Chapter 69 Dionia Keeping Her Promise

As soon as Davos leaned back on the chair, he stopped talking, and grief instantly enveloped him... In this era, Davos has never stopped fighting, and he has long been used to life and death, even if he has shared adversity. The mercenary soldiers fell in front of him, and it was difficult to stir up ripples in his heart. But when he learned the news today, he lost his temper...

In fact, Archita didn't get along with him for a long time, but the two hit it off at first sight. This gentle and elegant Tarantum nobleman who is seven or eight years older than Davos is like a generous elder brother, who has helped Davos many times. When Davos was still unknown, Archita, as the elder of Tarantum and the general who went on the expedition, had no complaints about helping him repel the Lucanians; after Davos captured Amendolara, Archita Tower not only was not dissatisfied with Davos' deception, but also actively made Tarantum and Amendolara an alliance, and at the same time persuaded Davos not to seize power by violent means, the reason why the Dionia alliance was able to develop so fast later , thanks to his advice; although Tarantum and Dionia later became estranged, Archita was still actively running for the friendship between the two states, so that when the port of Turii was blocked by Crotone , can still buy food from Tarantum...

Davos was immersed in his memories, his eyes began to moisten, he took a long breath, and with a solemn expression, Polydorus said loudly: "Dionia is Tarantum's ally, helping the ally to repel the enemy. The invasion is Dionia's responsibility, and I will immediately apply for a senate meeting! I firmly believe that all Dionysian senate elders will not hesitate to agree to send troops to rescue our friendly allies!"

Polydorus was determined: Eumacas was right, the relationship between Archita and Davos was extraordinary. It is said that the Senate of Dionia was the one controlled by Davos alone. With his permission in advance, this request for help is no longer a problem!

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When Polydorus spoke to the senators about Tarantum's request in the Great Chamber of the Senate, there was Davos's statement, and almost no one objected.

Most of the elders from Amendolara and Turii remembered the help Tarantum gave them during their most difficult times. Kunogolata and others said: Keeping promises has always been the principle of Dionysian people. Dionia is already a powerful alliance of Greater Greece. It should be brave enough to assume the responsibility of defending the Greek city-states in southern Italy and show the surrounding city-states. Our sincerity!

These words touched the hearts of everyone. The Senate unanimously passed the resolution to "send reinforcements and rescue Tarantum", but there was a dispute over the number of troops sent.

Some of the elders headed by Cornerus and Burkes believed that the autumn harvest season in September would soon be approaching, and if too many young laborers were dispatched to join the war, even with the assistance of slaves, the harvesting of the fields would still suffer greatly. Influence, it is recommended to send no more than one legion at most.

A small number of Turii elders headed by Polyxis believed that the Dionysian League had too many wars in the past two years, and the people were tired and in urgent need of recuperation. What's more, Tarantum has the help of Metapontum and Heraclea,

The strength of its army has not been greatly weakened, and Dionia only needs to send three or four thousand men to express our sincerity.

However, the military veterans such as Antonios and Capps raised objections. They believed that after the Mesapi and Puchetti were united, their strength was strong. If Dionysian sent too few reinforcements, they could not help Taran. The Thums quickly ended the war. The war lasted for a long time, but it affected the return of Dionysian reinforcements, causing dissatisfaction among the people. And the number of people sent is large, so that they can take the lead in the war and avoid being arbitrarily arranged by Tarantum, causing the soldiers to sacrifice in vain...

They suggested: Better to send two legions to Tarantum.

The opinions of the military elders persuaded most of the elders, but the huge number of 14,000 people in the two legions still made the elders hesitant. In the end, everyone gave the decision to Davos.

Davos of course agreed with Antonios and the others, he said: "Since we have agreed to send reinforcements, we must show Dionia's sincerity and courage as an ally of Tarantum to the greatest extent. The two legions plus the tower With the assistance of Rantum and its affiliated allied armies, we should be able to quickly repel the enemy, so that the citizens can return to take care of their farms..."

When Davos spoke, he put Dionia's army in the main position consciously or unconsciously, completely forgetting that he was in Tarantum, and he was only a guest army. And none of the elders thought it was different, but took it for granted.

This time, Mersis doesn't have to worry about sending troops. When Polidorus learned that Dioria actually sent a huge team of 14,000 people, he was overjoyed, and repeatedly said to Davos: "Of course, Tarantum will provide the rations and necessary materials for the Dionysian reinforcements. !"

