Chapter 684
His last sentence made Cristoya's eyes light up. She smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I'm just joking. Why are you so serious? Every time you make a request, I will do it seriously!"
At this point, she propped her upper body up with her hands and leaned towards the Devers's couch, almost nestling against his chest. Her eyes wandered as she said softly, "You've been busy with the drought for the past few months. It's finally raining today, so you should relax. Let me and my sister accompany you tonight …"
"Sister!" Although Christosya's voice was soft, Aegnis could still hear her, and she immediately blushed.
The Devers was moved. The drought and the possibility of war had put a lot of pressure on him. He really needed to relax!
He was about to tease the shy Aegnis when a female slave rushed through the rain, "Master, the guards reported that Elder Amyntas insists on seeing you!"
It's so late, and Amyntas still wants to see me?! The Devers's heart skipped a beat. He gently rubbed Crystal's fragrant shoulders and smiled, "I'll go see Amyntas first. You two wait for me in the bedroom tonight."
With that, he got up and went to the study.
Seeing the Devers leave, the smile on Crystal's face disappeared. Her expression became serious, "Aegnis, don't you think it's strange? It's raining for the first time in eight months, and His Majesty isn't very happy. It's already so late, but Amyntas still wants to see you. Something important must have happened! I think it's probably war! "
"War?!" Aegnis jumped in fright, revealing a look of worry.
Crystal stood up from the couch and shouted towards the outside, "Molina! Hurry and bring the children in. They'll catch a cold if they stay in the rain for too long. "
With that, she looked at Aegnis and said in an unquestionable tone, "Tonight, the two of us will accompany His Majesty and let him relax. Come to my bedroom."
"… Okay … Okay." In the end, Aegnis's concern for the Devers prevailed over her shyness, and she nodded hesitantly.
… … …
In the Devers's study, Amyntas straightforwardly stated his intentions, "Your Majesty, I'm here to ask you to send the first legion to Wolsey to help them repel the people of Rome!"
The Devers was not surprised. He had already guessed it when he heard that Amyntas had come to see him. He looked at the old general whose hair had begun to turn white but was still strong. He said earnestly, "Amyntas, my old friend, Rome is just a small enemy to Diónia. You are the Legion Commander with the most combat experience, and the First Legion that you lead is the strongest legion. Our real enemy is in the south, on Sicily Island, in Africa. Once Carthage declares war on us, your First Legion will be the first to be sent to Sicily to face the strongest enemy since the founding of Dionia — Carthage! The first legion has to be used where it counts. I hope you understand that! "
Hearing this, Amyntas looked slightly hesitant, but he quickly became firm again. "Your Majesty, the second legion, Legio IV, Legio V, and even Legio VI are not weaker than the first legion. They can completely repel the attack of Carthage. But going north to fight against Rome is a rare opportunity to lead an independent army. I hope Your Majesty can give me such a chance! "Amyntas spoke very bluntly, but this was his style.
The Devers saw the determination in Amyntas' eyes. He suddenly understood. All these years, this comrade who had followed him from Persia to Greece had given him many support, but he never asked for anything in return. He had always stayed in the army, resolutely carried out his orders, and became his sharp knife to attack the enemy. But it was not that he did not care.
Anthony led the army alone and conquered Syracuse in Sicily; Alexis led the army alone and conquered Khossa, Enona, and later, Downey; Hilos, who was younger than him, led the army alone and conquered the Locri region; even Prososus (Leotychides), who became a citizen of Diónia after the establishment of the Diónia Alliance, led the army alone and conquered the Sikere people. Recently, Lizaru, who was born in Lucania, led the Legio III and the Campanian Alliance to defeat the Cautini.
Amyntas, who thought that he was older and more experienced than them, would definitely feel resentful. As a general, who did not want to lead the army alone, defeat the enemy, and win glory for himself?
It seems that I have neglected this! The Devers tapped his fingers on the back of the chair. Reject Amyntas' request? This would undoubtedly hurt his old friend's heart, and it would make his old comrades feel that after becoming king, he had alienated them. But to agree to Amyntas' request? He was indeed worried that Amyntas, who was already brave in battle, would put the First Legion in a difficult situation because of his eagerness to make a contribution! … Then what should I do?
