"The largest city-states closest to Byzantium are Selimbria and Chalcedon founded by the Megarians, Perintus founded by the Samians, and Apollonia, which also belongs to Miletus. As you can see, these cities alone are under the jurisdiction of the three mother states. Moreover, these cities combined have a population of only 50,000 and more than 4,000 standing soldiers. If you include the 1,000 soldiers of Byzantium, there are only 5,000 people."
Aspasia pointed to the map and explained:
"Moreover, these city-states are very far apart."
"But we can use sea routes to unite the city-states."
"Athens is also doing this, but facing the Spartan attack, the sea route is actually of little use. Once the enemy is at the gates of the city, the sea route is almost useless. Now, the Spartan king has a large army and is extremely powerful. If there is any negligence, once a city in the alliance falls, the entire alliance will immediately fall apart. Remember, child, the danger faced by the Ionian Alliance is the same."
Aspasia's analysis is based on her personal observations.
This is why Hilde consulted Aspasia.
"Okay, I understand."
Now, Hilde became more determined.
"Then I'll think about it carefully."
"Yes, my child."
Since Aspasia felt that the idea of alliance was not feasible, the best way for Hilde was to annex them. Using various means to take down these city-states and make them part of the Byzantine Kingdom was obviously the best choice. On the one hand, a strong royal power had high administrative efficiency. On the other hand, facing the threat of the Thracian king, external conflicts would transform internal conflicts, greatly improving the efficiency of annexation.
And around the city of Byzantium.
There are dozens of city-states scattered around.
Among them, the largest city-states are Apollonia, Chalcedon, Perintus, and Serimbria, as well as a series of unknown small city-states. If the above four cities are controlled, it means that the Byzantine Kingdom can control the entire northeastern Thrace and the Black Sea coastal area, and the population will reach more than 50,000.
However, this scale still cannot be compared with that of the King of Thrace.
But if he continued to absorb the Thracians into his kingdom.
It would soon undermine the Thracian king's economic foundation and burden his army.
Finally, provide enough opportunity to defeat the Thracian King.
This plan may sound simple, but the size of Byzantium is medium among these cities. The largest city, Perintus, has a population of more than 20,000 and is supported by the fleet of its mother city, Samos. Moreover, Samos, as the closest Greek city-state to Thrace, only needs a distance of tens of kilometers to send troops to the coast of Thrace to support Perintus. Therefore, with the help of Samos, Perintus not only does not need to form an alliance with Byzantium, but it will also be extremely difficult to annex Perintus.
So, Perinthos must be the last step.
Hilde thought about it carefully.
First of all, the weakest existence here is Apollonia.
It takes at least 7 days to travel by sea from Apollonia to Byzantium. This city-state is built directly on the west coast of the Black Sea, which is a very long distance away. There are about seven or eight small city-states on the way from Byzantium to Apollonia. Apollonia itself has a population of more than and is surrounded by forests. It is rich in furs, high-quality wood and iron ore. If Apollonia is captured, it is equivalent to directly controlling the entire west coast of the Black Sea, although the population on the west coast of the Black Sea is less than people in total.
Then, after taking Apollonia.
The next target is Chalcedon.
A city-state across the sea from Byzantium.
Chalcedon had a population of over 14,000 and was also a major trading port.
Chapter 9: Changes in the Focus of National Policy
(Regarding the issue of updating: emmm... Friends always complain that they don't read enough, I know that, but to some extent, there is nothing I can do. Now I have 3 books that need to be updated, and I need to write 1 words a day, and I have to finish them all in the morning, because I have to memorize politics, professional courses and practice questions in the afternoon and evening, and I also have to prepare for next year's N3000 exam. Time is very tight, and this book is twice as hard to write as the other ones, because I need to constantly flip through the book to check the information to avoid low-level mistakes. So currently I can only update about words a day. I hope you will be more tolerant!)
Chalcedon, Selimblya.
After all these city-states were taken into his possession.
Perintus was no longer a problem.
