Chapter 631
After the others tried to go to Tarantum, the people of Odrum felt the third benefit of joining Diónia.
However, the benefits that Diónia gave to Odrum were endless. Nicomachus announced that he would build a road for Odrum that would connect to Udier.
Building a road was something that the people of Odrum had always dreamed of, but could it be done?!
While the people of Odrum were still in doubt, the officials of the road department of Diónia had already started to build a road outside Odrum with the Duchy's soldiers and prisoners of war.
Just as the people of Odlum were pleasantly surprised to see the smooth road extending westward along the rugged terrain, Nicomachus once again announced that he would expand the port and make use of Odlum's unique geographical advantage to prosper Odlum's sea trade.
This time, the people of Odrum did not just stand there and watch. Instead, they actively joined in the construction of the port.
The city of Odrum, which had been silent for a hundred years, had undergone tremendous changes in just two to three years. The people of Odrum were no longer the "fishermen from a remote fishing village" that the other Mesapi city-states used to despise. Odrum had become a famous port town in the eastern part of Diónia.
Therefore, when Nicomachus' term of office was over and he was about to leave, the people in the city had completely forgotten about the anger and abuse they gave him when he first arrived. Instead, they lined up in a long queue to send him off. The city council unanimously agreed to erect a statue of Nicomachus in the town square so that the people of Odrum would always remember his name and everything he had done for Odrum! … …
Kerisopskov's expression gradually became solemn as he listened. From the words of the coachman, he could feel that the people of Odrum had acknowledged the Kingdom of Diónia. If Odrum was like that, would the other towns of Mesapi and Puchetti be like that as well?!
The strength of the Kingdom of Diónia had put pressure on Sparta, and Diónia's strong ability to assimilate the indigenous people terrified Chalisops even more. He was puzzled and uneasy about whether Sparta's act of sheltering the Mesapi and Puchetti nobles who had escaped from this area was useful or not.
On the other hand, the coachman, whom Kelisthorpes was interested in talking about, talked about how much he liked rugby. He also said that Kelisthorpes was lucky. If it wasn't for the Turís suspending the rugby finals these two days, forcing him to return from Turís temporarily, Kelisthorpes would not have been able to get on his carriage.
Except for the first part of the road, which was not easy to walk on, the rest of the road was flat and wide. The carriage sped all the way, and before noon, they had already arrived outside the city.
The coachman had to stop here for a while to feed the horses and restore their strength.
Thorpes could also eat something to fill his stomach.
Upon entering the city, he found that there was a sentry post every few steps in the city, and there were heavily armed soldiers patrolling everywhere.
Kelisthorpes was shocked, thinking that the people of Udiea were rioting, because it was rumored that Udiea had launched many riots in the past few years. However, after listening to the coachman's explanation, he realized that was not the case.
It turned out that the Udiea team was unexpectedly eliminated in the first round of the rugby finals of the Kingdom of Diónia, and they were defeated by the weak Ujentum.
When the news spread back to Udiea, the people regarded it as a great shame. Not only did they angrily insult and reprimand the players, but they also went to restaurants in groups to drown their sorrows in alcohol. When they were drunk, they made excuses to cause trouble in the city, and there were even several incidents of injuries. Udiea's inspection office had to closely monitor the whole city to prevent any more injuries.
The coachman could not explain to Kelisthorpes clearly why the people of Udiea would care so much about winning or losing a game. He just said that the Udiea team had always been like this in the Mesapi region. Not only were their actions rough, they often committed fouls, and they did not accept the referees' decisions. Therefore, the other Mesapi teams now did not like to play against Udiea.
In fact, the reason why the people of Udiea attached so much importance to rugby was that, as the former center of the Kingdom of Mesapi and the largest city-state of the Mesapi Union, Udiea had the fiercest resistance after it was occupied by the people of Diónia. At the time, the governor of Udiea, Myron, had severely suppressed it. At the most serious time, Myron had demanded that the army be stationed in the city, and everyone must stay at home during the day and not go out on the streets. This state of resistance lasted for a year before they gradually began to accept the rule of Diónia.
As a result, when the people of Udiea came into contact with the outside world, they found that the surrounding towns of Mesapi had long obeyed the rule of Diónia and had long received benefits from the kingdom. With the vigorous development of maritime trade, they began to get rid of the hat of poverty and gradually became rich. Udiea, which was located inland and used to be the dominant city-state of Mesapi for its fertile and vast land and large population, had become less important.
