Oh my God……
The total population of Hilde is now over 700,000.
Just think about it, the population of the Byzantine Empire was going to more than double in an instant, which is terrifying.
If conservative estimates are true, the Ionian region could have a population of over million, which means that the population of the Byzantine Empire would reach million.
The Conqueror's New Method
What is this concept?
The population of million is ten times that of Athens.
Equivalent to half the total population of Greece.
With such a huge population, Hilde's Byzantine Kingdom would certainly become more powerful. By that time, it would obviously have the strength to compete with the Persian Empire. Of course, Hilde was not stupid enough to go head-to-head with the Persians. However, a particularly large country is not entirely a good thing. There are still many complexities involved.
The larger the territory, the more people and population it governs, the greater the possibility of various unexpected situations. This is a completely understandable law. The Persian Empire has a population of nearly 20 million. According to the current military strength and population ratio of the Byzantine Empire, the Persian Empire must have at least million troops, but obviously, this is impossible. The available military strength of the Persian Empire is estimated to be around 500,000.
Because the core area of the Persian Empire, that is, the area centered on Persepolis on the Persian Plateau, is the real Persian area, and the population there actually determines almost all of Hilde's available troops. Other areas conquered by the Persians are likely to be unable to provide much troops for the Persian Empire. It is already a good thing that there is no need for the Persians to station troops there. The larger the territory, the more problems it needs to face.
So, these are the issues Hield will face in the future.
There will be more and more.
There is no doubt about this.
Hilde himself is also prepared.
In any case, unlike the Persian Empire which conquered foreigners, the Byzantine Empire itself was a Greek country. When a Greek country conquered a Greek city-state, it was actually a matter between the same ethnic groups and would not essentially create too many barriers. This is why after Hilde conquered all the city-states in the Greater Byzantine region, including Samos, the people in these places were still grateful to Hilde. This is the advantage of this nation.
Hilde had a good rest at night. Although she couldn't sleep, it was always good to lie in bed and rest with her eyes closed.
Sophia had fallen asleep, lying on Hilde's left side, her hands tightly holding Hilde's arms.
Xerxes was lying on the right side, holding Hilde's hand between his legs.
Mud...
Can't move.
On Hilde's left side is the softness of her breasts.
And Hilde's right hand, in addition to the firm and soft feeling brought by the plump thighs, also had a strange feeling.
"……what."
If I were a man now.
I'm afraid it has been squeezed dry.
It was very quiet outside, with only the sound of the Byzantine patrol.
Hilde couldn't help but think about what happened in Ephesus today.
My personal charm can play such a big role. It seems that in the eyes of the Ionians, a person with the aura of an oracle, who can lead a powerful army to drive away the Persians, and a liberator of a beautiful girl, is really very popular. Hilde thought about it for a while. In this case, I can make good use of my image and shine in the subsequent actions... After thinking so, Hilde began to think about it.
Soon, the next day.
Hilde thought about it all night.
Finally I came up with an idea.
At this time, Sophia had woken up, and Hilde naturally freed her left hand. She turned around and looked at Xerxes who was still sleeping, so she reached out her hand and poked Xerxes' lips. Xerxes seemed to feel something, so he opened his mouth and held Hilde's finger.
"…Wake up."
"Woo..."
Xerxes opened his eyes slightly.
"Is it... morning already?"
"I thought about it last night and came up with a good idea."
Xerxes sat up and rubbed his eyes.
"Ah... I haven't slept so soundly in a long time."
"...Don't you always sleep so soundly?"
"Alas, this must be the case when I'm with Sissi." Xerxes said this and stuck to Hilde. "Before, when we were in the Byzantine Palace, you wouldn't let me sleep next to you. I could only sleep here."
"Okay, now is not the time to talk about this."
Hilde sighed helplessly.
"Get up quickly."
"Okay, give me a kiss and I'll get up."
Faced with Xerxes' persistent approach, Sophia, who was standing aside, turned her head away.
When Hilde saw this scene, she could only kiss Xerxes on the face.
"Okay?"
"That's pretty much it."
Xerxes smiled happily and seemed satisfied.
After the two got up, Hilde walked to his desk, pointed at the map and said to Sophia: "What I want to tell you today is nothing else but how we should gather the Ionians here... I found that the Ionian Alliance is basically dead in name only, but why is it dead in name only?"
"Because of the fall of Miletus?"
"No, it's because the alliance lacks a leader!"
Hilde's words woke people up.
"Alliance leader?"
"Yes, look, who is the leader of the Delian League? Athens! Who is the leader of the Peloponnesian League? Of course it is Sparta! Because there is a strong leader, all actions are centered on the leader. Athens wants to compete with the Spartans, so the other Delian Leagues must be centered on Athens. Similarly, the Peloponnesian League is centered on the Spartans. The Spartans oppose Athens' hegemony, and these city-states strongly support it! But what about the Ionian League?"
Xerxes heard this and nodded.
"Indeed, the Ionian League was essentially established to oppose Persia, but everyone was against Persia, but no one wanted to contribute. In the end, it became like this. Once Miletus was destroyed, everyone found that the fig leaf was gone. The Ionian League could not prevent the demise of the city-state, so now it exists in name only."
"Yes, it's this leader."
Hilde slapped the table and said seriously:
"I want to be the leader!"
"Hmm? Can he, can they agree?"
"This requires another drama. First, I have to show them that I am the liberator of Ionia, and then I have indeed defeated the Persian army. After that, I will send letters to all city-states, asking them to form an alliance. Of course, if anyone refuses to come, I will destroy it directly. I must be the leader of the Ionian Alliance!"
Chapter 3 of the ninth tune: The Leader of Ionia
Hilde's goal is a bit big.
