Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 937: Instructions Before Heading South

"I've already heard." Sextus sighed. "The Tomb of the Romans! I heard King Davos chose the name on the tombstone himself, and even had Camillus's ashes interred there. I think... though the name is simple, it is a fitting tribute to them..."

A sudden silence fell between them. Sextus realized his misstep: if he praised those who fought to the death, what did that make those who had willingly surrendered?

He quickly changed the subject. "It's a pity the temples of Jupiter and Juno burned down! Who knows when they'll ever be rebuilt!"

"Rebuilt?" Stolo shook his head, turning his gaze toward the empty clearing before them. His eyes held a mix of pain and reluctance, tinged with a trace of resentment. He said quietly, "There will be no more temples to Jupiter, Juno, or Janus here. I heard the Theonians say they will build the Temple of Diana here, along with the Theonians' Temple of Hades and Temple of Hera. Jupiter abandoned Rome... I suspect it won't be long before he is abandoned by the Romans as well."

Sextus looked astonished. He gazed wistfully at the empty plots atop the hill, but said nothing more. The Temple of Diana had always been the favorite place of worship for the Roman plebeians. During his time marching with the Daionian Army, he had been influenced by the Theonians' constant praise of Hades, coming to view him as a powerful deity who paid close attention to mortals. Moreover, since returning, he had heard from his father that Hades was already quite popular among the Roman plebeians as well.

As for Hera, he only knew her as a Greek goddess of marriage and family, which didn't seem too bad either.

"I heard... you will soon follow the Daionian Army south to fight the Carthaginians," Stolo said suddenly.

"King Davos only announced that right before we returned to Rome. How did you find out so quickly?" Sextus asked in surprise.

"I am temporarily working at City Hall, assisting the Daionian officials. The current administrative officer of Rome, Asistes, specifically asked me about the weaponry of our Roman citizen soldiers, our daily rations, whether we can handle traveling by ship, and how much weight we carry on the march... He asked in great detail, so I guessed you would be heading south," Stolo said with some confidence.

Stolo sighed with emotion. "Daionia really is vastly different from Rome. The plebeians have far more opportunities to rise in station!"

"What, are you tempted?" Sextus said, half-joking. "You might as well hurry up and join the Roman Reserve Cohort now."

"I have a lot on my plate right now. I'm too busy, and City Hall probably wouldn't let me go anyway." There was a hint of pride hidden within Stolo's complaint. "Besides, I'm also using every spare moment to familiarize myself with Daionia's laws. I plan to pass their examinations and become a judge for the kingdom."

"May Diana bless you with early success!" Sextus said sincerely. "I hope one day we can both enter the Senate of Daionia and secure more rights for us Romans!"

Stolo's spirits lifted, his face brightening with renewed vigor. "Let's work hard together!"

Both men were brimming with ambition. As if by unspoken agreement, they looked down at the City of Rome at the foot of the hill. The city, currently undergoing reconstruction, pulsed with vibrant life, yet it possessed a layout entirely different from the past...

...

At noon the next day, Davos hosted another banquet. This time, however, the guests were the envoys of the various Latin allied states and several allied states of Etruria.

At the banquet, Davos reiterated the responsibilities and obligations each allied state was expected to shoulder within the Daonian Alliance. At the same time, he made a solemn promise: Daionia would never interfere in their internal affairs and would fully protect their territorial security.

With Rome thoroughly annihilated, none of these city-states dared to harbor second thoughts. The envoys scrambled to express their absolute compliance with the Daonian Alliance treaty!

From then on, a massive alliance system—with Daionia at the helm, the Latin city-states and the Southern Etrurian City-States as subordinates, and Volsci and Hernici as staunch supporters—replaced Rome. It stood imposing in central Italy, striking awe into the surrounding factions.

That evening, Davos hosted another banquet at his temporary residence, inviting Asistes and Geogris.

"I heard this is the residence of Cominius Maluginensis, the patriarch of Rome's largest clan. Although the location is excellent, the interior decoration is quite ordinary. It goes to show that the Roman Aristocracy doesn't much care for extravagance," Davos remarked casually after a sip of wine.

