"It's okay. Just stick to your idea. I think your idea is correct. As for me, I don't think I can be as free and easy as you. But don't worry, even if the Spartans really surrender, I will not work for Hilde."
"I believe in you, General."
Having said this.
The gloom in the two's hearts was much less.
However, Lysander still felt a little tight in his chest.
Hilde and the threat of the Greek Empire behind her are probably like a dark cloud, hanging over everyone's head, making everyone oppressed in this environment. Although Lysander didn't know what Hilde was going to do, and what the future of Sparta would be like. Athens, which was blessed by the gods, was eventually occupied by Hilde. Doesn't this mean that the blessing of the gods is no longer useful? In fact, the gods had to retreat in front of Hilde.
How terrifying is Hilde's power!
Lysander couldn't help but think so.
On the Spartan side, Pausanias has temporarily stabilized the situation.
Although the Spartans sent envoys to the allies to try to gather them together again, Hilde's envoys were one step faster than the Spartan envoys. The attitudes of these allies began to waver. On the one hand, Hilde's Greek Empire was too powerful, and the Spartans were no match for them. If they stood on the opposite side, the outcome would probably be like that of Thebes. On the other hand, Sparta's hegemony also caused dissatisfaction among some city-states, including the city-states in the Messenian region, which had always been the economic colonies of the Spartans.
Now, such an opportunity has arrived.
If, joined the Greek Empire.
Messenia would become a region of equality.
The handicrafts they produced would not be taken away directly by the Spartans, but would enter the market and become money. At the same time, the Messenians could also freely travel to various places in the Greek Empire, whether to study or do business, or even to immigrate to unknown rich places. Therefore, for the Messenians, joining the Greek Empire was completely more beneficial than harmful, and there was no reason to refuse.
The same is true for Argolis, Arcadia and other regions.
Under the influence of the Spartans.
They don't really have much autonomy.
It would be better to join the Greek Empire and see if there is any new way out.
At least, after Hilde entered Athens, he did not burn, kill, or plunder the city, but carried out a series of reforms, retaining the Citizens' Assembly and a certain number of bureaucrats. These changes made the rulers of these city-states feel like cats' claws in their hearts. After all, the other party did not shake the foundation of their rule, which was already a very good result.
But of course they didn't know that.
How could Hilde not shake the foundation of his rule?
What Hilde hated most was the slave owners.
In the Byzantine Empire, the classes that supported Hilde were the vast majority of farmers with their own land, the emerging small landlord class, as well as the commercial nobility and military officers. The traditional agricultural slave owners were the objects that Hilde had always opposed. The rulers of these city-states did not know that after Hilde entered Athens and announced that he had become Basileus, he had carried out his next plan.
At this time, Hilde sat on the throne in the Parthenon.
In the hall below the throne, hundreds of brightly dressed men were kneeling.
"Your Majesty! I, we didn't break any law!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
"Why did you capture us?!"
These men were all shocked, but after living in Athens for a long time, they did not have the most basic respect for the king and the emperor. They knelt on the ground, raised their heads, and expressed their dissatisfaction to Hilde who had captured them. The noisy sound made Hilde frown, but she did not speak, but ate the grapes handed to her by the maid beside her.
"Your Majesty! What do you mean?"
“You are tyrannizing!”
Hilde smiled coldly.
"tyranny?"
"..."
When Hilde's eyes scanned the surroundings.
That terrifying look made all the men shut their mouths.
It felt like I was really going to die.
Chapter : Institutional Reform in Athens
After Hilde glanced around.
No one dared to speak.
That strong feeling of oppression.
It's something that cannot be described in words.
Then, Hilde gently closed his eyes, and a smile reappeared on his face. Seeing that the guys below were silent, Hilde said, "Actually, I called you all here because I have something to tell you. This matter is actually very simple, that is, you are all landowners with large tracts of land, and you also have many slaves engaged in agricultural production. Now that the Greek Empire has been established, according to the laws of our empire, an individual cannot own more than five slaves, and you..."
Hilde glanced at the man in front.
"Just you, there are three hundred slaves."
"Yes Yes."
The man lowered his head in fear and said:
"There are indeed three hundred slaves on my farm."
"Well, let me make it short. Athens is now a city of the Greek Empire, so it must follow the imperial laws. But Athens has just joined. According to imperial law, if there are more than five slaves, the excess slaves will be forcibly confiscated by the imperial government as state slaves. But you are definitely not aware of this law, so I will not force you to hand them over. I will give you a corresponding price and buy the slaves in your hands."
"This……"
Everyone looked at each other.
It is obvious that he does not agree with Hilde's idea.
One of them couldn't help but say:
"Your Majesty, I, we own many farms, and our farms need slaves to operate. If there are no slaves, our farms will not be able to operate."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
“So do our mines.”
These people were vying to speak.
Hilde crossed her legs and said with a smile:
"In that case, I will buy your mine and farm as well."
"W-what?"
"The Greek Empire also does not allow private ownership of mines. At the same time, the land that a person can own cannot exceed 20 acres. Some of your farms even occupy 1% of the area of Attica. This is not good." Hilde took out a gold coin from his pocket and threw it on the ground. "In the Greek Empire, all citizens, as long as they are farmers engaged in agricultural production, must own their own land. This is called 'land to the tiller', and it is also the foundation of the Greek Empire's prosperity."
"Your Majesty! If this happens, we will have no chance of survival!"
"The money from slaves, farms, and mines is enough for you to become businessmen."
Hilde shrugged.
