Hilde also said with a smile.
After all, this kind of coincidence is really interesting.
One hundred years ago, the ruler of the Kingdom of Scythia was a queen named Tomyris. At that time, Cyrus the Great led his army to attack Scythia. After a decisive battle, Cyrus the Great, the founder of the Persian Empire, died in battle, and his head was cut off by Queen Tomyris and thrown into a container filled with human blood. The reason was that Cyrus the Great had drunk the Scythians with wine before, so he won a victory and captured Queen Tomyris' son.
Therefore, this can be said to be a blood feud. Although Cyrus the Great and the current Xerxes II are no longer very close relatives, Cyrus the Great's son became emperor after Cyrus the Great's death, namely Cambyses II, but Cambyses II's successor Darius I was not Cambyses II's son, but a relative of a royal branch. Therefore, Cyrus' bloodline was actually broken by Cambyses II.
However, the Persian emperor was once beheaded by a Scythian named Tomyris.
After all, it is not a good sign.
It was normal for Xerxes to be worried.
So Hilde comforted him: "Don't worry, the matter between me and the Kingdom of Scythia is my own business, I won't bother you with this matter. Besides, I have already completed the matter of Ionia as we agreed before, so there should be no need for me to do anything about this matter, right?"
"Ionia? Ha, that's true. However, you only occupied a small part of Ionia, and the other city-states are just your allies. In this case, it can't be considered as completing the mission. But I am very satisfied that we can achieve such results in a short period of time."
It can be seen that Xerxes was not particularly satisfied with the fact that Hilde had only occupied part of Ionia. Perhaps in Xerxes' eyes, Hilde had to at least annex all the city-states in Ionia to complete the task assigned to her by Xerxes, but Xerxes himself knew that this was actually a bit too much. Hilde had turned Ionia into what it is now in less than half a year, which was something that almost no one could do.
There is nothing much to say in this case.
"We have to take things slowly. We can't just eat a fat man in one go."
“Interesting metaphor, I like it.”
After Xerxes finished saying this, her eyes were fixed on the carnival in the distance, as if she was also in the carnival. Hilde tilted her head and looked at Xerxes standing beside her. At this time, she made Hilde feel a little strange. She saw a feeling in Xerxes' eyes that she had never seen before.
Xerxes' eyes were filled with a hope for the unknown, a feeling of nearness and longing. It was as if the carnival in Ephesus was Xerxes' dream. Hilde didn't know what happened to Xerxes, but she still smiled and said, "If you want to participate, you might as well go down and have some fun. As long as you wear a mask, no one will know who you are."
"Will you accompany me then?"
"I'm sorry, but I can't dance."
Hilde refused quickly.
After all, as the king of the Byzantine Empire, Hilde had always been with Sophia in Ephesus, so if a woman who no one knew suddenly appeared around her, it would obviously attract some unnecessary rumors, and Hilde did not want such a thing to happen to her. So even though she saw Xerxes' desire, Hilde did not agree to her request.
Xerxes sat next to Hilde with some dissatisfaction.
"That's too much."
"I've just done so many things recently. I finally have time to rest. Please let me have a good rest and don't torment me anymore..." Hilde said with a wry smile, "I feel that my work as a king is much more tiring than your work as an emperor. The bureaucrats of the Persian Empire are really very efficient. Even when the emperor is not here, they can ensure the normal operation of the empire."
"Really? I think they're pretty useless."
Xerxes looked indifferent.
But she did not realize that it was actually very irresponsible for her to just leave the entire Persian Empire to those bureaucrats. However, this was Xerxes' own freedom, so Hilde did not say anything more.
Sophia had already fallen asleep at this time. Although the noise of the revelry in Ephesus was so loud that most people could not sleep, it might be because of the wine that Sophia fell into a deep sleep at this very inappropriate time. Hilde and Xerxes also understood and did not continue the conversation. They just sat at the highest point of the temple and quietly watched the revelry in Ephesus continue.
Hilde could clearly see that all the people participating in the carnival seemed to have lost their minds and were completely immersed in happiness. Good food and good wine made people happier and could make them forget almost all their troubles. This was the effect of the carnival, especially when it was led by Golgopas, the oracle of Dionysus, the god of wine. The carnival made people forget about the outside world and only pursue the happy Dionysian hymns in their hearts, which could arouse the enthusiasm of almost everyone on the field.
The more so.
The more scared Hilde became.
She was very afraid of putting herself in a completely uncontrollable state. Once she lost her mind, Hilde would always worry about doing something she couldn't predict, such as what she did to Dione before. Especially now that Hilde had so many responsibilities on her shoulders, she was more concerned about whether she could properly control everything she did and understand the current situation. Losing her mind was indeed a very difficult thing for Hilde.
The third tune, the second section, is a very happy carnival.
This is why Hilde was unwilling to participate in this carnival. She would rather sit on the high temple as a spectator than enjoy this happy carnival with the people of Ephesus, because she didn't know if she would become like this under the power of Golgopas. If she really became like this, would she be able to control her thoughts and actions, and would it lead to other unexpected situations, such as the previous bloodthirsty state.
