He could not help but sigh that the Dioonians had completely turned the bay of Taranto into their inner lake, and that the Dionian towns in the bay had become more connected to each other by short voyages by sea.

What he didn't know was that there was another reason why Taranto Bay was so prosperous and lively: the piracy problem that the maritime traders of other Mediterranean city-states feared most did not exist here, and the warships belonging to the First Fleet in the military port of Castelon and Tarantum were constantly patrolling this bay every day to maintain order in the bay and ensure the safety of ships.

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While Christopus was comparing the bustling scene of the bay with the port of Biereus in Athens, the second son of Kunogorata, Dika Okrat, after receiving an urgent notice from the Ministry of War, and with the approval of the commander Alexis, rode from Dauni on horseback, changing horses several times at the post station on the side of the avenue, and finally arrived at the military port of Tarantum at dusk.

The military port of Tarantum was the main garrison of the Dionian First Fleet. When Tarantum was forced to become the free city of Dionia, the naval commander Sekrian demanded the opening of a new military port on the grounds that "the Dionian fleet was growing larger (because too many ships had been acquired in the Southern Italian War) and the military port of Turriyi could no longer accommodate it", and suggested that it was best to set the military port in the large port of Tarantum, because it was indeed a natural harbor.

Davos readily agreed, of course, that he was not only thinking about military convenience, but that the presence of the navy would not only allow the proximity to monitor and deter the previously capricious city-state, but also that Tarantum, as an established maritime powerhouse with a large number of skilled and experienced sailors and fishermen, would be an excellent source of naval personnel, and by training them to accept the cultural and political ideas of Dionia, they could in turn influence the people of Tarantum.

In the face of Dionia's demands, Tarantum reluctantly agreed to hand over the western part of the Great Harbour to the management of the Dionian navy, after all, it had been abandoned for a long time.

As the navy moved in, the land west of Grand Harbour and east of Metapontum was reassigned to the First Fleet. The Tarantum suffered heavy casualties in the South Italian War, and there were not enough men to take care of the land near the border, and Davers's clever pressure led to the allocation of this land to the sailors of the First Fleet stationed there, including a large number of civilian sailors from Tarantum who joined the First Fleet.

Today, there are 150 three-decker oars and other large and small warships in this military port, a total of about 230 warships, and including the 50 three-sculled warships and other warships in the Castelon military port, the First Fleet has more than 350 warships to stabilize the other three fleets, making it the most powerful fleet in the Dionian Navy.

However, even with the large number of ships of the First Fleet, there was still enough open space in the military port of Tarantum to build a dry dock to accommodate more warships, which shows the size of the military port. Moreover, the sea in the port is wide enough, and some small-scale training is even held directly in the port, which has also become a scene in the port, and there are often Tarantum people stopping on the shore to watch.

Dica Oklat was granted access after handing Alexis's letter to the guard of the military post, but the waiting time for the ship at the docks of the military port was a bit long.

There is still a vacant clipper at the pier next to it, so why are you waiting here?! Dika Oklatt was a little annoyed.

It wasn't until he got on the boat that a man came out of the cabin and explained to him: "I'm sorry! Just now, a batch of supplies was transferred from the Castelon military port, and it was to be transported to Dawney urgently, and the personnel in the military port were busy doing this, so it delayed you for some time. ”

"Delivering supplies to the front line is a big deal for the kingdom, and it's just a small matter for me." As soon as Dika Okrat saw that it was him, he immediately understood why the ship was late, and hurriedly said respectfully: "And Lord Sekrian you have come to see him off in person, I really don't know how to express my gratitude!" ”

Secrean, the former commander of the Dionician navy, led his fleet to defeat the Syracuse navy that dominated the western Mediterranean three times in the Southern Italian War, thus controlling the seas of Greater Greece and the eastern tip of Sicily, and played a key role in Dionia's final defeat of Syracuse, and was a hero worshiped by the Dionian people.

After the war, with the expansion of Dionia's territory, the already large fleet was divided into four by Davers: the First Fleet sat in Tarantum to defend the maritime security of Taranto Bay; The Second Fleet settled on the Catanian Plain to defend the maritime security of Dionysa in Sicily; The Third Fleet was stationed in Trina to safeguard the maritime rights and interests of the Kingdom of Dioonia in the Tyrrhenian Sea; The Fourth Fleet is based in Brindisi and defends the territory of the Kingdom of Dionysia in the Adriatic direction.

