Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1071: The Kingdom's New Administrative Divisions (2)

"It's a bit further away and requires a boat ride," Lysias replied, picking up the thread, "but the twin cities of Naxos and Crimisa have already provided us with ample governance experience for this."

Mentoticles gave an "oh" of understanding and asked no further questions.

Davos continued, "Excluding Messina, the original Sicily Territory, along with Leontini and the eastern mountainous region of the Sicels (during the Western Mediterranean War, the tribal settlements of the Sicels were destroyed by the Carthaginians, their grain was plundered, and some tribes betrayed Daionia... After the war ended in total victory for Daionia, some tribes feared retribution while others simply sought survival. Under the direct threat of Daionia's army and our diplomatic goodwill, they successively chose to submit to the kingdom. This created a domino effect, and over the course of a year, the entire Sicel mountainous region was completely incorporated into the Kingdom of Daunia), will be merged into the East Sicily Region, with its administrative center in Catana.

"Taunis, Syracuse and its former subordinate city-states, Camarina, and Pachynus—the entire southeastern corner of the western Mediterranean—will be merged into the Syracuse Region, with its administrative center in Syracuse.

"Next, Thermae, Minoa, Agrigento, Ecomes, Gela, and the central Sicel mountainous region extending from Henna to Kephaloidion will be merged into the Southern Region of Sicily, with its administrative center in Agrigento.

"The remaining towns in Sicily and the territory of the Sikanoi (after the war ended, the Sikanoi, having suffered heavy casualties and fearing retaliation from the Sicels, took the initiative to submit to the Kingdom of Daunia) will be merged into the Western Sicily Region, with its administrative center in Lilybaeum.

"Using Tharros as the dividing line, the northern half of Sardinia Island will be designated as the Northern Sardinia Region, with its administrative center in Tharros.

"The Southern Sardinia Region will have its administrative center in Caralis.

"All territories previously controlled by Carthage in Corsica will become the Corsica Region, with Alalia as its administrative center.

"That makes a total of nineteen regions."

Everyone listened earnestly to Davos's explanation, mulling over these new administrative divisions. King Davos had clearly given this careful thought, meticulously drawing the boundaries based on a comprehensive consideration of administrative convenience, trade development, and other factors. Some regions were vast but sparsely populated, such as the Lucanian region and the Southern Region of Sicily. Some were small but densely populated, such as the Kroton region. Others were small and had low populations but held critical importance to the kingdom, such as the Corsica Region with its abundant precious metal reserves, especially tin. Yet, even with this careful planning, a few doubts lingered among the crowd.

"Your Majesty, have you perhaps forgotten about Hadrumetum in Africa?" the meticulous Antaoris pointed out.

"I haven't forgotten," Davos replied. "Although Hadrumetum isn't large in area, its location is extremely important, bordering Carthage and the East Numidians. It will be directly administered by the kingdom for the time being, ensuring that we can receive timely and accurate information about the situation there and respond accordingly." This explanation made sense to everyone, and no further objections were raised.

"Your Majesty, the area of Southern Iberia is simply too vast," the steady Lysias expressed with some concern. "It equals the combined size of several of our other regions. Designating it as just a single region seems somewhat inappropriate."

Davos explained with a hint of resignation, "Although the Carthaginians conquered Southern Iberia, it was merely a conquest. They were far from truly making it their own. Aside from the coastal towns, where the populace basically consists of the original Carthaginians and Phoenicians, the inland areas are almost entirely self-governed by the various Southern Iberian tribes.

"Following our takeover, very few of the kingdom's citizens have migrated there, and the officials we dispatched are still familiarizing themselves with the situation. Except for the mines now being managed by the kingdom's merchants, the political landscape hasn't changed much. Given the vast swathes of empty land and the overall population shortage across the kingdom, we cannot facilitate mass immigration in the short term to alter their demographic makeup. It is better to temporarily maintain the status quo to ensure the region's stability. At least for now, the regional governor, Haca, has been actively cooperating with the kingdom's demands and acting strictly in accordance with Daunian Law..."

"Lord Haca certainly understands the bigger picture. However, holding power in a single region for an extended period violates Daunian Law. Furthermore, I've heard his health isn't in the best condition..." As Sedorum said this, he cast an inquiring look toward Herpus, the Minister of Medicine.

Herpus responded truthfully, "According to the medical records sent back by the doctors we dispatched to treat him, his heart has been weak since childhood. It cannot be fully cured, and he must avoid excessive exertion."

"Therefore, it would be best if we transferred him back to Thurii to take up an important post, where he can also receive better medical treatment," Sedorum continued. "At the same time, having our own officials take over Iberia sooner will help it integrate into the kingdom faster."

Davos fell into deep thought.

