Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1100: Electing Regional Administrators (4)

When a Senator had once asked him about this, his reply had been: "I am a scholar of mathematics. Before I accept any formula or theorem, I must calculate it myself to prove it correct. I do not know enough about everyone's political track records. Without that understanding, I cannot make blind recommendations, or I would only mislead everyone and disrupt state affairs..."

Yet here he was, standing before them. The Senators were inevitably curious to see whom he would nominate.

"Nicomachus is my nominee! I do not need to elaborate on his capabilities; the statue erected in his honor in Hodrum says it all. What I do want to highlight is that during the Western Mediterranean War, he answered His Majesty's call without hesitation and traveled to the Latium region. He fully assisted Lord Asistes in restoring order to the newly captured Rome, and later painstakingly governed the war-ravaged City of Gabii..." Mentoticles deliberately emphasized the phrase "war-ravaged." When the City of Gabii fell, its entire population had been enslaved as a deterrent to the other Latin city-states, a measure that Mentoticles personally disapproved of.

Seated in the center of the hall, Davos maintained a tranquil expression, seemingly oblivious to the underlying tone.

"...Therefore, I believe Nicomachus is fully deserving of becoming a Regional Administrator, so he can contribute even more to the kingdom."

Mentoticles's words struck Sedorum as slightly off. The underlying sentiment sounded remarkably similar to what Bremus had said earlier. He shot a sudden glance at Davos.

He was not alone; Hermon and Lysias felt the same way. Naturally, none of them could glean the slightest hint from Davos's placid face.

Following this round of nominations, some Senators began to voice objections. "Lord Kesima certainly understands the situation in the Samnite mountains. However, serving as the Regional Administrator of the Eastern Campania Region requires more than just maintaining stability; it requires driving regional development so we can better assimilate the surrounding Samnites. In that regard, Lord Kesima's past track record lacks any truly outstanding achievements..."

"Lord Hegesitus certainly has an extensive background, but he has no experience governing northern towns. I fear he understands very little about the Samnites..."

After a round of debate, the votes were read out. The result: Nicomachus secured a narrow victory.

Wearing an expression of utter disbelief, Nicomachus stood up and bowed in every direction to express his gratitude. His exaggerated, comical gestures and humorous remarks drew a wave of laughter from the hall, easing the gradually building tension.

"Next up is the election for the Strait of Messina region."

The Strait of Messina region included Rhegium, Messina, Taurania, several smaller towns along the Northern Coast of Sicily, and the Lipara Islands. Though its territory was narrow and its population small, it possessed the Strait of Messina, which held tremendous strategic and commercial value. Naturally, it attracted no shortage of nominees.

One individual among the nominators drew particular attention: Cyprolus. For a Rotating Chairman to personally stand and make a recommendation naturally sparked a minor commotion in the hall. The candidate he put forward was Amyclis.

The other Senators likely assumed the reasoning was simple: Cyprolus had served as the magistrate of Catana, and Amyclis had been the magistrate of Messina. Having worked together in the eastern region of Sicily for several years, the two must have had a good relationship, prompting Cyprolus to actively nominate him.

Through the Intelligence Department, however, Davos knew that Cyprolus and Amyclis rarely interacted. For Cyprolus to make this nomination regardless of the potential criticism meant he was likely acting out of public duty. That was exactly what Davos appreciated about him. Over the two years Cyprolus had served as a Rotating Chairman, every piece of advice he offered Davos had been rooted in the kingdom's best interests, showing almost no selfish ambition—unlike Sedorum and Hermon, who considered their own ethnicities far too much. Lysias was slightly better, but as the head of the Rotating Chairmen, even he fell short.

Antaoris was not bad either, possessing a strong grasp of the big picture, though his temper was sometimes hasty. Davos wondered if he had a candidate to nominate today... His gaze lingered briefly on Antaoris before shifting toward Amyclis in the hall. The Senator from Castron looked somewhat surprised and anxious, likely not having anticipated Cyprolus's nomination. He did harbor hopes for this position, but his earlier failure in the election for the Eastern Campania Region had left him worried about another loss.

Was Amyclis suited to be the Regional Administrator of the Strait of Messina region? ...Davos pondered the question and truly felt he was a fitting candidate: On the surface, Amyclis was mild-mannered and lacked a forceful presence. During his tenure as the chief general of Castron, he had yielded to Daionia's dominance. Later, as the magistrate of Messina, he had actively humbled himself before the hard-headed magistrate of Rhegium. While serving as the magistrate of Gela, faced with the cold and obstinate Sicel chiefs, he had repeatedly ventured into the mountains on his own initiative to negotiate with them...

