But the residents of Byzantium lived a happy life. Their support for Hilde could be said to have reached a fanatical level. Even though Hilde allowed them to criticize her system or policies, they never did so. When Alcibiades went anywhere, as long as someone could recognize him as the person who could take care of Hilde in the palace, everyone respected and envied him.
It would not happen in Athens.
No one would envy the slaves who worked in Pericles' palace.
But in the Byzantine Empire.
Everyone will be envious.
Everyone thinks that Hilde is the spokesperson of God and the oracle of Lady Athena, a noble and holy being. If you can see Hilde in person, it will be the greatest joy in life, not to mention being able to see Hilde every day. Alcibiades also finds this situation very interesting. This is a political ecology completely different from Athens. As for whether the Athenian model is better or the Byzantine model is better, judging from the current results, the Byzantine side should have the upper hand.
The sincerity of the Athenians even caused Athens to fall into internal friction. Pericles put forward some controversial views. Regardless of whether they were correct or not, whether they could be successfully implemented would go through some twists and turns. Opponents would do everything they could to prevent Pericles' new policies from being smoothly implemented. Especially when the Spartans besieged Athens before, Pericles was even in a desperate situation. At that time, even the Citizens' Assembly had begun to distrust Pericles.
Fortunately, Lord Poseidon's oracle, Rhodes, appeared.
This calmed down the chaotic politics in Athens.
But at the same time for Alcibeles.
A question came into his mind.
Is democracy really better than monarchy?
Is dictatorship really a backward system?
Is it the truth, or just the Athenians’ self-righteous opinion?
When he walked in the Byzantine Empire, the Byzantines were much more spiritual than the Athenians. They were more positive about life and more optimistic about the future of the country, rather than blindly arrogant. Of course, they had more consistent views on Hilde. As long as Hilde issued a policy, they would firmly support it, even if these policies might affect their interests.
If Alcibiades had not come out in person, he would not have known how much the Byzantines liked Hilde. Alcibiades even went to ask some Byzantines, wanting to know from them what they thought of Hilde. Unexpectedly, those people expressed their surging love for Hilde very excitedly. Each of them spoke highly of Hilde's goodness and said that she had transformed the city of Byzantium from an inconspicuous northern Greek colony into what it is today.
Some people also say that she is the oracle of Lady Athena, and the real thing, because Athena is the goddess of war and also the goddess of craftsmanship, and Hilde has inherited these two qualities perfectly. She can not only carry out effective military reforms and lead the army to victory, but also invent various things that can significantly improve everyone's quality of life. With such an oracle, if you say she is not Lady Athena's, who would believe it?
Alcibiades also went through these.
Only then did I realize how amazing Hilde is.
and so……
Why did Pericles, this idiot, want to exile Hilde?
If there was a Hilde in Athens, Athens would probably not be what it is now. But at the same time, the political ecology of Athens definitely cannot accommodate someone like Hilde, so this is also a contradiction. Hilde's exile to Byzantium may not be a bad thing for Hilde, but a bad thing for Athens.
Alcibiades visited the streets to investigate the Byzantines' attitudes toward Hilde's rule and the country they lived in. The results were eye-opening for Alcibiades. He had not expected that everyone would support Hilde so much. This was also a good thing, indicating that everyone had a very positive attitude toward Hilde. If the residents of this country all thought this way, then everyone would be able to unite to face difficulties instead of spending all their energy on internal friction.
Afterwards, Alcibiades made a special trip to the military camp.
It was Amyntas who received Alcibeles.
"Welcome."
Amyntas was very happy to welcome Alcibiades. It was really not easy for two Athenians to meet in such a far place. Of course, in reality, both of them were Byzantines now and had long lost their status as Athenian citizens.
"Lord Amyntas, I have heard of your name a long time ago. At that time, my father told me that there was a centurion named Amyntas in the army. He had a great record and was brave and fearless. He was the future hope of the Athenian army and had outstanding abilities. I never expected that we would meet in Byzantium this time."