So, after making up his mind, Hilde had a goal.
However, this goal naturally could not be told to her mother Aspasia. She did not want her mother to change her opinion of her. After all, Hilde still wanted to be a good girl in front of her mother. Therefore, she would never tell her what to do, nor would she tell her that the wine in the cup of the Archon of Byzantium was poisoned by her, and everything now was actually obtained by not very glorious means.
"Mother, you should go to bed early."
Hilde smiled and said:
"I have some business to attend to."
"Okay, kid."
After comforting Aspasia to go and rest first, Hilde immediately went to the Byzantine meeting hall.
For Hilder, whether he could successfully conquer and control these city-states became a matter of vital importance. If he did not take them down, he would never have the ability to compete head-on with the King of Thrace. Therefore, Hilder had to change his national policy to deal with this situation in the future. So he found Amyntas, the municipal official Marcus, the religious official Phalene and others.
"Your Majesty, now we have chosen the address."
At this time, Marcus, the alderman, was reporting hurriedly.
"We have gathered the best craftsmen and prepared the marble. All we need is your permission so that we can build the Temple of Sarpirsus Athena in Byzantium."
"Don't worry about this matter for now."
Hilde shook her head.
"But, Your Majesty, religion is a big problem. Now that Byzantium is protected by Lady Athena, if we don't build a temple to worship Lady Athena in time, I'm afraid it will offend the gods." At this time, the religious official Farenes lowered his head and said, "We don't need to build a grand temple like the one in Athens. It only takes half a year. With the hard work of the workers, a temple worthy of the name of Athena can be built."
"Let's put this matter aside for now."
Hilde sighed helplessly.
"Lady Athena is not in a hurry, why are you in a hurry?"
"Ah...I'm sorry, Your Majesty."
They forgot for a moment that Hilde was the Oracle.
When a city-state is protected by a god, it is normal to build a temple for this god. Sarpiles means the goddess of war, which is a title of Athena. Therefore, in order to win the war and boost the morale of the army, building the Sarpiles Athena Temple has become the wish of all citizens of Byzantium. However, Hilde does not want everyone to spend all their money and energy on this.
"In short, the construction of the temple is suspended now."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Marcus and Farene were somewhat disappointed.
After all, they still looked forward to seeing the Temple of Athena standing in the city of Byzantium.
"In addition, please make a summary of all the projects in the city and send it to me. Now is a special period for Byzantium. We must save money and not start wasting money just because things are stable now. Don't worry, the Temple of Athena will definitely be built, and it will cost less than it does now." Hilde smiled and said to Amyntas, "Then, except for Amyntas, everyone else should go back to their work."
After everyone leaves.
Amyntas stepped forward and knelt on one knee.
"Your Majesty, please give your orders."
"Apollonia, do you know?"
"Yes, it's a city-state on the west coast of the Black Sea, built by the Milesians."
"Take it."
Hilde's understatement surprised Amyntas.
"Do you mean to send troops to attack Apollonia?"
"Yes, I will command the troops. Five hundred people will be enough."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Although this plan was a bit crazy, since it was what Hilde had asked for, Amyntas would follow it completely. Then Amyntas left the meeting hall, and Hilde breathed a sigh of relief.
Now is really the most difficult time for the city of Byzantium.
Even the temple could not be built.
However, if Apollonia is successfully taken, and a series of villages from Apollonia to Byzantium are controlled, many important resources can be obtained, including copper, iron, wood, marble, and leather. After mastering these resources, Hilde can expand the production of weapons. After all, his army cannot match other countries in terms of quantity, but he cannot fall behind in terms of weapons and equipment.
Section 10: Reform of the Army
Today, it was Hilde's turn to inspect the workshop.
In order to centralize the production of weapons and equipment, Hilde established public workshops in the city of Byzantium.
