"Since you think there is no problem, then let's do it this way. Tomorrow, all your naval fleets must surrender on the beach on the other side of Samos. Don't try to play any tricks. I remember exactly how many ships and how many people are in your naval fleet. If you have any problems, I will definitely not let you off easily."
Hilde said this with a smile.
But there was murderous intent in her words.
But it makes people shudder.
Chapter 3, Section 2: I will protect you all
At this time, if anyone rejected Hilde's proposal.
That's simply seeking death.
Whether for the future of Samos or for the interests of these nobles themselves, choosing to cooperate with Hilde may be their only feasible option now. Although they were very reluctant, these old-timers finally chose to cooperate with Hilde. So, they knelt on one knee and said to Hilde: "Your Majesty, we, the city of Samos, are willing to submit to you and become part of the Byzantine Kingdom. After Your Majesty returns the captives to us, we will personally present the map."
"Oh, really?"
Hilde looked at them with a smile.
"The change of attitude was pretty quick?"
"Your Majesty, this is the result of our careful consideration. Of course, we cannot make direct assertions on national affairs."
"That's right. Since you have made this decision, please go to the city of Samos and announce the result."
This is Hilde's suggestion.
This surprised these people.
This means that Hilde did not give them any time to prepare and announced the surrender to the Byzantine Kingdom right now. Doesn't that mean that what they just said was completely slapped in the face? After all, they just announced in front of all the civilians that they would never surrender to the Byzantine Kingdom.
"Your Majesty, this is a bit hasty. Surrender is a very big deal. Our Samos Council must make a careful plan before announcing this matter to everyone. This way, we can avoid large-scale riots and unrest. This will be helpful for the subsequent handover, the navy and other matters."
What these nobles said was not false.
If the order is announced now, on the one hand, the nobles will face serious problems and their reputation will be greatly affected. On the other hand, whether the angry civilians will comply with this order is still a big problem. If the civilians riot and the matter cannot be resolved smoothly, then surrender itself becomes a very difficult thing.
So whether for their own interests or for how the matter should be resolved next, these nobles actually did not agree with Hilde's approach.
But Hilde has her own reasons for doing this.
She didn't care about the lives of these nobles.
The main purpose of asking them to do this was to prevent these guys from doing anything weird. When Hilde came to this world, it was this group of nobles that she hated the most. From her father Pericles to the nobles in Byzantium, they were all people that Hilde hated.
On the contrary, although the education and talents of the commoners could not be compared with those of the nobles, they also supported Hilde's rule very much. For these commoners, whether their lives could become happier and whether their social status could be stabilized were their most concerned issues.
Not like these nobles.
There is nothing to do after eating.
This time, Hilde asked the nobles to take the initiative to announce this matter. On the one hand, it was to suppress the credibility of the nobles. At the same time, Hilde also wanted to show his tough measures in front of these civilians. After all, for the entire Samos, Samos has a population of more than 100,000, and at least 100,000 of them are civilians. If he can get the support of these 100,000 civilians, then Samos will be firmly in Hilde's hands.
What are these nobles thinking?
Could it be that Hilde didn't understand?
They just want to be Hield's spokesperson.
In other words, they may really take Hilde's autonomy seriously, thinking that the city-state of Samos is just under the name of the Byzantine Kingdom. In the future, some issues concerning the governance of the city-state will still be the responsibility of these nobles, that is, their current status of ruling Samos will not change. However, these guys are just dreaming.
Hilde is here.
How could they possibly succeed?
"I have made up my mind."
"His Majesty……"
"Don't worry, I will accompany you. If there is any accident, don't worry, I will help you solve it. With a hero like me by your side, how can you still be afraid?"
I'm scared because you're here!
Some people couldn't help but complain in their hearts.
But they still have to pretend to be submissive on the surface.
"Since Your Majesty has decided this, then..."
Although they were extremely reluctant, they had to obey Hilde's orders. After all, it would be easy for Hilde to kill them. So the nobles left the Samos Council with Hilde in disgrace. Walking on the streets of Russia, Hilde's presence quickly attracted many people. Other Samians did not know who Hilde was. They looked at Hilde's beautiful appearance and majestic dress, and they all sighed and praised her.
But they never imagined it.
