After a long while, Davos' expression became resolute: "When I triumph over the Persians and return victoriously, I will abdicate and you will succeed me, becoming the second king of the Empire of Daonia!"
Upon hearing this, Crotocatax was greatly shocked: "Father, you are vigorous and healthy, and have never had any serious illness. The doctors say you could live to be a hundred years old, why do you suddenly say you want to abdicate?! Please dismiss this absurd idea, your child will never agree!…"
His emotions seemed very agitated, even somewhat fearful, and he almost knelt down to Davos.
Davos looked at him with kind eyes and said comfortingly: "My child, I know you are very filial, but this idea of mine is not a whim, I have been thinking about it for a long time…"
Davos reached out again, gently pressed his son's broad shoulders, and said with emotion: "I rose from a poor mercenary to become the king of a powerful Mediterranean kingdom. Besides the blessing of Hades, what I relied on was hard work—unremitting hard work! From being afraid of battle to personally leading soldiers to charge, from not understanding war to understanding war, from feeling unfamiliar with politics to being familiar with the big and small, all aspects of the kingdom… For more than 30 years, I have not dared to slack off for a moment, and I have always been reminding myself to work hard! Work hard! Otherwise, everything I have gained before will become a bubble!… Now the political situation of the kingdom is stable, and the great cause of unifying the Mediterranean is about to be completed, and I have nothing to worry about!"
Davos patted his leg with his other hand and said softly: "You think I'm in good health, but that's all an illusion. In recent years, I often can't eat anything because of stomach pain, and my shoulder and knee joints often hurt… These are all problems left over from previous battles. I'm old… Not only is my energy declining, but my memory is also fading. I often fall asleep while reviewing documents, and sometimes I forget some important things…"
As Crotocatax listened, he felt waves of heartache, and said anxiously with red eyes: "Father, you don't need to be as tired as before. Your child has grown up and can share a lot of affairs for you. You only need to continue to grasp the direction of the kingdom's progress! No need—"
Davos interrupted him with a smile: "Crotocatax, I have worked hard for most of my life, and I really want to live a peaceful and leisurely life, chatting and gathering with old friends without any worries, and traveling around without any concerns, to see Athens, Sparta, Carthage, Byzantium… Of course, I will bring your two mothers… For so many years, how could I not know that every time I go on an expedition, your mothers are worried about me day and night! How could I not know that when I handle political affairs in the palace until late at night, your mothers are staying up late waiting…"
Davos said emotionally: "I owe them a lot, and I want to use the little time left in my later years to give them compensation. Crotocatax, will you give me this chance?"
"Father…" Crotocatax hesitated.
Davos smiled freely, and then said solemnly: "The reason why I want to abdicate is also to set an example for our Hades Davos family. When people get old, their thinking easily becomes rigid, conservative, and stubborn. This is nothing to ordinary people, but for a kingdom, it is not conducive to the development of the kingdom!
Let the heir ascend the throne earlier and accumulate more experience. If there are problems, the father and son can discuss them, which is beneficial to the entire kingdom… There has never been a long-lasting kingdom. Let the successor have more training and fewer mediocre people. Our Hades Davos family may be able to last longer…"
"Perhaps this is just a naive idea of mine." Davos smiled slightly again, and said earnestly: "Let's focus our attention on the present. Even if the Persians are defeated by us in the future and the kingdom controls the entire Mediterranean, Daonia will still face many problems, just like you have always worried about how to change Daonia's national policy of establishing the country by force and make the kingdom develop more smoothly, how to make the regional forces that encompass the entire Mediterranean increasingly integrate into the kingdom without division…
Also, even without Persia and Carthage as opponents, the kingdom will never lack enemies in the future, such as the Gauls living in the vast territory north of the Alps, and the more barbaric and ferocious Germanic people living in the dense forests north of the Gauls… These problems need to be faced by you, and some problems may even continue to the next generation of Chris and even further, so don't rush, take your time…"
"Father—" Crotocatax was excited and wanted to say something.
Davos waved his hand again to interrupt him: "Okay, we've been out long enough, it's time to go back to the banquet, don't let everyone worry! Remember, this matter must be kept absolutely secret!"
Crotocatax's heart was filled with all kinds of emotions, and in the end he could only squeeze out a grievance: "Yes…"
Davos stood up, pushed open the door of the study, looked at the dark night outside, as if he had unloaded a heavy burden, and said in a relaxed tone: "In the next few days, let's enjoy the Games while waiting for news from Africa."
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
The wonderful performance of the Daonian Games on the first day ignited the passion of the athletes and spectators. The following competitions were in full swing. For everyone in Thurii, every day seemed like participating in a celebration, cheering frantically by the arena, and drinking and celebrating in restaurants after the game…
But in this festive atmosphere, ordinary people were completely unaware that the Egyptian envoy delegation had encountered a sea storm, and no one knew that on the morning of the second day of the opening ceremony, King Davos had called Aristilas, the director of the intelligence department, to the study in the mansion for a secret talk.
On the fifth day of the competition, the individual archery final was being held at the archery venue west of Thurii. The finalists were Megakides of Crete and Stasipus of Daonian Thurii.
The two sides had already completed the three prescribed rounds, a total of nine arrows, and were waiting for the referee to calculate the scores.
In fact, after each round of shooting, the target reporter would take the circular wooden board with the arrows inserted and show it to the players and spectators to show the fairness of the game, so whether it was the contestants or the spectators, they roughly knew the results of the game. But when the referee announced loudly: "Megakides of Crete, 86 rings; Stasipus of Thurii, 86!", there was a burst of regret from the audience, but then they applauded warmly.
When the archery competition first started, there were not many spectators watching the game. More than half of the spectators were watching this event, which had never appeared in other games, with curiosity. Many people even had to buy tickets for the archery venue because they could not buy tickets for other games to feel the real atmosphere of the Games.
However, the ingenious setting of the archery schedule by the organizing committee and the unique quiet but thrilling competition style of archery compared to other intense sports gradually attracted a large number of supporters, and by the time of the final, tickets were hard to get.
"The two sides are tied, so there will be an extra round!" As soon as the referee finished speaking, the audience began to cheer. Of course, they were happy to have more games, and most of the audience was cheering for Stasipus. After all, Stasipus was a Thurii person, and Cyrtaeus was the loudest among the few people cheering for Megakides.
Cyrtaeus was eliminated in the semi-finals of the 100-meter race the day before yesterday. He didn't feel too frustrated because he didn't have much confidence in winning the championship. On the contrary, because his performance had attracted attention in the past few days, some people had privately contacted him and expressed their willingness to marry their daughters to him.
But none of these people were Daonian citizens. The reason was very simple: most young women in Daonia received orthodox education in Daonian schools from an early age. Most of them were knowledgeable, intelligent, and open-minded women. Just having a handsome face and a healthy body could not completely attract them. What's more, at this time, the trend in Daonian society was to respect heroes on the battlefield, down-to-earth and capable officials, and knowledgeable scholars. However, Cyrtaeus was not even a Daonian citizen. He was just a Greek from a barren island. The young women of Daonia felt unparalleled pride in their hearts because the kingdom had become the overlord of the Greek world, so they would not even consider this.
Cyrtaeus jumped and shouted in the audience, which did not have any impact on Megakides. His attention was focused on his opponent: this was an elderly Daonian citizen, but there was no sign of a bloated figure. On the contrary, his body was tall and well-proportioned, his hair was short and he had no beard, and his eyes were sharp and energetic, which made him appear calm and capable.
Finding that Megakides was looking at him, the Thurii player named Stasipus also turned his head and smiled at him, and the way he raised his hand and foot showed a kind of demeanor that made Megakides a little impressed.
