Amidst the uproar, a voice exclaimed, “The husband of Dina? Ulasa, it seems that you…no longer have a chance!”
For the first time, this sentence had caused a slight smile from the guests.
“I had thought that you were all killed in the pursuit of Grumentum…” Said Ulasa bitterly, “So…I already have taken a wife.”
“At that time, we couldn’t make sure that we could live to this day!” The words of Bagul resonated with the guests, and he then continued, “So tonight, we will just drink and nothing else! Let’s celebrate that we are still alive today!”
“That’s right!” Kesima took a sip of the wine and exclaimed, “Good wine! This is the first time that I have drunk such a good wine! So tonight, I have to drink all the good wine of Bagul!”
There was a burst of laughter.
Bagul was secretly grateful to Kesima’s help. He then raised his glass and shouted, “Come, let’s thank god Asinu for his protection!”
Bagul took the lead in leading the party. After several drinks, the atmosphere of the banquet became lively and their glasses were filled with wine. Bagul then stood up and said to Asistes, “Brother-in-law, come, let me introduce you to my guests!”
Asistes carried a wine jar in one and a glass in the other.
“This is Kesima, my childhood friend and my wrestling opponent, but he couldn’t beat me!”
“Don’t listen to his drivel!”
“You don’t believe me? Then we should fight again on another day!”
“Why another day? Let’s do it after the banquet is over, do you dare?”
“Good, I am just afraid that you wouldn’t!” Bagul readily agreed.
Hearing that there will be a wrestling match to watch, the other guests were also excited.
Asistes greeted Kesima, then they both toast their glasses together according to the etiquette of Lucania, and drink all of it at once.
“Good!” Yelled someone. Apparently, Asistes, who was a Greek, began to attract their attention. .
“This is Ulasa, my good friend, and he used to be the suitor of Dina!”
“Nice to meet you!” Asistes came forward to toast his glass with him and said, “Don’t worry, Dina is living well, and I will continue to treat her well!”
Ulasa glared at Asistes and spat out, “Let’s have a match later, do you dare?!”
“Okay!” Replied Asistes, raising his glass and drinking it.
“Good!!” The other guests shouted one after another, and they began to think that the Greeks were very agreeable.
“This is Uncle Hermon, who used to take us fishing when we were young. His fishing skill is the best among all the Lucanians!…”
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
As he mingled with their circle, and finished drinking a jar of wine, Asistes felt like he was walking on air, but with this, the wariness of the guests had disappeared.
“Brother-in-law, you must know….” Bagul, who returned to his seat, said in a serious tone, “In the past, we were all just a small tribe living in the mountains between the upper reaches of the Lao river and the Agri river. So, we often had contacts with each other and often united to fight against foreign enemies. However, after the establishment of the alliance between Grumentum and Nerulum, we were unable to confront them at all in the face of their strong strength. Some were forced to join Grumentum, some were like Kesima and Ulasa who were forced to join Nerulum, and some of them had escape the mountains like us…but I didn’t expect that we would still be able to get together again…” Said Bagul emotionally, “If father knows it, he will not be able to sleep at all!”
The words of Bagul have made the guests that were present reminisce, most of whom were deeply saddened.
At this time, Bagul patted Asistes on his shoulder and said in a loud voice, “My brother-in-law has another identity. He is a follower of Thua Union’s Archon. This time, Lord Davos had sent him to help manage Nerulum!”
As soon as his words came out, the guests all exclaimed in amazement.
“Davos? You mean the Greek who had killed more than 10,000 men of Akpir with only a few thousand people?!”
“Asistes, I heard that Davos had managed to defeat 10,000 Crotonians with only a few thousand people again afterwards?”
“I also heard that he is a son of a Greek god?”
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
It was no wonder that the guests were surprised. Although Nerulum and Thurii were cut off by war, there is still the port in Laos. As long as there is foreign trade, news from the outside would still reach Nerulum. The Lucanians who were wondering why the powerful Lucanian alliance got defeated, heard the name of Davos for the first time, and as long as they paid attention to it, they would hear more about him from foreign merchants in the port of Laos.
For the Lucanians, who were superstitious and worshipped the strong, they were awed by this powerful and mysterious Greek who managed to achieve so much. So when Bagul learned about it from the captives, he immediately realized that he could take advantage of this, and so, he did not mention the position of Asistes and just said that he is a follower of Davos, which immediately put a halo on Asistes.
