CH 770

Chapter 770 – Catastrophe of the Latium Populace

“Most labourers are slaves and Latins, some sailors are Etruscans, and some are Campanians…”

Davos asked while feeling surprised, “No Romans?”

“There are some Roman merchants and residents, but we haven’t found them among the labourers and sailors in the port due to the short time…” Miltiades explained.

Upon hearing this, a glimmer of hope rose in Davos’ heart. According to the information he had previously gathered, many in Rome lived in poverty, some even selling themselves into slavery, thus increasing the conflict with the nobility.

But after Davos thought about it again, Ostia was a small city with few Roman citizens to begin with. And perhaps because Rome had gained a lot of land in the year since the invasion of Volsci and the attack on Hernici, the Roman plebeians had new places to go…

Thinking of that, Davos asked again, “What about those slaves? Who are they?”

“There were our allies, the Volscians and the Hernicans, the Aequians, the Etruscans…and basically all alien races which the Romans captured after their defeat. Thus they welcomed our arrival and were willing to pull our warships because we promised them freedom.” Miltiades said with some excitement.

Davos nodded, but the noise ahead suddenly drew his attention: Thousands of people were gathered in the clearing, lit by torches and guarded by soldiers. Although the weather was still cold in early spring, half of these people wore only thin, simple linen clothes, and some were even half-naked. Even though they had separated the clothed and the half-naked gathered into two, they all glanced uneasily at the heavily armed soldiers around them occasionally.

Martius first led the guard into the open space, but their splendid attire and neat, firm steps drew the crowd’s attention.

“King Davos of Theonia is here!” Martius shouted, which was then repeated loudly in Latin. As a result, a considerable commotion among the crowd in a daze.

The guards quickly lined up, followed by two tall and muscular soldiers carrying the banner of the kingdom and a shining golden sceptre. Then came a middle-aged man in a golden helmet and armour, with coloured plumes of his helmet fluttering in the wind. He had an imposing demeanour as he walked leisurely towards them, surrounded by a group of Theonian officials dressed in magnificent chitons.

Suddenly, the noise in the open space disappeared. The people curled uneasily as they unconsciously retreated while casting curious glances. However, when their eyes met Davos’, they hastily lowered their heads like frightened rabbits.

“I am Davos, the king of Theonia!” After introducing himself in a simple sentence, Davos said loudly, “Over the past decade, the Romans continuously attacked the surrounding races and forces, plundering the land, killing the people, and forcibly turning captives into slaves, with extreme greed and bloodshed! Worried about getting exterminated by Rome, the Volscians and Hernicans allied with us, Theonia.(Davos had already formed an alliance with the Hernicans before leading his army north)

We had first sent envoys to negotiate with Rome, hoping they would halt their invasion of the Volsci and Hernici and return the land they occupied. Unexpectedly, the Romans ignored our advice and instead accelerated their invasion of these two races. Now the Romans have surrounded the Hernicans’ city of Ferentinum and could be wiped out at any moment. Meanwhile, the Volscian soldiers are powerless to stop the subsequent Roman invasion, having suffered a defeat in the previous invasion.

Fearing us stopping their invasion, Rome had even encouraged its ally Carthage to break the peace agreement it had kept with Theonia for years and declare war on us! So – I have come here to lead the Theonian army to fulfil the covenant, to protect Theonia’s allies, the Volsci and Hernici, and to punish Rome and its allies who have dared to defy Theonia’s dignity and provoke war by defeating them once and for all!”

Davos patiently told this to a group of lowly civilians and slaves so as to explain to all forces and races in the Latium region and even the surrounding areas why the Theonian army had come and their purpose.

After a few men repeated Davos’ words in Latin, some people in the crowd shouted, “Kill the Romans! Save Hernici(Volsci)! We want freedom!…”

Davos looked up and saw a group of half-naked people with agitated expressions, some even shedding tears, causing a greater commotion throughout the clearing.

Martius immediately placed his hands on his short sword, stepped forward, and shouted, “Silence!” The guards immediately roared in unison, silencing the crowd again.

Davos looked at them and said sincerely, “Theonia’s only enemies are the Romans and the city-states that assist the Romans in their fight against us. So any city-state or people who remain neutral in this war, or even offer their help to Theonia, will be considered our friends and will gain the friendship of the Theonians! You-” Davos pointed his finger at the slaves, “will be released in a few days. And we will even provide you with some rations to ensure you can safely return to your families. But if you can assist the military during your stay in Ostia, you will also receive some payment as a reward.”