"The extra round begins, please prepare both players!" The referee's shout brought Megakides back to his senses. He took an arrow for the competition from the staff next to him, put it on the bowstring, then took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled. The distracting thoughts in his heart were also expelled from his body with the breath. He slowly raised the bow while pulling the string. When his right arm was slightly higher than his shoulder and his left hand pulled the bowstring to his ear, he stopped all activities at this time, completely still like a statue.
And the experienced spectators held their breath at this moment, and the entire archery venue became unusually quiet.
After a while, two sounds of bowstrings were heard one after another, "Whoosh!… Whoosh!…", and two arrows shot out quickly.
Megakides did not stare intently at the hit situation, but took another arrow unhurriedly and nocked the bow again.
After a while, when the three arrows had been shot, the audience became active again, eagerly guessing the outcome.
Soon, the target reporters came to the contestants and the audience with two circular wooden boards, and the referee's voice sounded again: "26:26, a tie between both sides—one more round!"
After looking at the arrows on the target and confirming that the referee's decision was correct, the audience erupted: "The competition is too exciting! The two contestants are evenly matched, making it difficult to determine the winner for a while, so the competition is extended. The ticket price is definitely worth it!"
Mega Kydes looked at Stasipus again, and Stasipus smiled in response, which aroused Mega Kydes' competitive spirit even more.
Another round of competition began, and the audience became even quieter, with everyone's eyes focused on the two contestants.
But the goddess of fate played a joke again, and the two contestants tied again, only with a lower score: 22:22.
The audience was like boiling water that had just been heated, lively and abnormal, especially those Daonian spectators who had bought "Tino's Blessing" were highly nervous, all eagerly hoping that the contestant they had chosen would win.
The referees and staff gathered together, discussing something with serious expressions.
Only the two contestants sat quietly on wooden chairs, closing their eyes to rest and recover some strength.
The referee walked up to the two contestants and said loudly: "Considering that the two contestants have competed for 5 rounds and shot 15 arrows, which has consumed a lot of physical strength, the referee team has decided after discussion to use one arrow to determine the winner!"
Indeed, in normal combat, an archer who shoots 6 arrows in a row will experience sore arms and difficulty drawing the bowstring. Although the contestants in the archery competition can constantly rest and recover, the competition has lasted for nearly 3 hours, but 15 arrows have almost exhausted the physical strength of the two contestants, causing their hit rate to gradually decline.
"What if they tie again with the next arrow?!" Many viewers asked loudly.
The referee replied without hesitation: "Then shoot another arrow until a winner is determined!"
There was a commotion in the audience.
Mega Kydes, who had been sitting for a while, stood up expressionlessly, nocking an arrow and drawing the bowstring. However, when he drew the string, he clearly felt bursts of pain coming from his arm. He gritted his teeth and barely pulled the bowstring to his ear. His left hand holding the bow was trembling slightly, making it impossible to hold it for a long time like he did at the beginning. He aimed briefly and released the string.
As soon as the arrow was shot, he had a bad feeling and secretly cried out in his heart: Oops!
At this moment, he saw his opponent's arrow also being shot quickly. With his rich experience, he immediately felt relieved when he saw the force and direction of the arrow.
Sure enough, when the target reporters brought the wooden board closer, the audience was in an uproar.
The arrow shot by Mega Kydes was inserted diagonally at the very bottom of the circular wooden board, barely hitting the target. The wooden board shot by Stasipus was empty; he missed the target!
There was an uproar in the audience.
Mega Kydes looked at Stasipus, but his expression seemed very calm.
At this time, the referee walked up to the contestants and said loudly: "According to the results of the competition, in the name of the gods, I announce that Mega Kydes has won the archery competition of the Daonian Games!" After saying that, he grabbed Mega Kydes' hand and raised it high.
The audience immediately burst into enthusiastic cheers, of course, mixed with a lot of sighs. Stasipus also applauded with a very graceful smile.
Next was the award ceremony. The staff led Mega Kydes to the center in front of the audience. Under the gaze of thousands of spectators, the referee solemnly put a garland woven from white poplar branches on his head and handed him a small cloth bag woven with gold thread. The bag contained 20 gold coins engraved with the words 'Daonian Games'. The moment that excited the Cretan audience the most arrived: two staff members unfolded a flag of the Cretan city-state and handed it to the champion Mega Kydes. Like the previous champions of other competitions, he held up the flag and slowly circled the field, accepting the cheers from the audience from all over the Mediterranean.
The officials of the Cretan delegation were all in the audience, and at this time, they were all extremely excited. Judging from the situation in the first few days of the competition, the Daonian Games were full of strong players, and the competition was very fierce. Especially in the individual archery qualifying rounds in the previous few days, all the other Cretan players except Mega Kydes were eliminated, making them frustrated to discover that even in the archery event that Crete was most confident in, they had no confidence in winning the championship! However, today, Mega Kydes finally defended the reputation of Crete as a producer of archers. How could they not be surprised!
So, after Mega Kydes left the field, they immediately greeted him, praising him loudly while also asking him with concern.
Mega Kydes, who came from a commoner background, was a little at a loss when he was surrounded by these Cretan noble officials.
At this moment, a voice sounded in his ear: "Congratulations, champion Mega Kydes!"
Mega Kydes turned around and saw his opponent, Stasipus, standing behind him with a smile.
This suddenly made him feel a little ashamed, and he said somewhat apologetically: "I just relied on my good physical strength to win you by luck."
Stasipus looked at him and said seriously: "There are very few people I have seen who have such excellent archery skills at your age!"
Stasipus' words were far more encouraging to Mega Kydes than the praise from the Cretan officials, but then he heard Stasipus say: "Are you interested in joining our Daonian? A skilled archer like you is exactly what the Daonian army needs!"
Mega Kydes was stunned.
Before he could answer, the head of the Cretan delegation immediately retorted loudly: "Mega Kydes is a citizen of Heraklion! He is the glory of Crete! He will only stay in Crete and will never join Daonian!"
"Oh?" Stasipus glanced at him and asked with a sneer: "If he stays in Crete, will he get a lot of land? Will he be able to enter the city-state's council like you, hold important positions, and discuss and make any resolutions? Mega Kydes, I have seen your information. You are a commoner. Even if you are a champion, you will not have a chance to get ahead in Crete, where nobles are in power. But as long as you come to Daonian, you can get land, wealth, and status with your talent—"
"Don't lie! Do you think I don't know that it's not that easy to become a Daonian citizen. It is said that you have to live here for more than 10 years to have a chance to obtain it!" Siritaios loudly reminded Mega Kydes from behind.
Stasipus glanced at him and still said seriously to Mega Kydes: "That is the law made by the kingdom for ordinary vagrants, but talented people like you will definitely be valued by the military, and they will apply to His Majesty. Although it is impossible to make you a Daonian citizen immediately, it can shorten the number of years you become a citizen. As long as you apply, you will soon be recruited into the military camp by the military department. After a period of training, you should soon be able to become a squad leader or company commander in the light infantry battalion of the Daonian reserve army. After two or three years of service, you can become a Daonian citizen and may even be transferred to a team officer in the regular army, enjoying the respect of the people..."
As the former commander of the light infantry battalion of the Daonian First Army, what I said is the truth. Think about it carefully when you go back. If you are willing, you can come to the military department of Thurii to find me. I hold an idle position as a military training officer there and can directly take you to see the Minister of Military Affairs, Olives."
After Stasipus finished speaking, he patted Mega Kydes on the shoulder as if to encourage him, and then turned and left.
