"According to the customs of the Scythians, we will most likely be captured, beheaded, and skinned as trophies. After all, we don't have any women here. Of course, it's also possible that we will be captured and sold as slaves... This guy has broken the covenant before, so I have no doubt that he would do something like this."
It seems that the cavalry adjutant has also prepared himself mentally.
Everyone who comes here knows that this road is very dangerous.
So they have made all the preparations.
If something like this really happens, then just die.
The King heaved a sigh of relief
They all knew very well that if they died on the battlefield, Hilde would take good care of their families and leave them without any worries.
Alcibiades also looked towards the settlement area with some helplessness.
And this time.
Tomyris had just entered the tent of King Itantirsus.
It was obvious that Idantirsus was not mentally prepared for Tomyris's arrival. Seeing his daughter, who had been hiding on the front line, suddenly come back, Idantirsus came over enthusiastically: "My daughter, you are finally back!"
"Father."
Tomyris just bowed her head slightly.
"I'm here for something."
"whats the matter?"
"While on patrol, I met an envoy from the Kingdom of Byzantium. The leader was an Athenian named Alcibiades. He had a handwritten letter from King Hilde of the Kingdom of Byzantium, as well as a large amount of goods and gifts. He said that he wanted to reconcile with our Kingdom of Scythia and restore the previous relationship."
"Is there still this?"
Itantirsus was also quite surprised.
He was already troubled by the war with the Byzantine Empire.
As a result, the other side is coming to restore peace.
This couldn't be a better thing.
Then Idantyrsus said quickly: "Why are you still standing there? Call them in! I want to see for myself what these guys are trying to do."
Although on the surface, Idantirsus showed suspicion and distrust, Tomyris could sense from his tone that he was still quite happy. Tomyris shook his head in disappointment, and then could only say helplessly: "Yes, father, I will bring them here right away."
"give it to you!"
Idantirsus watched his daughter leave.
As soon as Tomyris left, he jumped up happily.
This is a great thing for him!
Idantirsus was afraid that if there was any conflict between the Byzantine Empire and the Kingdom of Scythia, the Kingdom of Scythia would be in much more danger. Therefore, Idantirsus naturally did not want a war to break out between the two countries. At first, he considered whether he should send envoys to negotiate peace, but he always felt that if he did so, Tomyris would be the first to disagree, and judging from the fact that he had torn up the covenant, Hilde would probably make Idantirsus's envoys never return.
Now, Idantirsus still regrets it very much. He thought that he had taken everyone into account when he made the decision before, but in fact, it was an extremely wrong thing. But Idantirsus was helpless. At that time, the Byzantine Kingdom was half dead and was just a fledgling small country. Who would have thought that it would become the largest Greek country in the entire Aegean coastal area?
Moreover, the Byzantine Empire now has a large number of soldiers and abundant food.
They have been sharpening their knives for a long time, ready to destroy the Kingdom of Scythia.
So, Itantirsus was terribly frightened.
And now, Hilde actually took the initiative to come to Idantirsus to restore peace and normal relations. This is great news. Idantirsus is so happy that he wants to hold a banquet to express his joy. However, as a monarch, Idantirsus must calm down.
After all, the issue of peace is still not settled.
Who knows how long the peace will last.
And whether peace is real peace.
Tomyris could see that her father Idantirsus was happy, which made her feel a little sick. She felt that since Idantirsus had torn up the alliance and made this decision, he must be responsible for it. No matter what the purpose of the Byzantine Kingdom was to seek peace, how could the king of a country be happy about it? Moreover, Tomyris also felt that this might be a trap set by Hilde.
If only Lady Artemis were here.
Tomyris felt a little aggrieved.
Artemis has never returned since her last visit.
Tomyris didn't know what happened, but as an oracle, she was a bit nosy if she worried too much about the gods' affairs, so she didn't worry too much about it. The most urgent task now was to prevent the attack of the Byzantine Kingdom.
After all, the gods helped the Scythians defend themselves against the Thracian king.
It's just because of the conflict between Artemis and Apollo.
The gods actually don't care about mortals at all.
Tomyris came to the outside of the settlement and returned to Alcibiades.
"Father said you can go in."
"That's great."
Looking at Alcibiades' smiling face, Tomyris always had an indescribable feeling.
She always felt that there seemed to be some conspiracy.
How could Hilde give in?
“Just come here by yourself.” Tomyris said helplessly, “Don’t try to play any tricks.”
"Don't worry Princess, I won't."
Alcibiades walked to the back shelf, took down a small wooden barrel, and held it in his arms.
"what is this?"
"Wine is the product we want to recommend to you."
"Wine? You actually use this to hold it."
The wooden barrel was still relatively new in the Greek world, after all, it was Hilde's own invention. However, when Alcibiades said it was wine, Tomyris became curious.
"Why did you bring wine?"
"I've heard that the Scythians are quite curious about fine wine, but unfortunately, Scythia doesn't produce grapes, and there are no winemakers. If you want to drink wine, you have to go to the Cimmerian Kingdom of Bosporus, find local merchants, and taste the inferior wine. It's such a pity. Our Byzantine Kingdom not only has first-class winemaking technology, but also has the ability to transport fine wine over long distances. So, naturally, we want to bring it to the Kingdom of Scythia."
Tomyris knew nothing about wine.
