendly terms with us, Dionya, suffer any grievances! Rest assured, Gherney, I will send an emissary to Beneventum to publicly declare my support for you. Any tribe that wants to harm you will be the enemy of Diónia! I will also condemn Hilpini, Caudini, and Pentney for their secret resistance to the covenant in the past few years! "The Devers said as he signaled the clerk to record this matter.
Gherney was overjoyed and repeatedly expressed his gratitude. The stone in his heart was finally lifted.
But he heard the Devers say, "What I am worried about now is that the Hilpini Tribal Alliance knows that the Abenilum and Diónia have a good relationship, but they still hold a celebration that is disadvantageous to you when the covenant is about to expire. Aren't they worried that it will cause dissatisfaction and protection from Diónia? Could it be that Lescoc has no intention of renewing the covenant?"
Gherney was shocked. He had also been worried about the problem that the Devers mentioned, but he would rather believe that this was a strategy of Lescoc. He wanted to use the matter of the Abenilum to pressure Diónia so that he would take the initiative to amend some treaties when renewing the covenant. After all, the strength of Diónia was obvious to all. Any force that dared to offend it would have to first weigh their own weight and whether they could withstand the anger of Diónia.
Seeing that Gherney was a little nervous, the Devers smiled and said, "In fact, for us, Diónia, whether Hilpini is willing to renew the covenant or not has no impact or loss. But for the Samonai —" The Devers showed a compassionate expression and sighed, "You love to live in the mountains. This is a long-standing tradition. But living in the mountains has its difficulties. There is not enough arable land to grow food. Although it is possible to raise livestock, you have to be wary of wild beasts. You also have to pray that the winter is not too cold, otherwise it will be difficult for the livestock to survive. Just like the situation two years ago, the winter in the mountains is much colder than the coastal area. As for hunting, it is not enough to feed many people. That is why your father united with the other Samonai tribes ten years ago and launched an attack on Potentia. It was not only because of the instigation of the Syracuse, but also because you need to obtain more land to feed your increasing population … "
The Devers' words made Gherney's heart sour. Ten years ago, he was still a brave and fierce warrior, fighting under the protection of his father, Vincenzo …
"But war is not the only way for the Samonai tribe to survive. Strengthening friendly trade with other forces will not only allow you to obtain more food, but you will also not have to worry about losing the war and sacrificing your people. Your Abernilum is the best example. As far as I know, your current life is much better than the other Hilpini tribes. Even the number of children born and surviving in the past few years is much higher than the other tribes. If this continues, in another ten years, Abernilum will once again become the largest town of Hilpini! … "
Gherney's heart was surging. The Devers were exactly what he was thinking. An important goal in his heart was to take back the position of Hilpini that once belonged to the Abernilum.
"Sufficient food and good medical skills are the most important conditions for the survival and growth of a tribe!" The Devers said in a serious tone, "In the past, the surrounding forces of the Samonai, Campania and Lucania, were unwilling to deal with you because of fear, so you had to rely on plundering to solve the problem of survival. Now, Diónia is the only country that is willing to have friendly relations with the Samonai, but the Samonai people reject our kindness and say that we are blaspheming the gods! The priests of the Hades disregarded the difficulties of life in the mountains and stayed in Abernilum for many years, helping many sick Samonai people for free! Helping many Samonai people in trouble! To you, the Hades is a god of a foreign race, but so what? I can say that the main gods of the Greeks were once foreign gods. It was the Greeks who finally became our own gods through long-term contact with the surrounding forces such as Egypt and Persia. Now some Campanians even worship your god, Savone, to bless the safety of their livestock. Moreover, the priesthood of the Hades does not conflict with the current gods of the Samonai people. You didn't have a god who controlled death and hell in the past! Why don't you try to accept it?! … "
The sincere words of the Devers made Gherney very uneasy. In fact, he had taken the initiative to contact the Diónia at the beginning because he was forced to, in fact, he had some resistance in his heart. At this moment, listening to the words of the Devers, he benefited a lot. He felt a little guilty and wanted to explain.
The Devers waved his hand and said, "The other Samonai tribes are actually unwilling to accept the kindness of the Diónia, and we will not force them, but I can't help but worry about the Abernilum!"