The more the people of Ephesus reveled and indulged themselves in happiness, the more afraid Hilde became. Hilde could clearly feel that her heart was trembling with such revelry. Hilde rarely felt afraid because of certain things, but this time she really felt the disturbing factor from her heart.
She frowned slightly.
He did not let the fear in his heart show.
But Xerxes saw from the corner of her eye that something was wrong with Hilde's expression. Xerxes wanted to ask something, but after thinking about it, she felt that there must be a lot of things about Hilde that she didn't know, and maybe Hilde would be willing to tell her later.
Xerxes was in no hurry.
For her, there is still a long time to come.
There is no rush right now.
Of course, Hilde didn't know what was going on in Xerxes' mind. She could only feel that Xerxes, who was sitting next to her, seemed to have been attracted by the carnival in front of him. She didn't have any other expression at the moment. She just watched the carnival quietly without saying a word.
In this way, the carnival lasted for a whole night, and Hilde and Xerxes were always watching as spectators. The people who participated in the carnival had forgotten that they had a respectable king. Hilde, and the king did not participate in this carnival with them. The sun set, the carnival began, and the sun rose, the carnival ended.
When Golgopas fell to the ground exhausted and fell asleep, the city of Ephesus finally returned to peace. The streets were full of drunken men and women, and the whole place was in a mess. If you didn't know, you would think that the army had entered Ephesus and killed everyone in the city.
“It’s really messy.”
Hilde couldn't help but shook his head.
The current situation is really speechless.
"Isn't this great? Everyone had a happy night. You know, in this world, it's not easy to have such a happy day, so I really envy them." Xerxes also stood up at this time, and she moved her body a little, "Then, next, Sissi, are you going to take care of your own things?"
"After the matter in Ephesus is completed, it is indeed time to do other things. I will lead the army back to Byzantium and prepare for the war against the Kingdom of Scythia. Of course, you can rest assured that I have not forgotten what you asked. On the Ionian side, I will send people to continue to annex those city-states."
"That's really great."
Xerxes reached out and gently touched Sophia's head.
"She sleeps so soundly."
"yes……"
"Even though he has such strange features, he is still so heartless and can live the life he wants very happily. It's really enviable. If one day I can be like this, how great it would be."
Hilde didn't understand the hidden meaning of Xerxes' words.
She just smiled and responded:
"I think you are very free as an emperor."
"Yeah...I'm afraid that's how it looks to outsiders."
After Xerxes finished speaking, he turned around and said, "I will stay in Persia to deal with some Persian affairs during this period, so it is very likely that I will not be able to come back to accompany you often. Of course, if you want to see me, Persepolis welcomes you at any time, and I will receive you as the most noble guest."
"I will definitely go there if I have the chance."
Hilde always felt that something was wrong. She heard something strange in Xerxes' words, but she didn't know what to say. Hilde always felt that if Xerxes really wanted to say something to her, there was no need to be so secretive. He should just say what he wanted to say. However, Hilde was also used to Xerxes' habit of hiding something when he spoke. Instead, Hilde thought that what Xerxes didn't want to say now was what she really didn't want to say, so she didn't need to care too much. She would say it naturally when she wanted to.
"See you next time, then."
"Be careful on the road."
Hilde's voice had just fallen.
Xerxes' figure disappeared in front of Hilde.
Her speed was so fast that Hilde didn't even have time to react. Hilde could only smile bitterly and shook his head. Then he gently hugged Sophia's body, jumped down from the temple, and returned to the mansion as quickly as possible.
After letting Sophia sleep quietly in bed, Hilde came to the streets of Ephesus. After a night of revelry, many people were exhausted and had no strength left. On the streets, groups of people could be seen supporting each other and trying to go home. Of course, more people just fell asleep on the street, and some even slept with wine jars in their arms, drooling as if they were still not satisfied.
However, even after such a frenzy, everyone's face was filled with relaxation and joy. It was obvious that this carnival made most people excited and indeed released the pressure they had been under for a long time.
When they reached the center of the city, Hilde saw the big guy lying in the middle of the road, so Hilde walked up to the big guy Golgopas, stretched out his foot, and gently kicked his leg.
"Golgopas."
"Woo..."
Golgopas frowned, but still didn't wake up.
"As an oracle, how did you become like this? Get up quickly."
"…Your Majesty Hilde?"
Golgopas held the jar of wine and sat up from the ground. He looked around with sleepy eyes and found that everyone was lying on the ground. Golgopas remembered what happened yesterday, so he gave Hilde a bright smile.
“I was really happy yesterday.”
The third section of the third survey: Explanation of follow-up work
"Don't worry, I don't blame you for yesterday's revelry. Thanks to you, we achieved such a satisfactory result. We are all very grateful. It's just that sleeping on the street now is not quite appropriate."
Seeing Hilde's bitter smile, Golgopas felt a little embarrassed.
"I really don't know how to put this. I knew I couldn't let things turn out like this during the party, but I accidentally had too much fun and ended up like this. I'm really sorry. Next time, I will never let things turn out like this."
