Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1184: A Fierce Debate in the Athenian Assembly (1)

"This... this..." Carixenus's heart pounded. Intimidated by the young commander's imposing presence, he didn't dare utter a single word in protest.

"Then what happens when this fertile land is vacated?" Crotokatax held Carixenus's gaze, his expression solemn. "I consider Mantineia to be Daionia's most loyal ally on the Peloponnese Peninsula. Therefore, I have decided to gift the lands of Tegea to Mantineia."

Carixenus's heart leaped. Thinking he had misheard, he blurted out, "You... you're handing Tegea's territory over to us?!"

It was no wonder he was ecstatic. The combined territory of Tegea and Mantineia formed the only plain in the Arcadia Region—narrow from east to west and long from north to south, sloping downward toward the north. Tegea sat in the south, occupying more than half of this small plain, while Mantineia sat in the north, where the river overflowed every rainy season. Having suffered enough from the constant flooding, the Mantineians were desperate to expand their land southward, sparking endless conflicts with the Tegeans.

Due to Sparta's full backing of Tegea, the Mantineians had held back, avoiding major wars. Yet before the Corinthian War, the Spartans had invaded Mantineia anyway. Aided by the Tegeans, they dammed the river at the northern end of the plain, using the floodwaters to destroy the city of Mantineia—a lingering trauma for the Mantineian people. Now, they had the opportunity to claim the entire plain. Not only would they gain more fertile land to bolster their strength, but their perennial flooding threat would also be permanently resolved. It was impossible for Carixenus to be anything less than overjoyed.

"I expect an answer from Mantineia by tomorrow! After that, I will assume your city has forfeited this land, and I will repurpose it as Daionia's military base in the Peloponnese."

"Rest assured, General Crotokatax. I will rush back to Mantineia right away," Carixenus said hurriedly. "Tomorrow, we will absolutely give you a positive answer!"

"Good. I will wait for your reply," Crotokatax said with a nod.

Carixenus swung onto his horse, gripped the reins, and kicked its flanks, urging his mount into a frantic gallop toward the north.

Crotokatax's expression remained resolute. "Although the Arcadian League has allied with us, their internal politics are far too convoluted. Tegea defected, and Orchomenus is currently being swayed... How can we trust a coalition like that?

"We are better off strengthening our relationship with Mantineia, who genuinely wishes to cooperate with us. They are already one of the stronger city-states in the Arcadia Region. If they annex Tegea's territory now, their power will skyrocket, positioning them as the undisputed leader of the Arcadian League.

"Moreover, once Mantineia swallows Tegea's territory, the Arcadian League city-states won't be the only ones dissatisfied. The other city-states on the Greek Mainland will likely want to intervene—it is a tradition here that when a city-state is destroyed by a rival, that rival's enemies will eventually rebuild it. Consequently, Mantineia will have no choice but to rely heavily on Daionia!"

"Lycomedes of Mantineia strikes me as a shrewd man. He might not agree to this."

Crotokatax smiled. "He is currently in Megalopolis. By the time the Mantineians make their decision, he probably won't even know it happened. And even if he did, he alone wouldn't be able to sway the Mantineian public against such massive gains."

Crotokatax had thought the matter through entirely, leaving Plintors with no further doubts. For a fleeting second, the officer felt as though he were standing before King Davos himself, and his tone unconsciously shifted to one of deep reverence. "Understood."

Just then, Ctesus approached with a solemn expression, cradling an earthen urn in his arms. "These are Adoris's ashes..." he murmured heavily.

Crotokatax carefully accepted the urn. As he drew it to his chest, his tears spilled once again...

...

Callias kept glancing around, a sudden wave of nerves washing over him. This was not the Ten Generals of Athens, nor the Council of Five Hundred of the Areopagus. This was the Athenian Assembly on Pnyx Hill—the supreme governing body of Athens. Looking at the surging sea of heads stretching in every direction and listening to the deafening, heart-pounding clamor, he realized the Athenians' claim that "our assemblies frequently draw over five thousand citizens" was absolutely no exaggeration.

Just then, he watched the chief general of Athens, Callistratus, step into the center of the venue. Raising his right arm high, the general's resonant and piercing voice cut through the noise: "Citizens of Athens, the assembly has officially begun!"

Gradually, the surrounding Athenians ceased their chatter, and a hush fell over the entire venue.

