Chapter 644
"Lord Sesta, not all senators are as accustomed to a dull life as you are. The key is that they are only giving without getting anything in return. They will definitely feel unbalanced, and it will be difficult for them to resist the temptation, "Sedorum said from the side.
"Then don't be a senator. It's best if you go into business!" Sesta retorted.
"Alright, I called you all here to discuss and solve the problem, not to quarrel," the Devers said softly, and the room immediately returned to silence.
His gaze swept across everyone's faces and saw Merces' nervous expression. He knew what he was worried about and smiled in his heart. His gaze stopped on Antares. Ever since he entered the king's office, Antares had been quiet.
Of course, Wesba was also a very quiet person. As one of the rotating chairmen of the Lucanian Senate, apart from when it came to protecting the interests of the Lucanians, he rarely spoke a word in the Senate. In private, he was criticized by others as a 'puppet', believing that his abilities were far inferior to He Meng's. The only reason he was able to sit in this position was because of his son, Bagul. After Vesba heard this, he remained the same and did not change at all.
As for Antares, as a senator who had just become the rotating president, he had been keeping a low profile for the past few months. However, the Devers did not want him to remain silent, so he directly asked, "Antares, what do you think about this?"
Antares stared blankly for a moment, then immediately straightened his body. His calm temperament immediately changed, and he said in a clear voice with a dignified expression, "Your Majesty, the senators are the most outstanding people in a country, and their status is also noble. This should be the pride of the senators, but now the people are looking at us senators as if we are criminals, full of suspicion." Who will be the second Polyxis? Who will be the second Laodisian? ' We are gradually losing the trust of the people, and the foundation that gives the highest power to the Kingdom's Senate is collapsing. This is a very frightening thing! Therefore, we must prohibit the senators from accepting any gifts and reclaim the people's trust in us, so that we can be worthy of that dignity! — — "
"But, Lord Antares," Cornelus interrupted him.
But before he could continue, Antares quickly interrupted, "Esteemed Lord Cornelius, please hear me out!"
Cornelius suddenly looked a little embarrassed.
"But being the noblest senator doesn't mean being the poorest. When a poor man stands before a rich man, he does not speak with confidence, and the same is true for a senator who lives in poverty in front of a rich citizen. This not only lowers the prestige of our elders, but also causes the citizens to look down on us and have other ideas, which is not conducive to the governance of the people and the kingdom.
While the kingdom gave the elders honor, it should also give them corresponding wealth. Because it was their hard work that created the prosperity of the kingdom today, the elders should enjoy the wealth they deserved! Therefore, I suggest that we give the elders a salary, a salary that is sufficiently high! "
Everyone was a little moved by Antares' impassioned speech.
The Devers remained calm. Before they could speak, Mercies shouted, "No! No! There wasn't much money left in the treasury to pay the salaries of the other officials! There was no more money to be given to the elders! …
"Don't be hasty, Mercies." The Devers pointed at him, then said to the crowd unhurriedly, "Well said, Antares. I think so too. Make a law to prohibit the elders from accepting gifts, and accept the supervision of the censor, local councilors, and civil protection officers. At the same time, start giving the elders salaries, and it should be enough so that the elders can live like real senators … What do you think? "
"How could I not agree if His Majesty wanted to give us money?" Sedorum said jokingly. In fact, whether or not to pay or not to prohibit gifts did not affect him and Vesba much. Their other identity was the leader of the tribe. Although the young men in the tribe had basically become independent, they owned a large area of the tribe's land, many servants, and a large number of cattle and sheep. They did not lack money at all. Therefore, the Devers mainly consulted other people.
Facing the Devers' proposal, Cornelius still had the same attitude, "Your Majesty, I agree with your proposal. But how much salary is appropriate? Where will the money come from? "
"It seems that everyone has reached an agreement on the proposal to ban the elders from accepting gifts and implement a salary system," Dyvers said as he glanced at Lysias and Marigi. Both of them were nodding as well.
