But no one can deny that the Greek Empire was the most powerful country in the entire Greek civilization circle, and as the oracle of Athena, Hilde also had the qualifications to command all Greeks. The administrative division of provinces and cities replaced the previous scattered city-states. The new Athens province was established, and many small and medium-sized city-states, including Thebes, were incorporated into the province. At the same time, Thessaly, which was occupied by Hilde, was also reorganized into the Thessaly Province.
After occupying an area, Hilde will immediately develop it.
Thessaly was an important reserve for the Macedonians.
But Hilde took advantage of the situation and captured the place.
In this regard, the Macedonians can be said to be angry but dare not speak out.
In the Thessaly region, the small city-states established by the Thessalians began to expand with the help of the Byzantines, and new roads and infrastructure were being prepared. In Hilde's plan, the road from Byzantium all the way to Athens would be built at the same time in the new territory. This road would start from Athens and arrive at Thebes in Boeotia, then go north through Thessaly to Amphipolis and Pella, and then go east to Byzantium.
This road was called the Imperial Road by Hilde.
That was a crazy idea at the time.
Today, it has become an achievable reality.
The Greek Empire's powerful military strength was something that other countries did not dare to contend with. Those diplomats, carrying the news of the establishment of the Greek Empire and Hilde's declaration, hurried back to their own cities or countries. Megara, which was closest to Athens, was almost shaken like an earthquake. Athens was conquered in a few days, and the gods chose to flee. For Megara, it was meaningless to continue to hold on. So, on November 5, Megara took the lead in announcing that it would join the Greek Empire and become an imperial city.
With the addition of Megara.
The city-states of Euboea also chose to join the Greek Empire one after another.
Delphi of Phocis also quickly chose to join.
The city-states of the Cyclades had already been beaten by the navy. After talking with Rhodes, Naxos learned about the establishment of the Greek Empire and took the lead in announcing its joining the Greek Empire. In addition, the three cities of Pylos, Minos and Milos chose to join the Greek Empire in the following days. As for Delos, that place had been occupied by the Greek Empire's army, and it was meaningless to surrender or not.
However, the Spartans did not intend to give Hilde this face.
After knowing the news.
Pausanias, another king of Sparta, said angrily:
"Damn Hilde, you kidnapped our Majesty Archidamus and now you want us Spartans to kneel down and surrender!? No way!"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Lysander lowered his head, his face full of anger and shame.
"Pass on my order! No matter what, we must not let these guys succeed! We Peloponnesians still have tens of thousands of troops. As long as we stop the enemy at the isthmus, they will never be able to enter our territory!" Pausanias waved his hand and gave an order, "Notify our allies immediately and inform the Corinthians, Argolis, Arcadians, Messenians, Achaeans and Elis of our determination to resist! All people living in the Peloponnese must take up arms to resist these northern barbarians!"
"Yes!"
Although Lysander agreed.
But for him, his heart was full of worries.
The battle with Hilde showed Lysander that the enemy was almost invincible.
Hilde used only one move to kill the defenseless Agno on the spot, and Callisto was seriously injured and recovered in the past two days. If such a rash declaration of war angered Hilde, could the Peloponnesians represented by Sparta resist the attack of the new Greek Empire? This requires a question mark.
Lysander left the palace and went straight to the military camp.
Callisto has almost recovered and is now training combat techniques in the camp.
"Callisto."
"exist!"
Seeing Lysander coming towards her, Callisto immediately put down her spear and shield.
"Lord General."
"Callisto, how is your recovery going?"
"Now he has recovered well and can fight on the battlefield."
Callisto waved her arms to indicate that she was completely fine.
"But you still have to be careful."
"I see... General, has something happened?" Carlisto asked worriedly, "It seems that the city is not very peaceful today..."
"Yes."
Lysander said helplessly:
"To be precise, the Byzantines... Hilde, suddenly announced that she was the Basileus of all Greeks, and established a country called the Greek Empire, claiming to be the ruler of all Greeks. Then, she issued an ultimatum to all Greek city-states. She told us that we could either choose to be destroyed or join the Greek Empire. Now, many city-states have chosen to join the Greek Empire."
"what?"
Callisto couldn't help but widen her eyes.
"Hilde is planning to..."
"She wanted to build a country as big as the Persian Empire."
"She's too ambitious!"
The Fear of the Spartans
I was surprised to hear that Hilde's plan was so grand.
Callisto also found it terrifying.
"By establishing a country as large as the Persian Empire, did she intend to annex all the Greek city-states?"
"You're really right."
Lysander sighed.
"Now, not only our Sparta, but also Syracuse in the distant Greater Greece has received Hilde's ultimatum. Now, Hilde intends to make enemies with all city-states, but at the same time... the most terrifying thing is that Hilde has the ability to make enemies with all city-states. For us Spartans, whether or not to agree to Hilde's request has become a question we must consider."
"How can I agree to that?"
Callisto said angrily:
"Isn't this asking us to submit to the Byzantines?"
"Yes, but..."
Lysander looked outside.
"Remember, child, don't tell anyone what I said to you today."
"Ah, um, okay."
Callisto also realized that Lysander was going to say something very serious, so she became serious, took a step back, and calmed down. Lysander took a deep breath. He didn't know if his idea was right or not, but this idea had been lingering in his mind for a long time, so Lysander had to say it, and felt that he had to say it, so he mustered up the courage to explain:
"This time, we Spartans suffered heavy losses. You should have seen it when you came back. The funeral processions and the wailing of mothers and wives have spread throughout Sparta. In one battle, we lost more than 2,000 compatriots, which is one eighth of our adult men in Sparta! If, if we continue to fight like this, Sparta will inevitably be destroyed."