Hear Golgopas's defense.
Hilde couldn't help laughing.
"I'm afraid it will take a long time before the next time. I don't want such a carnival to happen in other cities of the Byzantine Empire. Of course, I'd still be happy to see such a scene, but now is not the time to hold multiple carnivals, so I'm afraid I won't be able to let you enjoy it next time."
"it's okay no problem!"
Golgopas stood up.
"It's just that you didn't attend yesterday."
"Rather than joining in the revelry, I prefer standing aside and watching you guys revel. So don't worry about me." Hilde glanced around and said helplessly, "I think we'll be busy for a while today. The streets are in such a mess that if you don't know, you'd think we've just been through a war."
"Your Majesty, if you have anything for me to do, please tell me directly and I will do it immediately!"
"Don't be so anxious. I will tell you when I need you to do something. I guess you are very tired today, so go back and have a good rest. You will stay here for a while, and then you will return to Byzantium with me."
Hearing this, Golgopas also perked up.
"Can I go to Byzantium in a few days?"
"You look like you're looking forward to it?"
"Of course! I am looking forward to what Byzantium looks like. During this period of time, when I was talking with soldiers in the army, they told me that Byzantium was very prosperous and powerful. Although the population was not large, the city's construction was very gorgeous and exquisite. It was simply incomparable to the city-states in Ionia. So, I was very curious about what Byzantium looked like."
"It's okay. When you come here, you can see with your own eyes what the Byzantine City is like. I guarantee you won't be disappointed."
Hilde is still very confident about this.
Byzantium, the capital of the Byzantine Empire, is definitely the most distinctive city in the Greek world.
Otherwise, Greece would not have been able to continuously attract outsiders from all over the world.
Now the city of Byzantium has begun to emerge in the entire Greek world. More and more people know about such a city and the Byzantine Kingdom through merchants. Therefore, there will naturally be many adventurers and gold diggers who come to Byzantium from afar, wanting to try and find an opportunity in Byzantium.
At the same time, Byzantium was also a safe haven for slaves. In ancient Greece, if slaves wanted to redeem themselves, they had to obtain a contract of sale or a slave contract. If there was no slave contract, slaves who left their masters would be considered runaway slaves. All Greek city-states would crack down on such slaves, or even execute them directly. This was the consensus of Greek slave owners and was also a measure to safeguard the interests of all Greek slave owners.
But not Hilde.
There were not many slaves in the Byzantine Empire, and the proportion of self-employed farmers was far greater than that of slaves.
Therefore, the Byzantine Empire treated slaves who escaped into its territory.
No matter what the situation is.
Unify the attitude of choosing asylum.
Hilde's slave policy has always been like this. Now at least thousands of slaves have been absorbed from all over the world and come to the Byzantine Kingdom. Although the slave owners hate it very much, facing the entire Byzantine Kingdom, the slave owners can only swallow their anger and blame themselves for not taking good care of the slaves. It is also because of this that many knowledgeable people who have become slaves after being defeated in the war, but are unwilling to be slaves for the rest of their lives, naturally set their escape target on the Byzantine Kingdom.
Hield also took such measures.
To establish Byzantium as a beacon of the Greek world.
Of course, when Golgopas arrives in Byzantium in person, he will be able to see what is happening with his own eyes.
Hilde was still quite curious about what expression Golgopas would show at that time.
After the carnival in Ephesus ended, it took two days just to clean up the city. Fortunately, Ephesus had a lot of food stored, so there would not be any problems caused by the city being shut down for two days. Under Hilde's command, the army helped the Ephesians clean up the city and restore the normal operation and order of the city. After that, the whole city gradually began to return to normal operation.
After finishing Ephesus.
Hilde specifically called Pyrrhus over.
Gave instructions for some things.
As Hilde's spokesperson in Ephesus, Pyrrhus was naturally given high hopes by Hilde.
Ephesus itself was a democratic city-state. As the archon, Pyrrhus' power would be affected by the Citizens' Assembly. But now it is different. Hildesh has directly reduced the power of the Citizens' Assembly. Now the Citizens' Assembly only has the power to discuss politics, and the greatest power is concentrated in the head of Pyrrhus, the archon of Ephesus. The power to appoint archons is completely the core of the Byzantine Kingdom, and is the responsibility of Hildesh himself.
Because of this, Pyrrhus had power that he had not had before.
Hilde also trusts this guy quite a bit.
The task she gave to Pyrrhus was quite simple.
Today, Ephesus, as a nail planted by the Byzantine Kingdom in Ionia, serves as a demonstration area. This demonstration area is to tell all Ionian city-states how powerful the Byzantine Kingdom is and how happy it is to be a part of the Byzantine Kingdom. At the same time, Ephesus must also begin to reorganize the city-state in accordance with the various systems of the Byzantine Kingdom. After all, Ephesus has a population of nearly 100,000 and will become one of Hilder's important sources of soldiers.
But Hilde doesn't have the time for that yet.
