Douluo: The Adventures of King Skin

"He caught something in the wind that was harder and sharper than a sword."

——"The Rider Going West"

After settling some short-term tasks, Pyrrhus set off.

This time he had to pass through Epirus and a large area controlled by Macedon to go to Taurantia, but Pyrrhus only brought a group of guards, and then a camel team carrying gifts to the city-states along the way.

My friends are either in the army or going to exchange and study with Dmitri. There is also Nikesi who is too young, so I simply don’t take her with her and let her learn more cultural courses.

It is expected that next year, Lamia Academy will have its first batch of graduates - of course not that they have completed their studies, but that they have reached their age.

These sons of Lamia are all people that Pyrrhus can trust. Even if they have only attended school for one year, their quality is far superior to ordinary people of this era.It’s just that I don’t know how many available talents there are. Even if there are any, they must first meet the employment needs of the academy itself.

There is indeed a shortage of people around.

Pyrrhus headed south again along the canal under construction.

Where the Sperceos River originally entered the sea, there was a small city-state called Antikyra of Maris, with a population of no more than 1.

This city originally relied on the mouth of the Sperceos River for food. Once the canal was completed, it would definitely affect their livelihood. However, Pyrrhus did not hear any complaints from local representatives for so long. I guess this was not because of the He trusts, but out of fear.

The people here, like the residents of Old Lamia, are very mixed. They belong to a minority within a minority in the entire Thessaly. Therefore, they are timid and dare not speak in either the Supreme Council or the Grand Council.

This time I passed by to reassure them.

The local representative did not expect Tagus to come here, and was a little flattered when he received the news.

Pyrrhus did not need them to entertain him. He just invited them to inspect the canal construction site and do ideological work for them.

"You can rest assured about the development prospects of Antikyla. After the canal is completed in the future, Antikyra will still be a key trade transit station in the lower reaches of the valley, and will also become the economic hinterland of Lamia."

Pyrrhus told the delegates the concept of a satellite city, promised to transfer part of the industry to Antikyra after the city of Lamia was further developed, and looked forward to the future development direction of the city.

Although the representatives could not fully understand it, they could feel the development opportunities and seemed very excited.

"Of course, after the two cities are connected in the future, the independence of this city will always depend on the will of the people of Antikyla."

In this era, whether the municipal government or the council, the bureaucracy was still relatively avant-garde. Pyrrhus could not have complete confidence, so he preferred not to put all his eggs in one basket.Of course this will sacrifice some efficiency, but if something collapses... ahem, it will be easy to clean up, right?

"In the future, the operation and maintenance of the canal will be handed over to a specially established chamber of commerce, and all development and revenue along the canal will be allocated to the chamber of commerce." Pyrrhus explained his arrangement and gave the representatives a visible benefit. :

"Although this chamber of commerce is directly under the Grand Council of Lamia District, the personnel will try to hire local residents of Antikyla. Therefore, I hope that representatives can introduce more smart and capable young people to participate in the preliminary construction of the canal. , in order to cultivate relevant business capabilities and reserve talents for the Canal Chamber of Commerce, with favorable remuneration and benefits."

The representatives were overjoyed after hearing this. If they were asked to introduce it, wouldn't it mean that they could give priority to their own family's nephews?

But it was not as happy as Pyrrhus imagined.

This is the iron rice bowl of state-owned enterprises!Could you please act happier for me?

Complaining that the people of Antikyre were ignorant, Pyrrhus's mission here was completed.

He immediately expressed the hope that Antikyla could provide several guides to accompany him on a trip to the Ennis area upstream of the river to discuss future cooperation.

Representatives came forward one after another...

Continuing to the upper valley to the west is the territory of the Ennis people.

This is a valley between mountains. The area is not large, but the agricultural landscape is very rich.There are farmland near the river bank, different orchards on the north and south mountains, and livestock farming on the slopes.

The main city is Ipati, a small city located at the foot of Mount Tiei on the south side.

This was originally one of the "border areas" of Thessaly.But after the Lamian War, in order to avoid Macedonian enslavement, this small city-state is now on the periphery of the Aetolian League.