"I feel embarrassed to hear you praise me like that. I am just an ordinary person. It is because of your majesty's trust in me that I am in this situation now. I am very grateful to your majesty. Of course, I think your future will definitely be better than mine. Your talent is far beyond my reach."
Amyntas couldn't help but start praising him, and Alcibiades nodded a little embarrassedly.
"I came here this time to learn about the various military systems of the Byzantine Empire."
"Okay, His Majesty has already greeted me, so please come in."
Chapter 3, Section 5: The Military System of Byzantium
After Amyntas finished speaking, he took Alcibiades into the military camp of Byzantium.
The General Military Camp located in Byzantium is the largest military base in the Byzantine Kingdom. It is more like a castle than a military camp. It is located about two kilometers away from the main city wall of Byzantium, the Shild Wall. The overall architectural style is different from any Greek building. It is a typical castle with Persian and Babylonian styles. Under the castle is a very large open space for soldiers to train.
The entire military camp is divided into four major blocks.
They are the castle area, living area, training area and weapons and equipment production area.
The purpose of building this military camp is that if the enemy comes to the city one day, this castle can not only accommodate the people in the Byzantine city, but also be used for defense. There are specially dug wells and tunnels in the castle, and the stored food is enough for the army inside to last another two months.
“It’s really amazing.”
Alcibiades couldn't help but say with emotion.
“This is the equivalent of the Acropolis of the Byzantine Empire.”
"It's true. When His Majesty ordered the construction of this military camp two years ago, he wanted to build it into the Acropolis of Byzantium. Now it has been completed and the troops can be stationed inside."
Amintas said proudly:
"Stationed here is the most powerful army of the Byzantine Kingdom, the First Legion. You should know that the first army of the Byzantine Kingdom was the First Legion when it was first established. We have the most powerful armed forces and the most elite soldiers. Our loyalty to His Majesty Hilde is unmatched. In the many wars of the Byzantine Kingdom, our First Legion played a huge role."
Amyntas introduced his troops with great pride.
Now Amyntas is the general of the First Legion.
The number of ordinary legions is generally around 16,000, while the number of the First Legion has reached , including Hilde's guards, which is a very large legion. The main purpose of this army is to guard the capital, and the other is to play a fist role in key battles. Hilde handed this extremely important army to Amyntas, so this is also the thing that Amyntas is most proud of.
Alcibiades also looked around curiously. He noticed that the soldiers who were training on the parade ground were all very strong and well-groomed. Even during the training in the barracks, they were wearing full sets of armor, unlike the troops in some places who were idle. These soldiers were probably stronger than the Spartans that Alcibiades saw on the battlefield at that time.
"What a strong soldier."
"Of course! Our troops won't go hungry."
A good diet is an important aspect of improving combat effectiveness.
Alcibiades also learned from Amyntas that Hilde had raised the importance of military food to the same level as the importance of weapons and equipment. Putting aside the other legions, the soldiers of the First Legion were guaranteed to eat a certain amount of meat and eggs every day, with sufficient food supply, daily intensive training, and sufficient nutrition, making these soldiers' bodies stronger and stronger.
The mission price of this era was still quite high, so the money spent on soldiers' food every year was very huge. Fortunately, the Byzantine Kingdom had a vast land area, fertile soil, and a large amount of grain production, so there was enough grain to support the conversion of meat. Both poultry and black pigs were widely raised in the Byzantine Kingdom. These meats were supplied to the general market on the one hand, and to the soldiers in the army on the other.
"Athens really can't compare to this."
Alcibiades said with emotion.
"Of course... The soldiers in Athens are conscripts, and they have to buy their own weapons and equipment. Fortunately, the Athenians are relatively wealthy, so they can afford better weapons and equipment. But our Byzantine Kingdom is different. The weapons and equipment, and the soldiers' food are all provided by the kingdom, and the soldiers do not need to spend money to bear the cost of war. But at the same time, our Byzantine Kingdom has a special war tax. All Byzantines must pay a certain amount of tax to support the maintenance of the army, but the tax is not very high. In addition, the price of food in the Byzantine Kingdom is relatively low, so everyone can eat enough and don't care about paying so much tax. Because even if you don't pay taxes, like Athens and other city-states, you need to buy weapons at your own expense, and that amount of money is really a lot of money."