The Byzantine Kingdom was not even an Ionian country, but it wanted to be the leader of Ionia. It was indeed a bit excessive to say such a thing, but the Byzantine Kingdom had the capital to do so. If it wanted to effectively resist the invasion of the Persians, the power of Byzantium was indispensable. This was not a question of choosing or not choosing, but a question of having to do so. The Ionians had no other choice, either to be annexed by the Persians, or to accept the Byzantine Kingdom as the leader of the Ionian League.
Xerxes couldn't help laughing when he heard this.
"Hahahahahaha!"
"why are you laughing?"
"At this moment, you are like a monarch who can overwhelm the world. Very good, very good. This is the you I want to see. Don't worry about other things. Just do what you want. Those who are obedient will be given two bones to eat, and those who are disobedient will be made to perish forever in this world. That's what I do."
"So I'm the one eating the bones?"
Hilde couldn't help but ask.
And Xerxes smiled and shook his head.
"No, you are not the kind of person who eats bones. Have you ever seen a monarch who treats himself as a bone and gives it to others to eat? If I really treated you as an obedient dog, you would not be like this now."
Xerxes stood up and stretched.
"Well, no matter what you need me to do, just tell me directly. I will definitely do what I can. I didn't expect things to become more and more interesting. I want to see how many people will obey your orders when you call on yourself to become the leader of Ionia?"
"Then we'll see."
Hilde is also quite confident.
There is no reason to be unconfident about this matter. This is what Hilde thought. Although he may not be able to get everyone's support in Ionia, he will definitely solve many problems. When his powerful army proved to all Ionians that he had the ability to fight against the Persian Empire, if they still insisted on their mistakes and chose to lock themselves in the city-state and become a coward, then Hilde would never let them off easily.
It's not that I didn't give you a chance.
But you are useless even if I give you a chance.
As long as you dare to reject Hilde's proposal.
Hilde could accuse the other party of having an affair with the Persians, and then directly destroy it and control the city-state. This would also serve as a warning to others. After learning the news, those city-states that originally refused would choose to stand with Hilde immediately. Of course, they might also gather together to resist Hilde. No one knew what would happen, and Hilde was also very curious...
Were there any oracles in Ionia?
If so, what would the situation be like?
At present, Miletus and Ephesus, the two major city-states, have not had an oracle appear yet. It is very unlikely that other city-states have an oracle. If they do, it may be interesting. So Hilton must be prepared for both situations. If an oracle really appears in Ionia and intends to rebel, then he will have to consider whether he can use this person for his own benefit or just eliminate him like Cleopatra did.
But that’s all for another day.
Hilde felt that he had to go all out.
She immediately came to the city of Ephesus and found Pyrrhus.
Hilde told Pyrrhus her intention.
Of course, Hilde would not tell Pyrrhus what she said. For such things, the fewer people who know, the better. After Pyrrhus knew Hilde's intention, he initially doubted Hilde, not knowing what Hilde's purpose was. But after thinking carefully, he realized that it was not something he could doubt. Since someone really wanted to reunite the Ionian Alliance, which was almost dead in name only, then Pyrrhus felt that it was necessary to give it a try, no matter what Hilde's purpose was.
So Pyrrhus, in the name of Ephesus of the Byzantine Empire, began to send his letters to the main city-states of the Ionian League, explaining his purpose and also making Hilde's thoughts clear. In the letters, Pyrrhus painted a picture of the Ionian League standing together under the leadership of the Byzantine Kingdom, bravely resisting the invasion of the Persian Empire, and finally successfully driving the Persians out.
This is undoubtedly attractive to many Ionians.
Anyway.
It would be a good thing if we could drive out the Persians.
No matter what Hilde's purpose is, as long as the Persians are driven away, it will be fine.
That's what everyone thinks anyway.
The ships that departed from Ephesus headed for other city-states in Ionia. It wouldn't take long for this news to be known to everyone. Of course, Hilde couldn't just sit there and do nothing. She needed a new play to make the Ionians trust her deeply. So Hilde had to be prepared. The first thing she had to do was to make a big news.
This is why Hilde wanted to discuss the next steps with Xerxes.
After Pyrrhus sent the letter.
Hilde found Xerxes again.
"Let me ask you something."
"what happened?"
"Are you in need of this city of Astacus?"
"Astaroth? Are you referring to the city very close to the Byzantine Empire?" Xerxes thought for a long time before remembering the name of the city. "I don't think it's very important. After all, we don't have too many troops stationed in Asstaroth, and the population there is not very large. So why are you asking me this? Do you have any ideas?"
"I want to hit it."
Hilde's words.
Xerxes was stunned for a long time.
"You want to hit it?"
"Yes... Astacus is not a very important city for Persia, it is just a port, but it used to be part of Ionia. When Athens liberated Ionia, it did not liberate Astacus at the same time. So don't I have to play the role of the liberator of Ionia? If I can lead the army to liberate Astacus from the Persian Empire, then this title will be more appropriate, and most importantly, I can also send another part of my army through Chalcedon and station it in the north of Ionia."
Ionian Liberator
After Hilde explained her intention, Xerxes nodded. For her, it was no problem for the Persian Empire to lose one Astarchus. Originally, the people living in that place were Greeks, and the Persian Empire rarely cared about it, so Xerxes responded very generously: "Okay, no problem, take it if you want."
“So I still have to act.”
"Is it still the drama that the great Byzantine Empire sent troops to liberate Astracus and drive away the evil Persian army?" Xerxes shrugged with a wry smile. "Really? In your drama, our Persian Empire always plays the worst villain role. But it doesn't matter. Since you have this plan, you should make preparations early. When the troops come, our Persian army will retreat."
"Ok!"
Hilde knew that Xerxes would agree.