In troubled times, every family has its own little calculation.

Fortunately, this was a really poor and inconspicuous place. Neither the Aetolians nor the Macedonians were interested in it, so the people here were able to survive the war.

Pyrrhus did not come empty-handed, he brought with him a large number of books published in Thessaly.

This is really not a valuable gift to Thessaly now, but before printing technology spread on a large scale, books were still very precious things.Besides, it's very poor here.

Generally speaking, the residents in this closed and rugged geographical environment are unruly mountain people.However, after the Macedonians intervened in Greece, various gods and gods fought against each other and the continuous turbulence of the current situation for decades had made them weak.

The people of Aenes were very frightened by the sudden visit of the Thessalian prince.

They all felt that Pyrrhus would blackmail them into rejoining Thessaly.But they soon discovered that although they only brought a small entourage, if Pyrrhus really asked for it, they would have no ability to refuse.

Is it possible to knock off Tagus who came to the door with a gift here?

Dare not!

The famous "Condor" came to visit. Although there was no prior notice, they did not dare to turn him away. They were worried about gain and loss, so they had to bite the bullet and receive it.

The ten consuls of Ipati quickly came to an agreement.If Pyrrhus was asking Ipati to return to Thessaly, then their task was to bargain.

Absolutely no refusal.

As a result, Pyrrhus did not mention anything about the territory. He only praised the "industrious and brave people of Ennis" "under the correct leadership of the advanced oligarchic government", and made the leading figures in Ipati blush while talking and laughing. Light.

Then they began to talk about cooperative trade between the two parties, hoping that Ipati and Lamia could strengthen exchanges and encourage the Ennis people to send business representatives to Lamia downstream.

At the same time, he also expressed his concerns about soil erosion, sedimentation and other issues, and invited Ennis to work together to prevent and control them, adhere to comprehensive management and long-term management, and expand the transport carrying capacity of rivers while protecting the environment. "We need both gold and silver." We also want green waters and green mountains”, let’s work together to build a pan-Sperceos River Basin economic and ecological system!

By the way, I would like to enthusiastically promote the river valley management business of Lamia Construction Group...

Pyrrhus had no persistent pursuit of territory.In this era, except for the Seven Heroes of Juan Kingdom in the East, the entire world has fewer people and more land.

He has no doubt that, given the future population absorption capacity of Great Lamia City, if the Ennis people return to Thessaly, there will probably be an empty-nest crisis within a generation or two.

If such a good river valley becomes completely deserted, and it takes a lot of effort to develop it again, among other things, will the residents of Lamia who are accustomed to city life be willing to come to this remote place?

So it is better to say that he prefers Ipati to exist as an independent city-state. As long as he has strong long-term support, this river valley can play a greater role as the economic hinterland of Lamia for a long time.

…………

…………

Pyrrhus did the same thing in Ipati, and invited the Ennis people to send representatives to go west with him to visit the Dolopian city-states in the mountains in the northwest and on the southern side of the Pindus Mountains.

Firstly, the terrain here is broken, and there is no guide to know how to get there; secondly, the Dolopians are truly savage, and it would be a bit risky to go here without an acquaintance to lead the way.

According to the direction of the rivers and mountains, this place is actually closer to the Trica region to the west of Thessaly, but it would also be beneficial to have some cooperation with the Ennis people.

The Trica Region has now been officially renamed Titanus Region.

This area was originally a geomantic treasure land.

This is the upper reaches of the Pinos River and the Kartitsa Basin to the west of the Larissa Basin.On the high slopes in all directions, mainly the Pindus Mountains, there are at least six or seven larger main streams and tributaries that meet in the center.The more prosperous Pharsalus only occupies a corner of the southern edge of this large basin, upstream of a tributary.

It's just that the terrain here is deep inland, the population is mostly "border dwellers", and various tribes and small city-states have their own quarrels with each other. Therefore, for a long time, it has been unable to form a joint force economically, and politically it has been on the edge of Thessaly.

Not to mention development, there are almost new setbacks every year.

Even since the rise of the army in Thessaly, there has been nothing new here.

The regional council quarreled endlessly every day, and new conflicts formed between Trica City as the center and various localities...

