Sitalces.
Hilde remembered this name.
"Why are you here?"
"The king... the king wants us to... go east and conquer new lands."
Sitalses stammered, but still managed to make the general idea clear.
"But how did you get here when there are so many trees in the forest?"
"The forest...is not something to be afraid of. We are the only troop that has crossed the forest and arrived here." When Sitalses said this, he raised his head and looked at Hilde at a loss. "Please, sir, don't kill us. We are willing to surrender."
"Row."
Hilde drew back his spear and said to them:
"Everyone stand up."
"Yes……"
Sitalses and the other soldiers quickly stood up and looked at Hilde helplessly.
At this time, Sitalses continued, "According to the king's rules... those who surrender must be killed. We can no longer go back."
“But you still surrendered.”
Hilde sneered and said to Sitalses:
"But I'm not a cruel king. If you surrender, the King of Thrace will take your lives, but I won't do that. Let me introduce myself first. I'm Hilde, the queen of the Byzantine Kingdom. My kingdom welcomes all those who are willing to live in peace and fight against the tyranny of the King of Thrace to become my citizens. Sitalses, I can give you a chance. If you and your men are willing to join us and become a member of the Byzantine Kingdom, I can give you the opportunity to live as free people."
"Really, really?"
Sitalses and the soldiers behind him all showed surprised expressions.
This was almost impossible in the entire Greek world.
Originally, Sitalces was prepared to be taken as a slave. It was normal for prisoners of war to be sold as slaves. Moreover, they were Thracians, and the Thracian king would never allow them to be redeemed.
However, Hilde gave them the opportunity to become free men.
At this time, Hilde looked at them and realized how much his proposal meant to them, so he continued, "But I have a request."
"His Majesty……"
"You must swear allegiance to me and continue to take up your weapons. We will provide you with rigorous training and sufficient food. Likewise, when facing the enemy, you must be brave and fearless to defend your achievements. Join us, and you will be legal foreigners of the Byzantine Kingdom. However, the more enemies you kill for the Byzantine Kingdom, the more rewards you will receive. If you can kill more than three people, you will become a legal citizen of our kingdom."
"Gods above..."
Sitalces no longer knew what to say.
After all, this not only gives them a chance to survive.
And give them a brighter future.
In Hilde's Byzantine Kingdom, there are obvious classes. This is not because Hilde wants a hierarchical society, but because the current productivity only allows the existence of a hierarchical society. Therefore, the hierarchy of the Byzantine Kingdom is divided into six levels. The highest level is the citizen of the Byzantine City, that is, the citizen of the Byzantine City. In addition, there are kingdom citizens, that is, in addition to the Byzantine citizens, the legal citizens of the entire Byzantine Kingdom, including the newly conquered Apollonia. The third class is the legal foreigner, which refers to the foreigners recognized by the kingdom and enjoying certain citizenship rights.
The above three classes were the tax core of the Byzantine Empire and also enjoyed the obligations of the kingdom.
The fourth category refers to ordinary foreigners. Although they can live in the Byzantine Empire, they do not have citizenship rights. The fifth category is state slaves, that is, slaves belonging to the Byzantine Empire. These slaves serve the country and their slave contracts are in the hands of Hilde. For example, the more than 1,000 captives captured in the previous attack on Thracians all belong to this class. The last category is ordinary slaves, which belong to various slave owners.
Such a strict classification.
In fact, rights and obligations are unified.
The greater the rights, the greater the obligations.
Moreover, such a level is also an obvious promotion channel.
Sitalces and others joined the Byzantine Kingdom and enjoyed the status of legal foreigners, but as they killed more and more enemies, they could become citizens of the kingdom. You know, after becoming a citizen of the kingdom, you have the right to buy land, buy and sell slaves, and own your own property. And those who are more outstanding can even be granted the status of Byzantine citizens, which means they have the right to permanently settle in Byzantium, the capital of the Byzantine Kingdom.
Therefore, there is obvious room for growth.
For these Thracian surrendered soldiers.
It is a huge gift and opportunity.
They were able to surrender immediately and then choose to join him. Hilde felt that this was probably related to the cruelty of the Thracian king.
The fourth tune, the third section, the territory that is connected
Therefore, as the old saying goes, he who wins the hearts of the people wins the world.
