Chapter 810
"And … Hmm … Hmm …" Facing the hopeful gazes of the Rome's citizens, Valkries suddenly forgot what he wanted to say next, and immediately became nervous.
At this moment, his assistant, Adrius, immediately went up to him and whispered, "Become a citizen, land —"
Valkries suddenly remembered after being reminded by Adrius, and gave him a grateful look.
Adrius despised Valkries' stupidity in his heart, but he also envied Valkries' luck. He secretly complained to himself: Although I'm a Latin, why wasn't I a citizen of Rome?
However, he firmly believed that this was a great opportunity for him to help Valkries. As long as he performed well, he believed that he would soon be promoted.
At this moment, Valkries hurriedly said, as if afraid that he had forgotten, "His Majesty the Devers has also issued an order: 'The land of the former citizens of Rome will not be recognized, and will be redistributed. Any citizen of Rome who applies to become a citizen of Diónia will first be given five acres of land. The earlier you apply, the better and more fertile the land will be. In the future, as you join the Dionysian Army, gain merits, or make other … contributions, you will be rewarded with land.
"Also … the citizens of Rome who become citizens of Diónia can come to the square in the future to apply for public office, and after passing the examination, they will be able to take office. "Also … the citizens of Rome who become citizens of Diónia can also get a low-interest loan of only 5% from the banks of Diónia. "Also, your children can study in the schools of Diónia, and they will be taught by excellent teachers. You only need to pay one drachma every year …"
Valkries was afraid that he would forget again, and he kept talking as he tried to recall the memories in his mind, but he did not notice that the citizens in the square had become restless again.
The commoners who had no land were excited. The commoners who originally owned land were angry at the reduction of their land, but they were moved by the conditions. The slaves, on the other hand, were ecstatic that they could get rid of their lowly status and possibly become citizens.
Of course, the few Rome nobles hidden in the crowd looked gloomy, but they did not dare to make a sound, afraid that they would be beaten up like before.
The discussion grew louder and louder. Suddenly, someone shouted, "Can we also become founding elders?!"
Then some people shouted in agreement, "Yes! Can people like us become senators in Diónia?! "
The commotion in the square suddenly died down, and everyone eagerly awaited Valkries' reply.
However, this sudden question left Valkries stunned. Even he didn't know the answer to it.
At this time, the Devers stepped forward after listening to the voice transmitter's translation and loudly said, "Of course! Not only can you become senators of Diónia, but you can also serve as governors of the kingdom in the future, managing four or five large cities like Rome! He could also become a war zone commander, commanding several legions and tens of thousands of soldiers to fight against the enemy!
You may not know this, but more than half of the senators in the Senate of Diónia come from humble origins. Some of them were mercenaries, and some were even slaves. Moreover, many of the senators of Diónia are not Greeks, but Bruti, Lucanians, Mesapians … They are all races that live in this land, just like you.
Therefore, in our kingdom of Diónia, becoming a senator is not based on your background, nor is it based on your race, but on whether you have made enough contributions to the kingdom, and whether you have the ability to take on this responsibility! It didn't matter if you were poor, rich, commoner, noble, Greek, or any other race. Dionia placed equal opportunities in front of every citizen. Whether you could become an elder or a high-ranking official of the kingdom depended on your own hard work! … "
When the voice transmitter's words spread throughout the square, the people of Rome became even more restless. Some even shouted, "Good!" Obviously, the Devers's words of "regardless of background, only ability" were like a rallying cry for the commoners of Rome, who had been oppressed for decades and had been working hard to break the monopoly of power of the nobles.
The discussion in the square grew even louder. After being reminded by Adrius, Valkries hurriedly shouted from the stage, "Quiet! Quiet! Please listen to me, there is another great thing! … "
After a while, the square finally quieted down a little.
Valkries had no choice but to use all his strength to say, "His Majesty the Devers … hmm … is very kind. Seeing that the houses you are living in are too small and crude, he has decided that anyone who applies to become a citizen of Rome of Diónia will be allocated new houses in the city of Rome. These new houses were once owned by the nobles of Rome. You will definitely live very comfortably!"
As the discussion below the stage rose again, the Devers noticed a hint of a sneer on their faces.
The Devers knew that it was not enough to rely on tens of thousands of troops and a single raid to conquer Rome, which had its own complete political system and civilization, as well as a large population and astonishing resilience. Diónia was facing Carthage's attack in Sicily, and the Samonians were attacking from the north. There was also the impact of the drought. They could not mobilize a large army to completely crush Rome, nor could they waste time to slowly assimilate it.
