Others heard this round of analysis.
Many people nodded in agreement.
But Nicias knew that such an idea was too naive.
"This is different from the Persian War at that time. The distance of the Persians is much farther than we imagined. Moreover, we had many heroes to help us at that time... and the help of gods. But now, you know how many oracles the Byzantine army has, but I am the only one on our side in Athens. I am afraid that the divine power given to me by Lady Hera will not guarantee that I can gain the upper hand when facing Rhodes, let alone Hilde who gives the gods a headache."
"yes……"
"And the Oracle."
This is the most troublesome part.
Nicias knew very well that the most terrifying strength of the Byzantine Empire did not lie in its well-equipped and well-trained army, but in the large number of oracles in the army. These oracles were veterans who had fought on the battlefield for many years and were not something that could be defeated by a temporary oracle like Nicias.
so now.
In fact, the problem facing Nicias was very serious.
Surrender or hold on.
Everything depends on whether the gods will appear.
In fact, Nicias' choice was the same as that of the Thebans at that time. The Thebans also placed their hopes on gods who had no one to rely on. After all, they had no way to guarantee that the gods would really help them, but the threat from the Byzantines was real.
But Nicias had a little more confidence than the Thebans because he was the oracle of the goddess Hera. And Nicias knew very well that if the gods on Mount Olympus wanted to stop Hilde's ambition, Athens must not be lost. Once Athens fell, Hilde's plan to control the entire Greek peninsula would be unstoppable.
So there's not much choice.
For Nicias.
Surrender is definitely not an option.
However, the panic of the Athenians had reached a peak. If they still chose to hold on like the Thebans, many Athenians would probably get upset and have complaints. Before the Byzantine army arrived, Athens might have chosen to collapse due to the chaos in the city.
So Nicias thought about it and could only come up with a compromise statement to appease the officers and officials in front of him.
"We don't have much time left, but the Byzantine Kingdom has not yet sent an envoy to contact and negotiate with us, so we still have some time. When the Byzantine Kingdom's envoy arrives, if the gods still don't give us any useful answers by then, I will choose to have a formal meeting with the Byzantines and make sure that even if we surrender, our city-state will be protected to the greatest extent."
"Yes!"
With these words of Nicias.
It means that Athens will not follow the same path as Thebes.
No matter what the Thebans thought, the destruction of Thebes was a wake-up call to all the people in Athens, telling the Athenians that the Byzantines in front of them might not follow any rules. If they were not careful, a disaster of no return would occur.
"You should leave first."
Nicias sighed.
"I want to be alone for a while."
"Yes……"
Soon, the officials and generals surrounding Nicias left his house one after another, leaving Nicias alone and finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.
The Gods Who Appear on Time
After these people are gone.
Nicias stood up.
He paced back and forth in his room anxiously.
However, these days, she has been very anxious and in pain. However, pain and anxiety can't help Nicias solve the problem at hand. The real problem, and the outcome that Nicias least wants to see, is getting closer and closer to him. Now, it may be only a few days before the final news of Athens' death. Once the army of the Byzantine Kingdom forms a complete siege on Athens, then Athens will really be helpless.
And the Thebans suffered a disastrous defeat.
It was like a slap in the face of Nicias.
The Thebans were also devout believers of the Olympian gods, but during their destruction, no god was willing to help the Thebans. Now, the city-state of Thebes has been completely destroyed, and the Thebans have left their homeland and become "slaves" without freedom. All these things are telling Nicias a fact.
In front of the gods.
Human beings are nothing more than ants.
Perhaps there is no mercy in God.
Nicias was in great pain. He didn't know whether the gods would really help Athens, which was in danger, and save Athens and himself. After all, Nicias didn't want Athens to become the next Thebes. Moreover, he knew one thing very well. The reason why the Byzantines conquered Thebes and destroyed the entire city was nothing more than to give Athens a warning. Tell Athens that this was the fate of resisting the Byzantines.
This is really a bloody warning.
"This is how to do ah……"
Nicias paced back and forth anxiously.
"Do we really want to surrender... Has Lady Hera really abandoned Athens..."
"Gods, Athens is doomed now!"
His voice echoed in his room, and the slaves standing at the door were trembling. They knew very well that their fate was closely related to the fate of the city of Athens, so if anything went wrong, their lives would be in danger.
This was also the inner thought of all Athenians.
The city of Athens, and their own destiny.
Now, they are all tied to the rope.
"Gods above! Please do not abandon Athens like you abandoned Thebes! We have the most devout believers here... So, Lord Hera, gods! Please help us, Athens!"
"I heard your voice."
Just as Nicias was pacing back and forth anxiously.
Hera's voice came from behind Nicias.
He turned around and saw the person standing behind him was the goddess Hera.
"Lord Hera? You, you finally showed up!"
"Hilde is a big threat. The sacrifice of the Thebans is a necessary prerequisite. Our goal this time is to get rid of Hilde. If we don't get rid of her, there will be no peace in the Greek world." Hera walked straight to the seat that belonged to Nicias and sat down. "Now, Hilde and her lackeys have arrived at the city of Athens. Our plan is about to officially begin."