"Next, let's talk about how much the salary should be." The Devers's gaze fell on the nervous Mercies. "Mercies, tell me, what is the salary of an official below the chief executive of a city?"
"An official below the chief executive of a city?" Mercies regained his composure once they started talking about business. He thought carefully and said, "Deputy chief executive, mid-level construction officer, mid-level censor, mid-level agricultural officer, mid-level judge, and so on. These can be considered as officials of the same rank, but there is a difference in salary. For example, the agricultural officer and construction officer have to travel outside for a long period of time, so their salary is higher. The judge and censor have a relatively easier job, so their salary is lower. On average, it is about … about 40 silver Drachma Hades. "Mercies calculated with his fingers and finally spat out this figure.
The silver Hades coins that he mentioned had been cast after the establishment of the kingdom. One side had the head of Hades, the King of Hades, and the other side had the head of the King of Devers. The citizens of Diónia also called this silver coin the "Devers' Silver Coin." In addition, the kingdom also cast copper coins. The two sides had the image of Persephone and the Senate Hall, or Hercules and the Senate Hall. The exchange rate of copper coins to silver coins was set at 6: 1. This was similar to the exchange rate of Opol to silver coins. Therefore, in Diónia, copper coins had replaced Opol. These two types of coins were the only currency in circulation in the Kingdom of Diónia due to their high purity and exquisite designs. They were also one of the main currencies used by the other countries in the Western Mediterranean.
"40 silver coins … about the price of one and a half cows." The Devers was not surprised by this figure. He had already done a detailed investigation beforehand. He was just making use of Mercies to let everyone know. In fact, this was not a low salary. A citizen who owned five acres of land could only earn three times this amount during a good year. This was only the monthly salary of a mid-level official in the Kingdom of Diónia. Due to the abundance of cows and horses in the kingdom, the price was relatively low. It usually fluctuated between 25 to 30 silver coins. If it was in Greece, a cow would cost at least 50 silver coins.
The Devers tapped his fingers on the table and said slowly, "I suggest that the salary of the senators be set at 100 silver Hades. In addition, if the senators have a position, their salary should be increased according to their position. For example, the chief executive of a city. His total salary should be 100 silver coins for the senators and the chief executive's salary … hmm, since the deputy chief executive's salary is around 40 silver coins, then the chief executive's salary should be around 50 silver coins. In this case, his monthly salary should be 150 silver coins.
Another example would be Sesta, you are a senator and the highest prosecutor. Your position and the chief executive are both high-ranking officials. Your salary should also be around 150 silver coins. Also, Cornelus, you are the rotating president. The rotating president is different from the ordinary senators. You also need to take on some extra work. You should also have an extra salary … "
Everyone carefully digested the Devers's suggestion. Everyone's brows relaxed. No one would complain about having too much money. Moreover, this salary could reflect the distinguished status of the senators in the kingdom. In this way, even if there was a 'ban on gifts', they believed that the senators would not have too many complaints.
Only Mercies complained unhappily, "Too much! Too much! There are more than 100 senators in the Senate. Even if each senator's salary is 100 silver coins, the national treasury will have to pay more than two Taliente every month. I don't have that much money! "
Before the Devers could speak, Cornelus asked doubtfully, "I remember that the finance department earns more than 100 Taliente every year from the lottery of various ball games. In addition, now that the kingdom's trade is booming, there are merchant ships gathering at the ports of various cities. The monthly business tax should be close to 100 Taliente. Not to mention that the kingdom's population is as high as 1.8 million. The land tax is also a huge figure. There is also the annual ransom fee for slaves, the postal fee for the post office, the escort fee for the fleet … It's not a small sum. How can the national treasury not have money?! "
"Lord Cornelus." Mercies sneered. "You only see the national treasury collecting money, but you don't see the national treasury spending money. You have to know that there are more than 1,000 middle-level officials in the kingdom. The national treasury has to pay them more than 10 Taliente every month. Not to mention the prison guards, patrols, sentries, and other low-level public officials that also have to be paid. If all of these are included, there are tens of thousands of people. They have to pay more than 50 Taliente every month!
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