Volume 3: The First Crotone War Chapter 11: Proposal Regarding Slaves

Davos patiently explained to him: "Which is better—forcing them to work with a club, or having them work willingly?"

"The latter, of course."

"More importantly, I don't want them to be slaves. I want them to become citizens of Amendolara. Only then can we continuously strengthen our power! And think—one day, when the natives of Lucania tremble in fear beneath our shields and spears, they will see soldiers in our ranks who share their appearance and speak their language, yet wear Greek armor, eat Greek food, and chat freely with Greeks. What will they think then?"

Asiastes pondered for a moment, then said uncertainly, "They might surrender."

"Exactly. Bacule and his people serve as an example to the Lucanians. They show that if they surrender to us, they will not be mistreated but will instead live well. Think of how the Persians treat foreigners. We will do better than the Persians, because we will treat outsiders more equally and more tolerantly, welcoming them as our citizens and granting them the same rights we have. Only then will we erase the distance between them and us, and only then will Amendolara grow strong quickly!" Davos spoke earnestly and with passion. On this journey through the age, he did not want to walk alone. He wanted to spread his political ideas to those around him, to influence them and change the narrow polis mentality of the Greeks.

Asiastes was convinced. "Lord Magistrate, you truly think far ahead!"

"Asi, I heard you didn't go to choose a wife this time. Are you interested in picking a Lucanian woman? If not, perhaps I could ask Bacule if he has a sister. You could become his relative!" Davos joked.

Asiastes immediately recalled Bacule's fierce appearance and shook his head repeatedly.

"Seriously, if you did marry a Lucanian woman, then one day when we conquer Lucania, I might appoint you satrap of Lucania," Davos said half-jokingly, half-seriously.

Satrap! Asiastes remembered how impressive Tissaphernes, the satrap of Asia Minor, had looked back in Persia. As a young man, he was indeed intrigued. He didn't stop to think that in the entire Mediterranean, only the Persian Empire had the office of satrap, and only the Persian king could appoint one...

Watching Asiastes leave, Davos continued musing: Should he establish a low-level public office under the magistrate—a secretary? That way, Asiastes would have proper authority when handling matters. And Davos could personally train a group of like-minded young men to become good assistants in governing the polis.

As Davos was thinking, Cheiristoya entered and told him, "Olivus is here."

Davos was puzzled. What business did this fellow have at such a late hour?

Olivus's voice carried in first: "Lord Magistrate, your residence truly is huge! If no one had guided me, I'd certainly have gotten lost... Oh, this marble statue is finely carved! Which master's work? Look at the contours of these muscles..." Olivus rambled on for a while.

Davos fixed him with a look. "If you don't get to the point, I'll throw you out!"

"Don't, don't! I truly have a matter I need your help with!" Olivus said hurriedly. "Lord Magistrate, you must help me with this!" His expression was pleading.

"Out with it, quickly!" Davos feigned impatience, but inwardly he grew even more curious about Olivus's business.

Olivus suddenly became awkward and said in a low voice, "I... I want to ask you to... to propose marriage on my behalf... to Mariji."

"What? Propose marriage?" Davos truly hadn't heard clearly this time.

Olivus took a deep breath and then said loudly, "I've fallen in love with Mariji's daughter, Mitra. I want you to help me propose to Mariji!"

Now Davos understood. So the jokes Matonis and the others had been making these past few days were true! When had this fellow taken a liking to Mariji's daughter?

Davos couldn't recall what Mariji's daughter looked like. He only vaguely remembered a petite, shy young girl.

"You like her—does she like you?" Davos needed to clarify this first.

"She certainly wants to be with me!" Olivus said confidently.

"Does Mariji know about this?" Davos asked.

"He doesn't. But Mitra's mother is very supportive of us seeing each other. She just doesn't have the final say."

Of course she didn't. In this era, whether Greek or Persian, men were the heads of the household. If it had been before, given Olivus's wild and unrestrained behavior, Davos wouldn't have considered this at all. But since that incident, Olivus had truly changed a lot. He no longer plundered women and even persuaded others not to. One was his lifesaver, the other a talented man Davos regarded as a right arm—he was happy to see their union. "I will propose to Mariji and do my best to bring you two together. But the key is your own conduct." As soon as Davos finished speaking, Olivus jumped up with joy. "Great! Great! Davos, you are truly a good man!" Overcome with emotion, he gave Davos a tight hug.

