Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece

Plato smiled and said seriously: My opinions have already been said at the previous scholar conferences, and there is nothing updated, so why would I be embarrassed to stand on the podium again. Besides, there are many young scholars at this scholar conference. Your speech is also very wonderful, especially your son Apox, so young to have such amazing discoveries, it is really enviable! And most of these young scholars are from your Dionysian Academy, so it can be seen that your Dionys Asia's persistent investment in education has finally begun to bear fruit. In comparison, other city-states, including our Athens, are far behind! When he said this, Plato's face showed a bit of worry.

Yesterday, Spicipes' speech also won praise from many scholars! Plato, you don't have to worry about no successor! Lycias comforted.

Spicipes got up and thanked the elders.

Plato was not humble, he pointed to his nephew and said: Compared with the first conference of scholars, Spicypus has indeed made great progress, but he is the only one in my academy so far. Can be called 'young scholars', but your academy has emerged many outstanding young scholars, the gap is huge!

The Dionysian Academy is a public institution in the kingdom, funded by the Dionysian treasury. Every year, the best students are selected from the students who graduate from schools in various towns and cities in the kingdom. After further training, the natural success rate will be very high. And Akademi Academy is established with your personal investment. Due to the limitations of funds, venues and the number of teachers, you cannot recruit more students, which is of course incomparable.

However, I heard that the reputation of Akademi Academy has begun to spread in the Eastern Mediterranean. I believe that there will gradually be more outstanding young people from various Greek city-states willing to study in your academy, and the situation will be greatly improved. . ' Lycias reassured.

Plato sighed: As I wrote in the book New Utopia, 'a country or a city-state wants to achieve sustainable and prosperous development, it must first focus on education, education can not only enable young citizens They have wisdom, and can cultivate them to have sound thoughts and morals from an early age. Only when the quality of citizens has been improved and they know how to think can the whole country develop healthily...'

Unfortunately, we Athenian citizens do not think so. They only value the immediate interests and hope that the property in the treasury can be equally distributed. Therefore, they unanimously agreed at the Citizens Assembly a few years ago to implement the Citizens Assembly Allowance System (that is, anyone who attends the assembly) The Athenian citizens of Athens are paid half a drachma each time as compensation, and as prices rise, this allowance increases accordingly, and even extends to other meetings to receive allowance compensation).

After tasting the benefits of sharing the wealth of the city-state, they officially passed the 'implementation of the system of granting theater-going allowances' the year before. Klee era), and a special finance officer was established for this purpose to manage the theater allowances. . . ”

Plato said with concern: Now the citizens of Athens enjoy the benefits of sharing the wealth of the city-state,

They hoped that the city-state would send out more frequent and larger subsidy payments, and that the remainder of Athens' tax revenue would be less and less able to cope with the economic situation. But the citizens of Athens became more and more comfortable, and became reluctant to engage in arduous and dangerous military operations.

Some time ago, Konon's son Timothy proposed at the meeting, should lead the navy around the Peloponnesus, attack the Spartan navy, and completely establish the superiority of the Athenian navy. ’ The council approved his proposal, but he did not allocate the money for the expedition, and the people did not join the army enthusiastically. Timothy had to raise money, hire soldiers, and pay the remuneration before he formed a fleet for the expedition.

As a result, after the conquest of Corkyra, the sailors refused to fight for him because of lack of funds, and the entire military operation ended in a hurry. The military generals who encountered such a dilemma were not only Timothy, but also Ifikrates and Cabrias... These fairly good Athenian generals also suffered from military spending restrictions, which led to Athens's military spending over the past few years. A series of military operations have had little success.

This also led to the fact that the outstanding generals who were willing to serve for Athens had to often serve for foreign monarchs, and also made them have enough money in their hands or the ability to borrow money to support their military operations for Athens. Like Ifikrates not only often Serving for the Thracians, and also married the daughter of a Thracian king, Timothy had a high reputation in Ionia, and also married the daughter of a city-state king of Asia Minor...