When Pyrrhus came here to take over the project, faced with this situation, he made a decision with the courage of Tagus and decided to build a large city on Mount Titanus where the rivers converge as the center of the new region.

There will also be subsequent road construction, river dredging, and farmland reclamation... After a series of plans are completed, this city will become the commercial center of the entire western Thessaly, with an unlimited future.

The cost of construction will be shared evenly by various places, which is only a very small amount; in the future, the income from cultivated land outside the city and land rent within the city will also be shared by all the city-states and tribes in the region - the premise is of course that "you must get along well" - and This serves as a bridge for cooperation among all parties.

So the name of the region was changed to the more resounding Titanus. People from all walks of life were happy, and Pyrrhus also successfully won a large order...

**

In addition to sending books to Dolopia, Pyrrhus also sent a dozen barrels of alcohol - of course as medicine, which the people in the mountainous areas are still in short supply. So it was natural that he was warmly received by the local people, and the two sides formed a deep friendship. friendship.

Pyrrhus gained enough favor here, so he also got information and guidance about the Atamagne region he was about to pass.

Atamane was the last pass connecting Thessaly and Epirus, which the Macedonians conquered shortly after taking Thessaly.

After Thessaly became independent, Macedonia maintained a garrison there through Epirus, which was under Macedonian control.Therefore, although the local people already have an independent tendency, considering that the Macedonians are no longer able to oppress them too much, they still choose carefully to observe the changes in the situation first.

The camel caravan and the gifts were sent out together. Pyrrhus and a dozen or so guardsmen quickly passed through the enemy territory on light horses.

After walking out of Pindus Mountain, there is a wide open space in front of us.

The vast area from the Gulf of Ambragia at your feet to the Adriatic Sea in the distance is in front of you, and even the Italian Peninsula is faintly visible.

On the south side of the Gulf of Ambracia is the Acarnanian League, which launched a struggle more than 100 years ago and defeated the colonial invasion of Corinth, which was still in its heyday.Although this small alliance was not as tough as the Aetolian Alliance, it also achieved independence as soon as Cassander's power declined.

On the north side of the bay is the city of Ambracia, a colony of the Corinthians, but it has a better relationship with the Acarnanians.

The island of Corcula on the west side of Epirus was once a subsidiary state of Corinth, but later it also gained greater strength of its own.During the Peloponnesian War, they fell out with their mother state, Corinth, in order to compete for control of Ambracia.

Finally, when Philip II came, Ambracia fell into the hands of the Macedonians. Although it gained independence with the help of Corinth and Athens, it had to accept a Macedonian garrison in exchange.

This situation continues to this day.

This city-state has an advantageous geographical location. It not only has an entire bay as an outer harbor, but also has several inner harbors of its own. In addition, it also has a large river mouth that runs all the way north deep into Epirus.

Just before the Macedonians came, this city-state had been severely cleaned up by Zenas's teacher Demosthenes, and it has not recovered until today.

When Pyrrhus was still on the throne of Epirus, he once thought of moving the capital here after taking office. Not only could he refresh politics in the new environment, but he could also use this to bring the Thesprosian alliance closer brought under control...

Pyrrhus did not stay long in his hometown, but walked day and night, heading north along the woodland at the foot of the mountain, and soon crossed the long and narrow territory of Epirus.

Ibirus faces the Adriatic Sea to the west and faces central Italy across the sea.To the east is the Pindus Mountains, and on the other side of the mountains are Thessaly to the south and Macedonia to the north. The middle section of the mountains is almost impossible to climb, so you have to take a separate road to both places.

Now that he has walked all the way himself, he has a deeper understanding of the terrain.

There are several powerful city-state alliances along the southern passage, but the terrain is too rugged.

The terrain on the north side is relatively flat, but the population is sparse and there are only a few Macedonian fortresses.Cassander's power has extended all the way to the seaside city-state Apollonia. Although he does not rule directly, he has almost separated Epirus from Taurantia in the north.

**

Speaking of tribal alliances, we really don’t underestimate tribal alliances.

