Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece

"I have long heard that the Kingdom of Dionia is very strong in the Western Mediterranean. Some city-states have to succumb to your force. I still don’t believe it. But today in our own land in Athens, at the sacred citizen assembly, we Callias, the respected Eleusis torch bearer, was threatened in public by a Dionian messenger, which made me believe in Dionian's arrogance!"

Efekratus stood up, pointed at Carrias, and said indignantly: "Citizens remember the first sentence of his speech!-"I greet you on behalf of the 2 million citizens of Dionia '—Is this a word of greeting! No, this is a threat! He is not only threatening Calias, but also every citizen of Athens! He is threatening us if we don’t agree to Dionia’s request , They will send a powerful army to conquer Athens!

But what I want to tell you on behalf of the citizens of Athens is that a few decades ago, Persia, which has a larger population than Dionians, sent envoys here to issue similar threats to us, but in the end we won the war, so We Athenians are not afraid of any threats!"

"Ifekratus is right. We Athens is not afraid of any country, whether it is Persia or Dionian! Regardless of the large number of Dionian people, they are afraid of war with Athens, otherwise they would not send an envoy to Here we talk about things!..." Under the influence of Iphiklast, some citizens of Athens waved their arms to express their dissatisfaction loudly.

Carrias was still calm, and after the wave of sound subsided slightly, he said confidently: "More than 10 years ago, Athens once made a promise to Dionia,'No more performance of "The Dionian" "This drama." But when I walked into this city, I found that many theaters were repeatedly performing this humiliating drama that humiliated the Dionians. Many Athenians were learning that I was from Dioni. After Asia, not only will he cast a contemptuous look, but he will also call a barbarian...

The reason why I will add the phrase "2 million citizens" in my speech is to solemnly remind you that Dionia is a big country and a powerful country in the Western Mediterranean. The perception is good or bad, but first of all, we should show respect to Dionia!

Think about Sparta, who has caused you great harm. Every time their messenger comes to Athens, how do you treat them?Even though their army looted the villages near the port of Piraeus, you still did not embarrass their messengers and put them back safely.Every time you have a war with Sparta, whether you are in advantage or disadvantage, you ultimately choose to peacefully cease the war with Sparta...

The reason why you did this is not because Sparta is the most powerful city-state in Greece, and you must carefully consider the consequences of a war with it.Today, the Spartan you have been treating with caution is struggling to support the attack by the Dionian army.Therefore, facing a sacred kingdom of Dionia that is stronger than Sparta, should Athens show your respect and treat all questions about Dionia with caution!!"

Carrias' words were shocking and made some citizens thoughtful.

"When your Dionian fleet is showing off in Athens and the waters of the Allied States, intercepting merchant ships and threatening the maritime security of Athens, you also want us to show respect to Dionian, it would be too difficult!" Another The general Kabrias suddenly stood up and made an attack.

Carrias finally showed a trace of nervousness: The Athenians really mentioned this headache that caused him. Indeed, the arrogance of the 1st Fleet undoubtedly aggravated the tension between the two countries. He also wrote to the expeditionary army commander Crowe. Tokatax expressed his opinion, hoping that the prince could persuade Klian to suspend patrols of the Aegean Sea at this stage, so as not to further stimulate the Athenians.But judging from the current situation, Croto Kataks failed to persuade Sekerlian, who was self-respecting and acting stubbornly, and he had to rack his brains to answer this headache.

However, when he was brewing a statement to better appease the dissatisfied Athens citizens, Callistratus said again: "Citizens, we all know the reason why this barren land of Attica can Nurturing such a large population, and prospering so far, Athens is not relying on abundant products on the ground, but on sea trade.

Through sea trade, we can buy enough cheap food to meet the needs of the people; through sea trade, we can earn enough money to make our lives prosperous, and at the same time we can pay enough taxes, so sea trade flourishes Whether or not it is related to the life and death of Athens!

However, in recent years, the sea trade in Athens has been shrinking, the incomes of merchants have been declining, and many workshops have begun to reduce production or even closed. The number of unemployed people in the city and ports of Athens has increased, but the price of food has gradually risen... Do you know the reason?!"