This is actually the Queen of Byzantium, Hilde.
The nobles called the others back again. The civilian representatives had just returned home and were called back before they could even sit down. They didn't know what had happened, but since it was related to the city-state, they couldn't relax, so they soon gathered around the square of Samos.
"Everyone..."
The old nobleman who had just tried to smooth things over raised his cane in embarrassment.
"We, the members of the council, have something to announce."
"talk."
The civilians around had actually already focused their attention on Hilde.
The armed beauty standing next to the nobles was more attractive than these dry nobles, and her long silver hair and purple eyes were rare in Greece. At this time, some civilians also seemed to recognize who Hilde was through this most crucial sign.
"Isn't this the Queen of Byzantium?"
"How is it possible...how did she get here?"
"Silver hair... yes! It's her!"
The common people began to talk among themselves, and they didn't even listen to what the nobles said, which made the nobles a little annoyed. The nobles around them hurriedly shouted to the common people representatives to be quiet. After they calmed down a little, the nobles continued: "Based on the current situation, and we have also received sincere treatment from Queen Hilde of the Byzantine Kingdom, we have decided that Samos will give up all resistance and formally surrender to the Byzantine Kingdom."
"Didn't you just say you were going to stick to it to the end!?"
As expected, some civilians began to laugh.
"Where's the energy you had to keep fighting just now?"
“This is different!”
The nobleman's neck was red as he defended himself, "Everyone, open your eyes and take a good look. Standing here is Her Majesty Queen Hilde of the Byzantine Kingdom. She has come to our city-state in person to negotiate surrender with us. How can this be the same as what happened just now?"
"She is really the Queen of Byzantium?"
"Gods above, such a beautiful queen."
At this time, the civilians on the field also began to talk.
Some men even thought that if the monarch of their country was like this, it would not be a bad thing to surrender. After all, from the outside, Hilde had an elegant smile on her face, and her temperament was very outstanding. She was as beautiful as a goddess, which naturally made the citizens, who were dominated by men, feel very good about her.
"Citizens of Samos!"
At this time, Hilde took a few steps forward.
Standing in front of everyone.
"I am the Queen of the Byzantine Kingdom, Hilde. I am sorry that we have to meet in this way. I do not want to start any war with you, nor do I want to kill any member of the Samos city-state. But... unfortunately, we have a huge disagreement with other city-states on how to fight against the Thracians. But if we cannot gather our strength together, then we will not be able to completely resist the Thracian attack. At that time, not only will our Byzantine Kingdom be destroyed, but even you, Samos, will face a great crisis. In this regard, everyone's fate is the same."
When Hilde spoke.
There was silence on the field.
Everyone held candles and breathed, as if listening to the goddess's will.
"I have already talked to the members of the Samos Council. The Samos city-state surrendered to our Byzantine Kingdom and accepted the rule of the Byzantine Kingdom. Some of you may find it hard to accept, but I, Hilde, can assure you here that your future life will definitely be better than your life as an independent city-state. You are no longer backed by the weak military force of the city-state, but by the powerful army of the entire Byzantine Kingdom. We are all Greeks. My mother is from Miletus in Ionia, and my father is Pericles from Athens. I am the purest Greek, and the Byzantine Kingdom I founded is also a country that accommodates all Greeks. So everyone, please do not feel that you are being ruled by a foreign race. You are not being ruled. You have just changed your home. From a small family to a big family of the Byzantine Kingdom."
"From today on, you will not only have security guarantees, but also a more prosperous life, more food, and the blessing of the war goddess Athena. I know that the city of Samos believes in Poseidon, and I have also seen the magnificent Poseidon Temple you built. But... it is obvious that Lord Poseidon has not favored you or us. In this chaotic era, only Athena can protect us. As the oracle of Lord Athena, I can tell you very clearly that from today on, your safety will be protected by me."
(Because SF has recently changed its policy, the minimum update must be 2000 words, so now there is one update a day, 3000 words per update, and after it is released, there will be 2000 words per update, 1~2 updates a day. By the way, please vote for me! Please vote for me! Also, after it is released, if you think this article is pretty good, please subscribe! Thank you everyone!!!)
Chapter 3: Changes in Athens
After Hilde finished speaking.
The poor people in the audience fell silent.
