Volume 5: The Hegemon of Southern Italy, Chapter 116: Winning Over Bisignia

Drakos just chuckled. This time the Second Army Corps was no longer the First Army Corps’s sidekick, and he felt very proud.

Davos patted his shoulder firmly and asked again, “Where is the hero who swam across the Crati River?”

“He was injured while crossing the river and is receiving treatment from the doctor inside the city. He can’t go out for now,” Drakos replied.

“Injured! Is it serious?!” Davos asked with concern.

“The doctor said a few of his left ribs were broken, his lungs were damaged, and he has some external injuries, but after a period of rest, he will recover.”

“Without him, we wouldn’t have today’s victory! We must take good care of him!” Davos instructed earnestly.

“Rest assured, my lord. We will take good care of him!”

Davos nodded, about to say something more, when he saw a large group of people approaching from not far away. He immediately put on a smile and strode toward the oldest of the Besidians: “Is that Chief Bagiripi?!”

Bagiripi hastily bent over, preparing to perform the highest Bruttian salute: “Bagiripi, Chief of the Besidia Pega Tribe, pays respects to Lord Magistrate Davos!”

Davos quickly stopped him and said warmly, “Thank you! Without your help, Besidia would not have restored peace so quickly! The people of Daonia and Besidia should all be grateful to you! Because of your decisiveness and selflessness, not one more of their loved ones will die in vain! …”

Davos’s words actually stirred the emotions of this white-haired old man. One must know that in the past few days, many among the Besidians had called him a “traitor,” so the frustration in his heart was understandable. At that moment, the young man before him gave him the feeling of a “rare bosom friend.”

“It is precisely because of your achievements that, upon my proposal, the Daonia Senate convened an emergency meeting and passed it by a majority vote in the election. You will become a member of the Daonia Senate, just like Vespa and Hemon of Lucania, becoming a respected senator in the entire Daonia Alliance. I wonder if you are willing to accept?”

Upon hearing Davos’s words, the composed Bagiripi showed a stunned expression, but soon he answered without hesitation, as if afraid that Davos might change his mind, because this was exactly what he had hoped for: “I am willing! I thank the Senate for its trust in me!”

Davos grasped his arms and laughed heartily, “Excellent! From now on, we are one family!”

Drakos, Adrianx, and others all congratulated Bagiripi.

Bagiripi rarely showed a smile.

At this moment, a cough came from behind him, and he remembered what he had overlooked. He hurriedly turned around and said, “Lord Davos, let me introduce you. This is—”

“Chief Brim of Besidia!” Before he could finish, Davos had already taken the lead in greeting him. On the road, he had already learned in detail about the prominent figures of Besidia. Now, he said warmly, “It was with your help that Drakos and his men held the fort! Likewise, the Daonia Senate, to thank you for everything you have done, invites you to join the Senate!”

Brim, after hearing Bagiripi’s translation, was somewhat stunned. Earlier, when he saw the Cosenza army withdrawing from the fort, he understood that Besidia would no longer belong to the Bruttii, but suddenly being assigned to an alliance dominated by Greeks, he was still a bit psychologically unable to accept it.

“Speak! Cat got your tongue from happiness?!” Bagiripi gave him a meaningful look and pushed him.

“I… I am very happy…” Brim mumbled softly.

Davos didn’t mind and laughed heartily, “Senator Brim, take good care of your injuries! The coming battles will still rely on your help!”

Brim had just responded when Kerelu squeezed forward. Before he could speak, Davos looked at him and said loudly, “I know you, Kerelu, hero of Besidia! If you hadn’t stepped forward, how could the warriors of Besidia have returned home so smoothly!”

After hearing Bagiripi’s translation, Kerelu did not expect that the Daonia magistrate, whom he had never met, not only recognized him but also knew about his deeds. He felt both excited and proud.

“Originally, I had proposed to the Senate that you also join the Senate, but after all, you are too young and have never managed a tribe before. The senators believe that you should first serve as a Daonia affairs officer, and after accumulating some administrative experience, the doors of the Senate will open for you!” Davos specifically explained to him. He had indeed made the proposal to the Senate, but it was just a show. He himself did not want to let this young man enter the Senate now, as it would only lower the quality of the senators and make people think the Senate’s threshold was too low. Although previously, senators like Amyntas, Alpuenshi, Laedes, and others were not of high quality, that was during the founding stage when Davos needed a lot of support. Now the situation was different.

