Davos’s words made Cornelius and the other five nod repeatedly. They all felt that Davos had a cool head and clear thinking, making him fully fit to be magistrate. The new citizens, however, felt a bit disappointed and let out a string of groans.
Just then, Heilos shouted from the crowd: “Since he can’t be king, at least he can be lifelong magistrate! Just like Dionysius of Syracuse—Syracuse wasn’t resented by its neighboring city-states; instead, they sought help from Syracuse!”
“Right! Let him be lifelong magistrate! That way we won’t have to worry about someone mediocre running Amendolara!” Olivus joined in.
“Davos! Lifelong magistrate!” Matonis, Georgios, and others followed with shouts.
The new citizens’ enthusiasm reignited.
Hearing the rising tide of calls, Cornelius grew anxious. He wanted to tell these mercenaries, who only knew how to kill, that Dionysius of Syracuse seized power through bloody violence, not by election in the Assembly. And Syracuse was the most powerful city-state in Magna Graecia—how could other city-states dare to resent it?
Faced with the boiling crowd below, Cornelius retreated again. He looked at Davos once more, hoping this cool-headed young leader would again reject the soldiers’ unreasonable demands. But Davos said: “Since the citizens of Amendolara have chosen me to be lifelong magistrate, I accept the office you have bestowed upon me. I swear by Hades that I will use all my wisdom and ability to lead you in making Amendolara more prosperous and powerful, and to give you a better future!”
Cheers erupted from below.
“These freemen who understand nothing! They have no idea what a lifelong magistrate means! Cornelius, you need to talk to that young leader! …” Listening to his companion’s panicked whispers, Cornelius plucked up the courage to step forward: “Davos… um… Amendolara has never had the office of lifelong magistrate. This violates the laws and traditions of Amendolara. You must stop this farce!”
Davos whirled around, eyes blazing: “Farce?! You call this a farce?! Isn’t the Assembly the highest authority of a city-state? Any proposal may not originate from it, but it must be approved by it to be implemented, correct?! Are the people shouting below not citizens of Amendolara? Do they not far exceed the required majority? Does the resolution proposed by them and passed by their vote not conform to the legal procedures of Amendolara?!”
Davos’s voice struck Cornelius like iron nails. He was completely overwhelmed and stammered: “But… but…”
“Or do you want to tell them, ‘Citizens, your proposal is wrong, we won’t recognize it’?” Davos said with a cold sneer.
Cornelius looked at the dense, cheering crowd below. He swallowed and subconsciously shrank back.
Davos sneered at Cornelius: “After Athens, the model of Greek democratic city-states, lost the war, some citizens began to doubt the democratic system. Athens was able to bring in the ‘Thirty Tyrants’ to govern because of their support. In the eastern Greek city-states, many have already begun to abandon democracy. Wasn’t it the bad effect of democracy that caused Amendolara’s suffering today?”
Davos spoke loudly, so that not only Cornelius but also the other five citizens on the platform heard clearly. They all fell silent: Indeed, at that time, Magistrate Marcellis had strongly advocated defending the city against the Lucanians and opposed leaving their homeland; while another magistrate, Glatabafro, leaned toward temporarily relocating to Thurii. The populace was thus divided into two factions. With both sides deadlocked, some citizens tried to leave Amendolara forcibly before a resolution was reached—among them was Cornelius and his group. Ultimately, to prevent a split, the people of Amendolara had to pass a resolution to leave together…
Guilt and fear struck Cornelius’s heart at once. His throat went dry. He swallowed again and heard the terrifying Davos say solemnly: “Don’t worry. I swear by Hades that your rights will not only be protected but will be even better! …”
As Davos made his promise to Cornelius and the others, someone in the crowd said: “I agree to Davos becoming lifelong magistrate!”
“I agree too!”
…
Citizens expressed their approval one after another.
Cornelius walked heavily to the front of the stage step by step. He didn’t know what consequences this decision would bring to Amendolara. He only knew that if there were no result today, the enraged mercenaries would certainly smash Amendolara to pieces.
Without any heart left to regret whether he had “invited a wolf into the house,” Cornelius stood at the front, steadied himself, and forced out: “The proposal for Davos to become lifelong magistrate of Amendolara is passed. From today, Davos will serve as lifelong magistrate of Amendolara until his soul returns to the Underworld…”
“Hail!”
“Hail!”
The new citizens below cheered as if they had won a great victory, forming a sea of joy.
Among the original citizens of Amendolara, some were angry, muttering curses under their breath; some were indifferent, as if it had nothing to do with them; some even joined the new citizens in cheering…
Sestas and a few officers who held dissenting views looked lost and disappointed, but they all forced smiles.
Davos stepped forward with a smile and said loudly: “As your newly appointed lifelong magistrate, in order to better govern Amendolara, I propose that Cornelius serve as Deputy Magistrate!”
“Agreed!” Not only the excited new citizens but also many original citizens shouted in unison. They thought that with Cornelius’s assistance, this young and unfamiliar lifelong magistrate would at least not act recklessly. Little did they know that Cornelius’s spirits had sunk to rock bottom.
Cornelius wasn’t entirely upset because Davos had changed Amendolara’s power structure by adding a new office. The main reason was that he had hoped to elect another magistrate, even if for a one-year term, to at least balance Davos’s power. He never expected Davos to deny him that opportunity entirely, directly erasing the political tradition of a “dual magistrate” system. The title “Deputy Magistrate” clearly indicated subordination to the magistrate—Davos wanted to be a dictator!
For Davos, after more than half a year of trials and his previous life’s experience, he did not fully identify with the democratic system of Greek city-states in this world. Especially in this era of war, he confidently believed that rule led by himself with others as assistants was more efficient and stronger than fragmented leadership by many.
After prior analysis and preparation, he thought: Although Greeks had traditions of independence and freedom, specific situations required specific treatment. For mercenaries, a special profession accustomed to obeying orders during long campaigns, soldiers worshiped the generals who led them to repeated victories. Davos’s enormous prestige accumulated over half a year was enough for soldiers to trust him with their lives. Moreover, after their earlier experiences in Persia, they had seen the vastness of the Persian Empire, so their views on monarchy and autocracy differed from those of ordinary Greeks. Of course, if they had held an election after half a year of peaceful life, things might have been different.
Through careful planning, Davos achieved his goal. A lifelong magistrate was essentially a lifelong dictator! In his memory, from the history of Rome in his past life, Sulla and Caesar had both held such positions. To avoid provoking resentment from other city-states, he had changed “dictator” to “magistrate” as a cover.
Davos gazed at the cheering crowd below, his heart surging with thoughts: Under the western sky, the sun was about to set. After today, the old Amendolara would become the past. Tomorrow, a new Amendolara would emerge…
Note: Davos, tested by blood and fire, had won a foothold for himself. But Amendolara was so insignificant among the thousands of Mediterranean city-states. To realize his ambitions, Davos still had a long way to go. Along the path of development, he would face even more arduous, brutal, and trying tests!
Please look forward to the next volume: The First Croton War.
Consul for Life