Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1103: Electing the Regional Administrator (7)

But Davos's calm face offered no clues.

Just as some senators were considering whether to support Tollex, another man stood up. "I nominate—Antrapolis!"

A considerable commotion instantly erupted in the hall. Both the nominator and the nominee had taken them by surprise.

The nominator was Antonios, the former Wartime Governor of the Dauni region and the newly appointed Regional Administrator of the Western Sicily Region. Although he had once been demoted over the Laodicean incident, he had risen again quickly, and his influence in the kingdom's political arena remained massive.

Antrapolis was a senator who had transitioned into politics from the Intelligence Department. Because of this unique background, many senators kept him at a respectful distance.

"Answering His Majesty's call, Lord Antrapolis resolutely headed to the Latium region..." Antonios's tone sounded rather familiar, prompting Lysias to instinctively glance at Davos again.

"...After assisting Asistes in stabilizing Rome, Lord Antrapolis volunteered to His Majesty to serve as the Town Magistrate of the City of Satricum. What a courageous act! You all know that Satricum suffered a plague during the war. Less than half a year later, Antrapolis bravely shouldered the heavy burden of rebuilding it, without the slightest fear of contracting the disease. In the past twenty years of the kingdom's history, has any other senator done something so mad, yet so admirable? Only Antrapolis!

"And now, five years later, under his governance, the City of Satricum has not only been rebuilt, but is even more prosperous than before! Therefore, I believe Lord Antrapolis is the most qualified to become the Regional Administrator of the Dauni region!"

After Antonios finished his impassioned speech, the hall—previously filled with endless murmurs—fell silent for a brief moment. Then the Scepter Priest of Hades, Praxinas, began to clap. Gradually, applause spread throughout the entire hall.

Antonios looked at the applauding senators and sneered inwardly.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Antonios found his eyes drawn to Davos. But upon meeting the king's profound gaze, he quickly looked away. In truth, while he had once admired Davos for his commanding abilities and long-term vision, over the past few years he had been completely awed by His Majesty's terrifying political control.

Meanwhile, Antrapolis's mind drifted back to the words his older brother, Aristiras, had quietly told him a few days ago: "You don't need to worry about lacking support during the election. His Majesty won't forget those who made immense contributions to the kingdom during its hardest times. He will never allow these important positions to go to people who contributed nothing when it mattered, only showing up afterward to pick the apples..."

As it turned out, with Davos's secret backing, the election proceeded without a hitch.

Antrapolis was elected by a wide margin. Standing up once more to bow to the senators, he felt deeply moved. From this day forward, he was no longer the despised newcomer who had just entered politics, but a profoundly important minister in the kingdom! He had worked tirelessly and even risked his life several times to achieve his original goal, and finally, his wish had been fulfilled.

"Next up for election is the Peucetian area!"

"Lord Ansitanos!" The name called out by the protocol officer startled the crowd, leaving them deeply curious. The kingdom's renowned scholar and highly respected Minister of Foreign Affairs usually focused solely on diplomacy and academic research, rarely interacting closely with other senators. Who would he nominate?

"I nominate Apirosias," Ansitanos said unhurriedly as he stood up. Then he sealed his lips and said no more.

Apirosias had become the head of the Messapian senators not merely because he was the first to surrender to Daionia—thus receiving greater trust—but also because he genuinely possessed ability. He was decisive and skilled at reading situations. Across his several terms as Town Magistrate, the Senate's evaluations of his performance had always been above "good." But more importantly, he had an excellent son-in-law: Palace Secretary Henipolis.

When Henipolis joined Daionia, he had brought Laos with him as a dowry. Logically, his prospects in the kingdom's political circles should have been boundless. Instead, he had chosen the inconspicuous position of Palace Secretary and remained in it for over a decade. He rarely socialized with other senators, save for his former subordinate, Eriandos. Yet no senator dared underestimate him, for he was a trusted confidant of King Davos. It was said he was one of the few who could openly joke with the majestic king sitting in the center of the hall.

