"The Tarantum people have always considered themselves to be nobler than anyone else, but in fact they have long been attached to the kingdom, Leotinis, Taunis, Potentia...... The former allies of these kingdoms have been incorporated into the kingdom, but they still retain the status of free cities...... This time Prince Apox was able to overwhelm the Tarantum people in their proudest knowledge, which really relieved us, but unfortunately we didn't see the scene with our own eyes! ”

"Let's make a toast to the clever and wise Prince Apox!" Someone shouted a proposal, which was immediately echoed by everyone.

While everyone drank and celebrated, Massimus looked gloomy: King Davers's son was already famous in the kingdom at such a young age, and his own children were still far from even going to the Turiyi School, alas......

"Another drink?" The cook's voice interrupted his distraction, and he turned his head to see that the cook had scooped a spoonful of beer and reached out to his wooden cup.

He shook his head, but listened to the cook comfortingly say: "This cup is free, I invite you, look at some, there will always be a way!" ”

Since moving to the outer city, Massimus has been out looking for work every day, and at the same time he will come to this street tavern every evening to have a beer, on the one hand, to relieve the depression in his heart, and on the other hand, to know a little more information through these diners.

Massimus took the wooden cup full of wine, hesitated to say "thank you", and listened to the cook say: "Since there is no chance for the town hall of Turiyi, you can actually consider going to other towns and towns, such as Cosenza, which is also a big city of the kingdom, and it is not too far from Turiyi, maybe because it is in the inland mountains, and there are more residents of Bruti, so many free people are reluctant to go there, I heard that there is a shortage of hired workers in the town hall there, if you go there, it should be easier to be hired, Maybe there will be more opportunities for meritorious service. ”

Hearing this, Massimus's heart moved, and he hurriedly said sincerely: "Thank you!" ”

The cook smiled and said, "No thanks, in fact, I can't control my mouth, if you really go to Cosenza, I will lose a good guest who can patronize my business every day." ”

"I said Afra, if you can't bear it, just marry Massimus!" One diner quipped.

The cook immediately widened her eyes, slammed the wooden spoon on the counter, and scolded: "I said that you Neleus have drunk too much wine and started talking nonsense again!" Do you want me to find someone to pour cold water on you, sober and sober! ”

"Neleus, you are a cheap person, if you don't provoke Afra every day and let her scold you a few words, are you uncomfortable!"

"I don't think he's cheap, he's a spring cat."

"How?"

"It's estrus season!"

"Hahaha......"

A group of people interjected, and the atmosphere in the tavern suddenly became a lot more lively.

At this moment, a diner with sharp eyes waved his hand outside the tavern and shouted, "Gorgian, you are here!" ”

Gorguion strode into the tavern, nodded to the diners, hesitated when he saw Massimus, and then said to the cook, "It's the old way." ”

While the cook was preparing food and drinks for him, someone had already asked aloud, "Gorgian, is there any news for today?" ”

Gorgian glanced at the diners who were crowding over, and then at Massimus, who was lying in front of the counter next to him, and then said solemnly: "There is indeed very important news today, especially for Massimus!" ”

Massimus, who was about to listen attentively, was stunned for a moment, and couldn't care less reserved, and immediately asked, "What is the news?" ”

"News came from the Senate this afternoon, and the question of 'whether to send a legion to the border to guard the border', which was rumored some time ago, has finally come to fruition." Gorgian said solemnly: "The Minister of War, Shiros, submitted to the Senate a proposal to 'hire freedmen to form a frontier army to defend the northern border of Etruria and the southern border of Illyria', and Archibides of the Ministry of Finance attended the Senate instead of the Minister of Finance, Merses, and also submitted a proposal to 'demand an additional 6% direct tax to solve the problem of military spending for the newly formed army'......"

"Do you really want to raise taxes?!" Many diners said in unison.

Only Neleus shouted in surprise: "Only 6% of the tax has been increased, which is too little!" ”

As soon as he finished speaking, he was immediately reprimanded by the others.

