Chapter 707
"We can't let this situation continue in Ligim!" Alcividas suddenly raised his voice and said, "I've discussed with some people and decided to unite the people of Ligim. We'll hold an emergency citizens' meeting and vote together for Ligim to be fully integrated into the Kingdom of Diónia!"
Hearing this, the Devers could no longer hide the surprise on his face. He leaned towards Alcividas and asked, "Is your father behind this?"
He knew Alcividas, his brother-in-law. He was very talented in business, but he was not very interested in politics. Such an important matter that would determine the future of Ligim would be difficult to implement without the strong push of a famous and capable politician.
"My father is not very interested in the politics of Ligim now, and he doesn't have the energy to do these things …" Alcividas glanced at the Devers and said, "This matter was proposed by General Fedun, and he is the one who pushed it!"
"Fedun …" The Devers touched his chin. He had been paying attention to this person.
The general who led the army of Ligim made a great contribution in the war against Syracuse. After the war, he was also respected by the people of Ligim. For several years, he was elected as the general of Ligim, and for one year, he was the chief general of Ligim. However, even though he was resolute and decisive on the battlefield, he frequently suffered setbacks in the political arena. His proposals often failed to pass the Senate, and his ability to govern was criticized by many people. There were also scandals that his relatives used his power to accept bribes and gain benefits. Fedun took the blame and resigned, and in a fit of anger, he announced that he would no longer hold any public office in Ligim. According to some inside information obtained by Aristiras' intelligence department, Attiri Cruz was secretly behind the criticism of Fedun in the parliament of Ligim.
The Devers' father-in-law, who had a strong desire for power, obviously did not want to see Fedun, whose prestige had greatly increased, control the politics of Ligim.
Alcividas saw that the Devers did not speak, and thought that the king was doubtful that Fedun alone could successfully implement this matter.
So he emphasized again, "Not only Fedun, but also some merchants have clearly expressed their support …" Then, Alcividas named several people.
The Devers were surprised. These people, like Alcividas, were famous merchants in Ligim. Were they not worried that after Ligim was fully integrated into the Kingdom of Diónia, they would lose some of the rights they used to enjoy?!
Alcividas saw the Devers' doubts and explained, "Your Majesty, Ligim is too small for us. We want to become real merchants of Diónia and have greater business in the entire Mediterranean! We firmly believe that after the war between Dionia and Carthage, the merchants of Dionia will have an unprecedented and precious opportunity to set foot in a trade area that they have never set foot in before! Alcividas was a little excited.
So that was it! It was not that they cared about the people, but that they were driven by profit. As merchants of the Free City, they naturally could not have the same rights as the merchants of Diónia … The Devers smiled and said, "It seems that you are more confident about the upcoming war between the Kingdom and Carthage than I am. Merchants are indeed the most adventurous! Did you come into contact with Sostatus? "
Alcividas nodded and felt a little nervous. He knew that the critical moment had arrived.
The Devers said in a deep voice, "Then you must know the difficulties that the Kingdom will face once this war starts, and the efforts that Sostatus and his people will make to help Diónia win this war."
Alcividas said without hesitation, "We merchants of Ligim have more financial resources than the Turians. If the Turians can do it, we can do it too! If the Turians can't do it, we can do it too! "
The Devers did not say anything easily. Instead, he said in a deep voice, "Very well, I hope that the merchants of Ligim can prove it to me!"
"Your Majesty, you will see it very soon!" Alcividas said confidently.
… … …
While Alcividas was talking to the children about ancient Egypt, the Foreign Minister of Diónia, Ancitanos, had arrived at the oldest kingdom in the Eastern Mediterranean — Egypt.
Egypt had established a unified kingdom more than 2000 years ago. Its economy was prosperous, its national power was strong, and it had created a splendid culture. It was once the most powerful country in the entire Mediterranean. However, as time passed, its national power began to decline, and other races in the Mediterranean began to rise. Thus, the Egyptians' bad luck arrived.
The Hyksos, Libyans, Assyrians, Persia … one after another, they invaded and finally ruled the most valuable land in the Afrikan continent.
The Persia king appointed his loyal subordinates as the governors of Egypt. He squeezed the Persia and plundered their wealth to satisfy the extravagant lives of the Persia nobles and provide the material foundation for the further expansion of the Persia. The Egyptians were not willing to be ruled and oppressed by the other races. In a hundred years, they rebelled many times.
