But Hilde doesn't think it's a bad thing.
The expansion of the city is not something to be anxious about, because it takes time to build all the buildings. It took Byzantium three years to develop to its current level, which is actually due to the use of bricks. If it were marble, the speed would probably be even slower. Even so, those houses, temples, public baths and other buildings still need time to be built, otherwise, people who just entered Byzantium would have to sleep on the streets.
Isn't that the case with Athens?
Because of the Spartan invasion.
Athens was forced to allow farmers from all over Attica to enter the city of Athens.
As a result, the sudden surge in population caused chaos in Athens. Hilde could still remember that when she arrived in Athens last year, the whole city was full of Attic farmers. If they had no relatives in Athens, they could only live in temples or under other people's roofs, looking like they were fleeing from famine. This situation also made Hilde worry about whether there would be a plague or something like that.
after all……
The Plague of Athens in History.
It's really because of this reason.
Therefore, such a situation must never occur in the city of Byzantium.
Before returning to Byzantium, Hilde went to the new military camp to check the situation.
Since Hilde's white horse was killed by Golgopas, after returning to the Byzantine Kingdom, Hilde changed to a white horse that was not much different from the previous one. Now, Hilde rode her horse to the new military camp outside the city. Upon learning that Hilde was coming, Amyntas, who was training these new soldiers, immediately summoned all the troops.
The soldiers gathered together, lined up in several rows, and stood upright on the parade ground outside the city.
These soldiers are also quite looking forward to it.
Most of them had never seen what Hilde looked like.
I've only heard of Hilde's reputation.
Now that Hilde has come in person, everyone naturally wants to see Hilde's heroic figure.
At this time, Alcibiades came here with Hilde. He couldn't help but ask curiously: "Are all these people from Ionia?"
"To be precise, they are from Ionia. We have recruited three armies in the entire Ionian region. One is from the northern Ionian region. They are now receiving training near Abydos. The other is from Dorian. They were sent to Samos and are receiving training on the island of Samos. In other words, this time, our military strength has expanded by 30,000 people. Isn't it amazing?"
"Of course!"
Alcibiades was also quite surprised.
He didn't expect that there would be more than 33,000 troops at once.
Generally speaking, Greeks like to call all Greeks along the coast of Asia Minor Ionians. But in fact, the people in this place are divided into ethnic groups. For example, Ionians refer to people in the central region of Asia Minor, including Miletus and Ephesus. Athenians are also Ionians, which is why Athens is very close to Miletus and Ephesus.
The Greeks in northern Asia Minor were called Ionians. They were basically only distributed in northern Asia Minor and continued to expand northwards over the past few hundred years. City-states including Mytilene and Assos all belonged to the Ionians. These people were used to being called Ionians, and they were also members of the Ionian League, but you can only feel that there is a big difference between these Ionians and Ionians if you go there in person.
If you go south, about 100 kilometers south of Miletus in Ionia, you will reach the third ethnic group in the Ionian region, the Dorians. Including the city-states of Kos, Rhodes, and Halicarnassus, the number of people in the entire Ionian region is relatively small, but the overall strength is not weak. The Dorians are not only distributed in this area, but also in the Peloponnese Peninsula. The most famous Dorians are the Spartans.
Therefore, Hilde also came up with a clever idea.
She formed three legions according to different ethnic groups.
The legion from the northern Ionians was the Seventh "Ionian" Legion.
The legions from the central city-states such as Ephesus were the Sixth "Ionian" Legion.
The legion formed by the southern city-states was the Eighth "Dorian" Legion.
Although nominally the Sixth Legion and the Eighth Legion can only be regarded as mercenaries, Hilde does not care about that. After training, these soldiers will become capable warriors, and they will serve in the army for at least three to five years. When their service is about to end, their hometowns, whether Ionians or Dorians, will be annexed and ruled by the Byzantine Kingdom, and they will not be able to escape.
That’s what Hilde is all about.
When Hilde came here in person.
She could feel the eager gazes from these soldiers.
Hilde didn't hate such looks. She smiled at them, then came to Amyntas and asked, "How is their training going now?"
