Chapter 941
"So, there can only be one center of power in the Kingdom of Diónia, and that's the king! We can't allow other centers of power to appear. Otherwise, it'll lead to confusion, and even civil strife! In order to ensure the stability and development of the kingdom, we must avoid concentrating too much power on one minister. Instead, we must disperse it. This involves another ability that the king must have: checks and balances! "
"Checks and balances?!"
"Disperse the power and let the ministers restrict each other to form a balance of power …" The Devers patiently taught, "If a king can be good at checks and balances, not only can he ensure the stability of the kingdom, but he can also maintain the friendship between the ministers …"
This was the first time Cloto Catax listened to the Devers explaining in detail how to control the ministers. It completely refreshed his understanding of politics. For a moment, he fell into deep thought, causing his mind to be in a trance.
The Devers lovingly patted his tender shoulder and said softly, "Clotho, don't think too much now. You can slowly experience it in the administrative affairs in the future … You have something important to do next, so you can't follow me to Sicily."
"Why?" Cloto Catax was surprised.
"In my heart, Rome is the most important city in the kingdom after Turií! It has a wider and more fertile land than the Cybari Plain, a large population, and rich metal resources nearby … Therefore, in the strategy of the kingdom's northern expansion, Rome is even more important than Turií.
As a foreign race, the Romans and Latins are mainly farmers. They are hardworking, brave, and disciplined. They are one of the best sources of soldiers. However, they have just been conquered and have not completely submitted to the kingdom, so their recognition of the royal family is even lower. After the Asistes rule here for a few years, I'm afraid that the Romans, Latins, Etruscans, and other races will recognize him more than the royal family. This is not good for the stability of the Kingdom of Diónia!
In order to avoid the malpractice of Antonio's territory in Sicily, it's best to have someone from the royal family working here. On one hand, they can supervise the Asistes, and on the other hand, they can win the hearts of the people. This is checks and balances! You're almost 20 years old. It's time for you to take on heavy responsibilities! " Devers didn't say anything else. He looked at his son expectantly.
Cloto Catax hesitated for a moment before his expression turned resolute. "Father, I'm willing to stay!"
"Very good!" The Devers showed a gratified smile and patted his son on the shoulder again. "Although this is your first official job in the kingdom, I'm not going to give you an easy job. I want you to be the low-level construction officer of Rome. You'll help the construction officer complete the transformation of Rome's urban area, the construction of the temple on Capitoline Hill, and the reconstruction of the bridge of Rome … a series of public construction tasks. You'll be very busy in the coming days. Are you willing to accept this?"
"Of course I am willing!" This time, not only did Cloto Catax not hesitate, he was even a little excited. After all, as an ambitious young man, he always wished to take on heavy responsibilities.
And to the Devers, after careful consideration, he finally decided to let his son be the construction officer with heavy responsibilities. This was because, be it the transformation of the urban area, the construction of the temple, or the construction of roads and bridges, these public projects would undoubtedly win the praise of the people of Rome. And as the construction officer, Cloto Catax would undoubtedly share this glory and attract the attention of the people.
Furthermore, these construction projects required a lot of manpower. Most of them came from the people of Rome during the slack season. Cloto Catax frequently interacted with them. Not only could he understand the people, but he could also promote their good impression of the Diónia royal family. In this aspect, the Devers had no doubts about his son's charm.
Of course, the only thing he needed to consider was safety.
After Cloto Catax left, the Devers remained in the living room.
Before long, Amyrius rushed in. "Your Majesty, I'm here!"
This thin intelligence chief was covered in sweat. He looked a little exhausted, but his expression was one of excitement.
The Devers knew that ever since the conquest of the Latin region, in order to ensure the coverage of the entire region and the gathering of intelligence, the team led by Amyrius had expanded rapidly with his permission. His intelligence work had become even busier, but the energetic Amyrius enjoyed it.
The Devers went straight to the point and said, "Amyrius, in consideration of your contributions in the war between the kingdom and Rome, I appoint you as the kingdom's intelligence chief in the Latin region!"
Even though Amyrius had always been in this position, and he had only officially received this title, he still appeared very excited. "Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, Your Majesty! I will definitely continue working hard! … "
"There's one more important mission. You have to do your best to complete it!" The Devers looked straight at him and said solemnly, "My son, Cloto Catax, will be staying in Rome as a junior construction official. During his stay in Rome, you have to do your best to ensure his safety. Nip any ill intentions towards him in the cradle. If anything were to happen —"
As the Devers spoke, he clenched his right hand into a fist and suddenly slammed it heavily on the wooden table, producing a loud bang.