Davos’ words brought smiles to the slaves, some even bowing to Davos, using their etiquette to express their gratitude. However, Davos returned their bowing, despite their lowly status.

As a result, his friendly demeanour not only won him the favour of the slaves but also made the labourers less nervous.

At this point, Davos exclaimed with a serious look, “Before I came to Latium, I thought that only the Romans were destroying the peace of this region. But after I arrived, I realised that an equally terrible evil was making the people of this land suffer as if they were living in hell, and that was…”

Seeing that he had drawn the labourers’ attention, Davos loudly said, “Nobles! The nobles of Rome! The nobles of the Latin city-states! They were like vicious wolves who ignored their fellow people, using their power and money to take over the land of their people shamelessly and then forcing the landless to become their slaves to produce wealth for them like livestock and leaving them dying in the fields without even burying their bones! And those who didn’t want to become slaves and serve the nobles were forced to flee the city, wandering around, living a difficult life and unable to support their wives and children…”

Davos said this in a heavy tone, and after listening to the interpreters’ emotional translation, the labourers recalled their tragic experiences, some even sobbing softly.

Upon seeing this sight, Davos took advantage of the situation and asked one of the interpreters, “What’s your name? Where did you come from? What do you do for a living?”

The young interpreter replied, “I am Adrius, a citizen of Gabii in Latium. A dozen years ago, when the Gauls invaded Latium, they took not only Rome but also Gabii, which isn’t far from Rome. After the Gauls were repulsed and we returned to our home, we found that a nobleman seized our lands on the banks of the Anio, a tributary of the Tiber. But because the Gauls had destroyed the village and ravaged the city hall, we could not prove the land belonged to us, and the nobleman had paid off the judge… Not only did we lose the case, but they also falsely accused my father and sentenced him to get flogged… Dragging his wounded body, my father left Gabii in anger with my mother, brother, and I…” By the time he said this, his eyes had reddened a little.

“My god, you’re just like me. My land was also forcibly occupied after the war!”

“Although my case isn’t like yours, my wife was sick, so I had to borrow money from a wealthy man to treat her illness. I thought I could pay off my debt by selling the grain for the autumn harvest, but I didn’t expect him to say that the money could only pay off the interest. As a result, that wealthy man forcibly took over my land!”

“What you have borrowed is at high interest! Damn the nobility! Damn the rich! The Senate only helps these rich people, leaving no way for us to survive!”

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

The experience recounted by this black-haired, black-eyed Latin quickly resonated with the previously silent Latin labourers.

After carefully reading the intelligence collected from Latium, Davos realises that the fierce conflict between the nobility and the plebeians was present not only in Rome but also in other Latin city-states and was even more severe. The insatiable greed of the nobility left the plebeians with heavy debts, making it even harder for them to survive. After all, they aren’t like Rome, which could expand its territory and acquire more slaves using force, providing their plebeians with some respite. Other city-states did not have this luxury. Moreover, they had also rebelled against Rome and lost, so the Romans took some of their lands, resulting in a shortage of arable land and increased conflicts over land and annexations. And that was exactly what Davos wanted.

“How did you survive afterwards?” A labourer asked aloud, curiosity filling his face.

So Adrius pointed to his feet and continued, “My father used to work here, but the port of Ostia wasn’t as busy as now, so he didn’t earn enough money for our family to live on. So he took a risk by taking us to Neapolis in the south-”

“Oh, that’s the Campanian region the Greeks occupied. However, their maritime trade is indeed much more prosperous than here!” Someone exclaimed.

“But soon after, my father’s old injury resurfaced, and he was almost unable to walk. Through the help of a kind-hearted man, we brought my father to Pompeii, which was not far from Neapolis, where we sought help from the priest at the Temple of Hades. But apart from curing my father for free, the benevolent priest also provided our family with a place to live in the temple and free food for some time. He had also informed us of the city of Irna, located in the kingdom of Theonia, not far south of Pompeii. Not only does the city provide many job opportunities there, but you can also apply to the city hall to become a Theonian citizen if you are willing and easily obtain approval. And after following the laws and working diligently in Irna for a few years, one could obtain Theonian citizenship and even acquire land…”