Perhaps the terms "Daonian First Army, Thurii Military Department" frightened the head of the Cretan delegation. He did not dare to interrupt rashly during the speech. It was not until Stasipus walked away that he waved his fist and shouted: "I want to protest to the Daonian Games! You are..."
Mega Kydes had never considered this aspect before, and Stasipus' words made his mind a mess for a while.
Siritaios, who was beside him, was very envious. He did not expect that he had tried every means to attract attention on the field these days, but his beautiful dream had not been achieved, while this poor commoner who only knew how to train every day had been recognized by the Daonian officer.
Seeing the officials of the delegation surrounding Mega Kydes, painstakingly persuading him "not to listen to Stasipus's bewitchment, he is now a hero of Crete, and the Cretan city-state will definitely not treat him badly," etc., Siritaios curled his lips unconsciously.
On the way from the arena back to the residence, Mega Kydes and his entourage were wearing laurel crowns and flags. This standard attire of the Daonian Games champion immediately attracted the attention of the people along the way. They paid their respects to him and actively inquired about his winning deeds from the people around him, and took the initiative to give way to him.
Cheers continued along the way, and countless envious eyes gathered on him.
But Mega Kydes seemed a little preoccupied, unwilling to enjoy such glory.
When they arrived at the athletes' hotel, after the officials of the delegation separated from Mega Kydes, Siritaios immediately approached him and whispered: "Hey, Mega Kydes, what do you think of what that Daonian officer said?"
Mega Kydes, who was calm and composed in the arena, seemed hesitant at this moment: "I...I haven't thought about it yet..."
"What are you still thinking about! What a great opportunity. If you miss it, you won't have it again!" Siritaios looked like he was angry at his lack of ambition: "Think about everything we have enjoyed since we came here. This place is simply the Elysium for athletes! Think about this city. The prosperity of Thurii and the wealth of the Daonian citizens far exceed Athens, where I have been. Compared with here, Heraklion in Crete is just a remote village! If I were you, I would immediately go to the military department of Thurii, find that officer, and ask him to help me join Daonian!"
Maga Kides was somewhat tempted by what he said, but he still had some concerns in his heart: "But… the officials in Crete probably won't allow me to leave…"
"What's there to worry about!" Cyrtaeus casually reminded him: "With the backing of the Daonian Ministry of Military Affairs, even if those officials are dissatisfied, they won't dare to do anything to you!"
With Cyrtaeus's reminder, Maga Kides finally made up his mind. He said gratefully, "Thank you, Cyrtaeus!"
"Verbal thanks aren't enough." Cyrtaeus said half-jokingly and half-seriously: "When you become a Daonian citizen and a Daonian officer in the future, don't kick me out when I ask you for help."
"Don't worry, I will definitely help you then!" Maga Kides said affirmatively.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
The Daonian Games had been going on for 7 days, and most of the events had already been presented to the audience. The traditional Greek Games events, under the redesign and arrangement of the Daonians, not only became fairer but also more exciting, such as the race and boxing.
Traditional boxing matches were held in a relatively large arena, and the winner was determined by knocking down the opponent or forcing them to admit defeat. Players often suffered serious injuries or even death. However, in the Daonian Games' boxing matches, both players wore thick gloves and relied on hitting the opponent or knocking them down within a specified time to win. The players were safer, and the matches were no longer so bloody.
However, the competition took place in a 5-meter square area defined by ropes and wooden stakes, which made it impossible for the players to dodge at will. The competition became more intense and lasting, with stronger confrontation, and it was well received by many viewers. Because of the significant drop in the player mortality rate, women and children were also allowed to watch the matches.
The wrestling competition was also the same. While ensuring the safety of the players and the fairness of the competition, the intensity and confrontation of the competition were improved, and even some interesting elements were added. For example, during a break in a match, beautiful royal female slaves would walk around the arena holding up the sign for the start of the next match, attracting the attention of male spectators…
Even the representatives from Olympia and Delphi fell into deep thought when they saw these novel arrangements and designs in the competition.
Of course, traditional Olympic events like "melee," which were too chaotic and bloody, completely did not meet Davos's aesthetic standards and were completely excluded from the Daonian Games.
The newly established events of the Daonian Games gave the audience huge surprises, such as archery, and even more so, swimming.
The Greeks were a seafaring people.
Most Greeks played in the sea from childhood, and playing in the water and rowing became almost an instinct. However, no Greek Games had ever included swimming as a competition event, possibly because it was considered difficult to hold a competition. However, the Daonian Games set standards for swimming competitions: the Games Organizing Committee demarcated an area on the banks of the Crati River west of Thurii City and built an open-air arena. A rectangular pit, 50 meters long, 25 meters wide, and 2 meters deep, was dug in the center of the arena, covered with sturdy and dense Davos cement, and then pasted with smooth marble. This way, when the waterway introduced the Crati River water into the pool, there would be no obvious leakage. Then, a rope was pulled every three meters on both sides of the wide side of the pool, forming 8 swimming lanes, so that the conditions for the swimming competition were fully met.
Although the first Daonian Games allowed the contestants to use various swimming styles (people at that time did not have any standard swimming styles), and only used the distance of swimming to set different swimming events, the audience for each swimming competition still filled the entire venue, and the cheers echoed on the banks of the Crati River every day, lasting continuously.
Although the contestants participating in the swimming competition were not allowed to apply olive oil, under the sunshine and in the rippling blue water, the athletes' agile figures of waving their arms and kicking their legs also showed strength and beauty, and also inspired the audience's longing and love for the sea.
The same was true for rowing competitions. The Greeks had the conditions to set up rowing competitions, but the reason why they had not been held all along was probably because most Greeks lived by the sea, and boating, fishing, and doing business were very common. Precisely because it was too common, there was no interest in competition.
However, the Daonian Games' boat races were designed to be full of fun and competitiveness.
The Daonian rowing competition was divided into two types. One was rowing speed races, using a wooden boat specially made for the competition by the Thurii Shipyard. It was very narrow but very slender and could carry 4 to 8 rowers. There were no sails, and it relied entirely on rowing to move forward. The competition venue was set in the Crati River. Like the running race on land, there were preliminary rounds and finals, and it was also divided into several events according to the length of the course and the number of rowers. The shortest course distance was one mile. When the competition began, the contestants rowed quickly, and the speed of the boats could reach more than a dozen knots, just like the charge of a trireme in naval battles, making the audience on the shore watch with excitement.
The other type of rowing competition was sailing, which was still a competition boat modified by the Thurii Shipyard based on a small cargo ship. It could only be ridden by one person, and it could not use oars, but could only control the sails to make the boat move forward. Therefore, its competition venue was in the Gulf of Thurii. There were no preliminary rounds. All contestants participated together, starting from the Port of Thurii and reaching the Great Port of Tarentum. The competition time was a whole day, and there were many observation boats set up along the way to prevent contestants from cheating. This competition completely tested the contestants' ability to maneuver the boat in the sea. Therefore, the contestants were all shipowners and fishermen from various regions and city-states with rich sailing experience. At the same time, it also attracted a large number of shipowners and fishermen from the Daonian Kingdom and various city-states to watch and learn.
On the seventh day of the Daonian Games, a very traditional competition that the Daonian people were not very familiar with began, which was the chariot race.
