The Rise Of An Empire In Ancient Europe-Chapter 153: Bridge Construction and Senate Deliberations

Kunogorata sighed heavily, his expression solemn. He continued, "The warehouses and inns in Amendolara were originally built to generate revenue for the treasury and to benefit the citizens. If you, as an outsider, monopolize all these properties, what will the people of Amendolara think? Running a business is like governing a city-state—it’s not just about making money but also about winning people’s hearts."

He wanted to tell Sostatus that Juleios was an example worth emulating. Over time, Kunogorata had observed that this young leader was not only a military genius but also a political one. Every proposal Juleios made was always from the perspective of the city-state and its citizens, rarely for personal gain. It was easy to forget that Juleios was the sole lifetime governor. As long as Juleios maintained this approach, Kunogorata was willing to serve him loyally.

"Father... I understand," Sostatus replied reluctantly after some thought.

"Good," Kunogorata said with a satisfied smile. He then asked, "So, Sostatus, are you planning to focus on business and not take up public office?"

"Can’t someone in the Tula Alliance hold public office and engage in business at the same time?" Sostatus asked, puzzled.

"Of course, they can. Since you like working in the market, why not become a tax officer under Marigi? But you’ll need to pass a test first."

"A test?"

"You need to know arithmetic to be a tax officer!"

"That’ll be easy for me."

"In a few days, Governor Juleios will promulgate the Tula Alliance Public Office Law. It will grant every citizen the right to hold public office and receive a salary," Kunogorata revealed.

"Just like Athens!" Sostatus exclaimed.

"Not quite like Athens. You’ll understand when it’s announced," Kunogorata replied calmly, though inwardly he thought, This law will make the citizens, who already admire Juleios, revere him even more. What an audacious and remarkable young man!

Three months after the peace agreement with Croton, the road from the Sinni River ferry to Thurii was completed. On the day of completion, the Lucanians who had participated in the construction were commended by the Tula Alliance Senate with a reduction of six months from their labor term. With this, the Lucanians had only a year and a half left in their labor term (they had already earned a reduction of two and a half years for fighting Croton and another six months for capturing Melanthius and other high-ranking officers). Of course, they and the Crotonian prisoners still needed to continue building the road to Castellon.

The completion of the road between Heraclea and Thurii significantly improved travel. The wide, flat, and sturdy road reduced travel time by at least two-fifths, especially benefiting vehicles. In truth, once the slaves and prisoners became proficient at road construction, progress accelerated. The primary challenge lay in building bridges. This stretch of road had to cross four rivers. The Sinni River, already equipped with a pontoon bridge at the Amendolara-Heraclea border, didn’t require a new bridge. However, three other bridges needed to be constructed. Moreover, Juleios insisted on flat wooden bridges instead of pontoon or arch bridges to facilitate the transport of goods.

Young Heracleides spent most of his time pondering how to build the bridges. He sought advice from his father, experienced carpenters, and even two Pythagorean disciples on how to design a stable geometric framework. After refining his ideas, he presented a construction plan to Juleios, who approved it. However, Juleios added a stipulation: citizens, not prisoners, would build the bridges.

Juleios also issued an order that on military training days, soldiers would spend their mornings participating in road construction. Juleios hoped the soldiers would acquire road and bridge-building skills to prepare for future campaigns.

Under Heracleides’s direction, soldiers began by tying felled logs into pairs and sharpening one end. These were driven diagonally into the riverbed. Parallel to the first set, another pair of logs was driven in ten meters away. A strong beam was laid across the tops of the paired logs, secured firmly to create bridge piers. Once the piers were in place, wooden planks were laid to form the bridge surface. Afterward, railings were added, and the piers were reinforced to withstand the long-term impact of water flow.

The first bridge, spanning 15 meters in length and 9 meters in width, was completed in seven days across the Bradanos River. With the experience gained, subsequent bridges were built more quickly. By the time the third bridge was constructed, it took only two days to complete. When Juleios heard the news, he praised Heracleides and ordered the method for constructing flat wooden bridges to be documented in the Tula Alliance Military Code as a guide for future campaigns.

Encouraged by this recognition, Heracleides’s spirits were high. However, his next challenge loomed: constructing a bridge across the Crathis River. This task was far more difficult. Even though the bridge would be built at the site of the old pontoon bridge west of Thurii, where the river delta provided some buffer, the Crathis was over 20 meters wide, and the water too deep to wade through.

