Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece

Chapter 1102: Electing Regional Administrators (6)

Amyntas's reasoning was simple and blunt: seniority.

Davos found this surprising. If the Military Faction had reached a consensus, someone would have informed him beforehand. Since they had not, Amyntas must have acted on his own. Could it be that Amyntas—who had never shown any interest in Senate meetings—was getting restless after retiring from active duty and now wanted to make a name for himself in the Senate?

Agasias and Amyntas had, of course, been good friends since the expedition to Persia, maintaining close ties over the years. It was understandable that Amyntas wanted to lend his old friend a hand. But while quite a few mercenaries had moved into politics—Hylos, Capus, Sesta, Adriancus—Agasias was one of the less conspicuous ones. He had served as a Town Magistrate multiple times, always performing adequately but never delivering truly impressive administrative results. Therefore, Davos did not believe he could properly govern the region most ravaged by the war, nor did he think Agasias could quickly lead the people of the Southern Coast of Sicily and the Sicels out of their post-war plight.

Then again, nothing was absolute. Agasias was one of Davos's old subordinates and had always diligently completed every task assigned to him, so the king had no intention of interfering. However, if Amyntas thought a single rallying cry would garner the support of the Military Faction senators and his other allies, he was sorely mistaken.

The Kingdom of Daionia had been established for almost twenty years, and in that time, nearly a hundred military men had become senators. They each had their own interests and demands; the days when a mercenary senator could rally everyone with a single call were long gone. Even the navy, which had the fewest senators, could not maintain complete unity—they sometimes split between the Secilian and Midorades factions—let alone the massive army. Rising stars with outstanding military exploits like Prosous and Plintors did not even mingle with the mercenary senators. Newly appointed senators like Patroclus and Sextus would not blindly obey the elders. Generals from other regions, like Lizarus and Ulaza, had their own ethnic priorities. Even the mercenary senators themselves were not a monolith, fractured by disagreements between the military command and the legion commanders, as well as differences in personality and style between men like Alexis and Amyntas. This was exactly what Davos wanted. Only he could unite the Military Faction senators. If they could band together on their own, then it would be Davos's turn to worry.

Saru was the second to stand, once again recommending Hegesitus.

Davos actually approved of Hegesitus's abilities. But for Saru to make his recommendation now—was he really confident he could defeat the Military Faction senators? Or had Sedorum, the man backing him, seen through Amyntas's bluff? Perhaps Sedorum realized that the Southern Coastal Region of Sicily, with its small territory, sparse population, and complex issues like post-war reconstruction and integrating the mountain Sicels, lacked appeal to many senators, meaning the competition would not be too fierce?

Davos glanced toward Sedorum in the front row. The old man was quite shrewd, knowing to pick the softest target, but would things really go his way?

Davos leaned back in his chair, watching the situation unfold with great interest.

As expected, very few nominations followed. However, just as the protocol officer prepared to announce the start of voting, a shout rang out from behind him: "Wait! I have someone to recommend as well!"

An uproar swept through the venue.

Antaoris stood up and spoke with absolute conviction: "The law does not state that the Rotating Chairman presiding over the meeting has no right to make a nomination."

Oh, this is getting interesting! Davos stroked his chin, trying to guess who the man would recommend, ready for a good show.

Antaoris cleared his throat, puffed out his chest, and declared in a clear voice, "The person I recommend is Clerus!"

Sitting in the audience, Clerus froze upon hearing this. He had not spoken with Antaoris beforehand and never expected the Rotating Chairman to recommend him. In truth, he had been coveting the position of Regional Administrator for the Southern Coastal Region of Sicily and had even considered nominating himself. But after seeing Amyntas and Saru put forth their candidates, he figured his chances were slim and decided to give up. He never expected things to take such a sudden turn.

"Lord Clerus first served as Town Magistrate in Clampetia," Antaoris said. "Since then, he has spent his time in the mountainous regions of Sicily—four years in Hena, four years in Henna. His administrative achievements have always been outstanding, and he has deeply earned the trust of the Sicels. As we all know, most of the territory in the Southern Coastal Region of Sicily is mountainous, and the majority of its population consists of Sicels. Once the Sicel issue is handled properly, the problems of the Southern Region of Sicily will be easily resolved. Clerus is the best candidate for this."

Davos nodded slightly, thinking Antaoris had a good point. Truth be told, he really had forgotten about Clerus as a candidate.

