Chapter 815
The Devers nodded at Alcibidus with satisfaction.
Asistes smiled and said loudly, "Great, we have another good helper!"
Everyone immediately responded, and Alcibidus hurriedly bowed in response.
The Devers then said, "I have a suggestion. We should build a large market in Rome, where merchants can sell their goods from the country. The army's supply camp can also buy goods here. The people in Rome can also buy some daily necessities. The original market in Rome has been converted into a camp by the legions. I think this new market can be built on the embankment of the southern bridgehead of Rome's Bridge. This will make it convenient for goods to be transported from the port and for customers to buy. Of course, this is just my suggestion. I still need your business officials to carefully inspect the whole city and make a decision that is more conducive to the development of commerce and trade."
Flaccus immediately said, "Your Majesty, after the meeting, I will immediately start to handle this matter."
"Finance Officer of Rome … Archipides!" The Devers then issued the appointment.
Another person in the meeting room stood up.
"You need to build the entire tax agency in Rome as soon as possible! Although Rome has just been conquered and it is impossible to implement the land tax, we need to start collecting the commercial tax as soon as possible! … "
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Also, the army has defeated the people of Rome, conquered Ostia and Rome, and gained a lot of spoils of war. If we transport them back to Turií, it will take a lot of time and manpower. It just so happens that the merchants of the kingdom are gathered in Rome. Discuss a plan with Sir Alcibidus. Pick out the spoils of war that are not urgently needed by the army and auction them off. Then, transport the gold and silver earned back to Turií to fill the empty treasury."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Archipides answered firmly this time, and his eyes were shining.
"Agriculture Officer … Tibulus." The Devers continued, "I have announced to the people of Rome that we will take back all the land and redistribute it! So you have to figure out the amount of land owned by Rome as soon as possible. Although farming is still not possible because of the war, you can still allocate it. Let the new members of Diónia in Rome know that we are true to our words! Moreover, we must allocate them the best and most fertile land. We must let them feel the benefits of joining Diónia. We must also attract the hesitant Rome citizens to join us as soon as possible! "
"I understand, Your Majesty," Tiburus replied.
"Then how do we collect the land tax?!" Archibides asked anxiously.
Even though their physiques were different, this financial officer and his immediate superior, Merses, had very similar attitudes and expressions when they talked about money and taxes. This made Devers feel a little amused. He held back his laughter and said, "Just like how we treated the newly conquered areas in the past, starting from the time the land is cultivated, the tax will be exempted for three years. After three years, the tax will be levied according to the land tax rate for official citizens."
Archipedes returned to his seat in disappointment.
"Rome's Census Officer Bortacus … Rome's Judge Diost …" Devers announced the appointments one by one. In fact, Devers rarely met these newly appointed mid-level officials before. However, he spent a lot of time memorizing their names and characteristics, and accurately matched them with the real person. This way, he showed the importance he attached to the appointed officials. Now, it seemed that the effect was very good.
"I have announced the appointment of the main mid-level and senior officials in Rome. The rest of the people who have not been appointed will be decided by the governor of Rome, Asistes, and several administrative adjutants after a discussion. Regardless of the official position, I hope that you will do your best and complete your duties! I will be aware of your performance at any time. It's not that I don't trust your abilities, but why? "
Devers patted the map with his hand and emphasized his tone to encourage them. "Because we not only want to occupy Rome and Ostia, but also the Latin Alliance and the colonial cities of Rome … They are all targets of the Kingdom! There are several big cities here that are not weaker than Rome! In the future, when we appoint the governors and senior officials to manage these towns, you have experience in government affairs in Rome, and you have a better understanding of the Latin customs and the situation in the Latin region. You will be the priority targets for me and the Kingdom's Officials Management Committee! "
As soon as these words came out, not only were these mid-level officials excited, but even Nico, Marcus, Andraporis … the elders smiled.
At this time, the new governor of Rome, Asistes, said, "Just now, we have seen many people from Rome queuing up to apply to become citizens of Diónia. According to the speech that Your Majesty gave to them before, I am afraid that many of these people want to become public officials of Diónia. We will try our best to recruit some Greek-speaking people from Rome to serve in various departments. This will not only facilitate good communication with the people of Rome, but also help us better understand the customs and habits of the people of Rome, which will be beneficial to our governance.