"Please give me your orders."
In the words of the goddess Hera.
There was no sympathy for what happened to the Thebans.
Although Nicias probably knew about this situation, when he actually saw that Hera didn't care at all that the city of more than 100,000 people was completely razed to the ground, Nicias could still feel the coldness and contempt coming from the god.
The gods don't care about the lives of their believers at all.
All they care about is how to get rid of Hilde.
But whatever.
As long as Athens can be saved.
"You don't have to worry. The city of Athens will surely be as strong as a rock under the protection of the gods."
"Thank you, Master Hera!"
"Well, Athens has not surrendered to the Byzantine Empire in these days. I am very satisfied with your persistence. The Athenians are indeed worthy of your trust." Hera smiled, as if she was mocking Nicias who was so anxious just now. "The army of the Byzantine Empire is indeed powerful. When they attacked Thebes, they easily disintegrated the defense of the Thebans and created an unimaginable victory. Without the blessing of our gods, you Athens would not have been able to hold on for three days."
"This……"
Now, Nicias was confused too.
What exactly does Hera mean by these words?
What it means is that Athens cannot live without the gods.
Or is it that Hilde's army is indeed very powerful?
But no matter what the purpose was, Nicias had no right to interrupt.
"Lord Hera, all citizens of Athens are the most devout believers of the gods. As long as we can help the gods defeat Hilder who stole the divine body, we will not hesitate to die!"
"very good."
Hera nodded in satisfaction.
"You are not alone. This time, the Peloponnesians, including the Spartans, and the Corinthian army will send a very strong reinforcement force to support you. Now, this force is on the way and it will only take a few days to arrive in Athens. During this time, I, Queen Hera, will come to Athens in person to help you get through the most difficult days."
"Thank you, Master Hera!"
Nicias knelt down to express his gratitude.
But, think about it carefully.
I always feel like there are some problems.
It would take several days for the reinforcements to arrive, which meant that if the Byzantine Empire launched a siege, Athens would have to resist the Byzantine attack on its own. Although Hera was in charge, Nicias knew that Hera would basically not fight the enemy head-on, and would only use her divine power to heal the soldiers and boost morale. In the end, it was the Athenian soldiers who engaged in head-on combat with the Byzantines.
Nicias felt a little uncomfortable. After all, the blood of the Athenians was shed in the end. The gods could have solved the problem with their power, but they had to mess up the whole of Greece. He couldn't believe that the gods on Mount Olympus couldn't solve Hilde. They needed such a complicated plan to solve an oracle! ?
And Nicias's little thoughts.
It's not that Hera didn't know.
She looked at Nicias who was kneeling on the ground and was too lazy to say anything.
What we need to do now is to ensure the smooth operation of the plan.
"Now, you need to prepare the Athenians for a defensive battle."
"……Yes, I understand."
"Well, don't worry, the things that God promised will definitely be fulfilled as promised."
Chapter 7 of the eighth chapter: Agitation of the Citizens' Assembly
Something that God guarantees.
Will it really happen as promised?
Nicias, kneeling on the ground, didn't dare to think too much.
But now that Lady Hera has come to Athens, the next thing to do is to follow Hera's orders. After all, the only people who can save Athens now are the gods of Mount Olympus represented by Hera. So, Nicias is like grabbing a life-saving straw, and he must go on no matter what.
"Lord Hera, I'll make arrangements right away."
"Let's go."
Nicias stood up and walked outside.
When he left the room, the slaves and guards at the door looked at Nicias in horror.
"you……"
"Master Nicias, has Master Hera appeared?"
"Yes."
Nicias nodded.
"But don't say anything you shouldn't. I hope you can control your mouth and not do anything that would disappoint me."
"Yes, my lord."
These slaves and guards, no matter what they heard, had nothing to do with Nicias. Now, what Nicias wanted to do was to quickly tell other people the news. So he immediately left his mansion and rode directly to the location of the Citizens' Assembly. Now, Athens was in a state of war, and all representatives in the Citizens' Assembly had to stay here to deal with any sudden situations that might occur.
When Nicias arrived here on horseback, the citizen representatives who were anxiously discussing at the door immediately came forward to greet him.
"Lord Nicias, what brings you here?"
"What happened?"
Nicias jumped off his horse.
Then, he adjusted his mood a little, forced a smile, and said to the man in front of him: "Lady Hera is here, she is here to save us Athens!"
"Really, really?"
The two men looked at each other.
Obviously, even if Nicias said so, at this juncture, they were not sure that it was necessarily true.
However, Nicias continued, "Now, Lady Hera is in my palace, and will appear in front of you later, just like before, to make you believe that the gods are really blessing us and are really on our side. So, let me go in now and gather all the citizen representatives. I want to tell everyone this news and the next arrangements!"
"well!"
Hear Nicias say this.