Asistes then took the opportunity to say, “Lord Davos once said that, ‘In Lucania, the big tribes oppress the small tribes, annex their tribes and plunder their livestock. In the end, the chieftains of the big tribes are as rich as kings, and the people from the small tribes are treated only a bit better than the slaves.’”
“Yes!”
“That’s right!”
The words of Asistes resonated with the guests.
“And we, the Thua Union, will never oppress you!” Asistes said with great certainty, “Before I came, Lord Davos told me again and again, ‘Treat the Lucanians like our own people!’ and ‘Under the rule of Thua Union, the Greeks, Lucanians, Egyptians and other races will all enjoy the same rights and obligations regardless of their status!’”
“This is true!” Bagul immediately took the lead and proved it, “Marigi, the chief commercial officer of the Thua Union, is a Persian, but he is also a citizen of the Union! And even though I am a Lucanian, I am still able to become the captain of the fourth brigade of the first legion of Thua Union, and I am also a member of the Senate! And my father, Vespa, is also a member of the Senate!”
The guests found it hard to believe. Lucania is surrounded by Greek city-states, and the long-term contact and exchanges between them made them roughly know about the Greek city-state’s system. The statesmen of a Council(Senate) is equivalent to the chieftain of a large tribe in Lucania. He can participate in the discussions and decisions in the tribal alliance, and they can even influence the decision of the great chieftain.
“How can I become a citizen of Thua Union?!” Many people felt envious and couldn’t stop themselves from asking aloud.
“As long as you are willing to join the Union, you can become a preparatory citizens, and as long as you abide the laws of the union and perform well, then you will be able to become an official citizen in five years*.” Explained Asistes. (Note: The Senate of Thua Union had considered the special situation of the Lucanians, so long as they are willing to submit, they can become a preparatory citizen. But for the sake of fairness, like the Greeks, they could only become an official citizen after five years.)
“This prepar….what is the difference between a preparatory citizen and an official citizen?” Some attentive people notice the difference between the two words.
“Preparatory citizens do not enjoy some of the rights of an official citizen, such as the allocation of land by the Union, the ability to hold public office…and so on. However, the preparatory citizens enjoy the protection of the Union and can get its assistance. For example, once you become a preparatory citizen, if you are willing to farm, then the Union will lease the land of Nerulum to you to plant, and the tax rate is only 5%(this is a new policy to encourage the preparatory citizens to move to Nerulum.) If you are willing to graze, then you can rent some livestock and the tax rate is also 5%. You should know that it is not so easy for many Greek freemen to become a preparatory citizen of the union. After applying for it, they will have to go through at least two years of inspection before they can become a preparatory citizen.”
“This is indeed the case. The Senate of Thua Union has considered the vigilance of us Lucanians against the Greeks, in order for them to show the sincerity of the Union, the conditions for the Lucanians to become a preparatory citizens have been relaxed, and many citizens had criticized them for this!” Bagul once again endorsed the Union.
In fact, the two were just worrying too much. Most of the guests don’t care about this, because previously, about half of their income will go to Nerulum every year. As for the small tribal chiefs who usually have to go out to war and rely on hunting to survive, the tax rate given by the Thua Union is already too good! So, the guests were eager to discuss it with each other.
“Aren’t you afraid that we would take the livestock that you have given and run away with it?” Someone jokingly said.
“We are not afraid!” said Asistes confidently, “With just these few livestock, we would then be able to differentiate those who are not fit to be a citizen of the Union. And where can those people who stole the livestock go? Run to other Lucanian tribes, who will then take away their livestock and continue to be oppressed by an unfamiliar chieftain? Or to other Greek city-states and become their slave? Or roam alone in the wild until they froze to death, die of disease, or starve to death? It’s better to stay in a friendly and peaceful Thua Union and live a stable life! The Union also respects the culture and customs of Lucania, and allows you to have your own temple, freedom to sacrifice, and have your own festivals, as long as it does not violate the laws of the Union and disturb the public order….”
After listening to this, every guest fell into thinking.
At this time, someone shouted, “How can I become a statesman of the Thua Union?”
Bagul recognized the one who spoke, Hemon, and laughed to himself. At the beginning, the tribe of Hemon was second only to the tribe of Vespa, which was the largest among the tribes in the area between the Lao river, and the Agri river, but now, they only have a few hundred warriors.