Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 916: Debate Over the Festival

The senators tensed, none speaking up to object. Over the years, faith in Hades had rooted itself deeply in the people's hearts. The year before last, a judge in Crotone had suddenly died in his sleep. The next day, his widow turned herself in at City Hall, claiming, "My husband took bribes and delivered unjust verdicts, and so he suffered the severe punishment of Hades..." The incident had spread widely throughout the kingdom. The citizens grew even more reverent of the just and uncompromising Lord of the Underworld, instilling a deeper awe of this somber, solemn deity among the officials—the senators included.

Just then, Praxinas saw someone stand up nearby. It was Marigi. Assuming the man intended to voice his opposition, Praxinas felt a flash of surprise.

Marigi smiled at him. "I naturally support His Majesty's decision. However, I want to discuss the wisdom of this choice from the perspective of trade. Due to the successive outbreaks of three wars—especially the conflict with Carthage—we are already seeing a decrease in the foreign merchants who used to frequent Daionia, even though the flames of war have not yet reached our core territories. Commercial taxes across our cities have shown varying degrees of decline over the past few months.

"Because these foreign merchants doubt Daionia can achieve final victory in three simultaneous wars, they no longer dare engage with the kingdom.

"Our willingness to host a grand event like the Rugby championship final during wartime is exactly to show them our kingdom's confidence in victory, thereby prompting trade to prosper once again."

"Furthermore, the Rugby championship final itself can generate massive tax revenue and improve the strained state of our treasury," Minister of Finance Mersis interjected. He rapped his finger forcefully against the armrest of his wooden chair, reminding them with evident dissatisfaction, "Gentlemen! Gentlemen! You all need to understand that the kingdom's biggest problem right now is no longer food, but the treasury! There isn't enough money in the treasury!"

Vespa asked in surprise, "Lord Mersis, during this period, His Majesty has already shipped the massive amount of wealth seized from Rome and other occupied city-states to the Port of Thurii, all of which ultimately went into the treasury. I heard it was at least several thousand talents. On top of that, after Alexis's army captured Caudium, Beneventum, Lora, and other towns in Samnium, they also sent back quite a bit of loot. How could the treasury still be short on money?!"

"Lord Vespa, you only see the treasury taking money in, but you don't see it hemorrhaging money!" Mersis scoffed coldly, complaining loudly, "The previous drought already drained a significant portion of the treasury's savings. As soon as this war began, the Sicilian Fleet was nearly wiped out. His Majesty and our Senate made the decision to immediately construct hundreds of warships! Do you know how much that costs?!

"Thousands upon thousands of soldiers and sailors have died in battle or drowned, and there are many citizens disabled by severe injuries. Do you know how much compensation that will cost?!

"...The spoils sent back by His Majesty and Alexis merely balanced out the treasury's previous expenditures. But the war is far from over, and the treasury will continue to be drained. Therefore, we must not let go of any measure that benefits our fiscal revenue!"

Vespa offered a dry laugh. "It seems the war is having a tremendous impact on the kingdom's trade and finances. However, the autumn harvest will end soon. Once the citizens pay their land tax, the Ministry of Finance should feel a bit of relief."

A few scoffs echoed through the hall. Several senators felt that Vespa simply did not understand the kingdom's finances; compared to the scale of this war, the meager funds from the land tax were nothing but a drop in the bucket.

Antaoris stood up, his commanding gaze sweeping the room. He could not allow anyone to disrespect the authority of a Rotating Chairman. Though he privately harbored a bit of disdain for Vespa's incompetence, as fellow Rotating Chairmen, they were united on this front.

"Are there any objections?!" Antaoris asked loudly. "If not, then let us move quickly to execute His Majesty's decision. It will be September 9th in just a few days; we must begin preparations immediately."

Quiet returned to the hall.

Vespa nodded to Antaoris in thanks, then announced loudly, "Since everyone agrees with His Majesty's decision, this year's Rugby championship final will proceed as planned!"

With that said, he raised a small iron hammer and struck the bell on the table, emitting a crisp chime. He then turned his gaze to the front row, looking toward one of the five Rotating Chairmen, the administrative chief of Thurii. "Lord Lysias, you are once again in charge of the rugby matches. Are there any difficulties you need us to resolve?"

Lysias pondered for a moment before saying, "I also support His Majesty's decision. As you all know, the citizens of the Thurii Region have suffered heavily during this war. The public mood is rather depressed, and holding the rugby matches will help them release those emotions. Furthermore, on the day of the Festival of Hades, I hope we can hold an even grander ceremony at the temple's Hall of Valor to pay tribute to the fallen soldiers and comfort their relatives!"