The Devers pondered, and his eyes gradually lit up. He slowly said, "Amyntas, I can inform the Ministry of Military Affairs to send the First Legion to Wolsey, but you have to promise me one thing!"
Seeing that the Devers did not speak for a long time, Amyntas thought that he would not agree. When he heard this, he was overjoyed and quickly said, "Don't say one thing, I will agree to ten requests, as long as you let me go!"
The Devers smiled and said, "It's not a difficult request, but it will be very helpful to you. You should know Portolins, right? He once helped Alexis to seize Kopsa and Enona, and previously helped Lizaru to defeat the Cautini. He knows the situation in the north very well. I will send him to help you, and I believe that he will be very helpful to you in defeating the Rome people. "
"Your Majesty, rest assured, I am very happy to work with Portolins, and I will definitely get along well with him!" Amyntas immediately made a promise.
The Devers nodded and said, "Go back and have a good rest. Tomorrow, you will be busy preparing for the expedition. It is best to lead the First Legion to the expedition the day after tomorrow."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Amyntas immediately stood up and solemnly saluted. He felt that he could not express the excitement and gratitude in his heart, so he stepped forward and gave the Devers a strong hug.
The Devers watched him leave excitedly, and his heart was quite touched. In the past few years, he had somewhat neglected the feelings of these old people. Should he consider them more in the future?
… …
After sending off Amyntas, the Devers was thinking that he should immediately rush to Christonia's bedroom to see if his two wives were really waiting for him together. Christonia's joking suggestion had quite tempted him.
Just then, a servant came to report that Sostatus was asking for an audience.
The Devers was stunned. Why did this guy come so late at night?
When Cunogorata was alive, he had mentioned his eldest son to the Devers several times, saying that he had a carefree personality, hated work, and liked to fantasize.
But in fact, according to Aristiras' investigation, Sostatus was actually very talented in business. Especially after the Southern Italian War, Sostatus used the money he had previously earned to build a relatively large fleet. He seized the business opportunity of Diónia obtaining a large amount of land but lacking manpower and materials, and continuously transported Greek immigrants from the eastern Mediterranean. At the same time, he opened up the sea trade route between Carthage and Egypt, which was rich in grain, and bought a large amount of low-priced grain. While earning a lot of money for himself, he also contributed to the stability of Diónia's new territory.
After that, Sostatus continued to open up new trade routes, such as the Celtic region to the north of the Iberian Peninsula, the Illyrian region to the north of the Adriatic Sea … He used the daily commodities and wine of Diónia to exchange for unique goods from these regions, such as gold, silver, iron, zinc, and various other metal ores, amber, agate, fur, and other rare goods, which once again increased his wealth.
At the same time, he also loved to help other Diónia merchants, often funding them, and liked to cooperate with them in sea trade … Now, he was already a famous merchant in the kingdom, especially among the merchants in the Turií region.
Therefore, even if it was not for his father's sake, the Diónia Devers would not treat him lightly.
… …
"Your Majesty, I know Aonis. He was born a slave and has always been cautious. How would he dare to boldly go to Carthage's forbidden land and secretly purchase silver ore? This is clearly a false accusation by the Carthage! They did not go through the trial together with our officials and suddenly killed them. This must be because the people of Carthage have a guilty conscience! It's a pity that Aonis and the fifty sailors were wronged and died in vain. Now, their families are crying. I originally hoped that they would earn enough money to return home and raise their parents, wives, and children … Your Majesty, you must uphold justice for them and clear their names. Make the people of Carthage compensate them! "The moment Sostatus entered the study, he complained to the Devers that Aonis and the others had been wronged.
"Aonis was once a slave of your family, wasn't he?" The Devers did not express their opinion and asked in return.
"Yes, Your Majesty. He was originally a farmer in Satsuma Island. Because he was unable to repay his huge debts, he sold himself as a slave. Later, he was sold to my family. Because he had always been diligent, my father gave him his freedom. Two years ago, he became a citizen of the kingdom and has been in charge of selling our Turií wine to … to the Celtic region in the west, as well as the Greek city-states in the Iberian Peninsula. His business has always been very good. But this time … Sigh … Damn the people of Carthage! "Sostatus let out a long sigh and wiped his tears with his hand. His eyes were filled with regret and resentment.
Comments