"I understand. I'll discuss this with Mercies tomorrow." Felicius nodded.
"Mercies is a stingy fellow. Maybe he just wants to take more from the treasury. You have to stick to your principles," the Devers said half-jokingly.
"I'll bring Amintas and Matonis with me tomorrow," Felicius said in a serious tone. Both of them burst out laughing after they finished talking.
Taking advantage of the good atmosphere, Felicius carefully proposed his own idea, "Sir, there are salaries for public servants. Shouldn't they be given some salary after serving in the war for a long time and not being able to go home?"
"Well, as a military officer, you're starting to learn how to take advantage of your department." The Devers pointed at him and scolded jokingly.
Felicius also replied with a smile, "If I don't, the soldiers will blame me for not fulfilling my duties as a military officer during my tenure."
"Logically speaking, they should be paid. I remember someone saying, 'The sailors who go to Athens get two opol a day, and the heavy infantry get four opol a day …' "The Devers recalled.
"That's true, sir."
The Devers sighed, "But that's Athens, one of the wealthiest city-states in the Mediterranean Sea. They can afford this salary, but the Diónia Alliance can't afford it yet. There are less than two hundred public servants, and the treasury can barely afford it. The number of soldiers going to war is either thousands or tens of thousands. Even if the soldiers get one opol a day, how much money will they have to pay each day? Do the math! Just rebuilding Turií and paying the salaries of the public servants is already too much for Mercies. If you mention this again, he'll probably fight you to the death. "
The Devers smiled and said with certainty, "When the Alliance has money in the future, don't worry, I won't let the soldiers suffer any losses!"
Although it was only a verbal promise from the Devers, Felicius was confident. It was not only because the Devers always kept their promises, but also because Felicius had worked with the Devers for a long time. He knew that the Devers were ambitious people, and an army that could not fight for a long time would not be able to fulfill their ambitions.
"How's the military discipline in Neutum?" Devers asked again.
"Not bad. We didn't get into any conflict with the Lucanians of Neutum." Felicius smiled and said, "Of course, this is also related to the victory ceremony that you are holding for them. They are afraid that they will violate military discipline and will not be able to attend the ceremony."
"A soldier with a sense of honor will be a good citizen!" Devers sighed. In his mind, he thought about the possible arrival of his comrades in the Persia expedition. He hoped that they, who were used to plunder and were unrestrained, would not cause too much trouble in the Diónia Alliance.
Suppressing the worry that had just surfaced in his heart, he looked at Felicius. "Are you ready for the public inspection?"
"I …" This gentle man who had spent half of his life on the battlefield seemed a little nervous and shy.
"Hey, what's there to be nervous about? It's not like you're the only one participating. There's Drax, Epitenis, and Hieronymus accompanying you! Show the image of our Diónia generals to the people of the Alliance. Let them know that only by fighting bravely for the Alliance can they enjoy such a high honor! "Devers patted him on the shoulder and said solemnly.
Felicius understood the significance of this victory ceremony for the army, so he could not let himself relax.
Devers had no choice but to change the topic. "By the way, Bagoule's Fourth Brigade is also participating in this victory ceremony, so we have to let the First Brigade go to Neutum to replace them for a few days."
Devers pondered and said, "From now on, Bagoule's Fourth Brigade will be settled in Neutum. In this way, they can defend Neutum nearby, and we can also save on military expenses … However, the military quality of the Fourth Brigade is far from meeting our requirements. We have to send instructors over in rotation for strict training … "
As Devers spoke, he saw that Felicius wanted to say something but hesitated. He asked doubtfully, "Why, are you worried about the Fourth Brigade?"
"No, I'm not worried about the Fourth Brigade. Bagoule is a good leader who can distinguish right from wrong, and he will be the son-in-law of the Greeks. Most of his soldiers trust him, and the sisters of these Lucanian soldiers are basically married to our citizens. Therefore, in our alliance, especially the Greek citizens of Amendola and their Lucanian citizens, have a very close relationship. Therefore, since the beginning of the expedition, the Fourth Brigade has been very proactive and cooperated well with the other brigades! " Felicius praised, "I just want to ask, sir, how can we solve the problem of the long-term garrison of the Lahe River Fortress?" The Alliance of Diónia did not have professional soldiers, so it was impossible to let the citizen soldiers leave their lives and be stationed there for a long time.
