The Rise Of An Empire In Ancient Europe-Chapter 135: The Thurii Diplomatic Incident

Juleios pulled a parchment scroll from his pocket, sneering,

"The people of Thurii have truly short memories! Fortunately, I still have a copy!" He handed the scroll to the senators, who passed it around. The document clearly contained Juleios’s promise to grant the slaves freedom, signed by Bourkos as a witness and by the Thurii generals Kunogorata and Neonsis.

At the time, to keep the mercenaries stationed at the Sybaris Plains, the Thurii generals had agreed to almost any conditions.

They assumed the mercenaries wouldn’t hold their position for long, and every bit of attrition inflicted on the Lucanians was a gain. The more than 2,000 slaves were viewed as expendable pawns.

They hadn’t anticipated that the mercenaries would go on the offensive—and win.

Now that the frugal Neonsis was in power, he was naturally unwilling to grant freedom to the remaining 1,000-plus slaves.

A critical concern was that freeing these slaves could inspire unrest among the 8,000–9,000 mining slaves still in Thurii. With Thurii’s limited citizen population, managing such an uprising would be near impossible.

Not to mention the ongoing disputes over citizenship with the free citizens in the port.

When the scroll reached Pleisinas, he didn’t even glance at it. Instead, he tore it into pieces with both hands, shouting,

"It’s fake! It’s fake!"

This brazen act infuriated everyone present. Scombras, known for his fiery temper, was the first to rush over.

Grabbing Pleisinas, he punched him while shouting,

"How dare you tear it! How dare you!"

Punch after punch landed until others intervened, pulling Scombras away. Pleisinas, battered and terrified, cried out,

"Help! Murder! Does Amendolara intend to declare war on Thurii?"

"Throw him out of Amendolara!" Juleios declared with disdain. "And don’t forget to give him silver coins equivalent to the ransom for all the mining slaves who sought refuge here. Let Thurii know we’re not thieves of their property."

"Yes, my lord," replied Mersis, though with a grimace. "But we may not have enough money."

After thinking for a moment, Juleios said,

"Then write a promissory note in the name of the Amendolara Senate. We’ll repay it when we have the funds."

Cornelius interjected,

"If we do this, other slaves who fought in the war might all come running to Amendolara!"

"Let them come," Juleios replied solemnly. "They helped us win the war against the Lucanians and paid with their blood and lives. In the name of the just Hades, we should honor our vows to them."

"That’s far too generous for the people of Thurii!" Mersis grumbled.

"Those who break their oaths to the gods will face divine retribution," Juleios said coldly. Then, turning to the still-stunned Aristocrates, he declared,

"You are now free. You may go wherever you wish."

Overcome with emotion, Aristocrates trembled and responded,

"Thank you, my lord! We... wish to remain in Amendolara... And I personally vow to repay the money Amendolara spent to grant us freedom!"

Juleios, seeing the sincerity in Aristocrates’s words, nodded in approval.

"Good."

Upon his return, Pleisinas wasted no time spreading tales of Amendolara’s "atrocities," attempting to incite public anger.

Amendolara, however, had prepared its countermeasures. Through Thurii patients who had visited Amendolara for medical treatment, they shared their version of the events in the Senate.

As a result, Thurii’s citizens were left torn, uncertain about which version of the story to believe.

Thurii’s city council reacted swiftly to the ongoing tensions with Amendolara. They issued a strong demand:

Amendolara must immediately return the escaped slaves, or it would be considered a breach of their alliance, and Thurii would not stand idly by. freёnovelkiss.com

The Amendolara Senate refused, reminding Thurii of its original promise to grant freedom to the slaves who had fought for their survival.

In response, Thurii escalated the situation:

Banned Thurii citizens from traveling to Amendolara.Imposed heavy taxes on foreign merchants who traded in Thurii after visiting Amendolara.

Due to Amendolara’s storage facilities still being under construction, there were few merchants visiting the city. However, a significant number of patients from Thurii continued to seek treatment in Amendolara. As a result, the trade impact was minimal.

