Chapter 665
Cornelus hesitated for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, I'm not opposed to forming an alliance with Wolsey and letting the Rome conquer Wolsey. I just feel that with the current situation of Diónia this year, this is not a good time. Moreover, we are very unfamiliar with the situation in Central Italy. We should be more cautious and make more preparations to ensure that if a war really breaks out, we will have full confidence to win! "
Cornelus's mature and prudent words made the ministers, led by Lucias, nod repeatedly.
"I also hope to wait until the kingdom has enough soldiers and food, and when there are no external threats around us, then intervene with Rome. However, a good opportunity never comes easily, and the enemy will not be so stupid as to always stay in the same place and let us interfere. " The Devers sighed and said, "Do you still remember the war with Syracuse? Our original idea was to attack Rockley first and lure the army of Syracuse to Great Greece. However, Dionysius lured the Samonians into a sudden invasion. We hoped to station our troops in the Corunnia- Triene line of defense, stall the army of Syracuse, and deal with the Samonians first. Then, we will wait for the main force to come back for a decisive battle. However, Dionysius led the army to easily break through our southern line of defense …
These lessons have deeply taught me that a good opportunity does not come easily, but it is won by our bold actions. Moreover, the people of Carthage are also no less intelligent than Dionysius. They have long known that Diónia will be their future enemy, so not only have they long supported the Tanik tribe, but they have also been supporting the people of Rome since seven or eight years ago. "
Cornelus and the others were shocked. Lucias hurriedly asked, "Your Majesty, is this true?!"
"Of course it is true. Because of the incident with the Tanik tribe, I became vigilant against Carthage, so I increased my attention to the forces around the kingdom. As a result, the people I sent quickly collected some information about the relationship between Carthage and Rome. There is evidence that Carthage has been supporting Rome over the years, providing food, weapons … "As the Devers spoke, he nodded to the clerk Henepolis, who was taking notes next to him.
Henepolis immediately left the council hall and quickly found a few documents in the forbidden area of the palace, the information room. He brought them to the Devers, and the Devers handed them to Cornelus.
Cornelus, Lucias, Sedorum, and the other ministers looked at each other, and their expressions became more and more serious.
"Previously, I didn't talk about Carthage and Rome because we were busy governing the Downey area that was newly incorporated into the kingdom. There was no need to be distracted by Rome's matters for the time being. But — "The Devers suddenly stood up and said loudly," Now that Wolsey has come to ask for help, this is a good opportunity! Helping Wolsey and fighting against Rome will win the support of other forces in Central Italy. Destroying Carthage's conspiracy will also be beneficial for us when there is a war with Carthage in the future. In addition, defeating Rome will also be beneficial for us to enter the same fertile land as Rome in Central Italy! "
When the Devers said this, the ministers were surprised.
The Devers looked at them and said in a deep voice, "My lords, this drought has covered most of the land in the Kingdom of Diónia, making our disaster relief so difficult. I believe that every one of you will remember this! Why? Because our country is not big enough, and our national strength is not strong enough. We need to acquire more land in order to cope with every drought, every earthquake, every tsunami! With Carthage blocking the way in the south, we can only acquire land in the north. So, the arrival of Wolsey's messenger is a good opportunity for us! "
When the Devers saw the ministers fall into silence, he smiled and said in a gentle tone, "Of course, this is a long-term strategy that I have set for the kingdom. The war with Rome will not necessarily break out immediately. With our help, maybe the people of Rome will back down. So, we have to take it one bite at a time. Let's not rush. Let's take it slow. Let's first let the Senate pass the proposal of forming an alliance with Wolsey, then carefully discuss the alliance with the people of Wolsey. After everything is done, we will send messengers to test the reaction of the people of Rome …"
… …
Diónia quickly sent its foreign minister, Ancetanos, to negotiate with Wolsey's messenger, Maitpola, about the alliance between the two countries.
The negotiation went smoothly, and it only took more than half a day to draw up a draft of the alliance. The main content is that Diónia and Wolsey will form a friendly and equal military alliance. They will strengthen friendly exchanges, and as long as they do not violate the laws of the alliance, their people will be free to stay in the land of the alliance. They will give each other preferential treatment and convenience in trade. There will be no additional taxes, and they are not allowed to detain or capture the merchants of the alliance without authorization. If there is any dispute, it will be settled by arbitration between the two parties. When one party is invaded by the enemy or has a war with a third party, the alliance should do its best to provide military assistance, and even send troops to participate in the war at the request of the other party … "
Maitpola took the draft and immediately returned to Wolsey.