Therefore, in order to quickly expand their advantage after conquering Rome, so that the resistance of the people of Rome could not be shaken, the Devers thought about it several times, and the solution they adopted was to support a group of people to defeat another group of people. This was because ever since the city of Rome was built, there had always been conflicts between the nobles and the commoners, and as time passed, the conflicts had only deepened.
After a long period of research on Rome, the Devers discovered that the nobles of Rome were actually clans and communes, just like the ancient patriarchal society in China. These groups were firmly connected by blood and interests. Everyone in the group was contributing to the clan, and at the same time, they enjoyed the help that the clan gave them. The land and wealth owned by the clan members would only belong to the clan even after their death, and would not be lost to the outside world. This was a closed circle that naturally excluded outsiders, and operated according to their own traditional customs and systems. Unlike the loose tribal system of the Bruti, Lucania, and other races that Diónia once conquered, it required a lot of time and energy for the Devers to break it up and assimilate it. However, under the current situation, the Devers obviously did not have the patience to do so, so they turned their attention to the commoners of Rome.
The commoners of Rome, who had always been excluded from the clans of Rome and suppressed by the nobles for a long time, were the easiest targets for Diónia to absorb and assimilate. Let the commoners occupy the land of the nobles, and let the poor live in the houses of the nobles (because the war was still going on, the distribution of land could only be written in contracts, but the distribution of houses could indeed be carried out immediately). When the commoners of Rome obtained these things, they would not easily hand them over, and would inevitably fight the nobles of Rome to the death for them. This would achieve the Devers' goal of weakening Rome's power.
While the Devers were daydreaming, Valcers shouted again, "Now, you can line up over there and apply to become a citizen of Diónia!"
Valcers pointed at the bottom of the platform, where a few wooden tables were placed side by side. A dozen young advisors, led by Tormid, were sitting with pen and paper in their hands.
The crowd in the square suddenly quieted down. Everyone looked at each other, but no one took the initiative to step forward.
This silence lasted for a while, and Cloto Catax, who had been quietly watching from the side, grew anxious. He repeatedly looked at his father, who was not far away.
The Devers sensed his gaze and waved their hands slightly, indicating that he should not be anxious.
At this time, Valcers pointed at a person below the platform and scolded, "Archimus, my former neighbor, didn't you always tell me in the past that you want to kill those nobles and take back the land that belongs to you? You also want to occupy their houses and enjoy their beautiful female slaves! Now that such a great opportunity is right in front of you, why are you still hesitating? Are you just a coward who only knows how to talk big?! "
The thin middle-aged man in linen clothes that had been washed so many times that he immediately scolded, "Valcers, don't think that you can order me around just because you're lucky enough to become some municipal official. Just wait and see how I deal with you when I become a senator! … Damn it! I'm alone anyway, and I have nothing to fear! Fine, I'll apply to become a citizen of Diónia! "
As he spoke, he walked towards the registration area.
"What about you, Lucius?! What are you hesitating for?! "Valcers shouted as he pointed at another of his former neighbors below the platform.
Lucius looked at Archimus, who was sprawled in front of the wooden table. Under Valcers' urging, he hesitantly took a step forward.
One, two, three … With someone taking the lead, the people who were already somewhat tempted no longer hesitated and began to follow them.
Cloto Catax looked at the gradually growing queue in front of the registration area, and found it a little hard to understand. "These people from Rome abandoned their motherland so easily and became our citizens?!"
"Your Highness Clotho, Rome is a city of immigrants. Not only are there Latins, but there are also Etruscans, Sabines, and a small number of Maxi and Aquinas … It is said that after the Celts were repelled, the Senate of Rome passed a bill to absorb the Latins and people of other races around Rome who had lost their homes due to the war, to replenish the population of Rome. Most of them have become citizens of Rome. I'm afraid that many of these people in the square have joined Rome in the last ten years. Since they can join Rome, why can't they join Diónia?! Besides, the rights and benefits that Diónia can provide them are much better than Rome! "Henipolis, who had read some information about Rome, explained.
At this moment, Devers also interrupted, "The people of Rome are hesitating because they don't know much about Diónia and are afraid of being tricked. They are also worried that we, Diónia, will abandon them at any time and let them become the sacrificial lambs of the angry nobles of Rome. However, Valcers has played an important role in dispelling some of their worries …"
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