"It's better to tell you about this matter, because you are the oracle and the future ruler of this country. Wasn't it the King of Scythia who decided to betray the Byzantine Kingdom? So if we tell His Majesty the King about this situation, what if His Majesty is not so calm and makes a wrong judgment? But you will be fine. His Majesty Hilde told me that Tomyris is a very calm person who can take on great responsibilities. You know, once we are fully prepared to guard against the Persian attack, our northern border will lack sufficient troops. If you march south and launch another sneak attack, what should we do?"
"..."
Alcibiades directly brought up the previous betrayal of the Scythians.
This matter is indeed a hurdle that Tomyris cannot get around.
Because of this betrayal, Tomyris felt that she had lost all face and the country had lost face.
"I understand."
After a brief thought, Tomyris also figured it out.
"My father did make an uncalm decision, which led to what happened. I have always wanted to apologize to Hilde, but she did not give me the chance. Fortunately, I can make up for the mistakes I made in the past. I will remember this and will not tell my father. The army is still in my hands. As long as my father does not know about this, he will not order a sneak attack."
"If that's the case, that would be great."
"Well, my doubts have been solved."
Tomyris now had an idea of what was going on.
Regardless of whether what Alcibiades said was true or not, if the Persian threat was real, it would be a big problem. Hilde must have had no choice but to send him to seek peace.
Chapter 4, Section 7: A Difficult Princess
Otherwise, Hilde would not only have to guard against the Scythians in the north, but also the Persians in the east. Although the Byzantine Empire was still relatively powerful, it would be too tiring if all kinds of precautions were required on both ends.
Moreover, the other party's suspicion of his father was completely reasonable. Tomyris himself knew very well that if he were Hilde, he would definitely tell these words only to Tomyris, and not to the current Scythian King Itantirsus.
After all, what his father did in these things was indeed very immoral. Knowing that the Byzantine Kingdom's rear defense was empty and all its main forces had to be placed on the front line, Idantirsus would probably really consider whether to launch a surprise attack on the Byzantine Kingdom. After all, in his eyes, if the Scythian Kingdom could take advantage of this opportunity to plunder the wealth of the Byzantine Kingdom on a large scale, then even if the Persians came, he would not be afraid.
"Let you have a good rest first. There will be a bonfire party in the evening."
"Then I'll trouble you, Princess."
Alcibiades watched Tomyris leave with a faint smile on his face. But now, the smile on Alcibiades' face gradually froze, he turned around, and then breathed a sigh of relief. Sure enough, everything was just as Hilde said, this oracle named Tomyris still cared about this matter.
From the information Alcibiades got from Hilde, he learned that the current king of the Scythian Kingdom, Itantirsus, was a short-sighted, self-willed man who only cared about immediate interests. Because of this, if Itantirsus knew that the Byzantine Kingdom's rear defense was empty, he would definitely think of going south and making a fortune while the Byzantine Kingdom had no troops to resist the invasion of the Scythians.
But his daughter, Tomyris, is completely different. She is a very far-sighted person who considers the country and herself in the long run. Because of this, Tomyris should be very clear about the threat from the Persians, and also know that in facing the Persians, the Byzantine Kingdom and the Scythian Kingdom must stand on the same front in order to work together to overcome difficulties in future conflicts with the Persians.
So Alcibiades deliberately told this matter to Tomyris.
In this way, Tomyris will believe everyone's vision. I really encountered great difficulties, so I chose to make peace with the Scythians and let go of the past hatred. Tomyris, who already felt very guilty, would definitely seize this opportunity to seek reconciliation, so that the contradictions between the two countries could finally be resolved and disappear.
This idealistic idea also shows that Tomyris is still a relatively innocent child in many cases, and does not have the feeling of a shrewd politician. Of course, compared with her mentally retarded father, Tomyris has done a good job. Alcibiades knows this very well, and deliberately uses this method to make Tomyris believe in himself and Hilde's motives, so that she can stand with him.
Such a trick.
Probably of little use to the Greeks.
But for these uncivilized barbarians, the effect is really very good.
After all, in the entire Scythian Kingdom, perhaps only the nobles could be considered wise men. That was why Alcibiades' next plan was to use the fine wine he brought to get the wise men of the Scythian Kingdom drunk one by one, making their wisdom ineffective. As long as their brains were paralyzed, the Scythians would no longer be a scary opponent.
But after coming here today.
Alcibiades had new ideas.
This Tomyris, as Hilde said, is indeed a tough opponent. She can remain calm, and in the face of temptation and suspicion, she can always observe carefully and dig out the suspicious points. Moreover, she is upright and has high prestige among the Scythians. To some extent, if Tomyris does not intend to pay attention to her brain-dead father, then she may become the new king of the Scythian Kingdom. If this is true, then the threat to the Scythian Kingdom will increase exponentially.