In all Greek Games, chariot racing was the most popular. After all, humans are always full of enthusiasm for the ultimate pursuit of speed. Among speed events such as running and rowing speed races, chariot racing took the longest, was the most tense, and could stimulate the audience's passion the most. Moreover, it was also the most popular among the Greek nobles, because according to the rules of the traditional Games, the title of chariot race champion did not belong to the driver of the chariot, but to the person who provided and owned the chariot. This gave Greek nobles who did not have time to train and could not personally participate in the competition the opportunity to win the glory of the Games champion. Therefore, many famous Greek dignitaries had won the championship in this event, such as Alcibiades of Athens, the Spartan king, Dionysius the tyrant of Syracuse…
However, the Daonian Games changed the tradition of this competition. When sending invitation letters to various city-states and describing the rules of each event of the Daonian Games, it was emphasized that the glory of the chariot race champion would be jointly owned by the chariot driver and the chariot provider, and the prize money would also be divided equally between the two.
In the traditional Greek Games chariot races, many drivers were born as slaves. Sharing the champion's glory with the master and the slave was simply a humiliation to the Greek nobles. But even so, many Greek city-state nobles still signed up to participate, because in the current era when the Daonian national strength was strong, dominating most of the Mediterranean, and controlling the Greek world, this was a great opportunity for them to show their names in front of the Daonian king, which would be of great benefit to their future development in the political arena.
Not only were these Greek nobles keen on the chariot races of the Daonian Games, but for the Daonian people who liked tense and exciting competitive sports, they were also eager for the long-rumored chariot races. Therefore, on the day of the competition, tens of thousands of spectators flocked from all directions to the competition venue located in the northern part of the Sybaris Plain.
Because the venue had just been built not long ago and did not even have a formal name, it was simply called—the Thurii Chariot Racing Arena. After the Games Organizing Committee determined chariot racing as a competition event, the Thurii City Hall, which had never held chariot races before, specially sent a delegation to Olympia, Delphi, and other places to visit and learn, including officials and engineers from the Supervision Department.
But after they came back, the arena they designed and built was very different from those chariot racing arenas in mainland Greece. Just like the Greeks believed that any competitive competition could be watched for free, the Daonians were accustomed to paying to watch the competition. Therefore, this arena was closed. Due to the hasty construction time, it was not as magnificent as the Hades Main Arena. Its height was only 20 meters, and the auditorium only had two floors, but its length exceeded any arena in the kingdom, reaching more than 500 meters. Its appearance presented a long oval shape, so it could also accommodate more than 30,000 spectators.
It was still early, but the entire auditorium was almost full. The noisy arena suddenly erupted with thunderous cheers. It turned out that King Davos and his family had appeared on the royal box.
Like the Hades Main Arena, the chariot racing arena also had a royal box. But unlike the Hades Main Arena, it was not built in the middle of the auditorium, but on top of the two-story auditorium, becoming the highest point of the entire arena. This was a thoughtful consideration by the engineers for the royal family: because the track of the venue was too long, only by sitting higher could they see the entire panorama of the racecourse.
After Davos waved to the audience, he returned to his seat. Christoia and Dido kept the children by their side, prohibiting them from running around. Although there were railings around for protection, it was no joke to fall from this height of more than 20 meters.
Ignoring the clamor of the women and children, Davos overlooked the vast yellow arena paved with a mixture of fine sand and clay, as well as the long strip of dividing barrier in the center of the arena, and asked, "Clotho, how many chariot races are there today?"
As the leader of the games' organizing committee, Clotho Katax was thoroughly familiar with the entire schedule of all the competitions, and he immediately replied, "There are three chariot races today."
At this moment, cheers erupted again from the stands, as the racers were driving their chariots into their respective starting gates.
Davos looked with interest at the row of starting gates at the south end of the arena and asked, "Which regions and city-states do the contestants in the first race come from?"
"There are contestants from the Po River region of the kingdom, Sybaris, Thebes, the Bruttium region of the kingdom, Macedonia, Cyrenaica... uh, and our Thurii region..." Clotho Katax recited them as if listing family treasures.
"It seems that the competition in the first round will be very fierce!" Davos said with great interest. "The chariot racers from the Po River region should be Gallic citizens. They were originally good at driving chariots to charge on complex terrain battlefields, and now they should be even more at home in the arena. The Bruttium region was originally a famous pastoral area of the kingdom. Although in the past, Bruttium horses were smaller, good at climbing mountains, and more suitable as pack animals, in recent years they have introduced a batch of Lusitanian horses from the Iberian Peninsula for large-scale breeding, and I heard that they are not inferior to Gallic horses.
The Cyrenaican bay horses are also very famous, and it is said that they used to be sold in large quantities to the city-state nobles of the Peloponnese; hmm... the Macedonian cavalry, I believe you experienced their power in the Battle of Tegea a few years ago: and there is also Sybaris, which is also a horse-producing region, and our light cavalry legion is composed of Sybarites... These contestants all come from famous horse-producing areas, whether it is horses or drivers, they should be the result of selecting the best from the best, and I believe the competition in the race will be very intense!" Davos said with interest, stroking his chin.
"Grandpa, what about Thebes?" Kristod interrupted from behind.
"Thebes... I don't think their chariot has the strength to compete with the other contestants," Davos said firmly.
"Father, Thebes has won many chariot race championships in the past Greek games, and this time the owner of the Theban chariot is Pelopidas," Clotho Katax reminded him.
"The past is the past. In the past, Greeks did not allow foreigners to participate in the games, and even the Macedonians, who were closely related to them by blood, did not have the opportunity to participate. But today, at our games, the Greeks will see that there are many races in the Mediterranean world who are better than them at driving chariots!" Davos still insisted on his judgment: "Therefore, whether it is an individual or a country, one must not be complacent, but must bravely face the world and dare to compete with strong opponents,
Only then can we have greater improvement! Chris, do you think what Grandpa said is right?"
"Grandpa is absolutely right!" Kristod nodded repeatedly like a chick pecking at rice.
Christoia, who was holding him in her arms, couldn't help but laugh and scold, "Little flatterer!"
Davos smiled kindly: "Chris, Grandpa will test you with a question, who is Pelopidas?"
"The military commander of the Boeotian League!" Kristod blurted out.
"Great!" Davos gave a thumbs up, then patted the couch beside him: "Come and sit here with Grandpa!"
Although Kristod was eager to try, he still looked at his grandmother first.
"Go, go," Christoia waved her hand, then reminded Davos: "You are not allowed to let him get close to the railing in front!"
Davos nodded.
Kristod excitedly scurried over and sat down next to Davos, then immediately asked, "Grandpa, you haven't said anything about the contestants from our Thurii region yet?"
"Oh dear!" Davos slapped his forehead: "How could I forget about our own contestants! Clotho, who is the chariot racer from Thurii? Who is the owner of the chariot?"
"The driver is called Prokles, the youngest son of the former cavalry hero Sobkos. He won first place in the chariot race selection competition held in the Thurii region before, and the chariot he is driving today should be provided by the Thurii Chariot Merchants Association."
"Sobkos ah..." Davos couldn't help but feel a little lost when he heard this long-sealed name: "I seem to remember that the current president of the Thurii Chariot Merchants Association... should also be Sobkos's son, right?"
"Yes, Father, the president of the Thurii Chariot Merchants Association is called Peberys, the eldest son of Sobkos. He used to serve as a captain in the First Cavalry Regiment, but in the battle with Rome when the kingdom rescued the allied Volsinii more than ten years ago, he suffered a serious leg injury and had to retire, turning to manage the chariot business left by his father..." Clotho Katax introduced.
"This family has made no small contribution to the kingdom!" Davos sighed with emotion.
"Uncle Clotho, I see there are 8 starting gates below, but how did you only mention 7 drivers just now?" Tissipho, the son of Apox, suddenly said. He was three years younger than Kristod, but he inherited his father's intelligence and stability, and excelled in school.
