CHAPTER 15 CHAPTER 15

At this time, Senior Judge Kerry Todemos said his opinion loudly: "According to the laws of Dionia, citizens are obliged to perform military service, but the length of a military service is not determined. Strict regulations. However, the citizens of the kingdom are mainly Greeks. According to the consistent military tradition of Greece, citizens rarely go out to fight during the busy farming season unless they are facing critical situations, and a battle usually does not exceed a month.

Those who can fight for a long time are usually mercenaries who have no other income and only rely on fighting for a living. When the fighting time is too long, the citizen soldiers may gather to protest to the general, or even ask to be returned to the country... The citizens of the kingdom certainly do not. Possibly as rambunctious as the citizens of other Greek city-states, but also with careful consideration in this regard. "

After Terry Todmos finished speaking, the ministers were silent for a while.

Alexis looked at Davos and said earnestly: "Your Majesty, I attended the Kingdom Executive Council today, and was originally going to report another important matter to you. Over the past few years, we have been in the territory of Iberia. It has been attacked by Lusitania and a few Celts, and since this year, the frequency of these indigenous attacks has become more frequent, and the Eighteenth Army has to be constantly assembled (the Eighteenth Army was in the Western Mediterranean War) After the end of the establishment, the military camp was established in the central town of Sisi in what is now the southern part of Iberia. The source of soldiers mainly came from the citizens of Dionia in this area. More than half of the soldiers were Phoenicians and Carthaginians, and a few were Greeks. people, and a very small number of Iberians) to resist, the citizens there have been demoralized because they cannot go home for a long time, resulting in a drop in combat effectiveness, and many casualties... And because there are too many young and middle-aged citizens in the Iberian territory Being dispatched to fight, the lack of labor force affects other affairs in the region, so the Iberian Governor Haka has many complaints against our military department...

The Iberian natives invaded in much the same way as the Gauls, and if we do the same, I fear we will repeat the mistakes of the Iberian lands. I am not against the kingdom sending troops to aid Etruria. On the contrary, I hope that your Majesty and your lords can find a better solution in the discussion, which can not only defend against the invasion of the enemy, but also avoid the above mentioned problems. The question mentioned... Then we can apply this method to the northern border of Etruria, to Iberia, and to the borders of kingdoms that need defense everywhere to ensure the stability and development of the kingdom. "

Davos nodded solemnly, then looked around the crowd, and said solemnly: "Alexis' words are good, and they need to cause us all to think deeply. Now the kingdom's territory is getting wider and wider, and the vastness means Because we can no longer be like before, the enemy is ten or a hundred miles away, we gather our troops, and we can reach the battlefield in a day or two.

Now the border of the kingdom is far away from Turii. Tell me, Alexis, how many days does it take for the army to march from Turii to the northern border of Etruria? "

Alexis replied immediately: "If you go by sea and have a good wind, it will take about five or six days, but this is almost impossible, at least seven or eight days; and by land, considering the distance to Campania There is no road to the north, so it will take 15 days to travel; the combination of land and sea routes will take at least 10 days.

From Turii to southern Iberia, it is mainly by sea, which takes 15 days, but the sea is long and there is a danger of encountering storms.

And from Turui to Carthage, it is mainly by sea, and it takes at least 10 days, and the risks at sea must also be taken into account..."

"Alexis, I only asked one question, but you answered so many." Davers said jokingly, but none of the ministers laughed, they were all thoughtful.

"This is just a march, it will take so much time, and it will take longer to fight until the war is over." Davos gathered his mind and said solemnly: "Now our kingdom is the longest in the Western Mediterranean. A powerful country, like Syracuse and Carthage, dared to lead an army directly to attack the kingdom's territory will basically never happen again. The forces that are hostile to us are afraid of our strength, and I am afraid that more is to take measures like Lu The tactics of the Sitanians and Gauls avoided a head-on decisive battle, and adopted the method of harassment to destroy our territory, exhausting our soldiers, and thus prolonging the course of the war...

Ladies and gentlemen, we cannot be indulged in our past successes. We must realize that as the power of the kingdom changes, so does the surrounding environment, and some past successful experiences may no longer be suitable for the new situation.