Athens, now known as the lighthouse of Greece, is nothing more than a tribal alliance. In the future, Rome, known as the lighthouse of mankind, is also a tribal alliance, but tribes are not the focus of political life.

The "highest authority" in Athens, the 500-member Citizen Assembly, was attended by 12 people from each of the 50 tribes.

-

Originally there were indeed 500 people, but two tribes with a total of 100 people were added to flatter Demetrius, named after Antigonus and Demetrius respectively.

While the Athenian tribes had evolved into an administrative structure, the Epirus tribes remained substantial.In other words, the tribe is no longer an entity, but the tribal alliance is still an entity.

As mentioned before, the Epirus Alliance is composed of three tribal alliances: Molossia in the middle, Caonis on the northern coast, and Thesprosian in the Acheron River Basin in the southwest.

Molossia was the strongest among them and conquered the other two partners. However, the backward system prevented the Molossians from directly ruling and could only establish alliances as overlords.That is to say, the other two alliances have always been relatively insular, so the Aeacid royal family was able to dominate the foreign affairs of the entire alliance.

This happened just over 60 years ago.

Thanks also to Pyrrhus's grandfather Aribas, who drank foreign ink in Athens when he was young, and started to carry out reforms after returning. By the time his father Aeacides took over for the first time more than 20 years ago, he had barely entered the preliminary stage. "constitutional monarchy".

At first, Molossia and Macedonia were two barbarian countries that divided the eastern and western Balkans. The two countries had been married to each other for a long time.By the time of Philip II, the Macedonians began to interfere violently in the internal affairs of Epirus.

Pyrrhus's grandfather Aribas sent his eldest nephew Alexander to Philip as a friend, but Philip helped his brother-in-law overthrow Aribas and take control of Epirus.

Later, Philip further developed his brother-in-law into a son-in-law, but he died.

Later, the two Alexanders met to expand to the east and west respectively.In the end, Alexander of Agid became famous, but Alexander of Molossia died in Italy.

Pyrrhus's father, Aeacides, was able to return to his country and succeed to the throne.

When the news of Alexander's death came, the lineage struggle in Epirus also fluctuated with the war of successors.

In this series of events, Pyrrhus's adoptive father Glaucias was also involved.

In the second Diadochi War, the two sides sided with Polyperchon and Olympias and fought against Kasander. As a result, their biological father was defeated and abdicated, and his godfather ceded territory and sued for peace.

The pro-Macedonian party pursued Pyrrhus to Taurantia in order to save Pyrrhus' life.

In the third Diadochi War, Aeacides was restored to power. The two sides sided with Antigonus and his son, and continued to fight Sandor. As a result, his biological father was defeated and died, and his godfather ceded territory to seek peace.

Cassander demanded Pyrrhus in Taurantia to save Pyrrhus' life.

A few years ago, Antigonus sent his eldest son Demetrius to land in Athens. Seeing the war break out again, his godfather sent troops to escort Pyrrhus back to his country for restoration, preparing King Pyrrhus to take over his father's mission and continue to fight against Sand...

Arriving at the northern border of Epirus, the Aus River.

It was by this river that Underclyde and Angelus took Hippias, Androcleon, Nedian and others to escort Pyrrhus to escape here, but they were blocked by the river and almost To be caught up.

There happened to be many Illyrians on the opposite side who saw their situation and wanted to ask them for help, but their voices were muffled by the boiling river.

In desperation, they cut off the bark of the tree, wrote the situation on it, and threw it to the other side.

The Illyrians knew that the situation was critical and offered help without hesitation. They cut down trees to make simple rafts and escorted Pyrrhus across the river.

It was also here that I met Achilles.

Pyrrhus then took refuge in the court of Glaucias and was raised by his aunt Beroja.

More than a dozen years were spent in Cassander's shadow until he was defeated in Thessaly.Now that Thessaly has entered a new historical stage, his hometown is still the same.

It's not that Pyrrhus didn't want to come back.

It's just that Cassander still has strength, he doesn't want to start a war in his hometown, let alone fight with the Epirus people; secondly, the decisive battle between the successors is about to break out, maybe within this year, or next year, he You must do everything you can to prepare.