Although Henipolis hadn't given his father-in-law much tangible help, the familial connection alone granted Apirosias extra prestige in the Senate. Aside from the stubborn Plegulus, all the other Messapian senators were willing to follow his lead. And the only person capable of persuading Ansitanos to nominate Apirosias was naturally his student, Henipolis.

When Henipolis felt Davos's gaze fall upon him from across the hall, he gave a helpless shrug. He grumbled inwardly,

There were several other capable senators competing for Regional Administrator of the Peucetian area, but Apirosias's nominator was far too exceptional.

Ansitanos certainly didn't form cliques, but he was a good person with high prestige. He had excellent relationships with the mercenary senators, Vespa, Hermon, Lysias, Sedorum, and other senators who had joined the kingdom early on. Without any conflict of interest, everyone was naturally willing to do him a favor.

Additionally, Ansitanos could influence a special group affectionately known by the citizens as the "scholar senators." Figures like Mentoticles, Mathikles, Herpus, Stesichodas, and Heraclides the Younger weren't actually very interested in the election of Regional Administrators. Had this meeting not been of the utmost importance, mandating their attendance, some of them likely wouldn't have come at all. Sitting in the hall, most of them lacked strong inclinations; they voted based on the nominator's pitch, the floor debates, and personal preference. Now that one of their own—the scholar Ansitanos—was making a recommendation, they naturally voted for his nominee. Thus, Apirosias won the election.

Tollex couldn't help but feel a bit envious. They were both prominent figures representing their respective tribes, and both had sons-in-law closely tied to the king. Yet Henipolis could clearly provide far more help to his father-in-law than Adoris could. Moreover, Adoris had a stubborn temper—he had even changed such a great family name. It wasn't that Tollex hadn't asked his daughter to seek Adoris's help; rather, Adoris had flatly refused to beg His Majesty and had even reprimanded his wife over the request.

"The next region up for election is the Messapia Region!"

Hearing this, Milon immediately grew tense. Soon after, he heard the protocol officer shout, "Lord Lysias!"

Milon was surprised. When the cautious Lysias had discussed the matter with him beforehand, they had agreed that other senators would handle the nominations for both elections during this meeting. But now, he had changed his mind and was stepping up himself!

Lysias had changed his mind because he realized the competition for this election was far more intense than he had anticipated. Furthermore, Cyprolus and Antaoris had successively stepped forward in person. If he didn't leverage his own prestige to make the nomination himself, they might very well capsize in a shallow ditch, leading to Milon's defeat.

His intuition proved correct. Milon could see the future potential of the Messapia Region, and the other senators weren't fools either. The Heraclean senator Teriphias, the Terina senator Bromatos, the Elea senator Latigenes... all stepped up as candidates one after another. Like Milon, these senators had joined the kingdom during the same period and held substantial seniority, making the competition exceedingly fierce. Ultimately, Milon won the election, and it had to be said that the personal nomination by the Rotating Chairman, Lysias, played a massive role.

Next came the election for the Regional Administrator of Kroton. Bulcos nominated Mixippus once again, and this time he finally succeeded. Naturally, the Lucanian Faction and the Amendolara Faction deserved some credit for this outcome.

In truth, Davos felt a strong aversion to this practice of forming factions to push out other senators. However, Vespa, Stromboli, and the others had followed Davos for many years and understood their king well enough not to push things too far. Each faction nominated only one person before quietly stepping back. Moreover, since all the selected individuals were capable young senators, Davos simply turned a blind eye.

During the election for the Regional Administrator of Southern Italia, a name nominated by one senator caught everyone's attention. He was also a relative of King Davos: Periandorus, the father-in-law of Princess Cynthia. He had only served as a Town Magistrate for five years. While his work was indeed diligent and steady, it was nowhere near as stunning as Pheidon's. He knew this well enough himself, so when his name was called, he hurriedly stood up, thanked the man for the nomination, and then declared that he had no intention of participating in the election.