This was not what Alcibiades wanted to see.
At the same time, she also hoped to carefully observe the specific relationship between the father and daughter in the days to come, to find out what she could do, and to see if she could, through some of her own actions, make the Kingdom of Scythia lose the strength to continue to confront the Byzantine Kingdom.
Of course, these are all things for later.
Alcibiades had been working hard for many days, and it was a rare opportunity for him to find a stable place to rest, so he did not waste it. There were still several hours before night, so Alcibiades lay directly on the bed. He was drowsy and fell asleep immediately.
Soon, it was night time.
A blazing bonfire was lit in the center of the grassland.
After the nobles of Scythia learned that the Byzantine Empire and the Scythian Kingdom had ceased hostilities, they all seemed very happy, so happy that they danced and could hardly control their emotions. Therefore, the overall atmosphere of this bonfire banquet was also very lively. It was also the first time that Alcibiades saw the carnival ceremony of another community, which was completely different from the Greek carnival. This was a great experience.
Alcibiades carefully watched every detail of the entire carnival ceremony. He watched these not only because he was curious, but also because there were many valuable things in the carnival ceremony. If he recorded these and went back to tell teacher Herodotus, it would definitely help teacher Herodotus.
"As an envoy of the Byzantine Empire, you can't just stand by and watch."
At this time, Tomyris came over with a smile.
"Don't you have any preparations?"
"Princess, I brought a lot of wine this time. Now everyone is dancing and singing. I think we should bring the good wine up and let everyone taste it." Alcibiades also smiled and bowed. "What do you think?"
"We were supposed to drink it at the banquet. If that's the case, I'll arrange for someone to get the wine."
"Thank you for your hard work."
Tomyris seemed to have let her guard down completely.
She immediately arranged for someone to deliver the wine brought by Alcibiades' caravan to the center of the banquet.
Chapter 4, Part 8: A Party with Strong Liquor
The singing and dancing Scythian nobles were also a little surprised. They looked at these round wooden barrels being delivered to the banquet and didn't know what to do with them. Alcibiades asked Tomyris and others to bring 8 barrels, each of which contained about 50 liters of wine.
When Ithursus saw the wooden barrel, he remembered that he still had some wine to drink.
"Everyone!"
At this time, Alcibeles walked to the front of the campfire.
"Let me introduce myself to you all. I am Alcibiades from the Byzantine Kingdom. I am a special envoy sent by Queen Hilde of the Byzantine Kingdom. This time, we not only bring peace and friendship, but Her Majesty Hilde also asked me to deliver wine that you will all like very much. These wooden barrels are all filled with wine produced in the Byzantine Kingdom. They are all good wines that are hard to find in the entire Greek world!"
The Greek language spoken by Alcibeles.
Most of these nobles couldn't understand.
However, Tomyris stood aside and acted as an interpreter for Alcibiades.
"really?"
"That's great. I haven't had a good drink in a long time."
These nobles, without exception, are wine lovers.
However, since the Kingdom of Scythia had not been around for long, it was difficult for them to drink. But this time it was different. So much wine was brought up at the same time, enough to make hundreds of people drunk. Moreover, Alcibiades knew very well that among the eight barrels, four of them were filled with distilled liquor.
What does distilled spirits mean?
That's several times, even 10 times higher than wine in alcohol content. You can drink a whole pot of ordinary wine, but I'm afraid that distilled liquor will not be enough for you to drink more than three or five glasses.
So, Alcibiades walked to a wooden barrel, opened it, and said with a smile: "Half of this is wine. It was developed by our Queen herself. It's called brandy. This brandy tastes more mellow and stimulating than wine. The production process and cost are also much more complicated than wine. You will be the first people to taste this fine wine."
After Tomylis finished translating.
There are also some concerns.
After all, there were 8 barrels of wine, but they had not been tested for poison. If everyone present drank 8 barrels of wine and was poisoned, it would be a big problem. However, Tomyris thought about it carefully. He had believed what Alcibiades said to him today. If he doubted Alcibiades' intentions now, he might be too nervous. So, Tomyris said, "Can I have a taste first?"
"Your Highness, of course."
"Ok."
Alcibildes' expression remained unchanged. He scooped a spoonful of wine from the barrel, poured it into Tomyris's cup, and then handed it to Tomyris. After Tomyris took the cup, she put it in front of her nose and sniffed it carefully. A strong pungent smell made Tomyris frown. Then an irrepressible fragrance came out of the wine.
"I'll try it."
Tomyris picked up the wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.
This is a bold way of drinking.
This also frightened Alcibiades.
"Your Highness, please drink slowly."
"Ahem... so spicy!"
Tomylis, who didn't like drinking, naturally felt that the strong liquor was very spicy and unacceptable, but after drinking it, Tomylis could only feel the whole throat and stomach were warm, and then she felt much more comfortable. The feeling of this sip of wine was completely different from the wine she drank today.
