The Rise Of An Empire In Ancient Europe

Thus, in this new village composed of dozens of households, mostly composed of prospective citizens, Aguilas was undisputedly elected. He was one of the mercenaries who had followed Davos to Thurii. During the siege against the Lucanian coalition, he had sustained a severe wound in his left leg, leaving him lame after his recovery. After the establishment of the Tua Alliance, when Davos came to comfort the wounded, he made a request: he hoped to exchange the "land" originally allocated to him in Amendolara for a spot on the south bank of the Crati River. His initial intention was simply to be as far away from his energetic comrades as possible, to avoid being traumatized by the sight.

With the influx of population, the farmland on the Sybari Plain was developed, and new villages sprang up rapidly on this flat, fertile plain like mushrooms after rain. Initially, the dozens of newly arrived residents considered Aguilas a stern and unapproachable man. However, under the supervision of a notary sent by the Senate, Aguilas was easily elected village chief. Everyone then realized that he was a veteran mercenary who had fought bravely under the patronage of Hades, the benevolent Archon, and the undefeated general Davos. They immediately looked upon him with awe.

Aguilas was a serious man. As village chief, he fulfilled his duties: maintaining order, resolving disputes, educating villagers in morals and customs, overseeing the cultivation of the village fields, reminding villagers to attend military training on time, supervising their military service and tax payments, recording population growth, and preventing disease... He oversaw every detail.

Every morning, he rose early, crutched, and walked through every corner of the village, sometimes even dragging his injured leg to jump into the mud with the villagers and repair the canal.

As the months passed, the entire village praised his performance, and whenever they met him, they were filled with genuine respect. This helped him rediscover the meaning of life and struggle.

After Crotone's war with Dionia, all the village's adult males went off to fight. Spring, with its planting season, marked a labor shortage. Although every household had slaves, agriculture, unlike industry and commerce, was limited in size and yield, and having too many slaves would have been a waste of money and food. When labor was scarce, slaves could be rented to cover the peak season, so each household had only one or two household slaves. Agilas made a special trip to the Thurii Senate, registered, and received 30 city-state slaves to help with farm work.

Aside from the crippled man, Aguilas, the entire village consisted of slaves, mostly men, women, the elderly, and children. However, Aguilas was not concerned about these slaves causing trouble, as the league's laws stipulated that every year, on the founding anniversary of the Dionysian League (October 30th), a group of hardworking and well-behaved city-state slaves would be freed before the Temple of Hades. This was a reward for their dedication and a testament to Hades's mercy. Since this law was enacted, the city-state slaves' enthusiasm for work has soared, and their efficiency has doubled. As for rural household slaves, owning a slave was a rare opportunity, and farmers relied heavily on them, so they naturally cherished them and treated them like family. The longer they lived, the closer the bond grew, and the greater the freedom the slaves enjoyed. For wealthy masters who could afford the league's ransom, many slaves were freed before their masters' deaths. Once freed, these slaves often returned to their masters' homes, continuing to help with household chores as domestic servants.

With the help of the slaves, the village's spring plowing was well underway. Of course, in his free time, Aguilas would offer his experience as a comforting voice to the women and elderly in the village who were worried about their loved ones away at war.

One day, the village waterwheel that drew water from the riverbank broke down, so Aguilas rushed to Thurii early in the morning to find someone to repair it. After finally arranging an appointment with a skilled carpenter, he hurried back home.

As soon as he opened the door, the slave girl immediately came forward and told him, "My wife is sleeping; she hasn't vomited today."

Aguilas was relieved. He had spent most of his life on the battlefield, believing he would die in the wilderness or live a lonely life. But after following Davos to Magna Graecia, he had become a citizen of the city-state, received a share of land, married, started a family, and now had children on the horizon. This was truly a blessing from Hades!

Upon hearing this news from the doctor, he was overjoyed and even used his savings to buy a slave girl to care for his pregnant wife.

"Master, please drink some water," the slave girl obediently held up a wooden cup filled with water.

Aguilas, now thirsty, didn't drink immediately. He asked, "Is it boiled?" Greeks used to drink raw water, but the highly skilled physician Helps had repeatedly urged citizens in public to drink "boiled water," insisting that this would reduce the risk of illness. Aguilas was no stranger to this; during his march through Persia, Davos had imposed the same strict demands on his mercenaries. For the sake of his unborn child, he needed to take good care of himself.