During this time, in 460 BC, Athens was at its most powerful. Athens' navy pressured Persia to the east, forcing them to shrink their defense line. In the south, they faced the army of Peloponnesus and won the two battles at Aegina and Megari. Athens even called this year the year of glory.
At this time, the Libyans in Lower Egypt revolted and tried to overthrow Persia's rule. They asked the powerful Athens for help.
Athens agreed and sent a navy of 200 warships to Egypt. At first, they won some victories and even captured the city of Memphis. In the end, they suffered a crushing defeat. Many Athens citizens and allies died on Egyptian soil.
In 404 BC, Persia's ruler, Darius II, died. Little Cyrus fought with his brother Artaxerxes for the throne. The civil strife in Persia gave the Egyptians an opportunity. This time, it was still an uprising led by the Libyans in the Nile Delta. Their leader was called Amirtanius. In the end, he succeeded and drove out the Persia and became the Pharaoh of Egypt.
But after only four years, he was usurped by one of his ministers, Neferd, who then passed the throne to Harkor.
During Harkor's reign, Sparta first attacked Persia, and then the War of Corinth broke out in Greece. After the "Peace of the King", Persia's king, Artaxerxes, finally recovered. In the eighth year of the Kingdom of Diónia (386 BC), he sent an army under the command of Fanabazos in an attempt to recapture Egypt again.
Fanabazos even hired Greeks to participate in the battle, and their leader was the Athenian general Iphicrates. However, there were conflicts between the Persians and the Greeks, and they did not cooperate well. After three years of fighting, Harkor drove the Persia army out of Egypt.
Egypt was temporarily safe, but last year, Fanabazos fell seriously ill and was unable to preside over the government, leading to political instability. At the beginning of this year, his son Neferitis hurriedly ascended the throne, but soon there was unrest in the country. In the end, Nektanib, a general from the city of Bubastis in the northwest of the Nile Delta, seized the throne and became the new Pharaoh of Egypt.
…
Ancitanos recalled what he knew about the major events that had happened in Egypt over the years, especially this year, which was a tumultuous year for the Egyptians. Nektanib had only been the Egyptian pharaoh for four months, and the political situation was still unstable. As the emissary of Dionia, he came to Egypt at this time, hoping to establish friendly relations. In fact, it was not the best time, but the situation forced him …
Meanwhile, the Dionian steamer in which he was embarked, having passed the checkpoint at the mouth of the Karnobic, had smoothly ascended the Karnobic, a tributary of the Nile on the west side of the lower Nile.
It was now the end of October, past the flood season in Egypt, so the river was so calm that there was almost no movement. Ships sailing against the current did not need to be pulled by trackers on the riverbank.
Rich Egypt benefited from the Nile, which rose and fell regularly every year. Every summer, when the rainy season came, the Blue Nile, which flowed through the Ethiopian Highlands to the south of Egypt, swelled, carrying away a lot of sand in the valley. When the flood peak reached the Nile valley, the flood overflowed the riverbed and flooded the land on both sides. The sand and organic matter in the river seeped into the soil, making the land on both sides of the Nile always dark and fertile. This was even more so in the Nile Delta downstream. When the Nile flooded, it could even turn the vast coastal lowlands into an ocean.
And now, although the Nile had begun to recede, and the riverbank was still full of puddles and mud covered with water plants, the Egyptian farmers had begun to take care of their fields. They were bare-chested, bare-footed, with only a piece of linen wrapped around their crotches. Some farmers built mud dams on the banks to keep the remaining river water in their fields as much as possible. Some cleaned up the water weeds and other miscellaneous items in the fields and caught a few fish in the puddles as an extra harvest. Some had already driven the oxen to start plowing their fields … Many papyrus boats were shuttling back and forth along the river, bringing farming tools, food, and wheat seeds to the peasant women working on the banks.
Ancitanos also noticed that neatly dressed men with pen and paper could often be seen on the edge of the fields. They should be the Pharaoh's scribes. They were estimating how the flood season would affect the next year's harvest, and at the same time supervising the farmers' work.
Agriculture was the backbone of Egypt, and the Pharaoh's emphasis on agriculture was far more important than other Mediterranean countries. But it also showed that the new Pharaoh had begun to exercise his authority, which made Ancitanos less worried.
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