Davers did not let Seklian take the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Dionian Navy again, but let him take the position of commander of the First Fleet, although the strength of the First Fleet had long surpassed that of the Dionian Navy back then, but from the commander of the Navy to the commander of the First Fleet, this was still a demotion. At the same time, however, Davos proposed to the Senate and elected Sekrian as the Patriarch of Theonia, which was a major political boost for Seklian, and he became the second young senator under the age of 30 after Henipolis. Moreover, after the dismantling of the navy, Davers also removed the post of commander-in-chief of the navy, and Sekrian did not complain much.

Sekelian went to Tarantum for ten years, and except for important events, he rarely returned to Turii to attend the usual senate meetings, and the young hero of that year is now entering middle age, and he is less arrogant than he was young. At this time, he said to Dika Oklat with a gentle expression: "I am also going to your father's funeral, and I happen to be walking with you. ”

Speaking of his deceased father, Dika Oklatt felt a pain in his heart, and it was the regret of his life that he could not be by his father's side before his death.

"How's the war going in Dorney?" Sekrian asked casually.

"Relatively well, we have taken the city of Hedonia and the city of Ascurum, and the army has approached the central town of Lusenia of the Daoni, and is preparing to lay siege to this town. Judging from the current situation, the other Daoni tribes and towns show no sign of reinforcing the city of Luthenia, and it is estimated that the war will end before the end of the year. Talking about the war he was involved in, Dika Okrat was a little excited and complacent.

Hearing this good news, Sekrian sighed instead: "It's better to command the army to fight on land!" "After the Southern Italian War, the Kingdom of Dioonia has not always been peaceful, and the three wars it launched to conquer Meshapi, Puchetti, and Douni are not small, but these wars are near Dionia, and the other party's fleet is too weak to defend the First Fleet in the core waters of Dionia, resulting in Sekrian not being able to go to the battlefield again in the past ten years, how can he not have regrets in his heart.

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By the time Dika Oklat felt home to Turiyi, his brother Sostatus and his family had already prepared for the funeral.

Due to the early death of his wife, it was his eldest daughter and two daughters-in-law who washed his body, anointed it with perfume, and dressed it in magnificent costumes, according to the centuries-old Greek custom. Sostatus also erected a large wooden hut in front of his house, placed the body of Kunogorata in a wooden shed on a bed covered with herbs, and put a silver coin in his mouth so that his soul could pay for the ferry in Caron.

When the mourning hall and coffin were arranged, it was Dionia's unique funeral customs to take place: Plesinus, the scepter priest of the Temple of Hades, led a group of priests, priests, and saints to the mourning hall and began to sing carols for him, praying that he would enter the Elysée Paradise as soon as possible. Ordinary funerals are generally attended only by Hades priests or priests, after all, Kunogorata has different identities and statuses, and without the instructions of Davers, Plesinas personally brought the main team of the main temple of Hades.

The next day, Kunogorata's immediate family, including his son-in-law Shiros, wore black veils and stood in front of the coffin with solemn expressions, and even his daughter and daughter-in-law cut their hair short according to custom to express their grief.

Early in the morning, Davos arrived at the funeral hall with his two wives, Christo, and Agnes, as well as six children, including Cynthia and Klotocacac, to lay a wreath of pomegranate branches and leaves on the body of Kunogorata, and led the family to solemnly salute him and sing Hades' carols. After a few words of comfort to the relatives of Kunogorata, the Davers family walked out of the mourning hall, washed their hands and faces with several large jars of clean water placed outside the mourning hall, and left.

Since the departure of King Davers, the number of people who have come to pay their respects has increased.

In the beginning, it was the patriarchs. There are Ansitanos, Burkos...... These long-time friends of Turriyi; There are Cornerus, Trito Demos, Rafias, Protesilaus, Strompori...... These veterans, who worked hard together to lay the foundation of Dionia; There are Capus, Pherisius, Amintas...... and other former mercenary veterans who were dissatisfied with his always advocating peace and opposing war, but admired his talent and personality; There are Sedorum, Wesba, Hermon...... and other foreign veterans who have been with each other for more than ten years and have received a lot of care from him; There are Antaoris, Cipros, Lycias...... and other veterans who were appreciated by him and supported by him; There were also many senators who entered the Senate after the South Italian War.