Callistratus' words were like a burning torch thrown into an oil pot, and the whole venue suddenly boiled.

"That's because Dionian merchants sold a large amount of cheap olive oil in various city-states. As a result, very few people bought my goods. They piled up in the cargo terminal, and finally became corrupt and deteriorated. Those are all money!"

"The price of an exquisite amphora has never been lower than 6 drachmas, but Dionian merchants can sell it for four drachmas. They are malicious business competition against us in Athens. If they continue to do this, my pottery shop will collapse!"

"I am an excellent accountant. I have served as an accountant for a large Parson businessman for decades. I have been conscientious and conscientious. The other day he suddenly told me that because his overseas shops have been sluggish and his income has plummeted, he I had to quit, and there were several old people who had worked for many years with me. I was very dissatisfied with him, but I now know that all this turned out to be the fault of the Dionian businessman!"

...

Waves of condemnation continued to hit Karias in the center of the venue, causing him to feel great pressure. He frowned, his mind turned sharply, and quickly thought about ways to resolve the anger of the citizens of Athens.

But at this moment, he heard Callistratus’s strong voice: “Thank you for your speech to the citizens of Athens! We have all understood Dionia’s ideas and requirements, and then we will "Do you want to continue to be friendly to Dionia? Or help Sparta?" This important issue is voted on, so please--"

"Please wait a minute, I have something to say!" Karias felt intensely uneasy, so he asked eagerly.

"Please abide by the order of our conference and leave the venue immediately!" Callistratus looked at him indifferently, and said firmly.

Karias spoke again and again, and finally sighed helplessly. Before the guards came, he took the initiative to leave the center of the venue. Although he was a little bit disappointed, he still held up his chest to face the insults of the citizens of Athens and walked out. This is the Athens Citizens' Assembly that he had longed for...

……………………………………………………

In the afternoon, he was invited to the Athens City Hall, and the General Executive Committee headed by Calistratus was welcoming his arrival.

Kallistatus solemnly said to him: "On behalf of all the citizens of Athens, we formally inform you that Athens has decided to join the Greek Alliance to help Sparta and resist Dionian aggression!"

Although Carrias was mentally prepared, his grievances remained unresolved. He sneered and said: "You worked so hard to manipulate the entire citizens' assembly, and finally it was not in vain. Congratulations, you finally achieved your goal."

Callistratus seemed very calm, he said frankly: "You are indeed very eloquent, but there will be a battle between Athens and Dionia. This is inevitable, and I chose to go to war at this time. It’s the best time for Athens."

"It seems that you are very confident in Athens' victory!" Karias sneered again.

"I know Dionia is strong." Callistratus looked at Carrias with deep eyes and strong words: "But has Dionia always been strong? When you resist Dionysius When the army of Sri Lanka invaded, when you learned that Carthage declared war on you... Isn’t the relatively weak Dionian feeling the same as Athens today! The Dionian capital, which was founded only decades ago, Dare to take risks again and again, don't Athens, which has a glorious history, lack this courage!"

He paused, and then said quite meaningfully: "You used Sparta many times to incite the sentiments of the citizens of Athens at the Citizens' Assembly in the morning, but let me tell you the truth. The facts of the past few decades have proved that Sparta No matter how tyrannical it is, it will not do much harm to the fundamental interests of Athens. However, the power of Dionia has not yet fully entered the Greek mainland, and Athens has been greatly affected. For the independence, freedom and prosperity of Athens, the citizens of Athens Have the same courage as during the Hippo War!"

Karias was silent for a while, then stared at him, and said with a slight respect: "Then let us divide the victory and defeat on the battlefield, and hope to sit with you to discuss the future of Athens after the war!"

After speaking, he bowed slightly and saluted, then strode out of the city hall.

Callistratos looked at the back of Karias's departure, his face suddenly became solemn, he turned around and said to the others: "Next we have to talk to the Persians!"

……………………………………………………

"Teacher, it's not good! It's not good!..." Oleas burst into the house breathlessly.