Chapter 750
Living in a villa was a trend in the Kingdom of Diónia in recent years. It originated from the Devers. He built a villa on a hill not far from the Turií hot springs. During the hottest time of summer, he would bring his family to the northern mountains to escape the heat, relax, and soak in the hot springs. The children loved it very much.
After a few banquets, the senators and ministers discovered the benefits of living in a villa. The hills in the northern mountains, which were sparsely populated, barren, and rugged, soon became a hot commodity. The rich and influential citizens of Turií lined up to buy them from the Ministry of Agriculture. In the end, the local Turií parliament had to pass a bill to restrict the over-sale of the mountains in Turií territory. The area of the mountains for sale was also strictly regulated, and trees in other areas were not allowed to be cut down at will.
The citizens of Turií had no choice but to turn their attention to Amendolara, Abyssinia, and Castellón in the core areas of Turií. Soon, the local councils of these three towns were forced to restrict the sale of the mountains. In the end, the trend swept the whole kingdom, causing the Senate to specially enact a clause in the "Law of the Kingdom of Diónia" on the "Sale of Mountains and the Construction of Villas".
Antraporis was just expressing his concern in this way. He knew that his brother had a firm character and was not someone who could be easily persuaded. Just like how he once advised Aristiras to propose to His Majesty the Devers that he "no longer be the Chief of Intelligence but an administrative officer." He believed that with his brother's talent, he could have a more brilliant future. However, Aristiras sternly refused and warned him not to mention the matter again.
Antraporis did not say anything, but Aristiras asked, "What are you here for today?"
"Brother, can't I come to see you today?" Antraporis said discontentedly.
"Polaris is here!" With a kind shout, a woman came out of the main building.
"Sister-in-law!" Antraporis called out respectfully.
It was Aristiras' wife, Asuna.
"You haven't been to our house for a long time," Asuna said with a smile, pretending to blame him.
"Sister-in-law, it's not that I don't want to come, but haven't I been working elsewhere for the past few years? I just came back from Hibernian last month, and I've been busy with all kinds of handover procedures … See, I rushed over as soon as I was done," Andrapolis quickly explained.
"Since it's rare for you to come here, let's have dinner at home tonight! I have already asked the servants to prepare. Call your sister-in-law, Corias, and Rireya (Asuna's daughter) also misses her brother, Andux. Let's have a good family gathering tonight! "
Asuna said enthusiastically. Andraporis looked at his brother. He knew that Aristiras rarely held gatherings at home.
But at this moment, Aristiras quickly said, "Your sister-in-law has spoken. Quickly send a servant home and call your sister-in-law and children over."
Asuna looked at her husband, smiled charmingly, and then said, "Princess Cristoya has something urgent for me to do. I will rush back in the afternoon. You two can chat at home."
"Okay, sister-in-law, you go ahead." Andrapolis had a smile on his face as he watched Asuna leave the house with the two female slaves.
As a senator of the Senate, he was so respectful to Asuna, not only because she was his sister-in-law, but also because she used to be Cristoya's personal slave and was still the princess's capable assistant in business. She was deeply trusted by the King of Devers and his family. In addition, Aristiras was the King of Devers's confidant, so it was not wrong for Antraporis to say that his brother was an important minister of the kingdom. Many senators and city administrators seemed to be prominent, but in the heart of the powerful King of Devers, they were not as important as a word from the couple.
However, Aristiras and his wife usually kept a low profile and rarely interacted with others. Aristiras, who had always been cold to everyone, was gentle to his wife. He always let Asuna make the decisions on family matters. It was said that Asuna had taken the initiative to pursue him, and with Princess Cristoya's matchmaking, the two ended up together. Antraporis thought that this rumor was very credible. Otherwise, with his brother's cold personality, he would probably still be single.
Antraporis pretended not to see the smile on Aristiras' lips as he watched Asuna leave. He said seriously, "Brother, I have an important matter this time. Please help me decide."
Aristiras immediately became serious. "Let's talk in my study."
"Brother, I want to respond to His Majesty the Devers's call and follow the army to Latin …" Antraporis said solemnly in the study.
It turned out that the Devers were not only offering opportunities to the merchants who donated food to the kingdom, but also to the senators of the Senate and the officials of the kingdom who had no suitable positions and could only take up idle positions. They hoped that they would volunteer to follow the army to Latin and take up various public positions in the conquered territories in the future so that they could better stabilize the occupied territories …
Aristiras did not seem surprised, nor did he show a trace of surprise on his face. He simply asked softly, "Why did you choose to go to Latin?"