At first she wondered if there was some poison in the wine that caused it to become like this, but after drinking it for a while, Tomylis did not feel any physical discomfort. Instead, she felt a little dizzy, which was a pleasant feeling.
"How is it, Princess?"
"It's a bit strange..."
"Don't worry, there's really wine in this."
When the people around saw Tomyris blushing, they didn't think much about it. After all, they knew better than anyone else what a drunken state she was in. When they saw that the princess, who was usually serious and never drank, had a red face, the nobles around them burst into laughter. At this time, Idantirsus also became interested in the barrel of wine.
Alcibiades served wine to every nobleman. Most of these nobles were wine lovers. They could tell the quality of the wine by picking up the cup and smelling it. Different from the sweet and sour taste of wine, the taste of distilled brandy was purer and more fragrant. Especially the high alcohol content that made the men on the grassland like it very much.
As a result, some people who could not accept brandy for the time being drank wine, while those who drank brandy and loved the taste began to drink brandy. These Scythian nobles sang and danced, eating roasted lamb and drinking wine sent from the Byzantine Empire.
After a few sips of wine, the effect of alcohol can make people completely immersed in a state of happiness, which is an experience that is difficult to have when drinking wine before. Alcibiades has also drunk this kind of strong liquor himself, and he knows the feeling after drinking it. Therefore, when he saw that everyone including His Majesty the King was very happy, he couldn't help laughing.
The plan was considered a success.
Faced with the sudden strong liquor, these people really couldn't handle it. The banquet lasted only more than an hour. After three rounds of wine and five dishes, these nobles were drunk and couldn't even walk. But even so, some people still wanted to drink, including King Itantirsus, who loved it.
Tomyris, who felt a little dizzy after just one sip of wine, had been resting in a tent outside the banquet. When she heard the laughter and joyful sounds outside, Tomyris relaxed.
"your Highness."
Just at this time.
Alcibiades said outside the tent:
"How is your health now?"
"It's okay, it's okay, I have no problem."
"Your Highness, you just suspected that the wine I brought was actually poisoned, right?"
"I'm really sorry... I don't want to think this way, but for safety reasons, it's better to get tested."
"It's okay, I understand that."
Chapter 4, Chapter 9: The Lord of the Grassland Loves to Drink
Alcibiades smiled and said:
"As long as there is nothing wrong with your Royal Highness's health, that's all."
"Worrying you."
Tomyris was indeed not good at drinking, and she felt a little dizzy after drinking, but she knew the difference between poisoning and drinking. It was just that Tomyris herself was a little embarrassed to suspect that the other party's drink was poisoned for the second time in a row. So Tomyris had to say to Alcibiades: "I have offended you in many ways today, and I hope you can forgive me. Don't worry, I will not do such a thing again in the future."
"Necessary inspections are essential. After all, what if I really poisoned someone?"
"Then you will definitely die."
Hearing Tomyris' words, Alcibiades couldn't help laughing.
"That's certainly the best way."
"Leave the banquet to me. You should go back and have a good rest. Don't tire yourself out."
"Yes, Your Royal Highness."
Now, outside, it can be said that the drinking is a mess, the nobles of Scythia are drunk, lying on the ground and talking nonsense. If I hadn't seen them drunk before, I would have thought that there was some poison in the wine that could make them lose their minds. However, it was precisely because of what he saw with his own eyes that Alcibiades became more confident in Hilde's wine tactics.
As expected, these people are wine lovers, and the brandy distilled by Hilde is indeed a rare treasure for them. Even those who have not yet accepted brandy have drunk some, more or less. As time goes by, these spirits will definitely occupy their lives and eventually affect their personal behavior.
Gradually, these people will become dependent on strong alcohol.
Of course Alcibiades had no idea what this dependence would look like.
These were just what Hilde had told him.
When he was on his way here, Hilde explained to him why he had to use fine wine to open the defenses of the Scythians. Here, a person was mentioned. If he drank for a long time, he would become very addicted to alcohol. There were also such people in the ancient Greek world. Some alcoholics who drank frequently would also indulge in alcohol and could not extricate themselves. However, the alcohol content of wine was relatively low, so although some people could not stop drinking, the symptoms were not very serious.
But what Alcibiades brought was brandy.
The power behind this highly potent liquor is self-evident and cannot be compared to low-alcohol wines.
This is just step 1.
It will continue to grow afterwards.
Time soon came to the second day. Idantirsus, who was drunk the previous day, also slept well. He had not slept so well for a long time. After all, as a king, he had a lot of messy things to deal with. He often had a headache at night because of dealing with too many things during the day. But this time was different. On the one hand, the arrival of Alcibiades helped him solve the biggest worry in his heart. On the other hand, the wine he brought made Idantirsus drunk.
