Chapter 762
"Oh, no wonder he's so handsome! If I had a daughter, I'd definitely marry him! "
"Stop dreaming! That's the eldest son of His Majesty the Devers, the future king. You want to be the prince's father-in-law with your status? Prince Cloto Catax's future wife will be the most precious lady in our kingdom, or a foreign princess! "
However, the young ladies of Laos did not agree. The women of Diónia were different from the women of other Greek cities. They were known for their passion, openness, and boldness in the Greek world. The environment of Laos mixed with other races made the young ladies more unrestrained and passionate. They took the initiative to throw petals at the young prince, and even called his name intimately.
It was the first time Cloto Catax had experienced such a scene. He was a little embarrassed and shy, which made the young ladies cheer even more excitedly.
"Your Majesty, Prince Clotho is more popular with the people of Laos than you are!" Tormid, who followed the army, joked.
The Devers laughed and did not respond, which made Cloto Catax even more embarrassed.
At this moment, someone from the crowd asked, "Who's that ferocious-looking old man beside His Majesty the Devers?!"
A ferocious-looking old man?! Tormid's expression darkened. He felt that he was only in his fifties, and he was still very young. Besides, he only had two scars on his face. How could he be considered ferocious?!
Heniboris let out a rare laugh.
Someone among the crowd said, "That's Tormid, a staff officer of the Kingdom's Ministry of Military Affairs. He's a hero who followed His Majesty on an expedition to Persia!"
Tormid was certain that the person who said this must be an officer from the early days of the Legion of Dionysia, or even a former comrade of the mercenaries. Otherwise, how would the common people know about him, who was not prominent in the kingdom and rarely appeared in public. As far as he knew, it was recorded in the General Staff Department that some retired officers of the Legion of Dionysia chose to settle down in Laos.
He immediately looked at the crowd on the side of the road, but for a moment, he did not see any familiar faces. Instead, he heard someone shouting, "Who is that general beside His Majesty? He is wearing a mask and his face is not clear. He looks so strange! "
Tormid chuckled. Now it was his turn to watch the show.
At this time, someone in the crowd shouted, "Citizens of Laos, do you remember who gave up the privilege of being a lifelong consul and took the initiative to ask for Laos to be incorporated into the kingdom? Only then did we get rid of the oppression and have the life we have today!"
"It's the good Lord Heniboris! Everyone, don't forget, most of the arenas, baths, libraries in Laos were donated by him for free! "Another voice shouted.
Back then, when the Senate was discussing the incorporation of Laos into the kingdom, considering that Leshan was once a private property ruled independently by the Heniboris family, and that he was the first to take the initiative to be incorporated into Diónia, setting a good example for other allies, as a reward, the Senate passed a bill: 2% of the annual tax revenue of Laos would be given to Heniboris (of course, the Devers played a role), but Heniboris donated all the money to Laos for the repair and construction of public works to make up for his mistakes.
"Yes, I still remember when Lord Heniboris was the consul of Laos, he wanted to give us more rights and freedom. In the end, his uncle led a group of nobles and leaders in Laos to oppose him and almost murdered him …"
"We should have thanked Lord Heniboris long ago. We owe him too much!"
"I heard that Lord Heniboris is the clerk of His Majesty the Devers. He should be in the team too, right?!"
"Lord Heniboris!"
"Lord Heniboris!"
"Lord Heniboris!"
…
The cheers on the roadside gradually converged into one voice.
Heniboris's emotions fluctuated rapidly. He looked at the Devers with gratitude, "Your Majesty, thank you!"
After following the Devers for so long, he could certainly guess that the final unanimous scene of the people of Laos must have been driven by the intelligence department.
"This is what you deserve!" The Devers said earnestly, "Even if I didn't do this, the people of Laos have never forgotten what you've done for them. It's time to forget the mistakes of the past and meet the people of your hometown so that you can better interact and help them in the future!"
The words of the Devers gave Heniboris courage. He nodded, took a deep breath, and resolutely took off his mask and helmet.
"It's Lord Heniboris!"
"Long live Lord Heniboris!"
…
Even louder cheers erupted all around.
Amidst the cheers, the Devers said softly to his son, "Ordinary people are easily satisfied. As long as you've done something good for them, they'll always remember it and ignore the mistakes you've made …"
Cloto Catax listened to his father's teachings while watching the surging tide of people by the roadside. His eyes shone with envy …
The chief of the palace guards, Martius, hurried over and reminded, "Your Majesty, Eliandos is here!"
The Devers looked forward and saw the city governor, Eliandos, leading a group of officials. They were walking with their backs to the advancing army and were hurrying toward them.