Ten days later, he hurried over with the Wolsey emissaries. The emissaries included the governors of several city-states in the Wolsey alliance.
The Devers and the Wolsey people signed the alliance agreement solemnly.
As soon as the agreement was signed, the Wolsey people could not wait to ask Diónia to send troops to Wolsey's aid. It turned out that the Romans had already conquered Villette and repelled Wolsey's reinforcements. They had begun to attack the city of Satricum. The Wolsey alliance had suffered a series of defeats, and there were not enough soldiers to organize a large number of reinforcements to stop the attack of the Roman army. They were faced with an unprecedented crisis.
The Devers decided to follow Antalys's suggestion and first send an emissary to Rome to mediate. At the same time, they informed the Ministry of Military Affairs to prepare for war.
After careful consideration and selection, the emissary sent by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was Tapirus.
More than ten years ago, Tapirus was still a slave bought by Cristoya. Because of his quick thinking and hard work, he was promoted to the manager of a restaurant within a few years and was granted freedom by his master, the Devers. During the war in Southern Italy, he participated in the most important battle of Crotone as a probationary citizen. As a spearman, he and his companions resisted the attack of Syracuse's mercenary cavalry and defeated them. At the same time, he helped other troops to defeat the powerful right wing of Syracuse and played a key role in the final victory of the battle.
After the war, the surviving spearmen became official citizens of Diónia. A few years later, Tapirus also participated in the war to conquer Mesapi and Puchetti. Perhaps the frequent battles had tempered his courage and broadened his horizons. He was no longer satisfied with just being the regional manager of Cristoya's restaurant. Instead, he used his ability to read and count to pass the examination of the finance department and became a tax officer.
When the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was established, Antalys recruited civil servants. Tapirus, who had done a good job but was tired of the daily accounting and bookkeeping, applied to come to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Antalys knew very well that it was not an easy task to go to Rome. The emissary needed not only to be observant and eloquent, but also to be courageous. Therefore, Tapirus, who had served as a restaurant waiter and participated in many battles, was the best candidate.
… …
In the 13th year of Diónia (November 1, 380 BC), the Diónia emissary, Tapirus, boarded a passenger ship at the port of Laos bound for Rome.
It was a sunny day, with no clouds in the blue sky.
Tapirus sat in the cabin, still recalling the scene when he was received by the King of Devers before he left Turií.
Although it was a meeting, it was actually an invitation to attend a banquet at the Devers' mansion. Since he was a personal slave released by the Devers, according to the popular saying in Diónia, the Devers were his benefactors (a peculiar custom formed due to the national conditions of Diónia, where there was a special familial relationship between the freed slaves and their masters). As long as it did not violate the law, the freed slaves could turn to their former masters for help in finding jobs or financial support if they were in trouble. When the former masters were in trouble, the freed slaves, who had become full citizens, would also lend a helping hand. Or, when the former masters ran for local councilors or bailiffs, they would join hands to cast a valuable vote for the former masters. This was recognized by the society. It was for these reasons that the wealthier citizens of Diónia were keen to treat their slaves well and grant them freedom in recent years. That was why a formal meeting was turned into a private banquet.
At the banquet, he was surprised that the great King of Devers cared so much about such a native city-state in central Italy. At the same time, he was even more surprised by the request made by the Devers …
At this time, the captain pushed the door open and came in. "Sir, we will arrive at the port of Ostia soon."
Hearing this, Tapirus put aside his thoughts and went out of the cabin.
Seagulls soared in the sky ahead, and ships of all sizes converged in one direction. That should be the estuary of the Tiber River, where the colonial city of Ostia of Rome was located.
After receiving this appointment, Tapirus specially studied the information about Rome. He knew that Ostia was originally a small Latin town. A few decades ago, it was captured by Rome and its citizens settled there, turning Ostia into a colonial city of Rome. Later, it became Rome's only port city for maritime trade. It was precisely because of these benefits that Ostia had always been loyal to Rome. Even when Rome was captured by the Gauls, it did not betray them.
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