Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece

"Actually, for the citizens of the Kingdom today, paying a little more tax will not have much impact on their lives." Antaoris then spoke again, how could he only let Cypress be special in the front: " Just now I specifically asked Burcos and Treasurer Archibades. Taking Turiri as an example, the average citizen here owns at least 20 acres of land. The food harvested each year can not only meet their own needs, but can also be obtained through sales. About 300~700 drachmas (according to the degree of harvest and changes in food prices), but this is not the bulk of their income. Because Turi is the center of the kingdom, there are a large number of foreigners, housing demand is strong, and many citizens By rent collection alone, one or two Talent can be earned each year.

If the citizens of Turi are special, let’s take a look at the small city of Sicily, where the population is only less than 4,000. The main income of the citizens is farming, and the food harvested by each family every year. According to the statistics of the Ministry of Finance, Converted into money, there are at least 600 drachmas, which does not include the cattle, sheep, horses, chickens, ducks, pigs and other livestock they breed.In addition, don’t forget that they often go to the workshop to work part-time as part-time workers, and they can still make a fortune.

So what do these citizens who have a lot of wealth do?In addition to daily expenses and military training, they also spend money to buy sports equipment and participate in various competitive training; spend money to watch games, and even buy a lot of "Tino's blessing"; drink a lot, and restaurants do not have to go around, The hot spring baths occasionally go for a dip, the business of the women’s branch is also very prosperous, and many citizens even buy female slaves as concubines...

So how much tax do citizens pay for the kingdom each year?Anta Oris opened two palms and smiled contemptuously: "On average, I am afraid that there are less than 10 drachmas!"Maybe some people oppose tax increase. If the people are already poor and force new taxes, they will not only complain, but even riot, but the situation in the kingdom is that the country is rich and poor!His Majesty and our officials worked hard to maintain the operation of the Kingdom, stingy with every expenditure of the National Treasury, and even some public buildings had to rely on donations from the people to build... If such a situation continues, the Kingdom will be weak due to the tightness of the National Treasury What are the benefits for citizens to maintain?!

Over the past 20 years, in this privileged environment that the Kingdom has worked hard to create and maintain, many citizens have turned from poor and impoverished refugees into wealthy and dignified Dionyan citizens. Now is the time for them to give back to the country!Even if the additional tax of 5% is added, it will only allow citizens to pay less than 50 drachmas, which is still a small sum of money for them, but it is really a great help for the kingdom, you said right?!"

"Good!" Daveus once again praised, and once again glanced at the ministers with deep eyes, saying aloud: "Do you have any objections to the "additional tax increase for the formation of a new border army"? ?"

"Your Majesty, I have no opinion." Lucias clearly expressed support when he saw Daveus, and everyone looked impressed, and they dared not stop anymore and bowed in response.

"I agree to increase taxes!" Hermon, Sedorum and other ministers also responded affirmatively.

"Okay!" Daveus slammed the armrest and said, "Since we have all agreed, we will be led by Antaoris and Cipros, assisted by Alexis and Archibades, and develop a detailed The tax increase bill, how much tax is charged? How to collect? Where is it used? ... must be clearly written in order to be able to respond to the questions of the elders.

Here, I would like to solemnly remind everyone that before the two bills of “Forming Border Army and Tax Increase” are not submitted to the Senate, no one must be strictly confidential and must not disclose it to outsiders. If the information is disclosed, I will find out who it is I'm not discouraged!"

In the last few words, Davos said that the murderousness made the ministers chill and couldn't help but secretly remind himself to be vigilant.

Daveus drew back his awe-inspiring gaze, softened his tone, and said, "Alexis, I have considered it carefully. The number of soldiers recruiting foreign freemen temporarily does not exceed two legions. After all, we have to consider the citizens Do not make them feel that we are going to use mercenaries to completely replace them and not allow them to serve meritorious service."

After being reminded by Daphes, Alexis suddenly understood what he had overlooked, and immediately responded with sincerity: "I understand, Your Majesty."

In fact, Davers's concerns don't stop there.Knowing the history of the previous life, he is more worried that these recruited free men who are not loyal to the kingdom will gradually become privately owned, thereby threatening the safety of the royal family and the kingdom, so he must always be vigilant.

Then, Daphes said again: "Anta Oris, Cipros, when you discuss how much tax to increase, don't just use the two legions I just mentioned as a benchmark, and set a higher level for the future. Leave enough room and try to put it in place at one time, otherwise tax will be increased frequently when the finances are tight again. Not only will the seniors feel sad, but the people will be uneasy."