Gherney was stunned, and soon his eyes widened. "Your Majesty, are you saying that Lescok will launch a war against the Abernilum?!"
"Once Hilpini does not renew the contract with the Diónia, it is likely that they will retaliate against the Abernilum who disobeyed the decision of the tribal alliance. I don't need to say more about the conflict between you and Lescok, right? " The Devers looked at him and said solemnly, "At that time, if the Diónia expresses its support for you, it may cause a second war between the Kingdom and the Samonai people! The war with the Samonai is not what I want, and I'm afraid it will be difficult for the Senate to make a decision to support you! "
When Gherney heard this, he was a little anxious. "Is Diónia going to let Lescok lead his troops to attack the Abernilum? Don't forget that the Abernilum has been abandoned by the other Hilpini tribes because it has always been friendly with the Diónia!"
The Devers looked calm, ignoring Gherney's agitated waving hands. He said slowly, "This is just a guess on our part. The Hilpini alliance led by Beneventum may also not be willing to risk losing the ally of Diónia and choose to renew the contract. But no matter what, there will always be danger for your Abernilum. There is a way … to make the Abernilum completely safe — "At this point, the Devers stopped talking.
Gherney immediately asked, "What way?"
The Devers did not answer directly, but asked calmly, "The Abernilum should have a lot of contact with Potentia, right? What do you think is the difference between today's Potentia and ten years ago?"
What's the difference? The impression of the Potentia people in the past flashed in Gherney's mind. The biggest difference was probably the attitude towards the Samonai people. In the past, the Potentia people were afraid of the Samonai people, but now, not only were they not afraid, but they also took the initiative to contact the Samonai people. Just like the Potentia person, Ginat, they met when they came here, they wanted to trade with the Abernilum. In the past, Potentia was as poor and backward as the Samonai people. If there was no major event, there was little contact between the tribes. But some time ago, when they passed through Potentia, they saw a lively town. Many tribes had temporary markets or permanent small markets between their settlements. The reason was that the Diónia people had helped to build some roads, making it fast and convenient to travel between the Potentia tribes …
Gherney was silent for a while, with a little vigilance on his face. He hesitantly whispered, "Your Majesty, do you want to make the Abernilum … become a 'free city' of Diónia …"
"If it becomes a free city, apart from belonging to Diónia in name, nothing will change for the Abernilum, and it will also get a lot of benefits, just like Potentia."
The Devers said tempting words in a relaxed manner, but Gherney was silent.
"Of course, this is just a suggestion of mine." The Devers smiled and did not continue to urge him. "You can go back and think about it. In fact, it is not only the Abernilum that is facing such trouble, Laconia is also facing the same problem. We have also given them the same advice."
Laconia? Gherney felt that the name was quite familiar. He thought about it carefully: it seemed to be a town of Kautini, which was located in the mountains north of Enona …
Gherney was surprised, but his mood relaxed a little. It turned out that the Abernilum was not facing the dilemma of fighting against the Samonai tradition alone …
… …
In the territory of Delnia in Sicily, although the Ministry of Military Affairs only had one corps here (the Eighth Legion), there were two barracks: one was in Tauromignan, which was usually more of a fortress because it could not accommodate too many soldiers; the other was located on the northern edge of the Catania Plain, between the cities of Catana and Siculi, which was the real camp of the Eighth Legion.
At this time, the barracks of the Eighth Legion were already bustling with noise, and it was no longer the desolate scene in the past.
Galadmos led the pack into the barracks. Although the road was full of soldiers coming and going, and the soldiers' dormitories of similar sizes and styles lined up on both sides, these did not affect his ability to go where he wanted to go. After all, before he was transferred to Naxos, the Ministry of Military Affairs had transferred his military affiliation to the Eighth Legion. He had trained in this barracks many times, and he could be said to be very familiar with it, although he was only a reserve soldier.
Galadmos walked in a slightly crowded passage. He seemed to hear someone calling his name. He looked in the direction of the voice and saw a familiar figure.
Diocasis rushed to his side with a smile on his face. "The blessing of the goddess of luck has allowed me to see you here."
"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have transported the newly harvested wheat here," Galadmos complained.
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