Croto Catakes was taken aback for a moment, then quickly calculated and said apologetically, "I misspoke, there should be one more racer... from Egypt."
"Oh, Egypt!" Davos exchanged a silent glance with Croto Catakes.
Five days after his conversation with his son that night, he received definitive news from the African region: Gelo had been found. His ship, caught in a storm, had crashed against the cliffs a hundred miles west of Cyrenaica. His body and those of his attendants were subsequently discovered among the reefs, all of whom, according to the administrative officer of the African region, "had died from drowning."
Consequently, just yesterday, Davos had urgently convened a royal administrative meeting and persuaded the ministers to respond to this sudden event according to his plan: on one hand, Daonia would dispatch envoys and a fleet to Africa to transport the bodies of Gelo and his attendants back to Egypt; on the other hand, the kingdom would temporarily suppress the news of the "Egyptian envoy delegation being destroyed by a storm" while the military department notified Calcis to quietly assemble the soldiers of several legions in Sicily to observe the development of the situation.
Therefore, although the Egyptian athletes' delegation in Thurii was puzzled as to why their envoy delegation had not yet arrived, they were still able to calmly participate in the various events.
"It is said that Egypt was the first country in the Mediterranean to use chariots. Chariot archers are still an important arm of the Egyptian military. It seems that this first race will be very intense!" Davos exclaimed, then complained to his eldest son, "You are not as attentive as our little Tisis! Tisis, come watch the race with Grandpa!" As he spoke, he patted the cushion on the other side.
"Okay," Tisisphonus responded and stood up to walk over.
"I want to sit with Grandpa too!"
"I want to sit too!"
… …
Seeing this, the other children clamored one after another, ignoring their parents' attempts to dissuade them.
"Alright, alright, move a long couch next to me and let the children all sit here," Davos said with a chuckle.
After watching the children resettle, he pretended to be serious and said, "To watch the race with Grandpa, you must agree to Grandpa's requests. First, watch quietly and don't make noise. Second, actively answer Grandpa's questions. If you answer correctly, there will be a reward when we get home!"
"Grandpa, what's the reward?"
"You'll find out when the time comes. Can you do what I ask?!"
"Yes!!"
"Good children, let's watch the race together."
Seeing Davos happily teasing the children, Christoia lightly spat, "That old fellow!"
Agnis's leisurely voice echoed in her ear, "If only it could be like this every day!"
Christoia was startled, and looking at the harmonious scene of Davos and the children, she couldn't help but sigh softly, "Yes, indeed!"
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
While Davos was enjoying family happiness in the royal box, Sostratos, the president of the Thurii Chamber of Commerce, saw an acquaintance in the VIP seats not far below: "Hey, Pebarius, I didn't expect you to come to the chariot race!"
"Nonsense! If I don't come to watch this race, who will cheer for my brother!" Pebarius, being a soldier, spoke rather directly.
"I know your brother won the qualification to participate in the chariot race at the games in the Thurii region," Sostratos immediately asked curiously, "But is his race today?"
"He's in the first race today. The schedule for the chariot race is posted at the arena entrance. Didn't you see it?"
"Where would I find the time to look at that!" Sostratos pointed to the group of people behind him and complained softly, "Look, I have to take care of so many friends, I'm too busy to even breathe, how would I have time to worry about other things."
Pebarius glanced at the crowd behind him and said with a hint of sarcasm, "Lord Sostratos, you certainly have wide connections. No wonder you can become one of the top merchants in the kingdom. You should make a lot of money during these games."
"Alas, don't even mention making money, it would be good to just not lose any!" Sostratos sighed, "You know, a riot broke out in the big market outside the main port of Thurii the day before yesterday. Many foreign merchants couldn't rent stalls, so they joined together and directly displayed their goods on the roadside to sell, which blocked two entire streets. The patrol went to drive them away and even clashed with them... You know, the markets in Thurii have been packed with tourists these days. At that time, it almost caused a riot, leading to tourists being trampled and injured in panic. Fortunately, a large detachment of legion soldiers arrived in time to quell the situation.
Afterwards, officials from the Ministry of Commerce came to me, hoping that the Thurii Chamber of Commerce could set an example by temporarily vacating some of the market's shops and renting them to these foreign merchants to ensure the smooth progress of the entire games, and even said something like, "This will also be conducive to the further expansion of the kingdom's trade to the eastern Mediterranean in the future, which will benefit our merchants"... Hmph, I am already doing this kind of trade myself, it's really superfluous!"
"So you refused?"
"How could I!" Sostratos widened his eyes: "Those Ministry of Commerce officials were acting on the orders of the Consul, coming to discuss matters with me! Croto, he's going to be the next King, how could I dare refuse! These past two days, I've been busy persuading those unreasonable fellows in the Thurii Merchant Guild, my mouth is parched, but I've managed to get them to make some concessions..."
"Although you've taken a bit of a loss, you've made the Consul remember you, and the Ministry of Commerce owes you such a big favor, I think it will be more beneficial to your business in the future!" Pebarius said with some envy.
"Who knows what will happen in the future? King Davos knew about me very early on, but everything still depends on my own efforts to develop." Sostratos shrugged, said self-deprecatingly, then looked at Pebarius: "I envy your merchant guild, unlike us, you have so many troubles. During this Games, not only have your profits soared, but you've also earned the praise of everyone!"
"Profits soared?!" Pebarius shook his head: "You probably haven't ridden in our merchant guild's carriages recently. Don't you know that at a time when the demand for carriages is extremely high, we charge the same fees as usual, but we're much more tired than usual, especially when it comes to picking up and dropping off those athletes and foreign dignitaries early and late... These are all agreements that our carriage merchant guild reached with the Ministry of Commerce in advance."
Speaking of this, Pebarius' expression became extremely solemn: "However, as Thuriians and citizens of Daonia, we should contribute our share at this crucial moment. As long as the kingdom can successfully host this Games, it will be the pride of all of us!"
"That's right! That's right!" Sostratos echoed repeatedly. He knew very well that many officers who had spent a long time in the regular army still had a bit of that tone when they spoke, even after retiring, so he quickly changed the subject, called Hesklaus over, and said: "Let me introduce a friend, Hesklaus, a Peleus merchant who's cooperating with me!"
Then, he introduced to Hesklaus: "The one in front of you is a big shot! His father is one of the founders of the Daonian Cavalry Legion, a famous hero of the kingdom! He himself was also an officer in the Daonian First Cavalry Legion, and has performed outstanding military service. Now he manages the huge Thurii Carriage Merchant Guild. Your travel in Thurii will have to listen to his command!"
Hesklaus immediately bowed respectfully: "Lord Pebarius, it is my honor to meet you!"
Hearing the word "Peleus", Pebarius' heart stirred. Since the Greek War, many upper-class people in Thurii knew that King Davos came from Peleus in Thessaly, so he hurriedly helped Hesklaus up and asked with interest: "Don't listen to Sostratos' boasting, I'm just a merchant like you. What kind of business do you run?"
"Hesklaus and I cooperate in the pottery business, the 'Athenian Pottery Shop' in the Thurii Great Market is his property." Sostratos interjected: "Before this Games, His Majesty even personally sent someone to the shop to order pottery!"
"His Majesty received you?" Pebarius stared at Hesklaus, a kind of longing flashing in his eyes.
"No... not yet..." Hesklaus lowered his eyes, feeling guilty.
"Although not yet, the great His Majesty knows everything, so he sent Lord Ribazos himself to deliver the order to the shop." Sostratos interjected again with a smile.