"Your Majesty, they are all a bunch of young boys who need to be trained."
"Basic training is three months, right?"
"Yes."
Amyntas lowered his head and said seriously:
"When these soldiers arrived here, half of them were not proficient in using weapons. It was hard to imagine that these people were once the defenders of their own city-states. After careful questioning, I learned that the military preparations of the entire Ionia were in such a serious state of disrepair. If the Persians really march westward one day, I'm afraid these people in Ionia will not last more than a month before they are all conquered by the Persians."
These words were not only spoken by Amyntas to Hilde.
He also said this to these soldiers.
The fifth chapter, the third chapter, the two people who have a bad relationship
When Amyntas finished speaking, the soldiers who were able to hear him all lowered their heads, looking somewhat guilty and uneasy. This was normal. After all, what Amyntas said really touched their hearts. The weakness of the Ionian army really affected everyone deeply.
The problem is that this kind of weakness should not be allowed.
Ionia was also different from other regions.
This is a place that is coveted by various forces.
Including the Byzantine Empire.
In addition, the troops trained in Byzantium were all Ionians from the Ionian region, and Byzantium was almost entirely Ionian. Amyntas, who was born in Athens, naturally hated these relatives, so it was completely understandable that Amyntas was so angry. When he saw Amyntas's angry look, Hilde just smiled and said, "Then you need to train well."
"Yes, I will definitely do it."
"These soldiers will be our main force in resisting the Persians in the future. But don't be too anxious. What I want is a troop with stable morale and reliable combat capability, not a hastily built troop that looks good but is useless. So, I think you should understand what I mean." Hilde turned around and said to Alcibiades beside him, "Did you see that? If one day you join the army, remember what I said."
"Yes!"
Alcibiades also bowed his head.
Amyntas looked at Alcibiades and felt a little uncomfortable.
He himself didn't know what was going on. When he saw Hilde taking Alcibiades with her wherever she went, Amyntas felt an indescribable irritation. Indeed, Amyntas was now the general of the First Legion, in charge of the defense of Byzantium, and had a high prestige in the entire city of Byzantium. Hilde also trusted him and never doubted his loyalty and ability. It was precisely because of this that Amyntas lived a good life.
But this Alcibiades.
Not long after arriving, he lived next to Hilde.
And she even cleaned the toilet for His Majesty.
Afterwards, Hilde gave him a confidential task and asked him to take charge of it.
Seeing his high-spirited look, Amyntas knew that his mission must have been successful. Amyntas was a little angry, but he also knew that if Alcibiades was really a talent, then this would be a good thing for the Byzantine Empire. He felt a little uncomfortable, just worried that he, the representative of the "Athenians", would be outdone by Alcibiades, who was also from Athens.
He shook his head.
Then he said to Hilde:
"If there is anything Alcibiades does not understand, you can come to the barracks at any time."
"Thank you, General."
Alcibiades was also very polite.
"I will follow your advice."
"When the time comes, if you have any ideas, you can tell me, and I will try my best to pass on my experience to you."
"That's great." Hilde looked at Amyntas's statement and said with a smile, "I was worried that you two would not get along, but now it seems that I can rest assured."
Hild had always thought that Amyntas, who was quite decent, might not like Alcibiades, who had no bottom line in doing things. After all, in the eyes of outsiders, Alcibiades was a dissolute playboy who really had no bottom line in many things. In the eyes of an extremely decent person like Amyntas, Alcibiades would never be his good friend. The relationship between the two people would probably be something that would be incompatible.
But think about it carefully.
These two people were also pillars of the Byzantine Empire.
We are all adults, there is no need to worry about so many complicated things.
Even if they were really unhappy with each other, they had to keep it to themselves. After all, one was Hilde's close minister, and the other was a famous general of the empire. Both of them were very important talents in the Byzantine Kingdom. It was also because of this that if there was a conflict between these two people and it was shown, it would be too low standard.
Hearing what Hilde said, Amyntas did not dare to express his dissatisfaction directly. He could only lower his head and said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty, as long as someone is loyal to the Byzantine Kingdom, I, Amyntas, will definitely treat him fairly. Alcibiades has proved his loyalty to all the Byzantines, and I believe that all the Byzantines will treat him the same way as I do."