"Yes, I know……"
Callisto certainly knew.
The bodies of more than 2,000 soldiers were not even returned.
Their bodies are still with the Byzantines.
After learning of the death of their husbands or sons, even though there were no bodies, the Spartans still arranged funerals for these people. For a while, the entire city of Sparta was filled with the sounds of crying and music from funerals. There was an endless stream of mourning teams, and the city was almost filled with a murderous atmosphere and no vitality. The death of two thousand Spartan citizens was a huge loss for Sparta, a small city-state with a population of less than 40,000.
The deaths of a large number of young and middle-aged people also shook the social foundation of Sparta.
Sparta was a typical slave city-state.
Sparta, with a population of only 40,000 and a standing army of less than 10,000, ruled over hundreds of thousands of helots and the Greeks in the western region of Messenia. The Spartans relied on the powerful military force of Spartan soldiers to establish such a political system. The citizens of Sparta relied on the agricultural production of helots and the handicrafts of Messenia to maintain the basic operation of society and basic life. The foundation of a stable life was Sparta's conservative social atmosphere and political system, as well as the powerful military force of the Spartans.
Now, a large number of Spartans died on the battlefield, and the Spartan military power was greatly reduced. After knowing that the Spartans had been defeated, the long-suppressed helots would definitely have other ideas and might even start a rebellion against the Spartans. This was even more true for Messenia. The defeat of their own ruler would inevitably have a significant impact on the loyalty of the Messenians.
Not to mention, after such a large number of casualties.
The resulting social unrest is even more deadly.
The whole Sparta is now in mourning.
Although they were brave, the Spartans were also notorious cowards among the Greeks. They would not participate in such a tragic war. If they had not been tricked by Ares, Sparta would not have suffered such a huge loss. Now that the loss has occurred, the voices of resistance and revenge in Sparta are not loud, but the voices of compromise are growing stronger.
The current king, Pausanias, still insists on confronting the Greek Empire.
However, if public resentment arises.
By then, the General Fono and the Overseers agreed with the people's ideas.
And if pressure is put on Pausanias.
Sparta might compromise and surrender more quickly than expected.
Of course, Lysander certainly didn't want to see this, but this was the political system of Sparta. The king of Sparta was not hereditary. Although he was called the king, his actual status was similar to that of the consul, not to mention that there were two kings, but now Archidamus was captured by the Greek Empire, leaving only Pausanias. The ones who really had the right to speak were the 28-member elders of the king and five inspectors who could even decide the king's life and death.
And they will stand more on the side of civilians.
Then Lysander continued:
"Now, the rumors outside are like this. Because of the loss this time, many people have begun to fear Hilde and her Greek Empire, and voices of surrender are rampant. In my opinion, everything only needs an opportunity, a small opportunity, to ignite the fear and anxiety in everyone's hearts, and finally lead the Spartans to completely surrender." Lysander sighed, "That opportunity is Corinth."
"Collins...what do you mean?"
"Who will the Corinthians stand on in this second contest..."
"It determines the future direction of Sparta?"
Callisto also understood.
Corinth was the most powerful of Sparta's allies. If the Corinthians chose to stand on Hilde's side, it would be a heavy blow to Sparta. This blow would even directly threaten the attitude of the Spartan civilians. If Corinth held on but was captured by Hilde himself, the result would be the same. In order to make the Spartans stand firmly against Hilde, Corinth was the key. It had to survive and preserve their military strength.
But the archon of Corinth.
Lysander knew.
That guy is an opportunist.
Lysander did not believe him.
This time, Hilde issued an ultimatum, and the guy in Corinth must have received the notice. Now that Megara has surrendered, if Hilde launches a southern expedition, Corinth will become the target of public criticism. Therefore, the risk facing Corinth is actually greater than that of the Spartans. Lysander is very anxious about what choice the other party will make.
The first part of the third chapter: The captured nobles
Callisto could see that Lysander was troubled.
But she could only comfort him softly:
"General, please don't be so anxious."
"Ah, yes..."
Lysander sighed.
"But now we Spartans have lost our backbone. Although His Majesty Pausanias is also very good, His Majesty Archidamus has always been the one who makes the decisions. Now, His Majesty has been captured and his life or death is unknown. The country is in chaos. Lord Pausanias wants to resist, but if the Elders and the Censor ask His Majesty to surrender, this may be..."
"If that's the case, what do you plan to do, General?"
Callisto this question.
Lysander was unable to answer for a moment.
However, Lysander thought about it carefully for a while, and finally could only give this reply:
"If that's the case, then there's nothing I can do. I will obey the orders of the Elders' Assembly."
"Are you really willing to serve under Hilde?"
"No, it's impossible."
Lysander shook his head hastily.
Hildre killed Agno with her own hands, and also caused the death of more than 2,000 Spartans. Lysander was very clear about this blood feud. However, Lysander was also a Spartan and had to obey the orders of the Elders. Such a contradiction made Lysander feel torn. And Callisto sighed helplessly, she didn't seem to be very entangled in this issue.
"General, I have an idea."
"Please tell me."
"If that's the case, I'll leave Sparta."
"Leave? Are you sure?"
"Yes, although I am reluctant, it is absolutely impossible for me to be loyal to a tyrant who killed my friends and family. When the time comes, I will take a ship to Syracuse. As long as there is a place to resist Hilde's tyranny, I will go there in person. I believe that no matter how powerful Hilde is, she can't really conquer the whole world." Calisto patted his chest and said confidently, "I am the oracle chosen by Lord Hercules. I must be like Lord Hercules, with unyielding perseverance, and I must complete my mission."
"Callisto..."
Lysander couldn't help laughing.
"so good."
"Thank you for the compliment, General."