It seems that not many people in this era can clearly understand this point.
The Thracian king was a counter-example. He relied on violence and terror to rule, and on the surface, he could make hundreds of thousands of Thracians submit to him. However, once a situation like this occurred, the combat effectiveness and morale of the troops would immediately collapse. The Adlicia tribe, as the highest-ranking and most powerful tribe in the entire Thracian Kingdom, would choose to surrender to the enemy immediately under such circumstances. It cannot be said that Hilde's conditions were too good, but that the Thracian king was too cruel.
As a result, he lost the support of the people.
Faced with such a situation.
Hield's confidence has also increased.
In other words, the Thracian king's rule is unstable. Once he finds a way to make the Thracian king lose power, the Thracians will most likely turn against him and stand on his side. At that time, it will be just like when King Wu conquered King Zhou, the enemy turned against him. If he can also achieve this, then it would be the best thing.
At this moment, Amyntas looked up.
Saw the Apollonia people who were watching.
Seeing this as an opportunity, Amyntas raised his spear high and shouted, "Did you see it?"
"This is the oracle of Lady Athena, the Queen of the Byzantine Kingdom, Her Majesty Hilde!"
When Amyntas' voice came, these people were a little shaken. After all, Hilde rushed into the enemy camp alone and blocked the enemy's retreat. Although she looked like an elegant noble woman, she fought as fast and decisive as the wind, and possessed strength and speed that ordinary people did not have.
This is definitely a heroic character.
Moreover, Hilde pardoned Sitalses and gave them a chance to live.
Such kindness is rare in this world.
The Apollonia people were still in shock. When they woke up, the city had become the Byzantines'. Now, Hilde led the Byzantine soldiers and defeated the invading Thracian elite troops with a crushing advantage. Such a hearty battle left a deep impression on the Apollonia people. Therefore, under this situation, many Apollonia people changed their views on Hilde and the Byzantines. At least, they were not as afraid as before.
Hilde didn't have these thoughts originally.
However, she did not expect that the Thracians would come to her door.
This battle made the Apollonia people realize that joining the Byzantine Empire might be the right choice.
Afterwards, Hilde ordered the remaining Thracian soldiers to follow the main force and return directly to Byzantium by land. Three warships were left and docked at the port of Apollonia.
Hilde rode the white horse captured from Apollonia and walked at the front of the team in high spirits.
Behind her were the fully armed Greek heavy infantry and Thracian barbarians. With hundreds of people in the team, they didn't have to be afraid even if they were attacked by the Thracians. Moreover, Hilde, who possessed the power of a hero, was walking at the front of the team. With the blessing of Hilde and Athena behind her, the people were full of confidence.
"His Majesty."
At this time, Dione looked up nervously.
They both sat on their horses, with petite Dione sitting in front of Hilde.
"what happened?"
"How long will it take us to get back?"
“It may take about fifteen days on the road.”
"It's been so long..."
"That can't be helped." Hilde smiled and patted Dione's head. "Don't worry, the scenery along the way is very beautiful."
The land route from Apollonia to Byzantium is a difficult one. Along the coastline, you can see many villages scattered in various places, as well as some small city-states with a population of about a thousand people. Hilde's army marched southward, conquering all the villages and small city-states. After fifteen days of walking, the territory controlled by Hilde now stretched from Byzantium to Apollonia in the north, and the total population in the area was nearly 30,000.
And most importantly.
Hilde separated the originally independent regions.
They were connected into one piece.
Many villages and small city-states were originally independent. Now, as land routes have been opened up, the food of the villages can be transported to other places, and handicrafts from Byzantium and Apollonia can also flow smoothly into the villages. The circulation of goods represents the beginning of social prosperity. Once these begin, 30,000 people are no longer independent individuals, but an organic part of the Byzantine Kingdom.
Such results are very significant.
It represents wealth, political stability and harmony, and the kingdom's rule can be smoothly implemented everywhere. Within a month of Hilde's return to Byzantium, these newly occupied areas immediately began bureaucratic reforms. The original system was overthrown and replaced by governors, provinces and a series of officials.
Chapter 4, Section 4: The Milesian Representative Arrives
This series of actions greatly expanded Hilde's sphere of influence.