Pebarius pondered for a moment, then also smiled: "Since you can be favored by His Majesty, it means the quality of your pottery is very good. If you have time, I will introduce our merchant guild members to buy your pottery."
Hesklaus repeatedly expressed his gratitude.
Although Sostratos' expression was calm, he felt quite pleased inside: In the past few days, in various arenas, he had successfully promoted Hesklaus' pottery to many upper-class people in this way.
"Dad, the competition is about to start!" Lirias' urging shout came from behind.
Amidst the noisy shouts of the surrounding audience, the three of them, like the other spectators, quickly saw: At the high royal grandstand railing next door, King Davos, wearing a golden crown, was standing there at some point, his right hand stretched out in mid-air, holding a red cloth, which was exceptionally eye-catching. Suddenly, he released his right hand, and the red cloth fluttered and fell down...
The 8 starting gates on the east side of the arena opened simultaneously in an instant under the action of the mechanism, and 8 chariots rushed out.
The entire arena suddenly erupted with thunderous cheers.
The 32 steeds, which had been impatient for a long time, vigorously raised their hooves, the wheels spun rapidly, and the chariots rumbled forward. The 8 fully equipped charioteers tightly gripped the reins in one hand, and raised the whip high in the other, shouting loudly while whipping the horses. The reason why they made the horses sprint forward at the beginning was mainly to grab a good position.
It should be known that the 8 starting gates are closely arranged in a fan shape, and their ranking has a greater impact on the start of the race. The position closest to the spine of the arena (that is, the strip-shaped isolation zone) is the most advantageous, and the position closest to the audience seats is the worst. Although the Daonian Games emphasize fair competition, it is inevitable that there will be favoritism. This is human nature. For example, the chariots from the Thurii region on the field were arranged in the starting gate closest to the central ridge, and the order was based on their relationship with the kingdom: Bruttii region, Po River region, Sinumbia, Egypt, Thebes, Macedonia, and Cyrenaica were ranked the furthest out, after all, it and Daonia were only friendly neighbors, not allies.
So at the beginning of the race, the 8 chariots sped towards the track, and soon they were separated into front and back, with Thurii contestant Procles taking the lead.
When Sober kes died, Procles was just a child, but Sober kes had already laid a solid foundation for his family during his lifetime. His chariot shop had more than a dozen chariots and dozens of employees. He himself was already the president of the newly established Thurii Chariot Chamber of Commerce, and had a lot of fame throughout Daonia (at that time, the kingdom had not been established, it was just a league, and the territory it encompassed was not large).
After his death, at first the eldest son Pebarius was not very careful in managing the chariot industry, but dedicated his enthusiasm to the cavalry, so at a young age he was promoted to the squad leader of the First Cavalry Legion. Unfortunately, he had bad luck. In the Battle of Volsci, he was injured and fell from his horse, and was unfortunately trampled and his leg bones were crushed, causing permanent disability. He had no choice but to retire, and then he devoted all his energy to the chariot industry. Because he was a retired veteran and had meritorious service, coupled with the shadow of his father, he received support and help from various parties, and his career rose with the expansion of the kingdom. Not only did the family's chariot shop expand from Thurii to other towns, but it also began to get involved in the manufacture of chariots, which also made Pebarius have a lot of prestige in the chariot industry throughout the kingdom.
Compared with his bumpy, shrewd and capable brother, Procles was naturally overshadowed. Under the protection of his father and brother, he lived a carefree life and had no amazing performance. On the contrary, because he inherited his father's hobby - liking to drive - he secretly acted as a driver from time to time, driving for the people of Thurii, and became a joke for the upper-class youth of Thurii.
After Davos announced that he would hold the Daonian Games, Procles decided to participate in the chariot race to prove himself with the glory of the champion. For this reason, he received the strong support of his brother, not only searching the entire Mediterranean for the best horses for racing, but also hiring a driver who had won the chariot race championship of the Games to serve as his coach. Procles has been training tirelessly for two years, just for today...
At the moment when the starting gate opened and the chariot rushed out, countless thoughts flashed through Procles' mind, and soon turned into a firm and high-pitched shout: "Drive! Drive! ..."
After a while, his chariot had already rushed to the front, and the afterglow of his eyes swept to the stadium staff holding buckets on the platform of the central ridge. His excited mood cooled down slightly, and he immediately remembered the coach's instructions, and began to pull the reins back slightly, so that the equally excited horses slowed down a little. After all, this is not a single short-distance race, but a long race of 7 laps, a total of more than fourteen miles, which requires continuous endurance, and you can't use all your strength at the beginning, but you will be powerless to accelerate and sprint in the second half.
Just when he was fully controlling the horse's speed, he heard a "wow wow" shout suddenly sounded on his outside. He turned his head and saw that a chariot had already caught up. The driver was wearing a horned helmet and roared at him with a grin, with a fierce face.
"Damn Gaul!" Procles also shouted at him unceremoniously. He didn't have to worry that the other party would angrily attack him. Not to mention that both sides were Daonian citizens, and the referees repeatedly emphasized to the contestants participating in the chariot race: "To ensure the safety of the race, no malicious infringement or injury to opponents is allowed in the race, otherwise the qualification for the race will be cancelled!"
The Gaul contestant's approach was just a psychological tactic. Procles was not moved by it, and concentrated on driving the chariot... The statue of Poseidon on the central ridge platform and the equestrian statue of King Davos flashed past the corner of his eye, and three pillars stood in front. He knew that he needed to turn.
The distance of 500 meters in a straight line takes a little time for track and field athletes to run, but for a four-horse chariot running at full speed, it is only a matter of blinking a few times.
However, turning at high speed is extremely test of the driver's driving ability. Procles did not dare to relax in the slightest, tightly controlling the reins, so that the chariot was close to the central ridge platform, and the four white steeds ran side by side, almost simultaneously bypassing the stone pillars.
Immediately afterward, Prokles felt his chariot suddenly swerve outwards, and he heard a loud "bang!" The violent jolt almost threw him from the chariot, but fortunately, he held tight to the reins.
Beside him, he heard the Gauls cursing repeatedly. It turned out his chariot had collided with theirs.
The racers all wanted to regain the lead position while turning, so they sped up their horses, attempting to overtake from the outside. The eight chariots were almost squeezed together, resulting in multiple collisions.
Such a thrilling scene caused the audience to exclaim, and at the same time, it aroused their greater enthusiasm for watching the race, with cheers rising higher and higher.
Unlike a certain epic movie from his previous life, where saw blades were installed on the axles of the chariots to destroy other racers' chariots, the chariot races of the Greek Games would never allow such cheating. The participating chariots had to undergo strict inspection before being allowed to enter the arena. This was especially true for the Daonian Games. Any egregious behavior, such as whipping opponents, would result in expulsion from the race. Therefore, this time the collisions between the chariots did not result in the tragedy of destroyed chariots and fatalities, but it did affect the speed of the chariots.
Just as Prokles' chariot was slowing down due to the collision, another chariot quickly overtook from the outside, surging to the front.
That chariot gleamed with gold, the driver had dark skin, and his clothing also shimmered with gold. Moreover, the four black horses were adorned with gorgeous headdresses, making the entire chariot appear magnificent. It turned out this was a driver from Egypt. Unlike the Greek drivers who were slaves or freedmen, he was an Egyptian nobleman who drove specifically for Pharaoh's heir, Jeho. Jeho sent him to compete, partly to curry favor with Daonia, and partly to showcase Egypt's capabilities and image to Daonia and other city-states in the Mediterranean.