"Brother, as you know, I returned to Turií after my position as Hibernian's governor expired. The Kingdom's Official Management Council had a good evaluation of my performance in Hibernian, but I lost to Bagoule in the election for the position of Cosenza's governor. Now that the governors and other senior positions in the various cities of the kingdom have been filled, I don't know when I will be able to take up my post again. So I thought … why not follow His Majesty the Devers to Latin …" Antraporis revealed his true thoughts.
"Isn't the position of Castellón's governor still empty?" Aristiras asked.
"Can the governor of Castellón still be called the governor? I don't want to have a Lysias above me telling me what to do! "Antraporis shook his head.
A few years ago, the Devers established the region of Turií to consolidate resources and highlight the central position of Turií in the kingdom. Abyssinia, Castellón, and Amendola were all incorporated into this region, and their governors were under the jurisdiction of the governor of Turií. Lysias had been the governor of Turií for many years and had a high reputation. Most of the governors dared not disobey his orders.
"Actually, after Your Majesty proposed this plan in the Senate, I wanted to suggest that you go to Latin, but I didn't expect you to make a decision so quickly." Aristiras had a gratified expression on his face. Although he rarely contacted Antraporis, he had always been paying attention to his brother's performance in the political arena.
"You also support me to go?!" Antraporis was a little more determined when he heard this, but he still said worriedly, "What I'm worried about now is that Latin is too far from the center of the kingdom, and its location is remote. If I serve in that place, I won't get much attention, and if I stay there for too long, I'll miss other good opportunities. Besides, that area is full of foreigners, and it's not adjacent to the kingdom. I'm afraid it's not easy to govern, and if there's a riot … "
Aristiras listened to his brother's words carefully and said slowly, "You don't have to worry about not getting attention there. As far as I know, His Majesty attaches far more importance to Rome than you can imagine. Long before the war in Southern Italy, he asked me to set up an information channel for Rome. After the war in Southern Italy, he increased the investment in intelligence gathering in Rome, and asked me to report to him about Latin every month. In the second half of last year, His Majesty even asked me to report to him as soon as there's any new situation in Rome … Do you know that there's a map of Italy and Sicily made out of clay in the military conference room in the palace?"
"I know, and I heard that it's very exquisite!" Antraporis nodded and replied.
"Among all the models of the other cities, the model of Rome is the largest, and the only one made out of red clay. It's very eye-catching. From this, it can be seen that His Majesty attaches more importance to Rome than to Carthage. That's why he brought you, the administrative officials, for this expedition. This has never happened before. I'm afraid he's thinking of turning Rome and the Latin Alliance into the territory of the Kingdom of Diónia, so you don't have to worry about not getting attention from the kingdom …"
When Aristiras said this, Antraporis was no longer worried. He understood that as long as he got the attention of the King of Devers, the resources of the kingdom would be heavily invested in Latin, and his safety would be guaranteed.
"Antraporis!" Aristiras said with a serious look, "Since you've chosen to take the risk instead of settling for mediocrity, then don't be afraid of difficulties when you're in Latin! You have to understand the living customs of the various races in that area, work hard to figure out how to govern the area, and build up your reputation there … When the Latin region is fully integrated into the kingdom, you must become the senator who knows the place the best! In this way, if there's any vacancy of an important position or an important problem in Latin, His Majesty will think of you first, just like Bagoule of Lucania and Cydorum of Bruti. You've already missed a great opportunity in Catanai more than a decade ago. Don't miss it again this time! "
Antraporis understood what his brother meant by "missed opportunity". Back then, when Diónia had just occupied the southeast of Sicily, he, who was born and raised in Catanai, successfully led the rebellion against Syracuse, and thus became a senator of the Senate and the chief executive of Catanai. He should have gradually developed on this basis and become the spokesperson of Sicily in the kingdom and an influential figure in the Senate, but he eventually screwed up because of his lack of administrative experience.
Aristiras' expectations both pressured and excited him. He said in a low voice, "Brother, don't worry, I won't miss it easily this time!"
… … …
February in Turií had entered the rainy season. It had been drizzling for almost a whole day, moistening the whole city, making people who were ready to go home after a busy day still feel happy. The drought that swept through Greece last year had increased people's appreciation and love for rain.
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