"Sun Devouring Wolf?"
Hilde was curious.
"Do you know the details?"
"No... I don't know, these are all hearsay... But, the King of Thrace is attacking Dacia, this is true. The King of Thrace is so powerful, the Dacians probably won't be able to hold out for long. Once the Dacians fail, the King of Thrace will definitely go south. He will lead his army to sweep across Thrace, and then march into Greece!" Daxite said this, and knelt on the ground in frustration, "Then we will all die..."
"Um, this Thracian King you just mentioned, is he very strong?"
"It's not a question of whether he is strong or not. He is a very terrifying existence. He is like a giant, three times as tall as a man, holding a huge axe in his hand. Wherever he goes, everything will be smashed to pieces. Moreover, his servants are also eager to kill. Any opposition will be completely killed by them! Not a single one will be spared!"
"Tsk..."
Why does this sound so much like bullshit?
So Hilde continued to ask:
"Have you seen this yourself, King of Thrace?"
"I... I didn't. My father saw it. When he came back, he was terrified and told us to run. So we ran..."
The power of unity in the seventh verse of the fifth tune
Hilde still remembered the chief. At least, he was very firm when fighting with him. Moreover, although he defeated him with one move, Hilde had to say that he was a man whose martial arts were equal to Amyntas. Such a tough guy actually made his people flee immediately after seeing the Thracian King. Then, what a terrible monster this Thracian King was. Based on what those people said just now, Hilde had some impression in his mind.
From this point of view, the Thracian king has a very powerful army, and his rule is also very brutal. Almost all opponents have died without a burial place. If the Thracian king really goes south, it may bring a devastating blow to Hilde's Byzantine city. But the good news is that the Thracian king is leading his army to entangle with the Dacians in the north. Although it is unknown how long the Dacians can hold out, there is also a Dacian called "Sun Devouring Wolf" among them, who can withstand the attack of the Thracian king.
"I know everything you said."
Hilde remained calm on the surface.
But in fact, Hilde was a little anxious in his heart.
"I understand your situation. You can't stand the oppression of the Thracian king, so you have no choice but to move south. However, the people living in the southern coastal plains are us, the colonists from Greece. Your living environment has been greatly compressed, isn't it?" Hilde looked around at these poor Thracians. "You are trying to survive, and so are we. We are all miserable people. Why do we have to kill each other?"
Hear what Hilde said.
All the Thracians couldn't help but raise their heads.
"I am the Archon of Byzantium. I can assure you that if you are willing to stay in Byzantium, I will allow you to stay here. I will give you land to cultivate or do the work you are good at, and we will also pay you wages. Your treatment will be the same as that of the civilians in the city-state."
"Really?"
"You, you won't kill us?"
These Thracians never expected such a situation to happen.
Historically, the Thracians participated in many wars. However, whether it was the internal struggle of the Thracians or the war with the Greeks, if they were defeated, the captives would only face death or being sold as slaves. These Thracians had already made such psychological preparations, and they did not resent it, because this was the rule of this world. Since they had failed, they had to abide by the rules. But Hill did not play by the rules, which surprised them.
As for Hilde, the current Byzantine city lacks sufficient population. Although the Thracians are barbarians, they are also a Hellenized nation, and there are many Thracians in many city-states. Therefore, if the Byzantine city wants to improve its strength, the population must be increased. Moreover, according to the information provided by the Thracians, Hilde knows that there are definitely not a few Thracians who are forced to flee. If these Thracians can be fully utilized...
"I won't kill you."
Hilde walked directly into the middle of the Thracians.
"Besides, you won't be slaves."
"grown ups!"
At this time, Da Xit knelt directly on the ground.
"You, why are you..."
"There is no reason. The Thracian King you mentioned is indeed terrifying, but... I am not afraid of him! Everyone, I need your strength. When the Thracian King casts his greedy eyes on us, we must unite all the forces that can be united to achieve the final victory. Therefore, you are also my partners. You were oppressed by the Thracian King and fled here. You did not intend to go south to plunder. Therefore, on behalf of the city-state, I can give you a chance to make up for it."
"Thank you, sir!"
Knowing that you can get opportunities as a freeman.
These Thracians were naturally grateful.
However, Hilde is not happy now, he has some other things to understand.
So, she called Daxite over to systematically learn about the Thracians. After all, Hilde didn't know much about ancient Greek history during her lifetime, and even historians of this era only knew a little about the Thracians. However, as a part of the Thracians, Daxite naturally knew more about the Thracians. Later, Hilde finally understood that the Thracians were not a single nation, but a combination of a large group of ethnic groups with similar living habits and traditions.