In the following year's rugby finals, the players of Udiea, who participated in the game for the first time, won one game after another with a strong fighting spirit inspired by disappointment and unwillingness. Finally, after entering the top eight, they met the team of Turií, and the two sides had a fierce game.
In the game, three players of Udiea were injured, one was sent off the field, and one Turií player was seriously injured. In the end, the Turií team won by a narrow point. The Diónia Rugby Union also changed some of its rules because of this game, stricter penalties for fouls in the game.
The players of Udiea returned to their hometown dejectedly, but they were warmly welcomed by the people, who praised them for playing with the blood of the people of Mesapi, and let the people of Diónia know the power of Udiea's warriors. From then on, the people of Udiea began to be obsessed with rugby and poured their feelings into it, seeing it as a tool to show the unyielding spirit of the people of Diónia. Therefore, this time, the team of Udiea failed in the finals and was eliminated in the first round, which greatly stimulated the people of Udiea.
Kelethorpes did not understand these deep reasons, but he felt that the people of Udiea attached so much importance to the invention of rugby by the people of Diónia, which meant that they had already accepted the rule of Diónia, which made him a little depressed.
Before coming, Agesilaus had specially given him the opportunity to learn about the situation of the Puchetti and the Mesapi under the rule of Diónia, so he chose to take this route instead of taking a boat directly to Turií. But from what he had observed now, as time went on, the rule of Diónia in Mesapi would only become more and more stable.
Out of Udiea, the carriage continued to speed northwest.
A few hours later, they passed by Manduria, which was once the frontline fortress of the Mesapi's invasion of Tarantum and was now the garrison of the Ninth Legion of Diónia. After all, it was located in a place that was neither conducive to farming nor grazing. But the real camp of the Ninth Legion was built on a plain not far from the north of Udiea. The reason why it was built there was that it happened to be in the center of the Mesapi region, convenient to gather the citizens of the towns of Mesapi for training and mobilization, and also to monitor and deter the most restless Udiea. But because it was not beside the main road, Kelethorpes could not see it.
At dusk, Kelethorpes arrived at the city of Tarantum.
Kelethorpes had been to Tarantum several times. In his impression, this was also a sub-state of Sparta. Although it did not inherit the bravery of the Sparta people, it used to train the citizens a lot of times every year. The people of the city were still in a state of military readiness. But this time entering the city surprised him. Not only were there no soldiers patrolling on the top of the city wall, but the guards at the city gate were also disheveled, and the inspection was not strict. Anyone who wanted to enter the city was almost allowed to enter with a wave of their hand.
Kelethorpes thought about it and quickly understood: because Tarantum had become a free city of the Kingdom of Diónia, and its mortal enemy, the Mesapi, had also been conquered by Diónia, it was no longer in danger. Now that it was in the hinterland of Diónia, even the responsibility of defending the territory's security had been taken over by Diónia, so naturally, its military readiness was lax.
But the city of Tarantum was very lively. Even though it was already dusk, the streets were still crowded with people and carriages. On both sides of the road from the city to the port, there were shops, restaurants, brothels … row upon row, and travelers lingered here. As a transportation and trade hub in the east of Diónia, Tarantum was more prosperous than before.
But Kelethorpes had seen many young citizens of Tarantum going in and out of restaurants and brothels in groups, drunk on the streets, and sometimes cursing about the "glory" of Tarantum in the past, venting their dissatisfaction with Diónia, and even despising the "cowardice" of Sparta …
Kelethorpes had a helpless smile on his face. He understood that the people of Tarantum held a grudge against Sparta for abandoning them and eventually signing an alliance agreement with Diónia. But Kelethorpes did not mind it too much. Instead, he felt a little regretful. Judging from the current state of life of the people of Tarantum, these citizens could only move their mouths, and probably did not even know how to use a shield and spear. It would be difficult for them to resist Diónia's rule.
Finally, Kelethorpes arrived at the port.
When he was in Sparta, Kelethorpes had learned that there were specialized sea ferry terminals in the port of Tarantum. Cargo ships loaded with goods and passengers would depart from these terminals without interruption. Within a few hours, they could reach other coastal cities in the Taranto Bay. Of course, the main destination was Turií.
Kelethorpes quickly boarded a passenger ship that went straight to Turií.
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