ancient greece mediterranean ruler

Chapter 1186 Athens declares war
"I have long heard that the Kingdom of Dionia is very powerful in the Western Mediterranean, and some city-states have to succumb to your force. I don't quite believe it, but today on our own land in Athens, at the sacred citizens' assembly, we The highly respected Eleusinian Mystery Torch Bearer Kalias was actually threatened in public by a Dionysian envoy, which made me truly believe in the arrogance of Dionysian!"

Iphicrates stood up, pointed at Carias, and said indignantly: "Citizens, do you still remember the first sentence of his speech? - 'I say hello to you on behalf of the two million citizens of Dionia. '——Is this a greeting? No, this is a threat! He is not only threatening Kallias, but also threatening every citizen of Athens! He is threatening us if we do not 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 Persia, which was more populous than Dionia decades ago, also sent envoys here to issue similar threats to us, but in the end we won that war, so We Athenians are not afraid of any threats! "

"Iphicrates is right, we Athens are not afraid of any country, whether it is Persia or Dionia! Regardless of the number of Dionia people, they are afraid of war with Athens, otherwise they will not send an envoy to Talking about East and West here!..." Under the influence of Iphicrates, some Athenian citizens waved their arms and loudly expressed their dissatisfaction.

Karias remained calm, and after the noise subsided slightly, he said confidently: "More than 10 years ago, Athens made a promise to Dionia, 'No more performances of 'The Dionia'" "This play." But when I walked into the city, I found that multiple theaters were repeatedly performing this play that humiliated the Dionysians. Many Athenians learned that I was from Dionysia. After Asia, not only will he cast a look of disdain, but he will also call him a barbarian...

The reason why I specifically added the phrase '200 million citizens' in my speech is to solemnly remind you that Dionia is a big country and a powerful country in the Western Mediterranean. No matter what you think about Dionia, The perception is good or bad, but first of all, respect should be shown to Dionia!
Think about Sparta, which once caused you great harm. Every time their envoys come to Athens, how do you treat them?Even when their armies plundered the villages near the port of Piraeus, you still did not embarrass their envoys and brought them back safely.Every time you have a war with Sparta, whether you are in an advantage or a disadvantage, you finally choose a peaceful truce with Sparta...

Isn't the reason why you are doing this because Sparta is the most powerful city-state in Greece, and you must carefully consider the consequences of a war with it.Today, the Sparta that you have always been cautious about is struggling to support itself in the face of the attack of the Dionysian army.Therefore, facing a sacred kingdom of Dionia that is more powerful than Sparta, should Athens show your respect and treat all issues related to Dionia carefully? ! "

Karias's words were shocking and made some citizens think deeply.

"When your Dionysian fleet is showing off its power in the waters of Athens and its allies, intercepting merchant ships and threatening Athens' maritime security, you still want us to show respect to Dionysia. It would be too difficult for others!" Another The general Cabrias suddenly stood up and attacked.

Karias finally showed a hint of nervousness: The Athenians indeed mentioned this headache for him. Indeed, the arrogant behavior of the 1st Fleet was undoubtedly exacerbating the tension between the two countries. He also wrote to the expeditionary force commander Cronus. Tocatachus expressed his views, hoping that the prince could persuade Cyril to suspend patrols in the Aegean Sea at this stage to avoid further irritating the Athenians.But judging from the current situation, Clotokatax failed to persuade Sekerian, who regarded himself as a man of great merit and acted unruly, so he had to rack his brains to answer this troublesome question.

However, just as he was preparing his words and wanting to better appease the dissatisfied citizens of Athens, Callistratus spoke again: "Citizens, we all know the reason why this barren land of Attica can To support such a large population and prosper to this day, Athens relies not on the abundant products on the ground but on maritime 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 ourselves rich while also paying enough taxes. Therefore, sea trade is prosperous. Whether it is or not is related to the life and death of Athens!
However, in recent years, Athens' maritime trade has been shrinking, the income of merchants has been decreasing, many workshops have begun to reduce production or even closed down, and the number of unemployed people in the city and port of Athens has increased, but food prices have gradually increased... You Do you know the reason? ! "

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

"That's because Dionysian merchants sell cheap olive oil in large quantities in various city-states. As a result, few people buy my goods, which pile up in the cargo station and eventually become corrupted. That's all money!"

"The price of an exquisite amphorae has never been lower than 6 drachmas, but Dionysian merchants can sell it for four drachmas. They are malicious business competition against our Athens, If they continue like this, my pottery shop will collapse!"

"I am an excellent accountant. I have worked as an accountant for Parsons, a big businessman, for decades. I have been working hard. But a few days ago, he suddenly told me that because many of his overseas stores have been in recession and their income has dropped sharply, he I had to be fired, and I left with several old people who had worked for many years. I was very dissatisfied with him, but I know now that all this turned out to be the fault of the Dionia businessman! "

……

Wave after wave of denunciations continued to hit Karias in the center of the venue, making him feel great pressure. He frowned, his mind raced, and he quickly thought of ways to resolve the anger of the Athenian citizens.

But at this moment, he heard the strong and deep voice of Callistratus: "Thank you for your speech to the citizens of Athens! We all know 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 to be voted on, so please-"

"Please wait a moment, I have something else to say!" Karias felt strongly uneasy and requested urgently.

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

Karias hesitated to speak, and finally sighed helplessly. Before the guards came, he took the initiative to leave the center of the venue. Although he was a little disappointed, he still faced the insults of the Athenian citizens with his head held high and walked out. He came to this Athenian Citizens’ Assembly that he had longed for...

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In the afternoon, he was invited to the city hall of Athens, where the executive committee of generals headed by Callistratus was welcoming his arrival.

Callistratus said to him solemnly: "On behalf of all the citizens of Athens, we officially inform you that Athens has decided to join the Greek Alliance to help Sparta resist the invasion of Dionia!"

Although Karias was mentally prepared, his resentment still lingered in his heart. He mocked in a cold voice: "Your efforts in manipulating the entire Citizens' Assembly were not in vain. Congratulations on finally achieving your goal."

Callistratus looked very calm, and he said calmly: "You are indeed very eloquent, but there will definitely be a war between Athens and Dionia. This is inevitable, and choosing to start a war at this time will not be a good choice for you." It’s the perfect time for Athens.”

"It seems that you are very confident that Athens will win!" Karias sneered again.

"I know Dionia is very powerful." Callistratus looked at Carias with deep eyes and powerful words: "But has Dionia always been powerful? When you resisted Dionysius When Sri Lanka's army invaded, when you learned that Carthage declared war on you... Didn't the relatively weak Dionia have the same feelings as Athens today! The capital of Dionia, which was founded only a few decades ago, Dare to take risks again and again. Doesn’t Athens, which has a glorious history, have the courage?”

He paused and then said meaningfully: "In the morning at the Citizens' Assembly, you used Sparta many times to incite the emotions of the citizens of Athens, 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 cause much harm to the fundamental interests of Athens. However, the power of Dionysia has already been greatly affected by Athens before it has fully entered the Greek mainland. For the independence, freedom and prosperity of Athens, Athenian citizens He has the same courage as he did during the Greco-Persian War!"

Karias was silent for a while, then stared at him and said with a little respect: "Then let us decide the winner on the battlefield. I hope to sit down with you after the war to discuss the future of Athens!"

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

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

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"Teacher, it's not good! It's not good!..." Oleas burst into the room out of breath.

(End of this chapter)