Sedorum felt increasingly restless. First Brelius, and now Clerus—one Bisinian after another making him look bad and turning him into a laughingstock among the other senators. Although Bisinia had long since been incorporated into Thurii, those two were still Bruttians. Clerus, in particular, used to be close to Baripiri and rarely interacted with him. But now, Sedorum was the leader of the Bruttians and a Rotating Chairman of the Senate. If Clerus wanted to run for office, why hadn't he informed him? Why let this guy intervene instead!

Staring at Antaoris behind the rostrum, Sedorum felt a surge of frustration. Antaoris always acted purely on his own preferences. He would mercilessly refute someone in front of the entire Senate, leaving them with no place to hide, or he would throw his full support behind someone he deemed suitable for Town Magistrate. Although he did not belong to any particular faction, many senators had come to respect him over his years serving as a Rotating Chairman. With his recommendation, Hegesitus was not guaranteed to win.

Even as Sedorum wallowed in his frustration, the debate in the hall had already begun. "Clerus spent four years in Hena, then another four years in Henna! He has been in the same region for eight years. That exceeds the term limit! He shouldn't be allowed to compete for the position of Regional Administrator of the Southern Region of Sicily."

"Get your facts straight! In His Majesty's last regional administrative plan, Hena was incorporated into the Catania region. The problem you mentioned doesn't exist!"

"The Southern Region of Sicily has mountainous areas, but it also has quite a few coastal towns. Lord Clerus's past experience has entirely been in the mountains. He clearly lacks the experience to govern coastal towns..."

"As a senator of the kingdom, you haven't even figured out our own geography. I am embarrassed for you! Isn't Clampetia a coastal town? It was during Clerus's administration that the port of Clampetia was expanded and its maritime trade flourished... That alone proves he has experience governing coastal towns!"

...

Antaoris thoroughly rebutted the dissenting senators until they were speechless, effectively paving the way for Clerus's eventual election.

Of course, this was also due to Clerus's excellent performance during the Western Mediterranean War. Not only had he coordinated seamlessly with generals like Alexis, Lizarus, and Epithenes, but after the war, he also actively worked with Cyprolus, Milon, and Adriancus to reorganize and govern the Sicels. These senators not only voted for him but also convinced others to lend him their support.

When the voting results were announced, Clerus was so shocked and delighted that his expression looked somewhat comical. But ultimately, this outcome was largely due to his own hard work.

Amyntas felt a bit frustrated, but Agasias didn't really mind. He had once been a penniless mercenary; now, he was a distinguished senator of the kingdom, governing towns of thousands or even tens of thousands of people, wielding more power than the chief general of a city-state. He was already deeply satisfied. Naturally, this also had a lot to do with his advancing age, waning energy, and growing desire to simply enjoy life.

Hegesitus, meanwhile, felt depressed over losing yet again. But the nominations continued: "The next region up for election is the Dauni region!"

Finally, it was Magna Graecia's turn! The senators sat up straight once more. The first to stand was Plegulus, Commander of the Fourth Cavalry Legion. "I recommend Tollex..."

Plegulus was a Messapian. Instead of recommending the leader of his own people, Apirosias, he nominated the leader of the Peuceti. However, this didn't surprise anyone, as his feud with Apirosias was common knowledge. The reason was simple: back when the Daionian Army launched its massive invasion into Messapian territory, Apirosias, as the chieftain of the large Udiae tribe, was the very first to surrender with his people. This prompted many other Messapian tribes to follow suit, making the conquest of the entire Messapian region much easier. Plegulus, who had been stubbornly resisting at the time, came to hate Apirosias for it. Even now, over a decade later, despite both being colleagues in the kingdom, that resentment had not fully faded. Thus, Plegulus refused to associate with the Messapian senators led by Apirosias, preferring instead to mingle with the Peuceti, who shared similar ethnic roots and with whom he had once fought side by side.

Most senators, of course, cared little about the grudge between Plegulus and Apirosias. Their attention was focused on the nominated candidate, Tollex. He had served a few terms as a Town Magistrate, performing adequately but without any stunning achievements. However, he had a very good son-in-law: Marcellis Adoris, formerly known as Davos Adoris—the adopted son of King Davos. Rumor had it that His Majesty cared deeply for this adopted son, who was on the verge of being promoted to senior cohort commander at such a young age. In the past, whenever there was no direct conflict of interest, the senators had always tried to make things easy for Tollex out of respect for his special status. Now, they all subconsciously turned their eyes toward King Davos in the center of the hall.