"Moreover, one person can own 20 acres of land. Your family can keep hundreds of acres of land. In this way, can't you maintain a small farm? Don't worry, the imperial government has other countermeasures. If you are engaged in the production of grapes, flax and other farms, we can relax the idle land and use the land suitable for the production of grapes and other crops as separate planned land for you to engage in production. The quantity depends on the degree of your support for the policy. After all, if you want to feed hundreds of thousands of people in Attica, this agricultural land cannot be less."
Hilde's move was truly heartbreaking.
Buying back land and slaves basically cut off their livelihood.
It also restricted their ways of continuing their farm business.
These agricultural nobles were not only the owners of the farms, but also the big landowners. In the areas under their control, they produced things such as grain and vegetables, including grapes for winemaking and linen for making clothes. However, Hilde did not allow the grain, which was related to the lifeblood of the country, to be controlled by these agricultural nobles. The land for grain production was only allowed to be owned by an individual of ten acres, and these farm owners could not make profits by monopolizing grain.
Cash crops must be produced on a certain scale. There is no point in planting grapes on ten acres of land. Therefore, as in Byzantium, there are special landlords who ask the government for permission to buy large tracts of idle land in mountainous and hilly areas. Under the preferential policies of the imperial government, they dig pits on these lands that are not suitable for farming but are particularly suitable for growing grapes, and build farms and wineries. This small but fine model not only increases the yield of cash crops such as grapes, but also ensures an agricultural production system with a clear division of labor.
because of this.
Wine in Byzantium became an important product.
Exported to other countries.
And Hilde also implemented this system in Athens.
The first things to be dealt with are the "Plain Faction" and "Mountain Faction" who have great power in Athens.
The most famous institution in Athens was the Council of Five Hundred established by Pericles. The Council of Five Hundred exercised the right to propose bills. The Council of Five Hundred was composed of the ten tribes of Athens. These ten tribes were divided into the Mountain Party, the Plain Party and the Coast Party according to their distribution areas. Among them, the nobles of the Mountain Party mainly controlled the mines, including the mining of silver, while the Plain Party was mainly agricultural nobles. As for the Coast Party, they were the most powerful faction, mainly commercial nobles who made up the most important part of the Athenian city.
Of course, the Plains and Mountain Factions also have great power.
At least Hilde couldn't underestimate them.
Now, the primary purpose of reorganizing Athens.
The goal is to get rid of these things in the hands of the mountain faction and the plain faction.
Therefore, Hilde captured all the agricultural nobles and slave owners of the mines today, and then controlled them all here. The mines were to be nationalized, and the agricultural land was also to be nationalized. As for them, Hilde did not leave them no choice, either to go into business like the Coast Faction, or to choose to become a sophisticated farmer, control thousands of acres of land, specialize in producing one or two cash crops, and build processed products related to these cash crops, such as linen or wine.
"I disagree!"
At this time, a man stood up.
"These lands and slaves are our private property. Private property must not be violated!"
"Yes, yes!"
Two others also protested.
"Your Majesty, this is the most important principle of Athens. Your Majesty is also an Athenian, so you should know this."
"Private property is inviolable!"
"very good!"
Hilde suddenly changed the subject, leaving everyone a little confused.
"I've been waiting for you to say that."
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..."
"Then do you know what the most important principle of the Greek Empire is?"
"Yes, what is it?"
"Basileus's order is the principle." Tomyris, who was standing aside, replied coldly.
First Adjustment Section 5 Price of Repurchased Land
"This……"
Everyone understood what Tomyris meant.
Athens has changed.
The original democracy was now replaced by the monarchy. The dark cloud that once hung over the heads of the Athenian people once again returned to the sky above Athens. At least, for them, Hilde was now the king of Athens, a tyrant. And the king's orders were everything. This was true in almost all monarchies. However, Hilde, on the contrary, held her chin and smiled and said, "But you are right, after all, I am also an Athenian, with Athenian blood flowing in my body, and I am the daughter of Pericles, so I must respect the system of my motherland."
After saying that, Hilde stood up and clapped his hands.
"Now, I give you two choices."
"what?"
"First, according to the Greek Empire's solution, it is to follow my arrangements."
"Second, follow the Athenian way of solving the problem and have the citizens' assembly decide how to handle this matter."
Hilde's smile made the nobles kneeling below feel a little creepy.
They were trembling with fear, and they all knew that what Hilde said was definitely wrong. Now, the Greek Parliament of 500, the Citizens Assembly, and the Ares Mountain Council have all become decorations. The Parliament of 500 was completely abolished, and the Citizens Assembly was reduced to a City Council of 100. The people in the council were probably already on Hilde's side. What's more, the current City Council is basically controlled by the Coast Faction. People like them from the Mountain Faction and the Plains Faction would just be waiting for death if they went there.
So, someone reacted immediately.
Hastily said:
"I, I support your majesty's decision!"
"I support it too!"
"I...I would too!"
When Hilde heard this, he couldn't help but think.
He is indeed a cunning businessman.
These guys probably knew what was going to happen, so they immediately backed off. Hilde originally wanted to stage a good show to make these guys pay the price, but these people suddenly cooperated so well that Hilde felt a little disappointed. So Hilde thought about it and continued, "In the past two days, I have obtained all the information about Athens and Attica from the land officials and municipal officials. I have divided the areas suitable for growing crops such as grapes and flax into more than 20 plots. The largest plot is more than 10,000 acres, and the smaller ones are also several hundred acres."
Hilde said so.
Everyone couldn't help but look up.
More than 10,000 acres of land!
