Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece

Alkibiades had long noticed the food on his table, broth, baked fish, bread, and a small half jar of wine…even though the food was still quite rich, it was certainly less than what he had received on his previous visits. He couldn't help but sigh as he remembered how the great merchants of Rhegium, including himself, still held banquets from time to time, even during the drought, and the food was much richer than this, “This is good enough! I suppose you've been eating much simpler food than this since the drought!”

“We're already eating better than most of the people of Dionysia! Since I know many citizens who only get two meals a day, and their main dish is still wheat porridge…” Agnes sighed. As the Temple of Hera’s chief priestess, she learned about the situation from those who had come to pray.

Alkibiades became silent as he knew it already: With Davos' lofty position in Theonia and his wealth, he could easily allow his whole family to live a life of luxury. However, his brother-in-law had to be stricter than ever as he needed to set an example for the people of Theonia, which deeply influenced his family, ‘Perhaps only people like him can become kings!’

Alkibiades took a mouthful of broth, pretending not to care and praisingly said, “Your cook is amazing! The food is less but still delicious!”

“You must have been exhausted on the way from Rhegium! Since it's delicious, eat more and regain your strength.” Cheiristoya said with concern, then added, “Thanks to Hades' blessing, this terrible drought has finally ended!”

She then looked at Alkibiades and asked with concern, “I heard that the Rhegians ran amok because they could not afford to buy food, with many nobles and merchants injured. Was your shop damaged?”

“Thanks to His Majesty's prestige, the angry populace has completely ignored my shops and workshops!” Alkibiades said gratefully. They definitely won't attack Alkibiades, who is related to King Davos, since they want to join the kingdom of Theonia.

“You deserve to be attacked by the people because your Rhegian Council went too far and disregarded the people's lives!” Agnes said angrily. After all, it was her hometown, so how could she not be concerned when she heard that the people of her hometown were starving and suffering, “If you had allowed sister's bank into Rhegium, then the people there could have taken out a loan from the bank and used it to buy food!”

Agnes was evidently too naive. The rampages in Rhegium aren't about whether the people have money or not but about the unchecked madness of the merchant class wanting to make a fortune. Before Rhegium was made a free city of the Kingdom of Theonia, one of the conditions imposed by the Rhegians was that the Bank of Cheiristoya was not allowed to open a branch in Rhegium. With Rhegium's developed trade and commerce, moneylending was an important way for Rhegian merchants to make money. So if they open a Bank of Cheiristoya in the city, with its much lower lending rates, the entire moneylending industry in Rhegium would soon collapse.

Alkibiades wiped his face with embarrassment and said, “Maybe it won't be long before the Bank of Cheiristoya is allowed to enter Rhegium.”

Cheiristoya opened her eyes slightly and asked, surprised, “Why?”

Realising he'd slipped, Alkibiades coughed dryly and said, slightly apologetically. “This matter will have to wait until I meet His Majesty Davos and receive his approval.”

Cheiristoya took a sip of wine as she pondered. Just as she was about to speak, Brillantes, dining at her side, uttered a cry of displeasure, “It's no fun if you adults only talk about something we don't understand! Uncle, when you were in Egypt, did you ever see a fish in the Nile that could not only swim in the river but also crawl on the land and was so ferocious that it not only ate people but even lions couldn't defeat it?”

“Brother, what you are talking about is a crocodile.” Apox immediately corrected him.

Alkibiades laughed and said, “I don't know if it could defeat a lion, but the crocodile eats people. According to Egyptian legend, the crocodile also ate one of their great pharaohs.”

Apox immediately said with interest, “Uncle, tell us this story.”

Alkibiades didn't refuse at the children's urging and to avoid Cheiristoya’s inquiry. After thinking about it carefully, he said, “You should all know that the capital of Egypt is in Memphis.”

Several children nodded together. They have been taught the basics in this area by their teachers at school.

“But did you know that the Egyptian pharaohs were also revered as the kings of Upper and Lower Egypt?”

Only Apox nodded while the other children shook their heads.