Amendolara responded strategically:

They conducted their citizen-soldier military training along the Saraceno River, creating a grand spectacle. This caused unease among Thurii’s citizens and slaves working the Sybaris Plains.

Despite Thurii’s protests, no further action was taken. Both sides seemed to settle into a tense silence.

Juleios’s Dilemma

Juleios did not wish for relations with Thurii to deteriorate, but the situation forced him to choose:

Side with Thurii, which would benefit his future plans to attack the Lucanians but require him to break his promise.Stand by his promise to free the slaves, potentially risking the alliance with Thurii.

Juleios reasoned that the alliance could be rebuilt in the future, but breaking his oath would damage not only his reputation but also that of Amendolara. Upholding promises was crucial to Amendolara’s credibility, especially as many of the city’s reforms relied on trust from its citizens and outsiders. A city-state that honored its commitments—no matter the circumstances—would be the foundation of Amendolara’s integrity and growth.

The Crotonian Envoy

While tensions between Amendolara and Thurii simmered, an envoy from Croton arrived in Thurii.

The Corinthian Games

At the end of June, the Amendolara Senate convened to discuss hosting a selection competition for athletes to represent the city at the upcoming Isthmian Games in Corinth, one of the four major Panhellenic festivals. While not as ancient as the Olympics, the games were highly prestigious.

Juleios hoped the athletes would showcase Amendolara’s renewed vigor and vitality to the Greek world. He even considered accompanying the athletes to Corinth, relishing the opportunity to witness the games as an honored guest.

Trouble in Thurii

The Crotonian envoy visiting Thurii came not to negotiate but to accuse Thurii of breaching an old agreement. The charge?

Building a settlement on the ruins of ancient Sybaris, violating a pact with Croton.

Thurii’s generals, including Neonsis, tried to explain:

The "settlement" was a temporary mercenary camp established to counter the Lucanian invasion, and it had been dismantled shortly after.

However, the Crotonian envoy rejected this explanation. Their true motive was revealed:

Following Croton’s costly war with the Bruttians, their treasury was depleted. Seeking reparations from a weakened Thurii seemed an easy target. Croton believed Thurii would not risk angering such a powerful state and would likely agree to negotiate the compensation amount.

The envoy presented an exorbitant list of demands.

Neonsis’s Calculations

Seeing the list, Thurii’s generals immediately recognized the demands as extortion. Neonsis, the pragmatic and frugal leader, was unwilling to concede:

He had already risked straining relations with Amendolara to avoid granting freedom to over a thousand slaves.He now refused to submit to Croton’s coercion.

Neonsis informed the envoy that Thurii’s council would need to deliberate collectively before providing a response.

Once the envoy left, Neonsis ordered Pleisinas to discreetly spread the news among Thurii’s citizens, stirring public outrage against Croton. His goals were twofold:

Demonstrate Thurii’s resolve to the Crotonian envoy, strengthening Thurii’s position in negotiations.Deflect public criticism if the city ultimately agreed to Croton’s demands.

The Unexpected Backlash

Neonsis underestimated the intensity of Thurii’s citizens, particularly the descendants of the Sybarites.

A century earlier, Croton had defeated and destroyed Sybaris, displacing its people. The Sybarites rebuilt their city, only to face another Crotonian invasion that annihilated it again. Many Sybarites fled to mainland Greece, where Athens, under Pericles, rallied support to rebuild the city as Thurii.

Conflict soon arose between the Sybarites and other settlers, as the former sought to make Thurii their own. Violence erupted, resulting in the Sybarites being expelled. A few remained in secret, passing their hatred of Croton down through generations.

This latent resentment surfaced when Croton’s envoy arrived. Fueled by their ancestral grudge, the Sybarite descendants incited the already agitated populace.

A mob of thousands overwhelmed the few soldiers stationed near the envoy’s lodging. They stormed the inn and brutally assaulted the Crotonian envoy. By the time Neonsis arrived with reinforcements, the envoy had already been killed.

The 𝘮ost uptodat𝑒 novels are pub𝙡ished on fre(e)webno(v)el.𝒸𝑜𝘮