With a population of 30,000, Hilder has a force of 2,700 men.
Among them, the elite troops belonging to the Byzantine city were carefully selected and eliminated, and there were about 800 people left, including 500 heavy infantry and 300 auxiliary troops. Then, Apollonia finally provided 500 people as the main force. Various villages and small city-states also provided troops sporadically. In the end, Hilde's army had 1,500 heavy infantry, 300 light infantry, 200 crossbowmen, 200 archers, 100 slingers, 100 cavalry, and 300 slave soldiers.
With such military strength, Hilde has the ability to challenge some larger city-states.
However, another thing happened.
Just ten days after Hilde returned to Byzantium.
Suddenly a ship came from the direction of Miletus.
This ship was not an ordinary merchant ship, but came here on behalf of the Miletus government to contact the Byzantine Kingdom. As the mother state of Byzantium and Apollonia, Miletus suddenly sent an official here, which was not a good thing for Hilde. However, Hilde still allowed the official to come to the Citizens' Assembly to meet with her.
Soon, representatives from Miletus arrived.
These proud traditional nobles walked on the land of Byzantine City.
They originally thought that as a colony of Miletus, the city of Byzantium was just a small and shabby place.
However, when they arrived here, they were somewhat surprised to see the changes around them. Now, Byzantium is full of busy construction sites. With red bricks and cement, the cost of construction has been greatly reduced, and many plans that were previously delayed can be carried out. For example, the religious building, the Temple of Sarpiles Athena, is now under construction. In addition, a series of buildings such as the Kingdom Academy, the New Barracks, and the Royal Palace are also under construction.
"What's the matter, three adults?"
Amyntas, who was in charge of welcoming them, did not have a good look for them.
"Do you think there's something strange about our place?"
"You are an Athenian, why are you making such a fuss here?" At this time, an official could not help but say, "Byzantium belongs to us, Miletus. The people living here are all from Miletus. Now, this place has suddenly changed its name to the Kingdom of Byzantium, and an Athenian woman has come here to be the Queen of Byzantium! We in Miletus will never recognize such a thing."
"Yes, even if she is Aspasia's daughter."
It can be said that several officials took out their anger on Amyntas.
And Amyntas smiled and said:
"Everyone, please be aware of your identities."
"you……"
"Although you are indeed officials of Miletus, the independence of Byzantium also comes from the choice of the citizens of Byzantium and the will of the entire city-state. When Byzantium was in danger, it was His Majesty who saved it, and now the city is developing in a good direction. So, if you dare to offend His Majesty here, not to mention us, even the citizens of the Kingdom of Byzantium will drag you out and beat you to death."
Amyntas' words were tantamount to a threat.
But it is very effective.
After hearing this, the officials had no choice but to shut up.
Soon, the group arrived at the Citizens' Assembly, and Amyntas left quickly. Just when several officials were at a loss, Hilde came out from behind the scenes. She walked lightly with a faint smile on her face and walked directly to the throne.
Seeing such a top beauty suddenly appear before their eyes, the officials were all stunned.
Aspasia was so beautiful that Miletus was shocked, but Hilde was even more beautiful than Aspasia. The three officials were all normal men. When they saw Hilde, they could not hide their shock at her appearance. Some even cast greedy eyes at Hilde.
And Hilde thought in his heart:
Sure enough, they are still a bunch of garbage.
Can't Miletus send a few decent people?
"I am the queen of the Byzantine Kingdom, Hilde, do you have anything to say?"
"You... Your Majesty." At this time, an official lowered his head slightly to show the minimum respect. "We are here on behalf of the Council of Miletus. According to the information we have, the Byzantine city that originally belonged to our Miletus has now become an independent kingdom, and the country has also attacked another colony of ours, Apollonia. For this reason, we came here to accuse you of your behavior. You stole our city and caused huge losses to our Miletus. I hope your country can give us a reasonable and appropriate explanation."
Chapter 4: Shameless Officials
"What you said is really contradictory."
"what?"
"Didn't you say that I stole your city?"
Hilde smiled and said, "But, since I stole your city, it means that you do not recognize the existence of the Byzantine Kingdom. However, you keep calling us your country, and you still acknowledge us verbally. Of course, these are not important. I already understand your intentions, but what do you want us to do?"
