Volume 3: The First Crotone War, Chapter 6: The First Senate Meeting (6)

“I propose that the wedding day be established as the Marriage Festival of Amendolara and the celebration of the goddess Hera, so that the citizens will remember the suffering and rebirth of Amendolara, and also realize the importance of marriage and family—this will better unite the citizens of Amendolara!” Davos spoke solemnly, leaving Cornelius amazed at how deeply he considered matters and how sincerely he cared for Amendolara. Thus, Cornelius nodded in heartfelt agreement and said, “Your Excellency the Magistrate, I believe all citizens will be delighted to have such a wonderful festival!”

“Yes, we all agree to establish the Festival of Hera and the Marriage Festival!” The old citizens also voiced their approval, and the new citizens needed no persuasion.

At this point, Heilos stood up and asked with concern, “Your Excellency, what about the soldiers who haven’t found women to marry? How should they be settled?”

Davos had already prepared for this and gestured for Cornelius to answer.

Cornelius’s expression turned grave. “Before Amendolara joined the war against the Lucanians, it had four thousand citizens… Now there are only a little over five hundred citizens, and over a thousand widows… Thus, more than two thousand families lost both husband and wife, leaving… more than enough houses to settle the new citizens. Of course, if the original owners of the houses had children or elderly left behind, we hope the new citizens will take responsibility for raising them…” As Cornelius finished, tears glistened in his eyes, and the other old citizens also looked sorrowful.

Davos fixed his gaze on the new citizens and emphasized loudly, “It’s not hope—it’s a must! Because you inherit the original owner’s legacy, including land and wealth, you must also fulfill the responsibilities that the original owner should have!”

“Your Excellency, rest assured, we’ll make sure the brothers take good care of the elderly and children!” Heilos was the first to pledge, and the other officers echoed their support. Amyntas even said, “Anyone who takes a house but doesn’t support the elderly and children—I’ll beat them to death!”

Davos nodded and said, “Very good. I hope you officers will strengthen your supervision of the soldiers! At the same time, the Senate will also enact laws to oversee enforcement.” Davos then looked at Antonios. “This is the responsibility of the ephor. Antonios, if you find anyone violating the law by not supporting or abusing orphaned children and the elderly, immediately report it to the Senate. We will strip them of their citizenship and expel them from Amendolara!” Davos’s stern words made everyone’s heart tighten.

“I will supervise seriously!” Antonios gave a solemn assurance.

The old citizens nodded quietly, deeply appreciative of Davos’s firm protection of the rights of the elderly and children.

“Alright, now let’s talk about the issue everyone cares about most.” To ease the atmosphere, Davos smiled and said, “The Senate will enact a law guaranteeing each new citizen at least five acres of land. Of course, some may be lucky and find a good wife, inheriting more land; others may get less. That’s fine. I will have Treasurer Mesis make a detailed record of the land and wealth each person possesses. In the future, when we acquire new land, we will first compensate those who originally had less. Are you satisfied with this arrangement?”

“Satisfied!!”

“Very fair!!” The crowd shouted excitedly.

By this time, the meeting had lasted nearly two hours, and it was already quite late, but the citizens’ spirits were high, prompting Davos to decide to raise a topic he had pondered for a long time without reaching a conclusion. He took a deep breath, stood again at the center of the assembly, faced everyone, and said loudly, “Fellow citizens, as a citizen of a city-state, participating in all political activities of the city-state is his right. Serving as a soldier and defending the city-state is his duty, and in fact, it is also his right. Because unless there are special circumstances, it is impossible for freemen and slaves to join the city-state’s army. Only citizens have the right to fight for the city-state, so it is also a political right.”

Both the old citizens and the new citizens nodded in agreement.

“However, managing a city-state well is not easy. Building various public facilities costs money; repairing city defenses and equipping weapons costs money; helping the people in times of great disaster costs money; even launching military campaigns—if it’s only four or five days, citizens can bring their own rations, but if it’s longer, the needed grain still has to be purchased by the city-state, not to mention hiring pack animals, ships, laborers, etc.—all of this costs money. Moreover, our city-state’s public officials currently serve without pay, contributing voluntarily. In the future, when the area we govern expands and affairs become heavy, public officials may have almost no free time to tend to their own farms and pastures. Their income will be less than that of citizens who are not officials, which would be unfair. Over time, people might be unwilling to hold public office. Therefore, for a city-state to develop healthily, it must have sufficient funds in its treasury!”