Perhaps they did not expect that things would develop in this direction. Hilde's proposal was indeed a little unconventional. But its effect was naturally very prominent. After all, people were still very willing to believe in a hero favored by God, not to mention that this hero was as beautiful as a goddess.
The final result.
Naturally, it was a great victory.
Hilde won the trust of the citizens of Samos. They were willing to lay down their arms and dedicate the entire city and all the citizens in it to Hilde and the Byzantine Empire. Without shedding a drop of blood, Hilde took over this very important city of Samos without bloodshed.
As the largest commercial city-state in the North Aegean Sea, the joining of Samos can be said to provide a very favorable condition for the Byzantine Kingdom. This city-state not only has trade relations with the large city-states in the entire Greek world, but it is also an island with abundant resources. In addition to these, it also brings Hilde her very powerful navy.
Samos's naval fleet was not as strong as Athens', but it had nearly 120 ships. These ships were used for trade in normal times. When war came, these merchant ships would be transformed into warships. After Hilde acquired these ships, the naval strength of the Byzantine Kingdom had reached about ships.
Of course, most of the ships are still relatively old.
But something is better than nothing.
With the boat, Hilde can start doing some of his own cool moves.
The joining of the Samians had a greater impact on the Byzantine Empire than the entry of the Milesians into Byzantium. After all, the Milesians brought almost nothing with them when they came, only people. However, Samos handed over an almost complete city-state to Hilde, so Hilde did not need to worry about how to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of people, and at the same time, he could directly obtain the productivity of Samos, a city-state with a very developed handicraft industry.
After taking Samos.
Hilde's mood can be said to be very good.
But that’s not the end of it.
In order to prevent the Samians from changing their minds, Hilde had to personally participate in the series of processes of the city-state of Samos entering the Byzantine Empire. Hilde needed to personally supervise the surrender of their naval fleet and hand over the ships to the Byzantine Kingdom, and then disarm the prisoners of war and send them back to Samos Island.
At the same time, due to the joining of Samos, the fourth province established by Hilde, Thracia Samos Province, directly became the largest province in terms of area and population in the Byzantine Kingdom. Therefore, in order to strengthen the rule of the kingdom and prevent unexpected situations, Hilde did not turn Thracia Samos into a relatively independent province, but retained the administrative division of this area, but did not set up a chief executive. All matters in Thracia Samos Province were handed over to the kingdom government located in Byzantium.
If you calculate it this way.
By now the population of the Byzantine Empire was rapidly growing.
The population has reached more than 30.
From a small city-state with only 35 or 35,000 people, it has grown to a size of people. This is a very large number that almost no one expected. Therefore, Hilde can continue to train the army and eventually expand the number of troops to three legions, totaling more than people.
After taking Samos.
Hilde's plan has come to an end.
The Byzantine Empire then stopped large-scale military operations and launched a series of diplomatic actions. Hilde first asked for some gifts to be given to the Persian emperor, Xerxes, to express her friendship, and also sent envoys from Apollonia to Scythia.
It's time to prepare to deal with the King of Thracian.
The Kingdom of Scythia responded quickly.
Another year of winter.
After finishing some tedious matters in the Byzantine Empire.
Hilde decided to go north herself.
"Where the Scythians are is a bitterly cold place. Be careful when you go there. Don't let anything happen to you." That night, Aspasia said as she helped Hilde put her clothes together. "If anything unexpected happens, you must retreat immediately. Got it?"
"I understand, mother."
Hilde smiled and nodded.
"Thank you for your concern."
"…There is one more thing."
Aspasia seemed to have something else in mind.
She hesitated for a moment, perhaps because she felt it was not good to hide it from Hilde, so she had to tell her. So Aspasia turned around and said to Hilde, "I received a letter from Athens two days ago. It was sent by your father, Pericles. Athens is now experiencing a disaster that has never been seen in history. Attica has completely fallen into the control of the Spartans, and the Athenians can only close the city gates tightly."
"so what?"
Hilde's smile remained unchanged.
But she is in a very bad mood now.
"My father who exiled me to this place, does he want me to go back and help him fight the Spartans?"
"Um……"
Aspasia said with some embarrassment.
"That's exactly what he meant."
"Idiot's dream."