However, even as the race began, the Egyptian delegation led by Jeho had not yet arrived in Thurii, which disappointed the Egyptian driver. But this did not affect his performance in the race. Although he lagged behind at the start, he did not rush too much. Unlike other racers who accelerated to seize the lead during the turn, he calmly drove his chariot to the outermost lane. With his superb driving skills, he not only avoided wasting time by taking a longer route but also took advantage of the other chariots colliding and crowding each other, quickly surging to the front.
Seeing this situation, the Gaulish driver became anxious and whipped his horses, trying to get his chariot to catch up. As a result, he collided with the chariot on the outside again, infuriating the Bruttian driver, who cursed loudly.
Prokles remained relatively calm. He did not wave his whip but gently tugged the reins, while whistling and shouting loudly, "Aethilla! Run, run!"
According to Prokles' coach, "Incorporating a mare among the horses pulling the chariot, although it may be slightly slower in speed, can ensure the stability of the chariot, and at the same time, it can stimulate the competition among the stallions at crucial moments, increasing their speed." Prokles accepted his advice, and as a result, he found the effect to be very good in training. Even later, the mare named Aethilla became the stabilizer of the entire chariot.
At this moment, this clever young mare seemed to understand her master's intentions. She neighed a few times and strode forward, and the three young stallions also pressed close to her, exerting their strength together. Prokles' chariot accelerated instantly, breaking away from the crowded pack of chariots. If the horses had deviated slightly at that moment, they might have collided with the Gaulish chariot next to them, which was currently in a state of agitation.
After a moment, the chariots on the field were once again separated into layers. The Egyptian chariot charged ahead, with Prokles closely behind. The Gaulish, Bruttian, and Theban chariots ran side by side, while the Cyrenaican and Sinunumbian chariots lagged slightly behind... Everyone chased after each other, showing their skills, stirring up clouds of dust, making the scene extremely intense.
The audience's cheers also continued to be enthusiastic.
Although the Daonian engineers used a mixture of fine sand and fine clay to pave the racecourse, they still could not avoid the dust flying. Prokles, closely following behind the Egyptian chariot, naturally tasted the pain of eating dust. Through the hazy dust, he saw the staff on the central platform picking up iron hooks to pull down one of the tall row of silver dolphin statues, and his heart stirred slightly: One lap has passed.
He immediately concentrated his mind, because in front of these dolphins was the stone pillar where he had to turn again.
He saw the Egyptian chariot in front sticking close to the central ridge line, obviously intending to defend the inner circle. He turned his head to look at the side, and seeing that no chariot was catching up, he unhesitatingly pulled the reins to the outside, while blowing a rapid whistle.
The four steeds immediately rushed to the outer circle, maintaining high speed while turning. Due to inertia, Prokles' chariot once again swerved violently outwards and tilted to the right, looking as if it was about to overturn.
The nearby audience cried out in concern.
However, Prokles did not panic. He gripped the reins tightly, stood firmly on his legs, and controlled his center of gravity. The left wheel of the chariot was suspended in the air, and after rolling for a moment only on the right wheel, the left wheel safely landed again... Electronic Chinese Website.
The Daonian audience breathed a great sigh of relief, followed by a thunderous cheer from the entire audience for Prokles' brilliant performance.
This was the rapid cornering technique that Procles had developed over the past two years. Successfully executing it in a real race boosted his confidence. He excitedly shouted, "Well done, Aiphila! Well done, lads!"
The four steeds responded with loud neighs, their galloping hooves even more powerful as they pulled the chariot, giving chase.
The Egyptian driver, seeing Procles closing in beside him, felt a sense of urgency. He immediately whipped his horses and shouted, "Giddy up! Giddy up!…"
The drivers had learned their lesson and tried to maintain a wide gap when cornering, but tragedy still struck.
The Macedonian driver, eager to catch up, maintained high speed while cornering but lacked Procles' superb driving skills. After colliding with the chariot from West Numidia in front of him, his chariot overturned, and the driver was flung out…
The audience gasped in shock.
Rescue personnel immediately rushed to the scene, carrying the injured driver away on a stretcher and pulling the chariot to the exit. Fortunately, the Macedonian chariot was last, so the cleanup was quick and didn't affect the race's progress.
The doctor quickly arrived and carefully examined the driver's injuries, finding that he was lucky to have only a dislocated arm and some concussion-induced dizziness, with no other external injuries.
This was, of course, also related to the safety measures adopted for chariot races at the Daonian Games. The Daonian Games chariot race judging panel required drivers to wear helmets with soft cotton padding, as well as thick leather jackets and trousers. They even reduced the number of starting gates to avoid collisions caused by too many chariots during the race… But even so, accidents still happened. Chariot racing was indeed the most dangerous event in the games.
Disgrace! This is simply a disgrace to Macedonia!…" Prince Philip of Macedonia raged on the VIP stand.
The Macedonian envoy beside him consoled him, "There's no need to be angry. Although Macedonia is rich in horses, people love to ride them, and few drive chariots. Moreover, we have never participated in any chariot races before (the Greek city-states regard Macedonia as barbarians and do not allow them to participate in the various Greek games). We have absolutely no experience in chariot racing. We only signed up for this event because of Daonia's hospitality, so such a failure is inevitable."
Philip was clearly unable to accept this explanation. He said sternly, "Since we've entered the competition, we must have the ambition to win the championship! If we lack experience, we can learn from those who have it and seize the time to train! Daonia sent the invitation letter a year ago, and what has he been doing all this time? His performance on the field is so clumsy that the audience from various countries looks down on us. How can this be acceptable!"
The Macedonian envoy was a little embarrassed. He darkened his face and simply ignored Philip, staring straight at the racetrack, thinking: You may be a prince, but you have no power. Running to Daonia without permission has already caused me a lot of trouble, and now you even dare to yell at me. You simply don't know what's good for you!
The Macedonian envoy's contemptuous attitude made Philip clench his teeth. Although he was young, he was already quite knowledgeable and understood why the other party dared to do this, not only because he was insignificant in Macedonia, but even his brother, King Perdiccas of Macedonia, also had little influence in the country. Most of the power was controlled by Ptolemy and several other ministers. He even suspected that if it weren't for Daonia's support, that shameless Ptolemy, who claimed to be "Perdiccas and his stepfather," would have usurped the throne long ago. The monarchy was declining domestically, and externally, Macedonia was seen as a poor and backward country by many city-states and countries, completely different from the Daonian kingdom of Thessaly, which bordered it.
The main reason Philip secretly ran to Daonia to watch the games was not to watch the games, but to seriously explore and understand how Daonia had become such a powerful kingdom in just two or three decades from a small city-state. However, with such a large population in Thurii, he was just a drop in the ocean, and no one paid attention to him. He was shocked by the prosperity of this giant city, but lacking administrative experience, he could not see through this prosperity to the real secret that led to it.
Sometimes he couldn't help but feel frustrated: Could it be that the Macedonian royal family will forever be under Daonia's protection?! Will Macedonia never be able to create miracles like Daonia?!
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
The race was still fiercely underway. Two laps, three laps, four laps… The chariots in the top two positions were always from Egypt and Thurii. The two drivers were closely matched, with a difference of no more than a horse's length. The third to fifth positions were constantly changing, sometimes Gaul, sometimes Bruttii, sometimes Corinth… The chase was exciting and lively, further arousing cheers from the audience outside the arena.
At this time, the staff on the central ridge platform also began to get busy. They used buckets to scoop water from the pools on the platform and then splashed it on the horses passing by...
"Why are you splashing water on the horses?"
"That's because the horses' body temperature will gradually increase during strenuous running. If their body temperature remains high for a long time and cannot be lowered, the horses will get sick and even die... So, splashing water on the horses to help them cool down can protect them from getting sick after the race."