This was also the case on the Athens side.
A good set of weapons is very expensive.
All adult male citizens of Athens had to join the army, and to join the army they had to buy weapons and equipment at their own expense, and the money to buy weapons and equipment was a considerable sum. For many ordinary families, this amount of money might be ten or even twenty years' income. So Athenians who were not very wealthy could either choose to be a light infantryman, but the chance of dying on the battlefield would be much greater, or they could spend all their money to buy a set of heavy infantry equipment. Of course, those who were richer could become cavalrymen, and Alcibiades was a cavalryman.
Also, because weapons were purchased at one's own expense, the price of weapons remained high, and the merchants and craftsmen who made weapons could make a lot of money from it. This was unavoidable, but in the Byzantine Kingdom, the situation was completely the opposite. The production of weapons and equipment in the Byzantine Kingdom was all state-monitored and directly managed by Hilde. The result of this combination of state workshops and state craftsmen was that the production cost of weapons and equipment could be greatly reduced, while also ensuring the quality of weapons and equipment.
Alcibiades only found out about this today.
It turned out that inferior weapons were produced in the Byzantine Empire.
They will be killed directly.
Every national craftsman must carefully produce the weapons in his hands to ensure that there are no problems before they can be inspected. Once there is a problem with their weapons, or even the arrows used in the bows, the craftsmen and supervisors must be held accountable. This also solved a confusion of Alcibiades, because Alcibiades saw that many weapons were engraved with some symbols or people's names. After understanding this, he realized that these symbols meant which workshop they represented, and the names represented the craftsmen. If there is a quality problem with the weapon, you can find out who made it at the first time.
The third chapter, the sixth chapter, the sacred mission, is to clean the toilet.
This came as a great shock to Alcibiades, as he had never imagined that there would be such a practice of bringing all weapons and equipment into the national system for management, and strictly tracking down all shoddy work and cutting corners to avoid situations that occur on the battlefield.
After all, cutting corners is a problem that will arise in almost all countries' actions, just like in Athens. In Athens, because weapons and equipment were purchased privately, arms dealers had to make their weapons better for the sake of their own business. Otherwise, once their weapons were broken on the battlefield, the reputation of their store would be ruined. No one wants to take a weapon that can save their life to the battlefield and fight with others, only to have problems with the weapon.
Therefore, generally, the quality of privately customized or privately made weapons is very good, and the price is also very high. If some weapons and equipment are purchased or made by the state, it is difficult to avoid cutting corners. Because once the state or city-state intervenes, the number of items ordered will be very terrifying. In this case, it is okay to fish in troubled waters occasionally, anyway, it is basically impossible to find out during the acceptance. This can be often seen in the Persians. The quality of Persian weapons and armor does have some problems sometimes.
And Hilde solved it in this way.
The craftsmen were taken back by the state.
All weapons and equipment are under state supervision.
And establish a strict execution system.
As long as there is a problem with the weapon, the person who made it will be traced immediately. In that case, people will know that if they make a shoddy product, they will die if there is a problem, so they will not dare to be so lazy. So it can also ensure the quality of the weapon... Although this is a bit cruel, it is indeed a very useful method from a utilitarian point of view.
So Hilde did this, the state was responsible for purchasing weapons, so that no matter whether one's family was wealthy or not, one could afford to join the army. Moreover, the cost of joining the army was converted into war taxes, which were distributed to each family according to the proportion of family income. The poor families were taxed less, and the rich families were taxed more, but generally speaking, it was cheaper than buying weapons by oneself. The Thracians might not be able to understand this very well, but the Greek colonists from Miletus and the former Byzantine city could understand it very easily.
Alcibiades had this policy alone.
I feel like I have gained a lot of knowledge.
This is indeed an effective method.