However, because they are all civilians, I am afraid that many of them do not know Greek, are illiterate, and have no understanding of the system and laws of Diónia. Therefore, most of them can only serve as patrols. So, do we need them to serve as patrols? If so, will these patrols be equipped with weapons? Are there any restrictions? "
"That's a good question." The Devers looked at Asistes with admiration. Apparently, before leaving Rome, after talking to Asistes, he had been thinking about how to manage the city of Rome.
The Devers answered without hesitation, "Since they have applied to become citizens of Diónia, don't treat them as outsiders. Of course, we can let them serve as patrols. Besides, they should wear the uniforms of the patrols of Diónia. However, the patrol captain of each group must be temporarily held by our officials, and there must be a certain number of senior citizens in the team. This way, they can better understand our laws and system through contact with each other. They will know what they can do and what they can't do when carrying out tasks, so as to avoid being punished for making mistakes and causing discord … "
"Your Majesty, but we don't have so many people to serve as patrol captains!" The new inspector of Rome interrupted.
"We can let the soldiers who are injured and unable to fight temporarily serve as patrol captains and team members," Nicomacus suggested.
"Look, we have a solution as soon as you discuss it." The Devers smiled, obviously agreeing with Nicomacus' suggestion.
"Your Majesty, the measures you announced in the square today are aimed at the civilians and slaves of Rome. What should we do with the nobles of Rome?" Asistes then raised another important question.
As a matter of fact, the Devers had already told the Asistes about some of the measures they might take after occupying Rome. Therefore, the Devers believed that the Asistes had brought up this question to let the officials understand his thoughts on how to conquer Rome. Therefore, he said in a serious tone, "The nobles of Rome are different from the Greek nobles or the foreign leaders that we have encountered in other areas. Due to various reasons, they are very powerful and have deep connections with the other Latin city-states in this area. Even if they surrender, the measures we are going to implement will seriously harm their interests, and they will definitely rise up against our rule. With their ability, the riots they will cause will definitely be worse than the Udiay Rebellion!
Once Rome is in chaos, the other areas will inevitably be in chaos as well. Turií is far from Rome, so it's impossible for us to send troops back and forth like we did with Udiay. In the end, we will have to sacrifice countless citizens and spend countless gold and silver to obtain this land. We will have to pay a higher price for it … and that's in the long run.
From the current situation, we need to stabilize Rome as soon as possible and deal with the enemies around us.
Therefore, I choose to absorb the civilians of Rome, who are more easily attracted by our measures, more easily integrated into Diónia, and have a lot of conflicts with the nobles, to become Diolian citizens instead of the nobles of Rome, who will cause a lot of trouble in the future. After we defeat the incoming army of Rome, I have decided to turn the captured nobles of Rome into slaves and send them to Turií for resale. "
The cold tone and resolute decision of the Devers shocked the officials in the meeting hall. Even when they conquered the Puchetti, Mesapi, and Downey tribes, they forced them to disband their tribes and suppressed the rioters with an iron fist. At first, Diónia allowed them to surrender. However, this time, they did not give the nobles of Rome any chance at all. This was completely unlike the administrative style of the King of Devers in the past!
"Your Majesty, if we do this, the nobles of Rome will not have any chance to surrender. I'm afraid they will fight us to the death. Not only will our soldiers suffer more casualties, but it will also make it more difficult for us to conquer this area!" Nikmarcus was the first to stand up and advise the King of Devers.
"Therefore, the punishment of the nobles of Rome will only be announced after we defeat their army. For now, we are only keeping them in custody temporarily," the Devers gave a simple explanation and sat down in silence.
"Your Majesty … I'm afraid the nobles and their families in the city are already feeling uneasy after seeing the difference in treatment between them and the civilians of Rome. Just like what Sir Nikmarcus said, the way we deal with the nobles of Rome will make the nobles of the Latin city-states around us feel disappointed. It will not be beneficial for us to conquer them in the future!"
Feng Yun Reading Net.
Comments