From Macedonia northwards, all the way to Anatolia.
The indigenous people living in this land are almost all Thracians.
But, there is a difference.
The fifth key, the eighth section, has a more solid position
The reason why Thracians are called Thracians is because there was a tribe living in northern Greece called Thrace, so the Greeks called all similar people Thracians. The village where Dacite lived was a tribe called Dessias, with a small population. They lived in the Danube River Basin. Because they could not stand the tyranny of the Thracian king, they were forced to move south. And that Thracian king was from a tribe called Adlicia.
This tribe was the strongest among all Thracian tribes, and no one could defeat them. After the Thracian king ruled this area, he divided the Thracians into different categories. The most powerful Adlicia tribe was the highest-level Thracians, and they were the exploiters and slave owners of the Thracian Kingdom. The Odrysians and Serdi, who had the strongest combat power and produced many warriors and mercenaries, were the second class of the kingdom and the tyranny machine of the Thracian king.
The third category of people are farmers, and the fourth category are slaves.
Farmers work hard to cultivate the land and still have a chance to make a living.
However, the Thracian king actually classified those Thracian tribes that he disliked as fourth-class slaves, forcing these Thracians to flee, otherwise they would die of exhaustion or starvation. The Decias were treated as slaves because they had rebelled against the Thracian king, so after the defeat, they became slaves. In addition, at least 70% of the tribes became slaves.
Some escaped, while others could not and had to stay and be exploited.
Now, the Thracian king has set his sights on the northern branch of the Thracians, namely the Dacians and Getes, forcing them to form the Dacian-Getian Alliance to mediate with the Thracian king's army. It can be said that the current Byzantine city has not been destroyed, thanks entirely to the Dacian-Getian Alliance in the north.
These messages can be said to be very important.
It also gave Hilde a direction for his future work.
These marginalized Thracians are the ones we can fight for.
So, time soon came to evening, and Hilde, as usual, gathered the main citizens of the city in front of the square of the Citizens' Assembly.
Byzantium is similar to Athens, in that only men over the age of 25 can become citizens of Byzantium. The only difference is that Byzantium allows noble women to become citizens of the city. Therefore, Hilde, who gave up her Athenian identity, also successfully became a citizen of Byzantium. Becoming a citizen means that you can participate in the political management of the city-state. Although Byzantium was an aristocratic republic in the past, the Citizens' Assembly still gave civilians a certain voice. Of course, now is Hilde's dictatorship, whether you are aristocratic or civilian, you have to listen to Hilde.
People soon arrived, no matter nobles or commoners, they were all eagerly waiting for today. This was the biggest victory in a few years, and it could be said that it could completely change the trajectory of the city-state. This was of great significance to them. How Hilde should distribute the benefits became their biggest concern.
Although the nobles didn't like Hilde.
But now the city of Byzantium has been completely liberated.
It's time to restore the nobles' past rights.
Therefore, the nobles were ready. They had given Hilde the power, and now that Hilde had completed her mission, they felt it was necessary to take back the power they had given her. The nobles who were ready to make a move naturally attracted Hilde's attention. However, she felt that these people were used to a life of luxury and were not a threat that needed to be guarded against. Compared to the Thracian King, they were not even ants.
"Lord Hilde."
At this time, Amyntas walked over quickly.
"Tonight the nobles have united to force you to relinquish power."
"I know this."
"So...what are you going to do?"
"As I said before, the common people are on our side. No matter how many nobles there are, there are only more than a thousand in the whole city, and there are only more than 400 adult noble men. They still dream of returning to the aristocratic republic of the past, which is simply a foolish dream." Hilde smiled coldly, and then said to Amyntas, "Today, in addition to announcing the results of the war, I also want to announce something important. I want to directly change the political system here and make these nobles shut up forever."
"Political system?"
Amyntas was a little surprised.
"Is it possible..."
“For better development, the concentration of power is inevitable.”
"but……"
As an Athenian, Amyntas was actually not very accepting of personal dictatorship.
Athens was an elite democracy, and Pericles was elected by the Citizens' Assembly. Athens' democracy had always been a source of pride for Athenians like Amyntas. However, as Pericles' daughter, Hilde actually intended to replace the democracy with a tyrant? However, he still underestimated Hilde's ambition. Although a tyrant was good, he was still a tyrant with a reputation of usurpation and was a traitorous dictator. He was neither right nor just.
What she needs is a more stable position.