Yet, viewed from another angle, was that not its own form of wisdom! Because of that exact approach, Castron had survived the frequent outbreaks of the Magna Graecia War relatively unscathed, and its citizens had ultimately rejoiced at joining the kingdom. Look at the constant friction still plaguing Rhegium and Messina today—while Amyclis's tenure had been a period of relatively good relations between the two cities. Likewise, it was exactly because of Amyclis's methods that many Sicels voluntarily migrated to sparsely populated Gela, making Gela the fastest-recovering town along the Southern Coast of Sicily after the war...

With this in mind, he shifted his gaze to Marigi, the Minister of Commerce, seated on the far right of the front row. Their eyes met before swiftly breaking contact.

After two more candidates were nominated, the commander of the Second Fleet, Midorades, stood up and loudly declared, "I also recommend Amyclis. Although I have not interacted with him much, when the 3rd Fleet sailed south to fight along the Northern Coast of Sicily, he provided us with his full support and assistance. I feel he is a good magistrate, so I nominate him."

The words were simple and crude, but no one found them amusing. Midorades was currently a highly popular hero within the kingdom, having made outstanding contributions during the Western Mediterranean War. His support undoubtedly greatly increased Amyclis's chances of being selected.

Naturally, an unwilling Senator brought up a point: "Amyclis previously served as the magistrate of Messina. If he is appointed Regional Administrator over the Strait this time, his tenure in the same region will have been too long, violating Daionia's laws regarding official term limits."

Cyprolus was prepared for this. Unhurried, he explained, "Lord Amyclis only held office in Messina for four years before being transferred to serve as the magistrate of Gela. Even if he wins, he will not have exceeded the regulation that prohibits serving in the same region for more than eight years."

Cyprolus's effortless refutation of the challenge resonated deeply with Milon. If he had not consulted Lysias beforehand, received his warning, and made preparations, he likely would have encountered massive trouble today and suffered total failure.

The final voting results showed Amyclis winning by a narrow advantage of only five votes.

Amyclis clearly had not anticipated this outcome either. Hit by this stroke of luck, he stood up still looking somewhat dazed. As he bowed to the applauding Senators, he made a point to individually express his gratitude to Cyprolus and Midorades.

Many Senators sighed inwardly: it was simply far too lucky for a coward like Amyclis to earn the favor of Cyprolus and Midorades.

But they obviously failed to realize that the true mastermind behind this was sitting in the very center of the hall, as motionless as a wooden statue.

"Next up is the election for the Catania region!"

Antaoris's words made Milon sit straight up. He knew Lysias's cautious nature meant he would never directly nominate him, so he was incredibly curious as to who Lysias would have step forward.

But the first Senator to stand had absolutely no ties to Lysias. It was Alcibiades, the elder brother of Queen Agnes and a relative of King Davos. Despite this special status, he had not held any formal political office in the kingdom over the years. His business, however, had expanded massively, turning him into a famous and wealthy merchant in the realm. Because of his special relationship with Davos, he rarely participated in the nomination of Town Magistrates; the few times he had, it was always connected to Pheidon. So as soon as he stood up, the Senators could guess whom he was going to nominate.

Today, however, Alcibiades lacked his usual arrogance; his movements even appeared somewhat cringing, and he was avoiding Davos's gaze. Ever since the Ministry of Military Affairs had relayed Davos's words to him, he immediately realized he had touched Davos's bottom line. Gripped by intense panic, he had repeatedly pleaded with his sister to help him explain himself and apologize, but Davos had not yet agreed to see him. His attendance at today's Senate session served a dual purpose: to advocate for his good friend, and to find an opportunity to meet with Davos in person.

Yet, when he stood up in the hall and saw the expressionless Davos ahead of him, he could not help but feel panicked. "I... I nominate Pheidon... As the current magistrate of Catana, Lord Pheidon not only swiftly restored prosperity to the war-torn Catana, but he has also actively helped the Sicel tribes near the western edge of the Plain of Catania. He enabled these Sicilian mountain dwellers, who had suffered through the flames of war and were forced to join the kingdom, to weather a difficult period. Ultimately, many tribes have voluntarily descended from the mountains to accept Pheidon's jurisdiction..."

It seemed those words had still achieved a considerable effect... Davos, of course, could hear the inner panic in Alcibiades's slightly trembling voice.