As Heracleides wrestled with the problem, Juleios sought to inspire him further. "Right now, the Tula Alliance is building wooden bridges. In the future, we will construct stone bridges—bridges high enough to allow three-decked warships to pass underneath. If you can accomplish that, you will become a master bridge-builder, remembered for generations!"

Juleios’s words filled Heracleides with both pressure and a burning determination to prove himself.

A few days later, the reconstruction of Thurii reached a temporary milestone. Crowds of freedmen flocked to the census registration office, overwhelming the registrar, Lafiatus, who received over ten thousand applications for Thurii citizenship in one day. Exhausted, he was forced to request additional staff from the Senate.

Meanwhile, the Senate convened to discuss a proposal: constructing a large forum capable of accommodating tens of thousands of citizens for assemblies and serving as a rally point for troops when the alliance marched to war.

"I have no objections to building a large forum," said Cornelus. "From Lafiatus’s plea for help, we can already see that the number of official citizens will easily exceed ten thousand in just a few years."

Cornelus, who had spent the past six months as the city administrator of Amendolara and three months on Thurii’s reconstruction, had gained experience and confidence. His remarks were met with laughter from many senators, who appreciated his wit.

However, Cornelus continued with a question, "But I am skeptical about whether the Senate Hall needs to seat six hundred people. Right now, the Senate has fewer than fifty members. Building such a large hall would waste the manpower and materials needed for Thurii’s reconstruction. And imagine how difficult it would be to hear discussions in such a vast space!"

Some senators nodded in agreement with Cornelus’s concerns.

At that moment, Juleios rose from where he had been sitting on the grass. (The Senate meeting was held in an open area of the camp, as the council hall had not yet been built.) His movement immediately drew everyone’s attention—not only because the proposal for the large Senate Hall was his idea, but also because the Thurian senators, who had recently survived the city’s destruction, viewed Juleios, the man who had twice saved Thurii and now led the new alliance, with awe and respect.

Juleios began, "The reconstruction of Thurii is not just about rebuilding homes for our citizens; it’s about planning for the future development of our alliance. That’s why we’ve built better roads, stronger bridges, a more strategically located port, larger forums, more organized districts, and unprecedented aqueducts. In time, the new Thurii will become one of the most beautiful city-states in Magna Graecia, perhaps even in the entire Greek world!"

Juleios paused, letting his words sink in, then continued, "If the Senate—the center of the alliance’s power, where our leaders deliberate on matters of life and death, prosperity and survival—remains unchanged, the citizens will not accept it. They’ll say, ’Look at that tiny Senate Hall—it doesn’t match our beautiful Thurii city."

While the senators chuckled softly, many of them nodded in agreement, acknowledging the logic in Juleios’s words.

Then, a hesitant voice broke the momentary pause. "Milord, perhaps we could simply make the assembly hall more refined... it doesn’t necessarily need to be so large."

Juleios turned toward the speaker, unfamiliar with the voice. Upon seeing the man, he recognized him—it was Bolus, someone he had met once before.

With calm conviction, Juleios responded, "The reason I proposed constructing an assembly hall capable of seating six hundred is not for today, but for the days to come. As the senators of Amendolara are well aware, just six months ago, our Senate numbered only twenty. Now, we are approaching fifty."

He paused to let the thought settle among the senators before continuing.

"In the future, we may welcome other city-states or tribes into our union. Just as we have done before, we will need to integrate their leaders—be they senators or tribal chieftains—into our Senate. This is not merely a gesture of goodwill. It is a crucial step to help new members feel represented, to ensure their interests are protected, and to stabilize their loyalty to the alliance."

He swept his gaze across the assembly, his tone firm and visionary.

"Imagine, a year from now, the Vespa tribe approaches us, requesting to join the union. Or Roscianum expresses its desire to become part of our alliance. Shouldn’t we be prepared to welcome them with open arms and seats at our table?"

The senators of Amendolara, long aware of Juleios’s ambitions in Lucania, were not surprised. His recent victories—defeating Croton and forging unity with Thurii—had proved his capabilities. Thus, they offered no resistance to his proposal.

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