"In addition, the Minister of Registrar, Rafias, also submitted a proposal." Gorgian frowned, and the noise in the tavern forced him to raise his voice, and continued: "He proposes to extend the number of years for freedmen to become citizens of Ionia from the original 5-6 years to more than 10 years, and only freedmen who have been hired by the kingdom and become soldiers of the border army can become full citizens of Dionysa after the expiration of 5 years of service. ’

'In addition, if a freeman is willing to go to the southern part of Iberia to rent land, he can settle there for seven years and become a full citizen......'"

As he spoke, the noise in the tavern faded away, eventually taking on an eerie silence, all eyes focused on Gorguion.

This made Gorgian a little unaccustomed, he lowered his head and took a sip of beer, coughed a few times, then looked at the crowd, and finally his eyes fell on Massimus: "Lord Rafias's proposal does not affect you much, because according to his statement in the Senate, the freedmen who have applied for registration before the proposal comes into force are still subject to the original method of conversion to full citizenship in 5-6 years under the Immigration Act...... So, Massimus is the most affected. ”

After saying this, Massimus's face turned pale.

"Rafias, this old bastard, is he dizzy! Wouldn't he dare to make such a proposal, wouldn't he be resented by the free people of the entire kingdom?! One of the diners immediately scolded angrily.

"There's nothing to be afraid of, he lives in the inner city, protected by many guards, and it's a little difficult for us to get in and out of the inner city, let alone meet him. Besides, he dared to make such a proposal to change the Immigration Act, which had been in place for 20 years, and it was impossible without the prior support of King Davers, wouldn't he, Gorgian? Another diner calmly analyzed.

But Gorgian did not respond to his question, but bowed his head and took another sip of wine.

"Massimus...... And don't worry, whether it's the Immigration Act or the Revenue Act, it's been in place for almost 20 years, and it's not so easy to pass! After a long time, the citizens of the kingdom rallied against it, and these proposals might eventually be rejected by the Senate! One diner said confidently.

His words were echoed by everyone, including the cook, and even Massimus felt refreshed, thinking that he had seen hope.

At this time, Gorgian sighed and said, "In fact, all these proposals have been approved...... In the afternoon, all departments of the Turriyi City Hall, especially the Patrol Department, had already received an urgent notice, asking the officials to remain vigilant, pay close attention to the situation in the city of Turii, and maintain the stability of order in the city during the time when the bill was announced! ……”

"What?! Passed?! How did such an important bill pass so quickly?! ”

"What are the patriarchs doing?! Sleeping?! ”

……

The diners roared angrily to vent their surprise and uneasiness.

"The senators did not sleep, because His Majesty King Davers had also introduced a bill to divide the kingdom's domains into a dozen districts, and to add a district administration, whose highest position was the district administrator, whose duties were said to be somewhat similar to those of the previous wartime governors, and that he could govern all the towns in his region, and that he would have considerable power...... The senators must have enough time to discuss this important proposal, and also to think about who will be the chief executive of these regions......" Gorguion explained, with a strange look on his face: it was not a coincidence that he had been in Turiy for so many years, and it was the first time that he had heard of four important proposals for the future of the kingdom in the Senate in one day, but the work of the wise king!

"Aren't the Immigration Act and the Tax Bill more important than the Act of this established district?!"

"I see, these patriarchs only care about whether they can be that or something...... The district administrator does not care about the interests of the people at all! ”

"Yes, that's right!"

……

The sound of the quarrel in the tavern caused a splitting headache for the already depressed Massimus, who pushed the glass back to the cook, pushed away the diners who stood in front of him, and staggered out of the tavern.

"Massimus, are you alright?" Someone behind him shouted with concern.

Massimus didn't respond at all, and his feet staggered forward like a heavy load, in a trance......

After walking for a while, he came to the building he rented, and when he came back to his senses, he looked at the passers-by and felt a sense of sadness in his heart: I have made great sacrifices, and I have made up my mind to integrate my family into this new kingdom! However, since I walked out of the camp with my family and came to this huge city, everything has not gone well, and the news I heard today has completely ruined all my previous plans for the future, is this Jupiter's punishment for betraying my countrymen? Or is it because I didn't believe in Hades thoroughly, so he didn't bless me at all?! ”

Although life in the slave camp was hard for a few years, he had been working hard because he had the goal of freedom as soon as possible. And now, when he stands freely in this bustling city, he feels unprecedentedly confused: where should he go in the future?!