Watching Olivus sing and dance as he left the courtyard, Davos laughed silently. He had just been given a "good man" card!

...

The next morning, the unmarried new citizens protested outside the Senate building, demanding a solution to their marriage problem. They proposed that they would accept marrying Lucanian women as wives.

The Senate convened an emergency meeting to discuss the matter. Amid the continuous protests outside, the senators, led by Chief Magistrate Davos, reluctantly passed a resolution (Davos and the new citizen senators were all putting on an act), agreeing that the new citizens could marry Lucanian women, who had once been enemies of Amendolara.

At the same time, the Senate also passed another resolution: All Lucanian captives would become state slaves, forced to work without pay until death. However, no one in Amendolara was permitted to harm these slaves, as they were the property of the polis.

After that, Davos proposed another motion.

Whenever Davos was about to propose a new motion, Cornelius couldn't help but get nervous. Davos's proposals repeatedly broke the traditions of Amendolara, to the point that Cornelius was suffering from mild mental depression. But this time, the proposal was relatively normal.

Before attacking the Lucanian tribal coalition, Davos had made a promise to the slaves: after victory, he would grant them freedom.

After annihilating the Lucanian coalition, Thurii had taken back the thousand-plus slaves they had lent to Davos. At the same time, they carried back Davos's request: that he fulfill his pre-battle promise and grant them freedom. The remaining nearly three hundred slaves were those the mercenary army had plundered and collected along the way in Persia. They had accompanied the mercenaries through countless battles and hardships. In Davos's words, these slaves were "our own people." Thus, all twenty-odd senators unanimously passed Davos's motion.

But Davos's next proposal sparked controversy: The freedmen could either leave freely or apply to become citizens of Amendolara.

Strombopoli was the first to stand up and express strong opposition. "Amendolara has never had such a precedent—making slaves into citizens of the polis! If we do this, Amendolara will become a laughingstock in Magna Graecia!" His words won nods from several old-citizen senators.

Then Antonios stood up to rebut: "Honorable members, note that after the previous motion passed, they are no longer slaves—they are freedmen. Every polis has a precedent for accepting freedmen as citizens. Amendolara, in particular, has done so by generously accepting us outsiders and making us citizens of Amendolara—including even a Persian! Why can't we show the same generosity toward these freedmen? Moreover, we have already begun discussing Lord Davos's 'Immigration Act.' Wouldn't it be fitting to make these people—formerly slaves, now freedmen, who have contributed and sacrificed for Amendolara—the first beneficiaries of that act?"

The new citizens agreed wholeheartedly, while the old citizens were momentarily speechless.

Amyntas rose and recounted a story of how, during the fighting in Persia, a slave had saved his life by sacrificing himself. He concluded loudly, "They are not slaves; they are our brothers! We should repay them!"

Helpus briefly described how the slaves in the medical camp had worked day and night assisting the doctors in treating the wounded.

Then Mesis, with exaggerated words, told how the slaves under his command had quickly calculated sums and distributed supplies without a single mistake, providing the best support for the mercenary army's victories. He proudly declared they were the finest administrators!

Though only twenty-one men were in the chamber, the atmosphere grew increasingly lively. Without Davos needing to say a word, the motion passed. After discussion, the senators formulated this resolution: After these freedmen's applications for Amendolara citizenship were confirmed, there would be a two-year probation period. During those two years, they must reside within Amendolara's territory, learn to speak Greek, thoroughly understand the laws of Amendolara, and have no record of violating the law or discipline. At the end of the two-year probation period, they would pay two hundred drachmas to the polis and obtain preparatory citizen status. If, during significant actions by Amendolara, they volunteered to participate—for example, in war—then their probation period could be shortened based on their merits.

At that moment, the senators did not realize that the passage of this motion, together with the earlier "Davos Immigration Act," would have profound implications for the future Greek history of the Mediterranean. And the cases of Mariji and these three hundred slaves becoming Greek citizens would become important precedents for future poleis under Davos's rule in accepting freedmen and slaves.