However, this method obviously cannot be implemented in city-states like Athens or Sparta, because those city-states sometimes regard politics as more important than anything else. Once the reform touches on tradition, many people will begin to oppose the reform, and then everything will become a mess. Therefore, Alcibiades can also deeply feel that it is precisely because of the powerful monarchy of the Byzantine Kingdom that such a result can be achieved.
In the common education in Athens.
People always portray the monarchy as something very evil.
The monarchy will be described as the most backward system in the world.
For example, Athens had kings before, but that was a long, long time ago.
So the Athenians even felt that such a thing as a king should not exist in this world.
What a foolish prejudice this is! If they were given the opportunity to come to the Byzantine Kingdom and see the prosperity of this country with their own eyes, if they could still say this, then their heads must have been kicked by a goat.
Alcibiades couldn't help thinking about this, and then he and Amyntas walked to other places. At this time, Amyntas couldn't help asking: "You have been working as a housekeeper in the palace for a long time, so what do you do every day?"
"Flush the toilet."
Alcibiades answered without hesitation.
"Flush the toilet?"
"Yes, it literally means cleaning toilets. Doesn't it sound strange? However, when I first came to Byzantium and arrived at the palace, His Majesty asked me to be responsible for cleaning the entire palace. Now His Majesty feels sorry for me and thinks that I am too tired to do this kind of work, so he doesn't let me continue to clean the palace, but let me focus on cleaning toilets."
Amyntas couldn't help but gasp.
"why?"
"Your Majesty said I clean the toilet well."
"…Isn't your job really enviable?"
"Um???"
Now it was Alcibiades' turn to be surprised. He looked at Amyntas in front of him as if he were a fool, thought carefully, and then asked tentatively: "Why do you say that?"
"Brother! Don't you understand what this is? But you have to clean the toilet for His Majesty! My God, do you know how many people want to do this job? Think about it, after all, the toilet is a relatively private thing, and His Majesty trusts you to clean it. Don't you think this is His Majesty's love for you? If His Majesty didn't trust you, how could he give you such a difficult task? Gods above, I didn't expect you to do such a job, it's really enviable!"
"..."
It seems to make some sense.
Amyntas couldn't help but say, "Really... you can go ask other people, ask all the soldiers in the barracks, and ask them to clean the toilet for His Majesty. Ask them if they are willing. I can guarantee you that everyone will be willing to give you this job. They will even give everything to find an opportunity to clean the toilet for His Majesty! You must cherish this opportunity. Not everyone can do it!"
"……Yes!"
Alcibiades felt a strong sense of mission.
Maybe it's just as Amyntas said.
This is your majesty's trust in me!
So I must seize this opportunity to do a better job of cleaning the toilet and satisfy His Majesty completely! Alcibiades felt elevated in his heart. Although he was doing this seemingly dirty job, he was very excited. So Alcibiades turned around and said to Amyntas seriously: "Thank you so much. It was your words that made me realize how important my current job is!!!"
“Keep working hard!!!”
"OK!!!"
The soldiers in the distance didn't know what made Amyntas and Alcibiades so excited. The two of them seemed to be dancing and very happy.
Chapter 2, Section 7: The Remains of the Titans
After Alcibiades finished his visit to the military camp, he hurried back to the palace to have lunch at noon, because he had to clean the toilet in the afternoon. Hilde also knew that Alcibiades had been out for a long time today and should have seen a lot of things, so Hilde also planned to talk to Alcibiades in the afternoon and ask him about his recent discoveries and new ideas.
result……
Hilde came to the back room.
But she saw a scene that surprised her a little.
"One! Two! One! Two!"
Alcibiades was shouting slogans while cleaning the toilet. He looked very hard. He was shirtless, revealing beautiful and delicate muscles. His body proportions were almost perfect, and there was no scar on his white skin. It was obvious that he had a nearly perfect male body that only appeared in marble sculptures. But such a beautiful body was now vigorously cleaning the toilet.
"..."
Hilde stood not far away and watched.
Is flushing the toilet so fun?