"If that's the case, that would be great."
Hilde nodded with great satisfaction.
Then Hilde turned to Alcibiades and said, "You still have a lot to learn, not only in school, but also in the army. You have to learn anytime and anywhere. I know you are Socrates' favorite student, but that doesn't mean you can relax. Almost everyone in Byzantium can be your teacher. Don't be proud of completing a mission perfectly."
"Don't worry, I will be strict with myself."
Hear Alcibiades say this.
Hilde then looked towards the army:
"I heard Socrates tell me before that your father was also a general, and that you have had a certain understanding of the military since you were a child. I am quite curious about your understanding of the military and your ability to command the army. If one day, I have the opportunity, I really want to send you to the battlefield to test you and see if you are really an all-rounder."
In history, Alcibiades was not actually famous for his political achievements. What really made him famous was his military talent. He once led the Spartans to directly collapse Athens, and then returned to Athens and led the Athenians, whose national strength had seriously declined, to force the Spartans to retreat several times. It was through such things that Alcibiades left a significant mark in the entire Greek history, and Hilde also learned that there really was such a person.
So since such a famous person has joined my account.
Hilde felt that if his military talents were not tapped.
That would be a bit of a pity.
It feels like I got a treasure but I'm wasting it.
Hearing Hilde say this, Alcibiades was also a little surprised: "You mean, let me be the general?"
Section 4 of the Fifth Adjustment: Site Selection for New Factories
Alcibiades and Amyntas looked at each other.
The two looked at each other and smiled.
"Your Majesty, please rest assured that there will be no conflicts between us."
"Yeah, I believe it."
Hilde was still concerned about Alcibiades' future. After all, Hilde hoped that this legendary general in history could continue to play to his strengths and create amazing achievements in the Byzantine Empire. However, this matter should not be rushed. After all, Alcibiades was just a young boy so far. There was still a long time to go. It would not be too late to let him study hard for a while.
After that, Hildes let Alcibiades go back to rest.
She stayed in the military camp.
Walking and chatting with Amyntas.
"So, we now have eight corps, including the Royal Guards, with a total of 100,000 troops. Such a large army is extremely rare in the entire Greek region. However, at this point, should we continue to expand our forces, or should we slow down the pace of increasing our forces?"
"His Majesty."
Amyntas said respectfully:
"I think we are expanding our military a little too fast now."
"Speak slowly."
"We have now conquered Ionia. Although the entire Ionia is not completely our territory, it is almost there. And our current military strength is about 100,000, including the population of Ionia, which is close to 2 million. This is much better than our previous ratio of 10 to 1. Our current productivity is also enough to support our military strength, but the current situation is that 100,000 troops are enough for our kingdom."
“…Hmm, is that so?”
"Just think about our future enemies."
Amyntas also became excited.
Hilde thought about it for a moment.
"The Kingdom of Scythia."
"Yes, the Scythians only have a small number of troops, barely 30,000, and they lack sufficient metallurgical technology. The Scythians' armaments are also not as good as ours. Their biggest advantage is that they have more cavalry than us. Therefore, in my opinion, we should slow down the expansion of the army and instead focus on improving the combat effectiveness and overall quality of the army. Only in this way can we ensure that we maintain our absolute advantage in subsequent battles."
"Well, you're right."
Hilde smiled and nodded.
"After that, it's up to you."
"Yes, Your Majesty. During this time, I will write down my thoughts on papyrus for you to see?"
"Then I'll wait."
Seeing how full of fighting spirit Amyntas was, Hilde found it quite interesting.
Hild did this not because he really didn't know, but because he felt that Amyntas seemed a little depressed. After all, Amyntas was not a very smart person. He was a person who would always work hard and was very loyal. He was also good at martial arts, so Hild trusted him very much. But recently, he was too good to Alcibiades, which made Amyntas feel a little uncomfortable. After all, this made him feel that he was useless.
It's okay, it's nothing.
Hilde just needs to have a good talk with him.
Then there will be no problem.
