After that, I had a good sleep.
Once people get enough sleep.
Your mood will naturally become better.
Itantirsus was no exception.
Then Itantirsus asked Tomyris to call Alcibiades to him.
"His Majesty."
Alcibiades looked at the happy smile on the king's face and knew that the wine yesterday must have made him very happy. At this time, Idantirsus patted his thigh happily and said to him: "The wine you brought is really great, absolutely priceless. I now fully understand your sincerity."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
"In that case, the peace agreement and trade agreement we talked about yesterday have not been signed yet. We were so focused on holding a banquet in the evening that we forgot to sign them. How about this? I will immediately arrange for someone to prepare a copy in Greek and Scythian. Do you have any objection?"
"of course not."
"Okay, then it's settled!"
Seeing Idantirsus so happy, Alcibiades felt relieved. Next, everything would go according to plan. The most important thing was that the most upright Princess Tomyris believed in him and seemed to be on his side.
In Tomyris's heart, Alcibiades might really be the one who would work hard for the peace between the Byzantine Kingdom and the Scythian Kingdom. If so, the two of them would be on the same side. Therefore, Tomyris trusted Alcibiades very much.
After signing the treaty successfully, Alcibiades sold the goods he brought to the Kingdom of Scythia at a relatively low price. The trade between the Scythian court was cost-free, and the actual value of these wines was far more than the value sold to the Scythians. However, Alcibiades half bought and half gave, and exchanged the wine brought by the caravan for more than a hundred war horses.
After that, Alcibiades took these things and prepared to return.
Tomyris personally escorted Alcibiades back along the original route with a group of people. Along the way, Alcibiades not only observed some landmarks around him, but also used the night stars to determine his current position and direction. At the same time, Alcibiades would ask Tomyris how to find the right path in this vast grassland.
Later, with Tomyris's permission,
They are on their way back.
I made some special marks.
Every few hundred meters, a small flagpole would be erected on the ground. In this way, as long as they followed the small flagpole, they could reach the royal court of the Kingdom of Scythia. Finally, it took another seven days for Alcibiades and his party to reach the familiar border area.
This mission was successfully completed.
"Give my regards to His Majesty Hilde."
"Yes, I will definitely pass on your greetings."
Tomyris smiled and nodded, then returned with the Scythian cavalry. When Tomyris disappeared in the grassland, Alcibiades turned around and looked at the familiar red pass in front of him. This was a small checkpoint specially built to prevent the invasion of the Scythians. After entering from here, it is the Upper Thrace Province of the Byzantine Kingdom.
Chapter 4, Section 10: Perfect and Successful Action
Finally home.
Alcibiades breathed a sigh of relief.
So Alcibiades, carrying more than a hundred war horses bought from the Kingdom of Scythia, passed through the checkpoint and entered the territory of the Byzantine Kingdom. When he arrived here, Alcibiades felt much more relaxed. Although he was not a complete Byzantine, at this time, he suddenly felt like he was home.
Perhaps compared to the Scythians, the Byzantines are also Greeks, and the Athenians are also Greeks, so everyone will have a very familiar feeling.
On the way back to New Byzantium from the checkpoint, Alcibiades didn't have to worry about bandits or other unexpected situations because there were soldiers patrolling everywhere. It took a day for Alcibiades to ride back to New Byzantium alone, intending to report the news to Sitalces and Damianos as soon as possible.
"You are finally back!!!"
As soon as Sitalces saw Alcibiades.
He smiled and walked over quickly.
"Your Majesty has been staying here for two days."
"Your Majesty? Your Majesty is back?"
"Yes, His Majesty went here immediately after he finished dealing with the matter in Byzantium City. He has been waiting here for two days. His Majesty also said that if you don't come back, he will send people to look for you."
Hearing this, Alcibiades was somewhat moved.
"Thank you so much, Your Majesty!"
"Let's go into the city first!"
Sitalces led Alcibiades to the Archon's Palace in New Byzantium. At this time, Hilde was taking a walk in New Byzantium. She was also free and planned to take a good look at what New Byzantium looked like. When she returned to the Archon's Palace, she happened to meet Alcibiades who had just returned.
At first, Hilde didn't recognize Alcibiades. After all, after all the troubles along the way, Alcibiades' hair had grown a lot longer and became a little messy. It was probably because he hadn't taken a shower for such a long time. Alcibiades recognized Hilde at first sight. He walked over quickly, then immediately knelt on one knee, lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty! I'm back!"