"Yes, Your Majesty." The two looked at each other and responded in unison.

Daveus stood up from the wooden chair, straightened his body, looked at everyone, and clanged powerfully: "You, I still say that, the kingdom is developing, the environment is changing, and the old traditions and laws may not be applicable to The new situation may become a hindrance. Therefore, as the elite of the kingdom, you manage all aspects of the kingdom. You must have a flexible mind, a sharp eye, find problems in a timely manner, and eliminate ills in a timely manner to ensure that our kingdom will last for a long time. Keep going, please remember!"

The long-focused words of Daphus's words aroused people's deep reflection.

"What time is it?" At this point, Davers felt a little belly and asked the clerk Henripolis by the steps.

Hernipolis glanced at the water clock in the corner of the temple: "It's past noon."

"Let the kitchen bring up all the prepared lunches. You can't continue to discuss things when you are hungry."

"Yes."

After a while, the guards placed a small dining table in front of the ministers, and then the slaves brought up a large and delicate pottery bowl, which was filled with steaming thick soup, floating in pieces of the same size In the soup, there is a handful of thin and even noodles in the soup. There are countless small spices and vanilla powders. The various flavors are mixed together. The aroma is pungent and mouth-watering.

This is a new food introduced by the restaurant Christoya in the past few years. The flour is fermented and kneaded repeatedly with water to make a dough that is tough. Then it is cut into thin noodles with a knife and put into the roll. It is cooked in water, then poured into the already prepared beef broth, and added with seasonings to eat...Because it is easy to make, smooth and refreshing, and delicious, you can also add auxiliary materials, such as some vegetables, as you like , So it is very popular with the people of the kingdom.

However, the kitchens of the palace are all from the chefs invited by the Christosia restaurant. Not only is the cooking level extraordinary, but the selected raw materials are naturally the best:

Siculi's highest quality wheat flour.Located in the foothills of Mount Etna, the city of Scully has a small land area. Some people of Scully have reclaimed some flat land on the mountainside. It is very hard to work up and down the mountain every day. However, due to the accumulation of volcanic ash on the mountain, the land is very fertile. The wheat grains are full, the taste is very good after grinding into flour, and because the production is scarce, the price is expensive, so even if the Scully joined Dionysia and regained a new place, there are still a few people who are willing to After hard work, he went to the mountainside to grow the land, and all the wheat he got was basically bought out by the Christosia restaurant and used to supply the royal family.

One-year-old beef cattle from Grumentum in Lukalia-the best beef among the Lukalia cattle recognized by the people of the Kingdom of Dionysia, because there is a south of Grumentum The Great Lake-Lake Patusino, the lake water is extremely clear, the lake shore is covered with grass, and the calf of Grummentum is drinking the lake water and growing up eating the lake shore grass, so the meat is fat and fat...

Everyone had a half-day meeting, and they were a little hungry. They were seduced by the fragrance of the noodles, and their appetite immediately increased. Not only did they finish the noodles, drank the noodle soup, and some people even asked for an extra bowl.

Every month, the royal palace gathers ministers to hold important administrative meetings at least three times. It is usually a daytime lunch. The lunch is provided by the royal palace. The ministers have long been accustomed to it. Naturally, they are not so restrained when dining.

After eating, the people took a short break, and the Minister of Construction Heracled said: "Your Majesty, there is something wrong with the repair of Enona-Roman Avenue."

"what is the problem?"

"The Sidisians in the mountains north of Campania obstructed our construction. Not only did they fail to provide labor and food as agreed, but also the road construction materials we transported to there were often lost... This greatly delayed our construction process. ."

"I remember in the road-building agreement signed three years ago, the Sidisians also participated, not only agreed, but also signed." Lucias interjected.

"Maybe this mountain race feels that the avenue passes through their territory, and there will be more people traveling from south to north in the future, which will affect the security of the territory, so I regret it." Ansitanos said directly: "Your Majesty, please allow me Send diplomatic officials to Sidisini, protest to them, and ask them to abide by the agreement to help us complete the road construction as soon as possible."

"In the past, the Sidi Sini were trapped in the narrow hills of the two forces of the Volsi and Campania. They were conservative and exquisite, and they were also very smooth. Just condemned in words, I am afraid the effect is not obvious." Dave Si pondered and said, "Alexis, your military ministry informed the Twelfth Corps (the army's source range is in the eastern plains of Campania and the barracks are built in Abella) to gather to the edge of the northern mountains of Capua Carry out military training to increase the momentum."

"Yes."