For most of the new citizens, who came from humble backgrounds and had no idea how complex city-state operations were, they listened with great interest. The old citizens felt that this young lifelong magistrate, just after taking office, could already think so deeply about the city-state’s problems, alleviating much of their concern about his lack of experience. But Cornelius felt his eyelids twitch—he sensed something big was about to happen.

Davos continued, “Amendolara’s treasury revenue is quite meager. Just now, Cornelius explained the reasons, which hinder the city-state’s development. Moreover, in the future, when we occupy more land and more people join Amendolara, will they be willing to fight desperately for the city-state like we have? Probably not, because they have sacrificed too little and gained too easily, so they won’t cherish it!”

“Exactly!” The old citizens shouted first, revealing their discontent with the immigration bill Davos had proposed.

Davos naturally understood their thoughts and sneered inwardly. He raised his voice and said, “Therefore, I propose a land tax of one percent per year on Amendolara citizens who own land!”

The moment these words were spoken, it was like a thunderbolt from a clear sky. The entire assembly was stunned, and then, like a stirred-up hornet’s nest, they began clamoring.

Cornelius’s hands and feet went tense, and he thought to himself: Oh no!

“Did I hear that right? You want to impose a land tax on citizens of the city-state?!” Strombopoli asked uncertainly.

That was still a polite reaction. Old man Scombrus directly rushed over, pointed at Davos’s nose, and demanded, “Are you Greek?! Don’t you know that the tradition of Greek city-states is never to impose land taxes on citizens! Have you gone mad for money?! If you serve as lifelong magistrate like this, can we still survive?!”

The new citizens also had objections to Davos’s words, but they absolutely would not allow anyone to insult their respected leader, especially the platoon leaders. Led by Matonis, they quickly rushed over and pushed Scombrus away: “Hey, old man, is that how you speak to the Magistrate?!”

“I’ll say it anyway! What about it?! You clueless bumpkins have no idea about the serious consequences of a land tax!” Scombrus, red-faced, cursed contemptuously.

This infuriated the hot-headed platoon leaders. “What did you say! Say that again, and I’ll beat you!...” They cursed and shoved Scombrus.

Scombrus’s frail body couldn’t withstand the strength of these battle-hardened officers; he fell to the ground, gasping for air. Cornelius and a few other old citizens hurried to help him up, while others started arguing with the officers.

The two sides were in chaos.

“Quiet! Everyone, be quiet!” Davos was now anxious and stepped in to mediate.

Finally, the two sides separated.

Scombrus was still cursing under his breath, but when Matonis glared at him, he lowered his head and dared not speak.

At this point, Mesis stood up and said, “One percent tax is already very low! In Persia, as we all know, their land tax is over 10%!...” As Treasurer, he naturally cared about filling the treasury.

“That’s Persia. Greece has never had a tradition of collecting land tax from citizens!” Strombopoli retorted.

“In the age of kings, it did exist.”

“That was hundreds of years ago. This is the age of democracy. Magistrate Davos swore in the square that he would not be a king. I think if he wants to impose a land tax, all citizens will oppose it!” Strombopoli looked at Davos, his voice not loud but carrying a veiled threat.

Davos looked at the crowd: the new citizens, restrained by Davos’s authority, did not voice opposition but watched and waited; the old citizens clearly showed their displeasure on their faces; only Mesis truly supported him. He smiled and said, “I haven’t finished explaining my proposal, and you’re already so agitated. Don’t rush. Let me slowly lay out my full proposal. For those citizens who have lived in Amendolara since before today, their current land holdings will be tax-exempt, as a token of gratitude for their contribution as descendants of the city’s founders over the past two hundred years. When the treasury has enough funds, we will mint a batch of ‘Amendolara Founder’s Silver Brooches’—each old citizen will receive one to keep permanently, and they will wear it on their chiton during grand public occasions, so that later generations will know their families’ long-standing traditions and honor.”

At these words, the old citizens were stunned. Even the grumbling Scombrus fell silent. They all straightened their chests: This is glory! Although they reluctantly allowed the mercenaries to join Amendolara, the pride of being original inhabitants and the frustration of reality had pained them. Davos gave them a permanent opportunity to display their identity! Compared to this, what was a little tax money? Besides, it wouldn’t be collected from them anyway.

“Agreed!” Scombrus shouted first.

“This isn’t fair! You don’t tax them, but you want to tax us!” Matonis shouted in dissatisfaction.