In normal times, they spend more time abroad than in Athens, because then they have more freedom and can live a life of luxury and pomp without the censure of public opinion. In the long run, how much loyalty do they have to Athens? !

This is simply a vicious circle! But the citizens of Athens do not see these dangers. Most of them only value the free play and the money they can get by going to various venues every day... This is the saddest thing!

Hearing this, Davos didn't want to express his opinion on the affairs of Athens, but he thought about it again and said sternly: The Athenian government is unwilling to pay from the treasury to form an army to fight a war, which will lead to a worse result, Athens. The generals paid the mercenaries with their own money, and the mercenaries naturally obeyed the orders of the generals instead of the Athenian government. The Athenian government completely lost control over the army, and it was difficult to order the army to execute its strategy. If the general of the army still has some ambitions for Athens and orders the army to attack Athens, do you think these mercenaries will obey?

Plato was stunned when he heard it, and slowly put down the wine glass that was brought to his lips, and then hesitantly said: Although Timothy and Ifikrates have some contradictions, these Athenian generals today are still full of Athens. Loved... But you are right, since the army serves the city-state, the city-state should of course also pay the soldiers to ensure their lives, and the two sides have obligations to each other. But if one party gives up this obligation, the other party will of course also With the right not to perform this duty...

The day before yesterday, I came to Turii, and I have heard about the story of 'Dionia builds a border army by raising taxes'. It is indeed a blessing for the people of Dionia to have a strong and wise government!

Plato took a sip of wine and did not want to discuss this annoying issue any more, but continued: The reason why I came to Turii this time around the end of the Conference of Scholars is because I spent some time wandering around Dionia. other towns.

Oh! Davos said regretfully: You should tell me in advance and let me make arrangements for you, so that your travel itinerary will be more convenient and safer.

I won't tell you, just to make my wandering more free and make what my eyes see more real. Plato pointed to his eyes and asked narrowly: Dear King Davos, you want to give me Arrangement, is it because I am afraid that I will see something bad?

Davos smiled heartily: You should know me, I have nothing to worry about.

Indeed, I should congratulate you! Plato said with great interest: I went to the south—the former Carthaginian military town of Lilibe, and to the north of the great city of Rome, where the Samoneites were still in the past. I spent two days in the central town of Bereventum...Dionia's territory is indeed vast, and it took me a lot of time just on the road.

However, I want to correct what you just said, King, this journey is very safe, whether it is by sea or by land, I have not encountered pirates, nor mountain bandits, nor have I seen wars, and everywhere I pass seems to be Peace and tranquility, even in the domain of the Samonites, whom the Greeks called 'fierce barbarians'.

You must know that more than ten years ago, more than 20 years ago, the Greater Greece and Sicily were at war with the Greek mainland. The war of ... Now the war in mainland Greece continues, but in the west of the Adriatic Sea is a completely different scene, this is the great change brought by the existence of the Kingdom of Dionia to the Western Mediterranean!

Plato took another sip of wine and continued to speak loudly: I also have to mention another important change. Although the journey is long, the transportation is very convenient, and the sea routes are smooth. The port towns I visit, no matter how big or small, have port facilities. Relatively perfect, management is also orderly.

As for the land road, I have to mention that the roads that you have spent on the treasury and built on a large scale are smooth, broad, and solid, even in the continuous mountains of Samonay and Lucania, they still exist. You also build roads in the allied territories of the Volsci and Campania... oh, you call it the 'road network', it's really a network that connects most of the races in the Italian peninsula Being together has provided great convenience for their travel and trade, and has also strengthened communication between people of all races.

When I walk on the avenue, there is always a steady stream of pedestrians on the road, most of them have an optimistic spirit on their faces, and in their faces I see a desire that forces them to appear in a hurry , whether it's rushing a pack car or carrying a package, but this rush is not because of poverty, but for a better life... And this desire is exactly what the kingdom of Dionia bestows!

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