"It seems that we're moving too slowly. Eliandos, who's waiting at the city gate, can't wait any longer." The Devers turned to Heniboris and smiled. "Or maybe he wants to see you earlier, Henny."
Ariandos, the trusted general of Avinogis back then, and the most loyal minister of Heniboris who entrusted the orphan to him. After Laos was incorporated into Diónia, the Senate elected him as an elder to stabilize its political situation. According to a special law passed by the Senate at the time, "the elder of a city newly incorporated into the kingdom cannot immediately become the governor of a mother city." This was to avoid suspicion, and also to better manage the city so that it could integrate into the kingdom faster. It was not until ten years later, when the Senate had confirmed that Laos's people had completely submitted to it, and the city was located in the hinterland of the kingdom, so there was no danger and its development was smooth. Only then was the ban lifted on Laos, and Eliandos successfully became the governor of Laos. Of course, Heniboris had also contributed a lot.
Heniboris also recovered from his excitement and said with a smile, "Before we left, Eliandos wrote to tell me that he was excited and nervous when he heard that Your Majesty was coming. He wanted to lead the officials of Laos to hold a grand welcome banquet for you, but he was afraid that you would refuse and criticize him …"
"Eliandos continued the policies of his predecessor, and at the same time made some improvements. Laos has developed very well in the past two years, which is inseparable from the efforts of the officials of Laos. I will definitely attend tonight's banquet, but don't be too extravagant." The Devers smiled and gave an affirmative answer.
Although the Military Law of Diónia stated that "the army is not allowed to hold or participate in banquets during the time of war." But the Devers knew very well that he was now not only the commander-in-chief of the army, but also the king of Diónia. In addition to the war, he also shouldered some political tasks. Whether it was to commend the achievements of the officials of Laos, or to show the affinity of the royal family and win over the people, he had to attend. And since he became the king of Diónia, he had never officially visited other cities in the kingdom. Laos was the only city that he would enter on his expedition to Latin. Attending banquets, having fun with the officials and citizens, and putting forward some of his expectations for the kingdom, officials, and citizens was very meaningful for the many ordinary officials and citizens who had never seen the king before.
… …
When the Devers led the army to the city of Laos, the soldiers of the Legio III and the Second Cavalry Legion, who had received the military order, had already left Naples on passenger ships and sailed to the port of Selce, an important town in Wolsey.
The high-ranking officials of Wolsey who came to welcome them saw the ships full of soldiers docked at the port. It was as if they had been worried about the attack of Rome, and they discussed, "It seems that what the commander of the Legion of Dionysia, Amyntas, said was true. They are really preparing to attack Rome and rescue our Wolsey!"
Therefore, they were even more enthusiastic about the soldiers of the Dioria Legion who came ashore.
The commander of the First Legion, Amyntas, who received the news also rushed from the legion's station to welcome his comrades. As soon as the commander of the Legio III, Lizaru, came ashore, he hurriedly greeted him.
"Commander Amyntas!" When Lizaru saw him, he quickly saluted. Although their positions in the army were now the same, when he first joined the Legion of Dionysia, Amyntas was already a high-ranking officer of the legion. Not only was he experienced, but he also had outstanding military achievements. His prestige in the army of Diónia was far from what Lizaru could compare to. Therefore, no matter how rebellious Lizaru was, he still showed due respect.
"I've been looking forward to your arrival! I have been so worried during this period of time! " Amyntas excitedly punched Lizaru's chest and grinned. "The war is finally starting! Lizaru, quickly gather your legion and follow me to the barracks. Let's have a good discussion on how to fight the next war. "
"Alright." This was in line with Lizaru's personality. He did not like to socialize, so he reluctantly dealt with the high-ranking officers of Wolsey who came to greet him. Then, he led the Legio III and some of the soldiers of the Second Cavalry Legion to follow Amyntas to the barracks.
During this period of time, because the Rome focused their attacks on the Helniki in the east, the Roman army that was originally in Wolsey's territory retreated quickly. The war between Wolsey and Rome temporarily subsided. After that, because Wolsey sent troops to rescue the Helniki, the entire territory was empty. After the high-ranking officers of Wolsey discussed with the commander of the First Legion of Diónia, Amyntas, Amyntas agreed to move the barracks to the north and bring more Wolsey villages under his protection. Now, the Diónia barracks were northwest of Satia, only about 20 miles away from the heavily guarded city of Saturnicum from Rome.
Therefore, Amyntas requested Lizaru to lead the Legio III and the Second Cavalry Legion to march as fast and stealthily as possible so that they would not be discovered by the Rome. For this reason, he also sent someone to inform the First Cavalry Legion in advance to drive away the scouts and spies of the Rome in order to prevent the information from leaking out of the barracks.
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