Lysias, Sedorum, and a few other ministers exchanged glances, but none of them spoke.

After all, the status of Haca, the Governor of Iberia, was far too unique. Not only was he the patriarch of the Carthaginian Magonid family that had submitted to Daionia (half a year after the end of the Western Mediterranean War, Mago, who had been in a prolonged coma, finally succumbed to his illness; although by rights the position of patriarch should have been inherited by Hasdrubal, most family members believed it would be far more beneficial if the mild-mannered Haca, who was highly valued by King Davos, took the role, and Hasdrubal himself had no desire to shoulder such a heavy responsibility. Thus, despite his repeated refusals, Haca ultimately assumed the position, though he modestly insisted time and again that he was "merely acting as patriarch on behalf of his older brother"), but his long tenure governing Southern Iberia had also earned him significant prestige among both the original officials and the local indigenous people. Furthermore, he was a relative of King Davos.

Taking these issues into consideration, Davos carefully weighed his words before giving a cautious reply. "Regarding this matter... I must first seek Haca's own opinion. If he agrees to come to Thurii, do you think Bagulas will be able to smoothly take over the Southern Iberian Region?"

Initially, after the Southern Iberian Region was incorporated into the Kingdom of Daunia, Davos had promised not to replace the local officials in the short term in order to stabilize the situation. However, he had dispatched a group of highly capable Daunian administrative officials to the various towns in Southern Iberia to serve as deputies to the original officials, and their leading figure was Bagulas.

Sending an important minister of the kingdom to serve as an administrative deputy in a newly surrendered region undoubtedly looked like a demotion. But Davos considered that Bagulas had previously served as the administrative chief of major kingdom towns like Grumentum, Cosenza, and Udiae. Not only did he boast an outstanding political record and abundant experience, but he was particularly skilled at handling the affairs of local indigenous people, making him the ideal candidate. Therefore, Davos had specifically invited Bagulas's family to a royal banquet for a heart-to-heart conversation. Afterward, Bagulas had gladly accepted the appointment and headed to Southern Iberia to take up his post.

"Your Majesty, judging from when Bagulas made a special trip back to the Senate last year to deliver his administrative report, he has not only familiarized himself with the political affairs of the Southern Iberian Region, but he has also established a rapport with the local officials. Many are willing to cooperate with him, and he has even befriended multiple indigenous Iberian tribal leaders within the territory, earning their trust. I don't think it will be a major issue, though we should still ask for his own opinion first." Hermon offered this praise of Bagulas before carefully stating his view.

Davos tapped the location of Iberia on the map with a wooden pointer. After a moment, he asked, "If Haca chooses to come to Thurii, what position would be most suitable for him?"

Everyone looked at one another in dismay, unsure of how to answer.

As previously mentioned, Haca's status was far too unique. He was already a Senator of the kingdom (though he rarely attended Senate meetings) and a governor (a Regional Administrator, even if only as a post-war compromise). He was a vital minister of the kingdom. Even a Rotating Chairman of the Senate and the ministers of the various departments were only of equal rank to his current position. Furthermore, all the important departmental posts were currently filled. As for leaving him temporarily idle, that would carry considerable risk; the original populace and officials in Southern Iberia might misinterpret the move and believe the kingdom was casting aside those who had served their purpose, which would likely trigger unrest in the Southern Iberian Region...

As everyone remained silent, a few inwardly complained about Sedorum, feeling that he shouldn't have made such an unnecessary suggestion that now left them all in this awkward predicament.

Davos's profound gaze swept across their faces one by one before he spoke slowly, "In that case, why don't we establish an additional position for a Rotating Chairman and have Haca take the role? What do you think?"

Everyone was taken aback.

Sedorum, having already sensed the collective resentment directed at him, was the first to respond. "I support Your Majesty's decision. With the number of Senators having increased, five Rotating Chairmen are no longer enough to represent everyone. In particular, the number of Senators from Phoenicia has exceeded ten. Having Lord Haca serve as a Rotating Chairman perfectly aligns with the kingdom's needs!"

Where did these ten-plus Phoenician Senators come from? More than half were not from western Sicily or Southern Iberia, but from Sardinia Island. Although some Phoenician city-states on Sardinia Island had chosen to surrender during the Western Mediterranean War, Daionia did not allow them the option of autonomy like their compatriots in Sicily. In the past, Carthage had exerted complete control over Sardinia Island for its own interests, so naturally, Daionia could likewise forcefully demand that all these city-states be fully incorporated into the Kingdom of Daunia. Having been ruled by the Carthaginians for so long, the Sardinian populace lacked strong political demands. The moment Daionia took a firm stance, they complied. However, to placate the locals and facilitate governance, the kingdom still selected a few prestigious figures from the island to enter the Senate.