Chapter 9 of the Fifth Tune: The Plot to Destroy the Nobility
"Amyntas, I need your help."
"My help?"
"of course."
Hilde gave a mysterious smile and looked at the bewildered Amyntas.
At this moment, Amyntas suddenly felt a chill in his heart. This kind of venomous snake-like gaze was only shown once by Hilde when the Siren attacked. Hilde had never shown it to Amyntas in other times. Therefore, Amyntas knew that if he did not obey Hilde in this matter, he might be in danger of his life. However, Amyntas had already sworn allegiance to Hilde, and even in the face of such a situation, Amyntas did not waver.
He knelt on one knee and said in a low voice:
"As long as it is your order, I will obey it."
"Okay, your loyalty is enough."
"My lord, please give me your orders."
"My request is very simple, later..."
Hilde leaned close to Amyntas's ear and said what she wanted to say. After Amyntas heard it, he first widened his eyes in shock, but then he nodded heavily as if he accepted his fate. So Amyntas left here, as if he was going to make arrangements. At this point, Hilde had an idea in her mind. She smiled and looked at Amyntas who was getting farther and farther away, then she turned around and walked to the square in front of the Citizens' Assembly.
Here, almost all the citizens of the entire Byzantine city gathered here.
Hilde knew it very well.
Everyone looks at themselves differently.
Admiration and gratitude from the common people, resentment and gloating from the nobles.
After the Thracians were dealt with, the biggest disaster actually came from the city. The superficial peace now could no longer help Hilde to stabilize the situation. Without a common enemy, the nobles would definitely want to seize power. In their minds, they had the power to take back the power they gave to Hilde. So now they were ready. In front of everyone, they collectively demanded that Hilde step down and restart the aristocratic republic.
Of course, Hilde won't let them succeed.
I finally got the city of Byzantium.
How could I just give it up?
"Dear citizens."
When Hilde opened his mouth, the square, which had been a little noisy, suddenly became quiet.
"I believe you must have known the result of this war. We have completely eliminated the threat posed by the Thracians, killed more than 200 people, captured 1,400 people, and took back everything they had stolen. Therefore, I hereby announce to everyone that you can safely leave the protection of the city walls, return to the farmland, return to the mines, return to the village, and live your normal life. Even without the assistance of Miletus, you can still stand up straight and live a prosperous life!"
When Hilde said this.
She opened her arms, smiled and announced:
"We won!"
“Long live Hilde—!”
The shouts of the common people confused the nobles who had ulterior motives.
"At the same time, I want to announce some arrangements after this war. Please be quiet."
Hilde waved his hand, signaling the people in the square to be quiet.
"In this battle, we have taken back all the land. Therefore, as we have agreed before, all the unowned land will be allocated to the landless and unemployed civilians in the city. You can receive seeds and farm tools, resume agricultural production, and rebuild the village. In addition, within the first year of resuming production, the city's taxes will be reduced by half."
"For the soldiers who participated in this battle, those who killed one person will be rewarded with ten drachmas, and those who killed two people will be rewarded with twenty drachmas. For every person killed, I will reward ten drachmas. At the same time, for soldiers who do not have land, when arranging land, high-quality land will be allocated first to the families of soldiers who participated in the battle to reward them for their bravery in killing the enemy. I believe that you will not mind such a thing, right?"
After Hilde said this, the civilians in the field naturally didn't care.
After all, the soldiers were brave and fearless.
Is an object worthy of respect.
However, this is bad news for the nobles.
Some of them could not sit still and were about to refute Hilde. However, someone stopped them. The ultimate goal of these nobles was to force Hilde to step down, not to argue with Hilde for these petty gains. If they were in this situation, they would lose their direction, and Hilde, who was deeply loved by the common people, would directly dismantle the nobles' plans. Of course, Hilde saw all this and kept it in mind.
So Hilde continued.
"Of course, the most important thing this time is about slaves."
"In this battle, the slave soldiers rushed to the front, broke the enemy's solid defense line, and contributed to our great victory. Although they are slaves, they are not citizens of Byzantium, but when they are willing to wield their weapons and fight for this city-state, they have stood with us and are our friends. Therefore, starting from today, in order to deal with more enemies, I have formulated the following policy: any slave in Byzantium who kills an enemy on the battlefield will be rewarded with one year's food, and if he kills two, he will be rewarded with two years' food. When he kills three people, he will be restored to freedom and allowed to live in Byzantium!"
The Fifth Tune, Section 10: The two sides in fierce debate
Can slaves be liberated based on their military achievements?
They had never heard of such a thing before.