The slave girl nodded, and he drank with confidence.

"Bang!" The door suddenly opened with a loud noise, and a half-grown boy rushed in.

Aguilas glared, about to reprimand him.

The boy gasped, "Uncle Aguilas, I was picking up shells on the beach... and I saw... I saw a large ship docked on the beach, and a number of people disembarked, all armed!"

Enemies! Aguilas immediately became alert and turned to the slave girl, saying, "Go to the fields and fetch Pomis (the family's male slave). Then, help my wife and walk north to the square of Thurii to meet me!"

"Understood, Master!" the slave girl quickly ran out of the yard.

"Child." Aguilas remembered the boy's name as Patroclus, a mischievous child often beaten by his father, a burly Thasian. "When you saw those people, was there anyone else on the beach?"

"Only me."

Aguilas paused and asked, "Can you ride a mule?"

"I've secretly ridden other people's cows and mules many times." The clever boy, clearly sensing the urgency of the situation, spilled his secrets without fear of reprimand.

"Do you know that village to the south, very close to us?"

"Yes, I did. I even had a fight with the kids there."

"Uncle wants you to ride my mule and run there immediately to warn them. Tell them I, Aguilas, said, 'The enemy is coming, tell them to evacuate!' Can you do it?"

"I can!" the boy nodded vigorously.

"Good boy!" Aguilas praised, stroking the boy's head. Suddenly, a thought struck him. He pulled out the village chief's seal, issued by the mayor of Thurii, and thrust it into the boy's hand. "If they don't believe me, show them this."

"Yes," the boy nodded again.

Aguilas immediately led the blue mule from the cattle pen in the yard, and the boy easily jumped on its back.

"Remember, son, after you deliver the message, meet us at the wooden bridge over the Klati River!" Aguilas instructed.

"Got it, uncle." The boy shook the reins, and the blue mule ran out of the yard.

Seeing the boy's deft movements, Aguilas felt relieved. As a veteran mercenary, he shared a similar sentiment with most of his comrades: this alliance was forged with their blood and sweat, and they had a responsibility to defend it, not just their own village.

Aguilas glanced reluctantly at the house, then strode out, limping towards the village square to ring the bell, signaling the villagers to evacuate immediately.

Aguilas led the slaves, carrying the elderly and children, and had just evacuated the village. Not long after, thick smoke rose behind them...

The women screamed and cried over the burning village...

Aguilas managed to remain calm. Based on his previous looting experience, he judged that the enemy would not immediately leave the village to pursue, so he urged the villagers to speed up, but his fists were clenched tightly: their first new home in the alliance was destroyed!

............

"This morning, three villages in Thurii were destroyed and fifteen people were killed, but we didn't catch a single enemy! Felicius, you have to think of a way! If this goes on, Victory Square will be filled with people who have lost their homes, and then people across the alliance will fall into panic! Will the citizen soldiers at the front still have the heart to fight?!" Kunogorata said anxiously. As the chief executive of Thurii, he couldn't bear to watch Thurii, which had finally regained its prosperity, suffer another disaster.

"Don't be anxious, Lord Cunolatta, sit down and discuss it slowly." Cornelus comforted him and explained for Felicitas, "To be honest, the Crotones are also very cunning. They used small warships to land on the coasts of Thurii and Castellon, with dozens of sailors armed with bows and javelins. The young and middle-aged citizens of our villages have all gone to fight, otherwise how could they easily succeed in a surprise attack! As soon as these sailors found our troops arriving, they immediately fled back to the ship, and we couldn't catch up even if we wanted to! There are only three battalions in the city. We have to defend the port of Thurii and take care of Amendolara. There are indeed not enough people!" "

But the problem must be solved as soon as possible!" Cunolatta snorted and said, "If there are not enough people, you can consider using those free people!"

"Using freedmen is indeed a good idea, Lord Kunogorata!" At this moment, Felicius, who had been lost in thought, interjected, "Tens of thousands of freedmen are sitting idle in the port. Over time, unrest is likely to break out. Yesterday, a freedman ran into the barracks and said, 'We have no food to eat, and we want the soldiers to give us food.'"