Although Kerelu was a bit disappointed, as someone who, not long ago, was an ordinary member of the Besidia Nikurus tribe and in the blink of an eye became a tribal chief, he could not expect too much. So he said modestly, “Compared to Chiefs Bagiripi and Brim, I still know too little. I will do my utmost to help my people adapt to our new home—Daonia.”

Davos nodded. Although this chief was young, he was steady and knew his boundaries. Davos was satisfied with him in this position.

Before entering the city, Davos also went to that small river beach.

Amid the roar of the Crati River, he listened to Drakos recount the details of the surprise attack on Besidia. Although the plan was discussed and drafted by him, witnessing the surging river, he deeply felt the thrilling danger of that night and could not help but be moved as he said, “Seclian hopes to leave his name in the Hall of Heroes. I believe there is absolutely no problem with that! It was the courage and fearlessness of him and another brave warrior that allowed us to stand on this beach! I hope their deeds will inspire the citizens of Daonia to be brave in contributing to the alliance, and the alliance will forever remember those who have made contributions!”

“My lord, you are absolutely right!” Drakos felt the same.

Most of the Besidians who followed Davos to the river beach now learned the reason for the town’s fall and sighed with emotion. Some even thought: If they had built one or two watchtowers on the beach at that time, none of this would have happened today…

Then, Davos turned around and said to Bagiripi and the others, “Thurii and Besidia are actually not too far apart, yet a river’s separation makes travel between them so difficult, and also makes the lives of the Besidian people difficult… Therefore, after this war ends, we will not only build a rope bridge here, but also build a real bridge, so that Besidia city is no longer a poor and remote place, but a thoroughfare where merchants gather and travelers pass. Besidia city will surely prosper! Because from Thurii to the Cosenza Plateau, the road through Besidia is the shortest!”

Davos’s words stirred the hearts of Bagiripi and other Besidians who could understand Greek.

Back at the city gate, he rejected the request to “let the army enter the city” and ordered the newly arrived First Army Corps, allied troops, and Corps reserve soldiers to expand and occupy the defense camp to the east. But tens of thousands of fully armed troops made a neat turn in front of the city gate, still instilling fear in the Besidians.

After entering the council hall of Besidia city, Davos wasted no time in discussing the issue of Besidia’s affiliation with the three Besidian chiefs and a few tribal nobles. After half a day of discussion, an agreement was finally reached:

1. After Besidia is incorporated into the Daonia Alliance, the Senate will send a City Administrator to manage the administrative affairs of Besidia city.

2. The jurisdiction over the tribes’ affiliated people and land still belongs to each tribe, with the tribal chief exercising management rights. The City Administrator must not interfere.

3. The land tax must be paid on time by the chiefs, and military training must also be attended regularly.

4. Given that Besidia is the first town in the Bruttium region to be incorporated into Daonia, each tribe may apply to the Senate to exchange for more fertile tribal lands.

5. The rights and obligations enjoyed by the Besidians are the same as those of the Lucanians. At the same time, when they voluntarily request to leave the tribe and live independently, the tribal chief must not obstruct them.

…

After the agreement was reached, Bagiripi hesitated and said, “Lord Davos… I have a small request.”

“Please speak,” Davos replied politely.

“As the lifelong magistrate of the most powerful city-state alliance in southern Italy, your personal guard is too few! Like our Bruttian great chiefs, every one of them has two or three hundred or even thousands of personal guards. Therefore, I hope that my nephew Rodom can become your guard, to protect your safety. At the same time, he can also receive your guidance and learn how to become a qualified Daonia citizen…”

Rodom? Davos recalled that energetic young man from the welcome party earlier. He was about to respond when others in the hall clearly realized the benefits of Bagiripi’s proposal and began shouting loudly: “Lord Davos, my son also wants to become your guard!”

“And my two sons!”

“We have five in our tribe!”

The reason the people in the hall were so eager was simply due to Besidian tradition. When Nikurus was tyrannical, almost every family among those present had sent children to serve under him as guards. Now, as the conquered, they inevitably felt uncertain about gains and losses. Being able to get close to the highest authority of Daonia and add an extra layer of security for their families and tribes—why wouldn’t they be happy to do so?

Davos understood their thoughts to some extent. He did not respond immediately, thinking about another matter: According to Daonia law, the maximum number of guards for the magistrate is one hundred, and they have always been led by Martius.