Amyrius couldn't help but tremble, but he immediately raised his right hand high with his palm facing the sky. He said in an extremely solemn manner, "Oh Lord Hades, I, Amyrius, swear to you! I will do my best to ensure His Highness Cloto Catax's safety! If there's any negligence, I'm willing to let my soul be punished to hell! "
The Devers was taken aback. He never expected Amyrius to be so resolute. According to what he knew, Amyrius was indeed a loyal believer of Hades. He coughed dryly and said, "Very good! When Cloto Catax safely returns to Turií, my entire family will thank you! "
Amyrius hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, ensuring your and His Highness's safety is my duty to begin with!"
The Devers nodded. What Amyrius said was the truth. Although the salary of the kingdom's intelligence department was already paid by the finance department, it was still not under the kingdom's official jurisdiction. Instead, it was directly under the king. Even Aristiras still held the title of a royal herald and did the work of an intelligence chief. Therefore, to be precise, the entire intelligence department was a private subject of the Devers. Therefore, the Devers didn't elaborate further.
When Amyrius walked out of the living room, he couldn't help but clench his fists in excitement. Although this mission was indeed a heavy responsibility, it was a rare opportunity to get closer to the future king!
Following that, the Devers summoned Martius and got him to arrange a few loyal, reliable, and excellent guards for Cloto Catax.
The next day, the Devers returned to the camp in Saturnicum and gathered the high-ranking generals. He gave them the order to "march to Sicily."
At the same time, he issued an order: They were to disperse the nearly 7,000 Roman soldiers who had surrendered and incorporate them into all the units apart from the Mountain Reconnaissance Brigade, including the Roman Reserve Brigade.
Although a few army commanders raised objections, they believed that incorporating these Roman soldiers who were completely unfamiliar with the Dionysian Army's tactics, to the point of them not being able to speak the language, would result in a decrease in the army's combat strength.
However, the Devers persisted in their views, and the order was finally carried out.
… …
In the simple hall of the chief's residence in Bovianum-Vetus, the central town of the Karaceni Empire, Great Leader Contruc sat beside a fire pit with a gloomy expression.
A servant brought over some firewood and placed it in the fire pit, lighting it up.
Although it was still October, the temperature deep in the mountains had begun to turn cold. Contruc's aged muscles and bones could no longer withstand the cold, but the burning bonfire couldn't drive away the chill in his heart.
"Great Leader, our tribe is currently lacking in food. If we don't think of something, I'm afraid we won't be able to survive the winter!" On the other side of the fire pit, Chief Steward Vanni, who was in charge of managing the tribe's supplies, said worriedly.
"Not only is our tribe lacking food, but the other tribes are also lacking food!" Contruc sighed helplessly, his white brows knitted together. He couldn't help but let his imagination run wild. The Karaceni were completely defeated in this war! Not only did they lose many brave warriors, but they also lost a lot of supplies. At first, they were able to organize an army because of the aid of the Carthage people, but since the attack on Downey failed, the change in the war in Sicily, and Diónia's pressure on the Frentani, no more supplies passed through the territory of the Frentani.
In order to continue the war, the four major tribes had to gather food from their own tribes and attack Campania instead. One of the reasons was to plunder more supplies. If it wasn't for the obstruction of the Dionysian Army, the Samonians could be said to be a great success, but in the end, they suffered a crushing defeat. In order to lead the warriors back to their territory safely, Contruc abandoned all the plundered supplies in Beneventum, and in the end, the Diónia obtained them.
Now, not only did the Karaceni tribe suffer many casualties, but they also consumed a lot of supplies. It could be said that they had suffered a heavy loss in this war.
Contruc rubbed his hands hard, then comforted him, "I've already sent someone to Pentene to find their great leader, Bardani, and ask him to help us with a batch of food-"
"Ahem!" High Priest Rong Ni, who was sitting next to him, coughed heavily.
"Although they have surrendered to the Dionians, as fellow Samonians, they have always been close to us. I believe that they will definitely lend a hand this time." Kontruk glanced at him and said in an even more serious tone, "Although they have surrendered to the Dionians, they have always been close to us.
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