"You've worked hard along the way. Come in first and we'll talk."
"Yes!"
Alcibiades followed Hilde into the mansion.
Hilde asked Alcibiades to sit on a chair beside him, and he sat on the other side. Seeing Alcibiades's dusty appearance, Hilde knew that he had been very busy during this period. So Hilde smiled and asked, "Seeing your smiling face, I know that you must have successfully completed the task."
"Your Majesty is wise. I have indeed fulfilled your request."
"The journey to the Kingdom of Scythia is long and dangerous, and it is really tiring. Don't worry, you will get all the rewards you deserve." Hilde ordered the slaves around him to pour some juice for Alcibiades, and then said to him with a smile, "So when you went there this time, did anything interesting happen? What was their attitude?"
"This time when we go to the Kingdom of Scythia, in addition to completing some of the tasks you requested, I think the most important thing is that the Princess of the Kingdom of Scythia, Tomyris, now completely trusts us."
"What does it mean?"
"It's like this. When we first arrived at the Kingdom of Scythia, we encountered Tomyris' army. Tomyris took us all the way to the royal court of the Kingdom of Scythia and met the King of Scythia, Itantirsus. Itantirsus was very happy about our proposal for peace, but his daughter Tomyris was confused about it and seemed to think that we had other intentions at first."
"and after?"
"Later, Idantirsus naturally agreed to our request. But then I told Tomyris that the reason why the Byzantine Kingdom wanted peace was because we encountered an invasion by the Persians. We needed to concentrate our forces on the front line to prevent the Persian attack. That's why we did this. The reason we didn't tell Idantirsus was that we didn't want what happened before to happen again."
Alcibiades could not help laughing.
"In the end, Tomyris really believed me."
“How did you make that decision?”
Hilde was also a little curious.
Alcibiades smiled and said, "Because you told me before about Tomyris's character and the character of her father Itantirsus. So I know that Tomyris has always felt guilty about what happened before, and she also hopes for peace. Moreover, as a daughter, Tomyris must know very well what kind of person her father is. Through such reasons, we can reasonably explain the purpose of signing a peace agreement. In addition, the Persians are also a common threat between us and the Scythians. This will let Tomyris know that they will also face the threat of the Persians. Therefore, according to Tomyris's character, she will be happy to choose to cooperate with us."
"You did really well."
This made Hilde overjoyed.
She had never expected that Alcibiades, while completing his mission perfectly, could also make Tomyris dispel her doubts and be willing to cooperate with the Byzantine Kingdom wholeheartedly. This was indeed very difficult to do, and Hilde was still very surprised. If it was really as Alcibiades said, then he really had done a great deed.
"You have successfully completed the mission and made Tomyris willing to trust us. This is a good thing, but this matter is not completely over. You still have a lot of things to do next. We have just finished our work in Ionia, but the troops stationed in Ionia cannot be sent back for the time being. We need time to digest our newly acquired territory and troops. Only after we are fully prepared can we launch a war against the Kingdom of Scythia. Do you understand?"
"Of course I understand. Don't worry, I'll take care of everything here. Those Scythian nobles really like the fine wine we provide them. They got drunk on the first day and bought all the wine we brought over. As long as we keep providing them with large amounts of fine wine, they will definitely become addicted to it."
Hearing this, Hilde nodded with satisfaction.
The fifth tune, the first section, the flexible assistant
Although, Hilde didn't really put his hopes on the wine.
But the current situation is relatively smooth after all.
As long as you can make these people like fine wine, there will be enough opportunities.
Moreover, Hilde was even more certain that the only person who could be called an enemy in the entire Scythian Kingdom was the Scythian Princess Tomyris. This person was indeed different from her father, and was more like the ancestor who personally chopped off the head of Cyrus the Great. If Tomyris was the king of the entire Scythian Kingdom, it would not be a good thing for the Byzantine Kingdom. Therefore, Hilde also hoped that Itantirsus would not suddenly die during this period.
That's not good.
Then, Hilde looked at Alcibiades with a smile:
"You have successfully completed the mission. You should take a rest for a while. We will let the merchants handle the export of wine to the Scythians for the time being."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Alcibiades did not refuse Hilde's kindness.
"Recently, I had an idea."
"Your Majesty, please speak."
"I told you once before that we were going to build a school in Byzantium and let Herodotus be a professor there. At the same time, we were going to recruit talents from the entire Greek world. You should know this, right?"
"Yes, Your Majesty, I still remember it."
