The Rise Of An Empire In Ancient Europe-Chapter 113: Aid from Tarentum

At the meeting, some were grumbling, "Isn’t 200 drachmas too much for freedmen?"

Others retorted, "It should be higher, so they understand that becoming Amendolaran citizens is not easy and learn to cherish it."

By the next day, news spread from the registrar Raphaelias: the Consul’s wife, Cristoia, had prepaid the fees for ten freedmen. At the same time, Mersis also advanced payments for six freedmen.

Only then did everyone realize the value of these freedmen. Not to mention Mersis’s sharp eye for talent—he had recruited numerous skilled accountants and craftsmen during the Persian campaign. Even the ordinary slaves were mostly strong individuals who had served as laborers in the baggage camp and endured many battles. With just a little training, they could become qualified soldiers.

What was even more valuable was that most of them were Persian farmers.

In the Mediterranean, three groups of farmers were renowned for their expertise in agriculture:

The Persians: From the fertile lands of Mesopotamia, they cultivated some of the finest farmers.The Egyptians: The annual flooding of the Nile drove them to devote their lives to two things—farming and worship.The Carthaginians: Maritime trade and agriculture were their twin pillars of power, and they even compiled farming manuals.

By contrast, the Greeks, constrained by poor-quality land, often turned to maritime trade, livestock farming, olive cultivation, winemaking, and crafts instead of agriculture.

The new citizens of Amendolara, busy fighting in various places, were complete novices when it came to farming. As a result, the 300 freedmen were quickly divided up. Citizens who failed to hire freedmen had no choice but to go to Tarentum’s market to buy slaves (Tarentum had the largest slave market in Magna Graecia at the time). Some citizens even began eyeing the numerous freedmen in neighboring Thurii, but that’s a story for another time.

After dealing with the slave proposal, the Senate did not immediately adjourn. Marigi had returned from Tarentum.

Traveling by sea, Amendolara wasn’t far from Tarentum. From the port of Thurii, with favorable winds, it took less than two hours to reach Tarentum. Sending Marigi to Tarentum had been a risky choice on Juleios’s part—he simply didn’t have better personnel at the time.

As a Persian, Marigi initially struggled to gain access in Tarentum. Fortunately, Archita anticipated this and wrote a letter for Marigi to deliver to his father, Histiaius. Combined with Marigi’s flattery and the lavish, novel gifts he brought, the senior senator Histiaius actively mediated for him, sparking enthusiasm among Tarentum’s Senate and Consuls for Amendolara’s proposal to ally with Tarentum.

Of course, Histiaius wasn’t the main reason for Tarentum’s interest in the mercenaries’ proposal. The real reason lay elsewhere.

Although Tarentum and Thurii had ceased hostilities decades ago and were both part of the defense alliance, the alliance was loose and lacked binding power. Tarentum, which had initiated the alliance, had made efforts to sustain it. However, among city-states with deep-seated animosities, avoiding mutual sabotage was already difficult—such as between Crotone and Locri.

Even Tarentum harbored some resentment toward Thurii. Years ago, as one of the leading powers in Magna Graecia, Tarentum had suffered two consecutive defeats to the newly established Thurii. Although a ceasefire agreement was later signed, with both city-states jointly founding Heraclea, Tarentum had lost significant prestige in Magna Graecia.

Now, Amendolara—a former ally of Thurii—was seeking an alliance with Tarentum. Tarentum’s Senate saw this as an opportunity to regain face. Additionally, Amendolara’s alliance could help protect Heraclea, one of Tarentum’s dependent city-states. They had no reason to refuse.

However, Marigi’s additional request put them in a difficult position: he asked for aid, citing Amendolara’s recent turmoil and dire need for resources to survive.

As a newly forged ally, and a wealthy city-state, providing material aid should have been a small matter for Tarentum. However, the scale of the resources Marigi requested was substantial, forcing the Senate to deliberate.

The following day, Archita returned to Tarentum with his troops. Reporting to the Senate about his expedition, Archita emphasized the combat prowess of the mercenaries and Juleios’s outstanding military leadership. He also stressed that Amendolara was now governed by these mercenaries-turned-new-citizens.

Previously, Marigi had praised the mercenaries for their role in defeating the Lucanian coalition, but this had only aroused dissatisfaction among some senators, who saw it as an attempt to claim Tarentum’s credit. Now that Archita—a trusted figure—echoed the same sentiments and lavished praise on Juleios, the Senate began to realize that this nascent Amendolara could not only shield Heraclea but also serve other purposes.