Callistratus continued, "During our last meeting, we discussed the unprovoked invasion of the Peloponnese by the Daionian Army. Today, Daionia's envoy has arrived in Athens, seeking to address us regarding this matter. Let us first hear what he has to say."

When Callistratus pointed toward Callias, the envoy's nerves evaporated in an instant. He stood up and took measured steps toward the center of the venue...

In bygone eras, Sparta, Corinth, Thebes, Megara, Argos... envoys from virtually every Greek city-state in the world had stood on this very spot. They had faced the notoriously critical Athenian citizens to state their cases—whether rallying for war, negotiating alliances, brokering trade, or simply pleading for a compatriot who had broken Athenian law...

Countless legendary Athenian figures and scholars had also delivered stirring speeches from this ground: Solon, Demosthenes, Aristodes, Themistocles, Cimon, Pericles of Athens, Alcibiades, Socrates...

During his time at both Theonia Akademia and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Callias had studied a wealth of Athenian speeches under his teacher, Ansitanos. Over the last few years, he had traveled tirelessly among the various allied states and tribes of the western Mediterranean. Although he had secured a relatively satisfactory pledge of neutrality from Thebes a few days ago, he knew the Thebans had always intended to stay out of the conflict—that outcome hadn't truly been his doing. Today, however, he finally had the chance to put his real skills to the test.

Callias anchored himself in the center of the venue. As his gaze swept across the sea of indifferent faces surrounding him, a surge of swelling pride filled his chest.

He took a deep breath, feeling the air fill his chest, throat, mouth, and nasal cavity, before projecting his voice: "Citizens of Athens! On behalf of the two million citizens of the Kingdom of Daunia—excluding our women and children—I extend my sincerest greetings!"

His very first sentence triggered a ripple of commotion among the Athenians. "Two million citizens?! Is he serious? Even counting our overseas territories, Athens barely exceeds fifteen thousand citizens. Daionia has over a dozen times more than us?!"

"First, I must correct Lord Callistratus on a misstatement. Daionia deployed our army to the Peloponnese to honor our alliance and assist Thebes in repelling the Spartan army.

"In this regard, I hold you Athenians in the highest admiration. When the city of Thebes was occupied by the Spartans and its democratic leaders were in grave danger, it was you who bravely reached out a helping hand.

"When the Thebans reclaimed their city only to face the full wrath of the Spartan army, it was once again you who stood by them. Under such dire circumstances, undeterred by Spartan threats, you forged an alliance with Thebes. You provided them with material aid and even dispatched your fleet to directly join the war, striking at Sparta's rear. Thebes's ability to survive this long and ultimately achieve victory at the Battle of Leuctra is inextricably linked to your selfless support.

"Though Daionia's alliance with Thebes was forged more recently, we harbor a deep-seated revulsion toward Sparta—the primary culprit constantly inciting wars across the Greek Mainland and depriving the Greek people of any lasting peace! We also deeply sympathize with the horrific abuses Sparta continued to inflict upon Athens following the Peloponnesian War. We share your outrage over their blatant invasion of your lands during the King's Peace, their wanton slaughter and pillaging of the villages surrounding Port Piraeus, and their utter lack of remorse!

"Therefore, even if a new treaty has bound Athens's hands, you should all be thrilled to watch Daionia deliver a crushing blow to Sparta..."

Noticing the crowd's expressions beginning to soften, Callistratus deliberately interrupted him. "Thank you for the impassioned speech. However, I must first correct a mistake of your own. You may address me by my name, but you must not call me 'Lord.' Here, all Athenian citizens are equal, regardless of status. Were I to ever accept the title of 'Lord,' I fear my fellow countrymen would exile me with their ostracism shards before the day was out."

A wave of laughter rippled through the assembly.

Callistratus continued, "It is no surprise you would make such an error, though. I have heard that the Kingdom of Daunia rigidly subdivides its populace into many tiers, from the king and ministers all the way down to the lowest commoners. With such a strict hierarchy, addressing a superior casually by name is punishable. It's only natural that you would feel constrained upon arriving in Athens."

Callias offered a faint smile. "I addressed you as 'Lord' not merely out of personal respect, but out of reverence for the authority bestowed upon you by the citizens of Athens. That authority is the concentrated embodiment of their collective will. As for your remarks about Daionia, I have a question for you first, Lord Callistratus: have you ever actually set foot in any of our Daionian towns?"