You have reached a consensus just now that helping Etruria is also defending the security of the kingdom, but how to rescue it is also a big problem. You must understand that the solution is not only to temporarily deal with the Etruscan problem and the Iberian problem, but to find a way to improve the military system of the kingdom today, defend the A new way to secure kingdom territory! "

Although Davos's voice was not very loud, these words reverberated in the hearts of every minister, suddenly raising their view on this issue a lot, and making them feel the pressure. Shang's expressions became both solemn and uplifting, but the hall suddenly became extremely silent.

Davos stopped urging and leaned his body back to the seat. He seemed to close his eyes, but he was actually thinking about it: The Etruscan messenger came for two days, and the diplomat was in charge of receiving it. The purpose of the visit was roughly understood and reported to him. After thinking about it, he already had some ideas in his heart. After all, unlike ministers who wanted to cross the river by feeling the stones, he was backed by thousands of years of Eastern and Western historical experience in his previous life, and he also knew some ancient Macedonian and Roman military affairs. The development process, he can refer to, learn from, absorb... It's just that the method he thinks of involves several thorny issues, which need to be solved through discussion, consensus, and concerted efforts with the ministers, so he deliberately guides, of course, he I also hope that the ministers can come up with a better way to solve this problem...

After a long time, the rotating chairman Cypros asked (in the second year after the Western Mediterranean War, Cornerus was overworked and bedridden. At the suggestion of Davos, the Senate unanimously elected to fight in the war. Cypros, the wartime governor of Sicily who contributed a lot and made great achievements, temporarily replaced Cornelus, but Cornelus died shortly after, and Cypros was able to straighten): "May I ask Alexis My lord, when the Carthaginians developed the Iberian territory, they must have encountered the dilemma we are encountering today. What can stabilize and develop the territory?"

This question made Alexis think for a while, and then he said: "The details of the past in the Iberian region may only be answered by the Iberian governor Haka, but what I have learned is... Carthia at that time. Mago, the governor of Iberia, has an army of nearly 50,000 people. They are very strong in combat, and they are all mercenaries. They don't need to work, so they can devote themselves to the battle with the indigenous people at any time. The suppression of the natives was gradually completed, but even so, the Carthaginians paid a great price for it, and it is said that most of the income of the Iberian lands and 1/3 of Carthage's annual taxes were used Feed this army—"

"This is too expensive! It is impossible for the kingdom to take this approach, otherwise there is no need to do other things!" Treasurer Archibides expressed his opinion loudly.

Although he felt that his voice was a bit noisy, many ministers still agreed with his opinion.

Cypros said solemnly: "Of course we can't spend a lot of money to support a mercenary army, but we can follow this method."

Davos' eyes lit up.

"I remember that Gentiles want to become Dionian citizens, from registration, to becoming a reserve citizen, and then to a full citizen, it takes at least 5-6 years, during which time they have to work in the kingdom, rent a Cultivating land, serving as hired labor, serving as the lowest-level municipal handyman, serving as a laborer at the dock... and even sometimes responding to the call of the kingdom, participating in public works, or becoming an auxiliary labor force for the army, and rotating on duty with the soldiers... During this long period of time, they also have to obey the law and pay taxes on a regular basis... It is very hard and they have to live carefully in the kingdom before they can finally become citizens. It is not easy to say.

Cypros sighed lightly: "Then why don't we revise the decree about 'letting gentiles and freedmen become citizens of Dionia'? As long as it is announced that people who want to become citizens of Dionia in the future must first Serve for the Kingdom of Dionia, go to the border of the kingdom, and after 5-6 years of service, you can become a full citizen of Dionia, and you can enjoy the various rights granted to citizens by the kingdom..."

Sure enough, as Davos expected, the method proposed by Cypros was roughly the same as what he thought, the only difference being the length of service: Davos's idea was to serve 10-15 years, which happened to include The period when a young and middle-aged man is most physically and energetically energetic.

But after thinking about it, Davos had to admit that Cypros' suggestion was more practical, because it only takes about 6 years to become a citizen of Dionia at this stage, and suddenly this time was extended to more than 10 years. , and at the risk of being beaten to death, these foreign freemen will definitely be dissatisfied.