Alkibiades patiently narrates, “A long, long time ago, Egypt was divided into two kingdoms, Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. Because Lower Egypt was on the lower reaches of the Nile, it was always flooded, resulting in swamps and wild animals everywhere and a smaller population. Suddenly, the king of Upper Egypt started a war and eventually united Egypt.

After many, many more years, the Egyptians gradually turned the vast swamps and wetlands of the lower Nile into a fertile plain of land through generations of efforts, in which a Pharaoh named Menes played a significant role. Afterwards, he established the city of Memphis on this fertile plain and made it his capital…”

Apart from Aviya, the other three children gradually became interested in Alkibiades' story and listened attentively.

“….Due to his accomplishments as a Pharaoh, Menes made Egypt stronger and more prosperous under his rule. But one hot day, he took his retinue on a hunting expedition. Once they started getting thirsty, they came to the Nile, and Pharaoh Menes sent his men to fetch water while he sat down to rest by the river. He then saw what appeared to be a piece of a ragged tree trunk floating not far from him. But the trunk turned out to be a crocodile, which suddenly lunged at Menes, who wasn't far away and bit him, dragging him into the river before his entourage had time to react…

The Egyptians then organised a huge army to search the Nile, but in the end, they couldn't find his body. But not long after, an oracle came from the Temple of Amun, telling that the Lord of the Crocodile had taken Pharaoh Menes because of his outstanding achievements…”

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

Davos returned to his home in the evening and met Alkibiades in his study.

“You had come this time and brought many presents for Cheiristoya, Agnes and the children. They were so pleased that the children even preferred seeing you rather than their father!” Davos said jokingly.

“Your Majesty, it's been so long since my last visit here, and purchasing these gifts hasn't taken up too much time or cost too much money. Besides, I like to make them happy.” Alkibiades said hurriedly.

“To the children, you are a good uncle! To Cheiristoya and Agnes, you are a good relative! To me…” Davos smiled faintly and said, “You have done a great job! Agnes told me about her desire to visit your father in Rhegium, and I agree. But not now. With the chaotic situation in Rhegium, it's not safe for her to travel. On this subject, I would like to know what measures your Council has prepared to stabilise the situation?!”

It was at this point that Davos finally got down to business.

Alkibiades felt ashamed and said in an awkward murmur, “The Council hasn't yet come up with a specific plan to suppress the riots…”

“Do you intend to request in the Theonian Senate to send troops to suppress the Rhegians?” Although Davos’ smile disappeared, he knew Rhegium's situation like the back of his hand. After all, it was thanks to his intelligence department that the uprising was made possible in the first place.

According to Theonia's Law: Rhegium, as a free city, wasn't allowed to have its army(and, of course, most of the common citizens who made the bulk of a city-state's army had already joined in the revolt.) And under normal circumstances, the kingdom could not interfere in Rhegium's internal affairs, so Rhegium could only petition the Kingdom of Theonia to send its army to quell the unrest quickly.

Alkibiades smiled bitterly and shook his head, “It would be cruel for us to thrust our weapon at fellow countrymen. Not only I, but some sober people in the city of Rhegium disapprove of such practices.”

“Oh?” Davos asked with a hint of surprise, “Then what do you plan to do?”

“Your Majesty, I believe you are already well aware that the management of the city-state by the Council of Rhegium for the past two years was chaotic. Many of them weren't motivated to manage the city-state well. Instead, they wanted to use their authority to satisfy their selfish desires. Thus, after being elected by fraudulent means, they often make proposals that are favourable to their interests and don't contribute to the city-state's development. In addition, they allowed their relatives or people of little ability but have paid bribes to take most public positions… Though Rhegium appears prosperous, the people's discontent has long been simmering. This time, the drought was just a fuse for the people's anger to explode…”

Alkibiades bitterly said while Davos listened calmly. He was naturally aware of Rhegium's situation. But if Athelycus hadn’t fallen ill, Rhegium’s political situation would have been better. After all, he had the ability and prestige to control the Council, whereas the current strategoi and elected council members failed to handle the general situation, resulting in a riot that lasted for days, with the council still unable to come up with a reasonable solution.