This was a difficult problem for Felicius, but Devers already had a solution. "Let the reserve citizens take turns to be stationed there. It is a test that they must go through to become official citizens of the Alliance. At the same time, let the veteran soldiers serve as instructors at the Lahe River Fortress to manage and train them. This way, the Lahe River Fortress will become a military training base for the Alliance. First, train the reserve citizens to become qualified soldiers. Second, train the veteran soldiers to become qualified reserve officers. Third, they can be stationed at the Lahe River Fortress for a long time … "
Devers spoke with assurance, obviously having thought it through. "The Lahe River Fortress controls the main road from Turií to Laos and Lucania. I believe that this road will soon become busy due to the rapid increase of merchants. Think of it, instead of passing through the Straits of Messina, and being exploited by Messina and Ligium, the caravan can go directly by land to the port of Laos, on the western coast of the Apennines. Moreover, Laos is our ally, and has a favourable tariff, which makes it very attractive to the Greek merchants. In addition, as long as we can stabilize the situation in Lucania, some of the goods in Lucania, such as furs, cattle, and sheep, will also attract the attention of the merchants. Therefore, we can collect a very small percentage of customs taxes at the Lahe River Fortress. This will not dampen the enthusiasm of the merchants, and the Alliance can use this money to buy food supplies for the garrison troops. At the same time, the soldiers will not be able to work for two to three months, so it should be more than enough … "
At first, the content of the trade that Devers talked about made Felicius dizzy. It was only when they mentioned the garrison troops at the Lahe River Fortress that Felicius understood that the food and salary of the garrison troops could be easily settled by collecting customs taxes. He could not help but be impressed.
"It will take about three days to travel from Turií to Neutum through the mountain road, right?" Devers suddenly asked.
"Yes, Sir. When we set off, we traveled at a faster pace. Even so, it took us three days. Normally, it would take about four days, "Felicius replied.
"I'm afraid it will take even more time if there is a pack to transport us." Devers tapped his fingers on the back of the chair and muttered to himself, "Therefore, the construction of the road between Turií, Neutum, and Laos must be put on the agenda as soon as possible. It will be best if the three cities are built at the same time. This way, we can connect Turií and Lucania, strengthen the connection, and promote integration …"
… …
Three days later, Devers proposed to go to Neutum.
Some elders tried to dissuade him from going at this time, citing the unstable political situation in Neutum.
He replied firmly, "I'm going to stabilize Neutum!" Finally, he convinced the Senate and the trip was approved.
The traveling team included Vesba, Scombras, Tritodermos, and more than a dozen other elders who did not have any official positions. They were escorted by the soldiers of the First Brigade. At the same time, the First Brigade was also temporarily replacing the Fourth Brigade stationed in Neutum so that they could return to participate in the triumphal parade. In addition, there were the families of the soldiers of the Fourth Brigade and a few merchants from the Alliance.
Young Heraclid had been busy recently thinking about how to build the wooden bridge over the Krati River. Finally, there was some progress. Just as he was about to start work on the experiment, he was forcibly pulled by Devers and stuffed into the traveling team, saying that he was to investigate how to build the Turií, Neutum, and Laos Avenue.
Young Heraclid did not have his father's stubbornness, and the Devers were too kind to him. He had to temporarily put aside the work at hand and reluctantly followed the team to Neutum. But once he entered the state of work, his concentration allowed him to ignore the terrible environment around him and the identity of others.
"There are a lot of sharp stones on the ground in this mountain, which must be polished. This will undoubtedly increase a lot of labor and slow down the construction of the road!"
"Look, there is a lot of floating soil on the mountain wall. If it rains, it may be washed down and block the road, so it must be fixed with mortar. Also, those small trees growing on the cliff have to be cut down!"
"This section of the mountain road is too narrow. Even a cart can't pass through it. It must be widened! Well, I think we can roast this large protruding mountain wall with a fire and pour cold water on it. Then, we can make it explode. But be careful, don't burn the forest! "
…
The Devers and elders surrounded Young Heraclid like students, listening to his observation and analysis on how to build the road in the mountains. The whole team naturally did not move too fast.
In the evening, the whole team could only sleep in the open on the mountain road. The guards and the First Brigade set up a cordon and sentry post.
For the families of the Fourth Brigade, the mountain was their home. After a year of separation, they returned to this familiar land, and their breathing became much smoother. They naturally lay down on the ground and soon fell asleep.
Most of the soldiers of the First Brigade had gone on an expedition to Persia, so camping in the wild was the most common.
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