"I have already started preparations for the construction of this school. Herodotus has also returned to Byzantium and will not leave again in the next two years."
In Hilde's plan.
This school was very important to the Byzantine Empire.
Once this school is built, it will be the first university in the true sense of the word, without a doubt. This is different from the more ancient clay-brick book houses or the palace schools in ancient Egypt. This is a school that was not built to train officials or nobles, but purely for academics.
Scholars who have made great achievements in the academic world, such as Herodotus, can become professors in schools. At the same time, young people with great literary talent can also pay a certain amount of money or prove that they are talented people to enter schools for two to four years of study. In such a process, although slow, it can effectively cultivate and provide a large number of top talents for the Byzantine Empire.
These are the graduates coming out of school.
It is very likely that they will be philosophers, engineers, and mathematicians after the Byzantine Empire.
It could also be a politician or a general.
Hilde did not doubt the role of the school, so she said to Alcibiades:
"And you, after you return to Byzantium, I want you to participate in the construction of the school and learn about the overall structure of the school. You are one of the most talented people in the Byzantine Kingdom. During the construction of the school, I hope you can also put forward constructive suggestions based on your thoughts. What do you think?"
"Of course I will."
Alcibiades also nodded heavily.
It can be seen that he is still very happy to take on this job.
Hilde smiled with satisfaction.
"Then you will return with me tomorrow."
"Yes!"
It had been a long time since Alcibiades came to the Byzantine Kingdom. At first, Hilde was worried that Alcibiades was unfaithful and might cause trouble for her. So Hilde asked Alcibiades to clean the toilet, which could be considered as a way to exercise Alcibiades' endurance. Unexpectedly, he passed the test smoothly, and Hilde gave him the task related to the Kingdom of Scythia.
Of course, Hilde was particularly satisfied with Alcibiades's result.
And it has to be said.
In the entire Byzantine Empire, Hilde could not find another person with such flexible thinking.
For example, Sitalces and Amyntas were military men. Although they were loyal, they were a bit rigid and even stubborn. There was nothing that could be done about it. Damianos and others were civil servants, but they were not so eloquent. Instead, they were more like traditional bureaucrats who were responsible for their work. Therefore, Hilde had planned to go to the Kingdom of Scythia herself. With Alcibiades, Hilde could rest assured to deal with the affairs of Ionia.
Now, Alcibiades has proven his ability.
Hilde thought that it might be time to give Alcibiades more opportunities.
Now, for Hilde.
As for the Kingdom of Scythia, there is no need to be anxious for the time being.
Peace has just been achieved, and the wine strategy has not yet taken effect on the Kingdom of Scythia.
It was spring, and Hilde estimated that it was 431 BC. According to normal history, this would be the year when the Peloponnesian War broke out. At present, the Ionian issue had not been completely resolved. Only northern Ionia was completely ruled by Hilde, and the other city-states were still in a state of cooperation.
But there's nothing wrong with that.
The manpower provided by the Ionian city-states.
There was also a steady stream of people taking ships to the city of Byzantium.
When Hilde and Alcibiades arrived in Byzantium, the troops from Ionia had all assembled on the outskirts of Byzantium. They were not allowed to be stationed in the fortress camps in Byzantium, but rested in temporary camps outside the city.
These soldiers all came from Ionia, whether from cities like Ephesus or from the fields of Ionia. For them, the magnificent Byzantine city really surprised them. After all, each of them took a ship to the port of Byzantine City, and then passed through Byzantine City before coming out of the city. The exquisite buildings in the city and the wide and clean streets all surprised them.
Only then did they believe it.
The power of the Byzantine Empire.
Today, after several years of development, the population of Byzantium is only about 55,000. Including the First Legion stationed in the city, the total number is about 70,000.
In the entire Greek world, this was just the size of a large city-state, and was completely incomparable to large city-states like Athens, Corinth, and Thebes.
Chapter 5: Rapid Expansion of Military Forces
The population of the Greater Byzantine Province is much larger. Half of the population of the country of Hildesheim is concentrated in the Greater Byzantine Province, about 300,000 people. However, one-third of these more than 300,000 people live on the island of Samos, and the land around the entire Byzantine City currently has a population of only more than 200,000. There is no other way. Hildesheim has been developing the north and has transferred a large number of farmers to the north. For the development of Thrace, a full 100,000 people have been transferred there.
Because of this.
Due to the size of the city of Byzantium, it was impossible to expand quickly.