The agricultural department of Burkos had to be busy, ensuring that the farms of each expedition soldier could get better care when the owner left.

Grummentum, Crimisa, and Aspurustum have just been annexed, and it is not easy to send troops to fight. As the most stable rear of Dionia in the Lucania region, Niutum also shoulders the responsibility of sending troops to stabilize Grummentum at any time. Unless there are special circumstances, citizens of the city will not be dispatched to the tower. Rantum. Therefore, the citizens that Davos chose to go on expeditions were all in Turii and Amendolara, two cities that were very close to each other, where the First and Second Corps were stationed. This also saves time and effort for farmland supervision in Bulcos.

At the same time, the Senate began to recall soldiers from the First and Second Legions who were about to travel to Corinth for the Isthmus Games.

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The Isthmus Games is one of the four major games in Greece. It is held in the summer and autumn of the second year of the Olympia Games. It is a celebration of Poseidon, the god of the sea.

Davos didn't know much about this at first. It was Lycias, the chief general of Crotone, who inadvertently mentioned Crotone when he said goodbye to him after the Hades celebration. Tone was about to line up for the Isthmus Games, and Davers took it to heart.

Today, the mercenary army led by Davos has not only taken root in Greater Greece, but the Dionysian Alliance he created is already one of the most powerful alliances in Greater Greece, no less than the powerful Sybaris a hundred years ago. . However, the deeds of Dionia are still heard by many people in Sicily, but from Sicily eastward to the Greek mainland, it is basically unknown, and then to the Ionian islands in the Aegean Sea. Not to mention the Greek states of Asia Minor.

With Dionia's current strength past the dormant stage, it needs to strengthen ties with the Greek city-states in the Eastern Mediterranean, whether it is to increase trade or attract free people, it will be of great benefit, so Davos proposed in the Senate " The proposal to organize athletes to participate in the Isthmus Games” has received a warm response from the elders.

The enthusiasm of the Greek city-states in the Western Mediterranean to participate in the four major Greek games is not lower than that of the native Greek people, and they are far more active than the city-states in Asia Minor. The main reasons for this are: first, the four major games were held in Pelopon. The Nissa Peninsula, which is near the Gulf of Corinth, is closer to Greater Greece and Sicily, and far away from Asia Minor; secondly, these colonial city-states in the Western Mediterranean have a superior geographical location, fertile land and rich minerals, so most of them are relatively wealthy, far more than The home state of Greece has no chance to compare at ordinary times. The Games became a stage for these "city-state tyrants" in the Western Mediterranean to show off their luxury. They donated a lot of gold and silver to the temple holy treasury of the Games, held large banquets and entertained athletes from various city-states... ...Wait, while the people living in simple life in Greece were stunned, they ridiculed the Greeks in the Western Mediterranean out of jealousy as "poor people who have nothing but gold and silver".

The Western Mediterranean Greeks are not only showing off their wealth at the games, but they are also very impressive at the games. Crotone is a well-known professional champion of major games, and Syracuse is another. Athletes from Tarantum, Locri and Agrigento have won many championships. Riy and Naples have also achieved excellent results in the Games. They are keen to show the mother state of Greece through the games: although they are only colonists or descendants of the colonists, they have achieved far better than the citizens of the mother state.

Davos's proposal was nothing but a continuation of the glorious tradition of the Great Greeks.

After the announcement of participation in the Games was announced in various cities, the citizens of Dionia signed up enthusiastically, forcing the Union to hold a trial, and finally ten people were qualified to participate in Corinth, including: Tiger Tinos participated in wrestling The competition, Matonis participated in the javelin competition, Amintas signed up for the "armed long-distance running", Sobokos's carriage competition... Now they all have to return to the First and Second Corps to prepare to go to Tarantum.

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Although the Dionysian Alliance stopped the war, it has only been a few months, and the enemy they are about to face is quite powerful, but it has not affected the enthusiasm of the citizens to go to war, except that the war will allow them to accumulate merits, obtain citizenship or land, ha The establishment of the Hall of Valor and Pantheon in the Temple of Diss also greatly stimulated their pursuit of honor.

While the citizens of Turii and Amendolara were actively preparing for the expedition to Tarantum, at the consul's mansion, Davos, the military officer Felixius, the two commanders of the legion, Capus and Des. Lakos is listening carefully to the detailed introduction of the two major forces in Apulia, Mesapi and Pucherti, by the envoy of Tarantum, Polidorus: "I think a few adults have heard of a story that has been circulating for a long time. s story……"