But she nodded anyway.
"Okay, I'll take it."
"Thank you for your hard work, Princess."
The weight of the wine barrel was not very heavy, but it was still difficult for Alcibiades, an ordinary man, to carry it. However, Tomyris could easily lift it with one hand. After all, she was an oracle, so she should have such strength.
The two of them walked into the king's tent, one in front and one behind.
By this time, Itantirsus had been waiting for a long time.
Section 3 of the fourth section: Proposals on peace
Itantirsus had been looking forward to their arrival for a long time, but as the leader of the Kingdom of Scythia, he could not be too enthusiastic, otherwise he would lose his standard. So, after Alcibiades entered, Itantirsus smiled and said, "Welcome, guest from afar. I heard that you came with the sincerity of the Kingdom of Byzantium, but I don't know if this sincerity can calm the anger of the Scythians."
What a fucking pretentious guy.
Alcibiades thought so.
But he still bowed:
"My name is Alcibiades. I am here at the order of Her Majesty Queen Hilde of the Byzantine Kingdom to meet His Majesty Itantirsus, the king of all the Scythians in the northern steppes. Firstly, I hope to reconcile the two countries and restore their past relations. Secondly, I also hope to reopen the trade route."
"Oh I see."
Edantyrsus sat cross-legged on the mat.
He looked at Alcibiades, his face expressionless.
"But, does Hilde mean that peace is peace?"
"That's not the case. It's just that Her Majesty Hilde is following the oracle of Lady Athena. Lady Athena doesn't want the world to be devastated. At the same time, the Byzantine Kingdom has not had a few days of peace. If we get into a war with your country like the Thracians, it will only force our citizens to bear more burdens, which Her Majesty Hilde doesn't want to see." Alcibiades said this, and then he handed over the wine barrel in Tomyris's hand, "This is a gift that Her Majesty Hilde carefully selected, and asked me to give it to you, the honorable one."
"what is this?"
Idantyrsus looked over curiously.
Tomyris replied:
"It's wine."
"Wine? Why did Hilde give me wine?"
"The origin of this wine is very different. Your Majesty, no one in this world has ever tasted the wine brewed by Her Majesty the Queen herself. The wine in this wooden barrel is the finest wine, produced from the high-quality grape fields around Byzantium. It is picked by a sixteen-year-old girl. Of course, she doesn't pick it with her hands, but with her lips. Then it is sent to the palace and selected and stomped by Her Majesty Hilde herself. Every grape is crushed by Her Majesty Hilde with her jade feet. Finally, after a tedious production cycle, there is such a barrel."
"Forehead……"
Tomyris heard that it was Hilde who stepped on it herself.
I couldn't help but frown.
However, this way of production is very attractive to a man named Itantirsus.
Let's not talk about the girl picking the grapes with her own lips. The biggest selling point is the wine that Queen Hilde stomped out with her feet. Who in the world can drink the wine that Queen Hilde stomped out? Just hearing this, Idantiersus could imagine the extremely beautiful Hilde, holding up her purple skirt, stomping her flawless white feet in the wooden basin until her feet were stained with the purple-red color of the grapes.
Like Hilde's eyes.
Think of this.
Idantirsus slapped his thigh and burst into laughter.
"This is such a generous gift! Hurry and take it!"
"Father."
Tomyris came over and looked at Idantirsus with difficulty.
"Let me taste it for you first, just in case..."
"Your Highness, are you worried that we might poison you?" Alcibiades had a calm smile on his face, looking very calm. "If you are worried, I can taste it for you two first. Of course, we are here to do business and for the long-term considerations between the two countries. Poisoning is something that will be condemned by the gods, and Her Majesty Hilde will never allow it."
"Anyway, I'll take a sip first."
Tomyris took the bowl and opened the lid of the barrel.
When you open it, the aroma of wine hits your nose.
Idantyrsus couldn't help but cheer up: "Good wine!"
Tomylis ignored her father. She first smelled the wine and felt the pure aroma of wine. Tomylis didn't drink much, but she could still understand the aroma of wine. So, Tomylis poured the wine from the barrel, and then took a sip. After two sips of wine, the sour but sweet taste made Tomylis feel a little hazy.
"How about it?"
Idantirsus asked curiously:
"Is it a good wine?"
"I don't drink it for wine tasting..."
Tomyris stood quietly aside, feeling the effect of the wine.
The most common poison in ancient Greece was hemlock, which had a very fast onset of effect. Although Tomyris was an oracle, she could still feel the discomfort caused by the poison. Alcibiades also poured himself a bowl. He looked at Itantirsus, then smiled and said, "To test our sincerity, please allow me to taste it first, Your Majesty."
"Oh, that's all right."
Itantirsus felt as if he were being scratched by a cat.
After Tomyris and Alcibiades had finished drinking.
The two looked at each other.
"How's it going, daughter?"
"Father, this wine...is indeed not poisonous."
Tomyris glanced at Alcibiades.
"But, Father, now is the time to discuss serious matters. We cannot drink."
"Ah... yes, you are right." Idantirsus was stunned for a moment, and realized what Tomyris meant, so he turned around and said to Alcibiades, "Since you said you came for peace and trade, then let's have a frank talk, what do you think?"
"Of course, your majesty."
Then Alcibiades sat up straight.