"Your Majesty, you underestimate Maluginensis. He has several residences within the city, and this is just one of them. Furthermore, he owns an even larger estate outside the city, with over six hundred mu of land—all of it situated along the river—and hundreds of slaves..." Asistes gave a brief overview of Maluginensis's assets.

Unoffended, Davos burst into laughter. "It's precisely because these Roman nobles were so rapacious that the Roman plebeians grew furious, which made it easier for us to win their hearts. They even cheered our decision to forcefully relocate those surrendered nobles. For that, I truly have to thank these aristocrats."

"Your Majesty, are you truly planning to have these surrendered Roman noble soldiers follow you to fight in Sicily?" Asistes asked with concern.

"I am." Davos reined in his smile and spoke sternly. "Even though this surrendered Roman army lost many men to the plague, excluding the wounded who can no longer fight, there are still over 7,000 men left. That is not a small force! My fear is that after I lead my army out of Rome, they might suddenly change their minds and refuse to leave Latium with their families. They might even launch a rebellion and destroy the new order we've spent so much effort establishing here. They remain an unstable element! Only by using a much larger army to keep a close eye on them will they be too afraid to try anything foolish!"

"But they aren't soldiers of the Roman Reserve Cohort. Those men have basically submitted to the kingdom already. These nobles, however, still harbor resentment in their hearts. Furthermore, since you're heading to Sicily this time, and Rome and Carthage were allies... what if they conspire together?" Asistes voiced his worries.

Davos smiled faintly. "Rest assured, I have a plan."

Having always trusted Davos's capabilities, Asistes ceased his persuasion.

Davos looked at him and praised, "Asi, in just the few short months since you became the administrative officer of Rome, the political situation has stabilized and order has been well maintained. The various departments of City Hall have gradually begun to see results in their administration of the city. The Roman populace has also slowly developed a sense of identification with Daionia and has begun to consciously abide by the kingdom's laws... Your achievements have exceeded my expectations!"

"Your Majesty," Asistes said humbly. "There are still quite a few issues with the governance of Rome. The two most pressing are the language barrier, which reduces the efficiency of carrying out orders, and the friction between the relocated Daionian Citizens and the Roman plebeians. That is the very reason why conflicts within the City of Rome have increased recently."

Davos nodded slightly, musing aloud. "Language barriers and conflicts between old and new citizens... these are the most common problems we face whenever we conquer a new people. You have successively held office in Niutum, Clampetia, Messana, and Aenona, and your political track record has been outstanding. I believe you have ample experience in this regard and will ultimately resolve these issues well. Moreover, Geogris will be able to offer you considerable assistance."

"Ah! Me?" Geogris, who had been quietly savoring his food off to the side, looked somewhat taken aback upon hearing this.

"This time, the Fifth Legion you lead will stay behind to garrison Rome. Not only must you be ready to crush any potential rebellions at a moment's notice to ensure the kingdom's rule here—" Davos stared at him, his expression deeply serious. "Because the war here has only just ended and order hasn't fully been restored, the Ministry of Military Affairs cannot immediately dispatch a Military Training Officer, as gathering the citizens could risk sparking a riot. However, with the Fifth Legion serving as your guarantee, you can use the idle period following the autumn harvest to assemble the citizens from towns like Rome, Veii, Gabii, Caisrela, and Fidenae for military training. Try to mix the relocated Daionian Citizens together with the newly joined people of other races. Let them slowly forge bonds of camaraderie through rigorous training and intense ball games, and pick up simple Daonian language through frequent interaction..."

"That truly is an excellent idea!" Asistes chimed in excitedly. "Do you remember, Your Majesty? In the very beginning, this was exactly how we got Bagulas's Lucanian tribe alliance warriors to accept us, eventually fighting side by side with us!"

"Yes, of course I remember." Davos sighed nostalgically. "That was almost twenty years ago!"

A thought struck Asistes, and he immediately suggested, "I recommend building Latium's military camp just south of the river port and the granary. This way, not only will the camp be situated at the center of these towns, but it will also conveniently solve the security issues for the port and the granary."