As a result, not only was Marigi’s requested aid fully approved, but additional supplies were added.

When Marigi announced the alliance agreement with Tarentum at the Senate, the elder citizens of Amendolara didn’t feel much. To them, it was just a change of ally—from Thurii to Tarentum—with little difference in content.

However, Marigi himself, a Persian and now an Amendolaran citizen, drew their attention. His fluent Greek and the two legislative proposals he had introduced left the elder citizens with complex feelings.

Then Marigi read the list of supplies Tarentum was providing:

100 tons of grain1,000 pounds of salted fish200 sets of round shields and spears100 bolts of linen fabric

With each item announced, the senators’ faces lit up with joy. Before Marigi could finish, everyone burst into cheers: Tarentum was truly generous! The 100 tons of grain alone would sustain Amendolara’s entire population for six months, by which time their wheat fields would be ready for harvest. Amendolara’s biggest crisis was thus effortlessly resolved.

Marigi concluded, "Due to the large quantity of supplies, Tarentum will ship them to Heraclea in batches by sea and then transport them here. The first batch will arrive tomorrow!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire Senate broke into applause.

Seizing the moment, Juleios loudly proposed, "Given Marigi’s tremendous contributions to Amendolara, I propose that Amendolaran citizen and city-state trade officer Marigi be made a senator!"

The proposal received enthusiastic support from the new citizens, while the elder citizens reluctantly raised their hands.

The Senate also decided that Chief Administrator Cornelius and Overseer Antonios would lead a delegation to Tarentum the next day to express their gratitude and further discuss the details of the alliance.

After the meeting, Marigi quickly followed Juleios out of the chamber.

"Thank you, Lord, for your help! Not only have you made me a citizen of Amendolara, but also a trade officer, and now a noble senator!" Marigi said gratefully.

"It seems I didn’t lie to you," Juleios replied with a laugh.

"Lord, you always keep your word. How could you possibly lie!" Marigi exclaimed, seemingly forgetting what Juleios had promised when he first arrived in Magna Graecia.

"Marigi, you must remember, this isn’t my decision. This is a reward given by the Senate to thank you for your contributions to Amendolara!" Juleios said humbly, but also as a reminder.

Marigi glanced around and then lowered his voice, saying, "What Senate! All I know is that without you, Lord, I wouldn’t even be an Amendolaran citizen. Marigi will forever be loyal to you, Lord Juleios!"

Marigi’s words were heartfelt.

Juleios smiled again and said, "It seems you still need time to adapt to life as a citizen of a Greek city-state."

Marigi wanted to say more, but Juleios patted him on the shoulder and changed the subject. "How is Tarentum?"

Marigi, being a clever man, refrained from continuing the previous topic and answered seriously, "The time was too short, and I only managed a quick tour. Tarentum feels like a very large city with a large population, and there seem to be many wealthy people... Their port is bustling with merchant ships, and the market is vibrant. I estimate the daily trade volume is quite significant..." Marigi said with a look of envy.

Juleios nodded and asked, "I heard the Messapians have been invading Tarentum. What’s the current situation?"

Before joining the mercenaries, Marigi wouldn’t have cared about such matters, nor could he have offered a detailed answer. However, his time with the mercenaries had given him some military knowledge.

"The Messapians have already retreated. Their invading forces were primarily composed of cavalry and light infantry, avoiding direct confrontations with Tarentum’s heavy infantry. They’ve been harassing the lands outside Tarentum, but Tarentum hasn’t been able to deal with them effectively because they can’t catch up with the Messapians," Marigi explained.

"Cavalry? Do the Messapians have many cavalry?" Juleios asked keenly.

"I’m not sure. But I’ve heard that the terrain south of Tarentum lacks significant mountain ranges or rivers. Most of the land consists of flat grasslands, where the Messapians graze large herds of cattle, sheep, and horses," Marigi replied. freēwēbηovel.c૦m

Juleios’s thoughts stirred. He had assumed that, aside from the Gauls in the north of the Italian Peninsula, who had strong cavalry due to the expansive plains and wetlands of the Po River Valley, most forces on the peninsula were infantry-focused, with only small numbers of cavalry serving as a token presence. He hadn’t expected there to be a cavalry-heavy tribe in the south, on the "heel" of Italy’s "boot" (though Marigi’s information was incorrect; the Messapian forces weren’t predominantly cavalry).

"I must send Antonios to visit Tarentum and thoroughly investigate this Messapian power," Juleios thought to himself.

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