"That is only right. I will make the proper arrangements, Lord Lysias. You can rest assured!" Praxinas responded.

"To prevent any accidents, I hope the Patrol Department can dispatch additional squads to maintain public order both inside and outside Thurii City... Additionally, I ask that the Ministry of Military Affairs deploy more soldiers to maintain order in the city squares and the temple on the day of the festival."

After receiving positive responses from Hylos and the others, Lysias continued, "More importantly, due to the outbreak of war, our Senate had not given a definitive answer on whether to host the Rugby championship final this year. I fear the various cities have not made preparations. We must notify them as soon as possible so they can dispatch their competing teams. Otherwise, if the teams fail to arrive on time, the match schedule will have to be postponed. Also... in past years, we always invited friendly city-states to attend the ceremony. Will we still follow the old custom this year?"

"I believe we should continue to invite them. Just as Lord Marigi mentioned earlier, we need to show these allied and friendly city-states Daionia's confidence in victory to gain more of their support," Minister of Foreign Affairs Ansitanos earnestly suggested. "Moreover, in the Sicilian battle report received yesterday, friendly city-states like Agrigento, Gela, and Minoa have all faced destruction. By inviting them to send envoys to participate in the grand ceremony, we can take the opportunity to demonstrate Daionia's resolve not to abandon them, thereby comforting their refugees."

"Lord Ansitanos," Antaoris asked loudly, "among these allied states you mentioned inviting, does that include Egypt? When we suffered through the drought and the war, Egypt provided us with massive assistance, allowing us to survive the most difficult first few months."

"Yes, exactly! Although Egypt is a newly established ally, they have helped us the most. Why hasn't anyone mentioned inviting them before?"

"Thinking of inviting Egypt only now is probably too late, isn't it?" some senators remarked with regret.

"There is no need to worry, my lords. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs just received news from the Eastern Mediterranean. The Egyptian pharaoh has already dispatched an envoy to visit our Daionia. It's estimated that they will arrive in Thurii before the festival," Ansitanos responded immediately.

"Why didn't you mention such an important matter sooner!" Cornelius complained. "Lord Ansitanos, Egypt is our vital ally. Your Ministry of Foreign Affairs must take charge of properly hosting the Egyptian envoy. If there is anything you need the Senate to do, feel free to ask. In short, we must ensure they are satisfied! Additionally, you must inform His Majesty immediately so he is aware of this."

Anthitalos nodded in agreement.

After Cornelius finished his instructions, he directed his words to Vespa at the center of the hall. "Since everyone agrees to host the Rugby championship final, hurry up and dispatch messengers to notify the administrative chiefs of every city. Invite the allied and friendly city-states to attend the grand ceremony, just as in previous years."

Vespa nodded. He summoned the nearby clerks responsible for recording the meeting, instructing them to begin drafting letters immediately. After stamping them with the Senate's seal, the letters were to be handed to the messengers waiting on standby in the side hall to be dispatched to the various regions. (Since the Senate of Daionia held meetings almost every day and could pass proposals at any time, the Senate had a dedicated detachment of messengers to relay their resolutions promptly and accurately to the intended recipients).

After making these arrangements, Vespa breathed a sigh of relief. He asked, as if following a routine, "My lords, are there any new proposals?"

Minister of Military Affairs Hylos stood up, his expression serious. "The Ministry of Military Affairs received an intelligence report over the past few days. Vadarka, the former prince of the Peuceti, is currently gathering the remnant forces of the Messapii, Peuceti, and Dauni who fled to the Greek Mainland in the Peloponnese, preparing to attack our Apulia region."

Everyone was greatly shocked upon hearing this.

Vespa's previous casual demeanor was instantly swept away as he asked urgently, "Is this news accurate?"

"It has already been confirmed by Aristiras." Hylos only replied with this simple sentence, but the crowd no longer expressed any doubts. Although many senators kept King Davos's intelligence chief at arm's length, his ability to acquire intelligence was unquestionable.

"Lord Hylos, do you know how many enemies there are?" Vespa asked loudly.

"According to the intelligence received last time, there are slightly fewer than 4,000 men," Hylos stated seriously. "It is estimated that they will land in Apulia in the near future."

"These stray dogs certainly know how to pick their timing, choosing to launch a sneak attack right when Alexis is leading the army on an expedition into the Samnite mountains, the 4th Fleet has left the Adriatic Sea for Sicily, and the entire Apulia region's defenses are left empty."