"Oh, I see! Why is the animal representing the laps in the middle a dolphin, and not other animals? I like elephants and hippos."
"No, I prefer Aunt Eunice's black cat."
"That's because this arena holds chariot or horse races, and the main competition object is the horse. And the god Poseidon is the guardian of horses, so who can tell me, what is Poseidon's animal messenger?"
"I know, I know, it's a dolphin!"
"That's right, it's a dolphin. Using a silver statue of a dolphin to mark the laps run in chariot and horse races is a wish to be blessed by Poseidon and protect the participating horses. It's a beautiful blessing."
"Oh, I see! Uncle Apoxis, is the statue of Poseidon placed in the middle of the arena also to bless the racehorses?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Is the reason why Grandpa's statue is also placed there for the same reason?"
Apoxis, who patiently answered the children's various questions like an encyclopedia, was stumped this time, but he cleverly passed the question to his father: "Chris, you should ask your grandfather this question, right?"
Davos watched the race while listening to his grandchildren chattering in his ear. At this moment, he had none of the majesty of a king, but rather looked like an old man enjoying family happiness, and said with a smile: "I don't know why either, Chris. You have to ask your father, he was in charge of building this venue."
Klotokartax saw his father's intention and jokingly added: "I don't know why either, because the entire pattern of the arena's central ridge was designed by your Uncle Arexis, so of course I approved its construction."
When the children looked at Arexis, who was sitting next to Eunice, with questioning eyes, the usually taciturn but outspoken master sculptor perfunctorily said: "Children,
don't you think this design looks good?"
When the children nodded in agreement, Antebris chuckled and couldn't help but say: "Brother-in-law, I usually think you're so honest, but now you've learned to lie. You might as well just say that you designed it this way to flatter Dad."
Indeed, the composition and construction of the entire arena's central ridge looked very imposing, but Davos's statue of riding a horse and wielding a sword was obviously larger than the statue of Poseidon riding the waves, and the position was also higher, giving the audience a feeling that the descendants of Hades were more powerful than Poseidon, one of the three main gods.
"What nonsense are you talking about!" Eunice glared and lightly tapped the back of her younger brother's head.
"Mom, did you see that? Eunice actually hit me!" Antebris immediately complained to Christoia.
"You two are so old, and you're still acting like children, aren't you afraid of your children laughing at you!" Christoia said with a smile and a scolding.
"Father, Mother, and everyone... It's almost noon, are you all hungry? Let's have some whey and eat something first." Axikus walked into the royal box with a smile, followed by four slaves, each holding a silver plate filled with sumptuous food.
"I said, Axikus, Libazo is responsible for preparing lunch, so don't bother with it. Hurry up and sit down, and the family can watch the race together properly." Christoia kindly advised.
Axikus said with a smile: "I can't stand being idle, helping Libazo—"
"Sit down!" Agnes gave him an impatient look.
"Yes!" Axikus quickly nodded and sat down. He was always a little nervous in front of this mother-in-law who didn't usually talk much.
As he sat down, he immediately picked up a jar of whey and handed it over: "Avia, this is for you."
Avia smiled and took it.
"Everyone, pay attention, there's only half a lap left!" Antebris's shout refocused the royal family's attention on the race.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
Turning the last bend, the Egyptian chariot was still in the lead, with Procles close behind. These two chariots had pulled away from the other chariots.
Ahead was the 500-meter straight, and the staff had already put up a red ribbon at the finish line. The winner of this round would definitely be one of the two.
Procles was anxious. He looked at the Egyptian chariot on the inside. His chariot was still a horse's head behind him.
The Egyptians were really too stable. Since the first lap, they had been in first place and had never been overtaken, but Procles was not willing to admit defeat: There's still half a lap left. If I don't fight now, when will I!
He raised his whip and struck the middle mare with moderate force, while shouting: "Aphyra! Aphyra! Run fast! Run for your life! Run! ..."
As if understanding Procles's words, the beautiful mare shook her slender neck and let out a crisp and melodious neigh. Her already tired hooves moved faster, and her declining speed suddenly increased again.
At the same time, the stallions also sped up and neighed, all wanting to show their strength in front of their beloved girl.
Under their strenuous pull, Procles's chariot instantly not only caught up with the Egyptian chariot, but also slightly surpassed it.
Seeing this, the Egyptian driver also used all his skills to accelerate the chariot forward.
The two chariots raced side by side on the wide track, galloping at high speed.
The enthusiasm of the audience also reached its peak. Almost everyone stood up, gesticulated, and burst into cheers that rose one after another. This enthusiastic atmosphere not only gave the drivers, but also the horses, tremendous power.
The steeds' hooves were in the air, and their originally soft manes and tails were floating straight in the air. The sweat on their bodies splashed around with the powerful contraction and expansion of their muscles...
"Too beautiful! It's so beautiful!" Arexis was once again intoxicated in front of the railing.
The 500-meter distance was only a short moment for a chariot running at full speed.
Too fast! When the two chariots crossed the finish line, many spectators couldn't even tell who had won. It wasn't until the arena staff handed the flag of the Daonian Sacred Kingdom to Procles, who draped it over himself and drove the chariot slowly around the field, that the audience clapped desperately for him: How could they not be excited? Because the winner was the Thurii contestant, a true homeboy!
Procles waved to the surrounding audience, smiling very happily. Although the chariot race was not over, and he would participate in the next few days' races, and might not even win the final championship, at this moment he was completely enjoying the glory that belonged to him alone.
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On July 15th, the last day of the Daonian Games, according to the latest medal table situation announced by the organizing committee, Athens ranked first, the Arcadia League led by Mantinea and Ellis tied for second, and the Thurii region of the Daonian Kingdom and the Boeotian League led by Thebes tied for third. According to the rules set by the Daonian Games, the champion in the final of each competition is awarded three points, the second place is awarded two points, and the third place is awarded one point. The top three in the medal table are only one or two points apart, which shows the intensity of the competition.
Athens being ranked first was within the expectations of many veteran viewers of the Games. After all, it has a long history of sports competition culture, enough population and abundant financial resources to cultivate outstanding sports talents. In the past Games, there was no shortage of Athenians winning championships. It is a veritable sports powerhouse, and it is not surprising that it performed well in the traditional competitions of the Daonian Games this time.
On the other hand, the performance of another strong Greek local sports competition power, Sparta, was disappointing. They have only received a pitiful two points so far, and they have not even won a place in their former best event, the heavy infantry race.
Of course, this is understandable, because since Daonian conquered Sparta and rebuilt the new government, in the past 5 years, the new Spartan government has long thrown the political system reformed by Lycurgus, which the original Spartans were proud of and implemented for hundreds of years, into the trash. Naturally, the military tradition that Spartan citizens have long adhered to, which is to select the fittest from infancy and continue to concentrate training until youth, has also been abolished. The former Spartan warriors either work in the fields or learn to sail and trade in the port. Their physical fitness and skills have been abandoned, and they are completely unable to compete with the strong.
The ones who replaced Sparta and monopolized the heavy infantry race were naturally the athletes of the Daonian Kingdom. Not only in the heavy infantry race, these Daonian athletes also included the top 8 in the newly created military pentathlon, and also showed a strong advantage in archery, javelin, horse riding, chariot racing, and rowing speed, which made the envoys of various friendly city-states and forces who were invited to come look sideways, because these competitions are closely related to the military, and from this side, the strong military power of Daonian can be shown.
There was no small controversy when the organizing committee of the Daonian Games set the marathon route.