This means that the workshop was owned by the Byzantine Kingdom, or in other words, by Hilde. The military officer was responsible for selecting suitable people from the Thracians, slaves, and skilled craftsmen in the city, and giving them appropriate remuneration to produce. Since the iron and copper mines outside the Byzantine Kingdom were all owned by the state, the weapons and equipment produced by the public workshops were cheap and the cost was very low, which was much cheaper than purchasing them.
In the past.
All the equipment a soldier wears is purchased by himself.
Only the nobles could afford to become heavy infantry.
However, this situation has now changed.
Hilde knew too well the disadvantages of this system. Soldiers purchasing weapons and equipment at their own expense would lead to uneven quality of weapons and equipment. At the same time, to become a powerful heavy infantry, a large amount of money would be required, rather than based on the soldiers' physical fitness and combat capabilities. This was not very fair to the soldiers, and there were many hidden dangers for the country.
Today, Hilde holds the power.
The national supply system for weapons and equipment must be implemented.
Therefore, on the second day of his administration.
Hilde carried out military reforms.
First, she abolished the requirement for private purchase of weapons and equipment, and divided the troops into phalanx heavy infantry, light infantry, archers, cavalry, and baggage troops, with weapons and equipment arranged by the state. The most important thing was that slaves were no longer required to serve soldiers on the battlefield. In the past, a heavy infantry soldier had to carry two or three slaves with him to help him put on armor or hold weapons on the battlefield. However, this greatly wasted combat effectiveness and slowed down the efficiency of supply.
So now.
The slave entourage was abolished.
This means that after these heavy infantrymen go to the battlefield, they will have to take care of putting on their own armor.
It was not the fully armored heavy cavalry of Europe two thousand years later. Now it was just linen armor or bronze armor, which was not particularly troublesome to put on. Two heavy infantrymen helped each other to put it on. Even when the troops were marching, they could put their weapons and equipment on mules and horses instead of letting slaves carry them.
However, Hilde was also very clear.
There was an important reason why slaves accompanied people in the past.
I purchased all the equipment myself.
That's important financial information, so naturally I have to let someone I know keep it.
But now it is not necessary. All equipment belongs to the country. It is thrown on the baggage cart. When the war breaks out, you just need to take it according to the name, regardless of who it belongs to. At the same time, the source of troops has been slightly reorganized. Soldiers with taller height and greater strength can become heavy infantry, while those with shorter stature are assigned to the agile light infantry and crossbowmen. The older or younger ones are assigned to the baggage troops.
A series of reforms.
The purpose was to improve the combat effectiveness of the Byzantine Empire.
It is not yet known what the actual effect of this will be.
"His Majesty!"
At this time, the person in charge of the workshop said to Hilde:
"It's too dirty inside. You'd better not go in."
"No need."
Hilde simply pushed the person in charge aside and walked in.
The busy craftsmen looked up and saw Hilde with silver hair and purple eyes walking in. Many of these craftsmen were Thracian slaves. They were grateful to Hilde. When Hilde appeared, they immediately turned around and knelt on the ground to show their respect. Hilde smiled and waved her hands, saying, "Thank you all for working so hard for the country. Your efforts now will become the most effective weapon for the soldiers on the battlefield. Hilde, thank you all for your hard work."
"His Majesty!"
"Long live His Majesty!"
For a moment, the factory was filled with cheers.
The place was filled with the pungent smell of rust, sawdust, and men's sweat.
The officials all felt the stench when they walked in, but Hilde seemed to be unable to smell it. She walked calmly in front of each craftsman. Now, the workshop was strictly following the assembly line. Each craftsman was responsible for different parts, but whether it was a sword, a spear, armor or a bow and arrow, the craftsman's code was engraved on it. If there was a problem, the craftsman with the problem could be caught directly.
And Hilde came here this time with a purpose.
After she looked at the work of all the craftsmen.
At this time, she took out a package from the bag she was carrying.
"Everyone, do you remember what I told you before?"
"Remember!"
"Okay, since you remember, I'll just tell you directly."
The smile on Hilde's face gradually faded. She opened the package and took out a broken sword.
The second part of the first section is a decisive decision
