The greatest is the tyrant
Hilde has traveled through time for fifteen years.
She knew too much about the current situation.
She knew very well what the situation in Athens was like and what the Athenian political system was like.
Therefore, she could not accept her city-state and transform into the political system of Athens. If she wanted to rely on Byzantium and rise in this chaotic world, she must have a more efficient system as a guarantee. Although the democratic system guarantees the right of every citizen to participate and makes citizens the masters of the city-state, it cannot help Byzantium survive under the pressure of the barbarians. Therefore, Hilde did not express any opinion on these people's proposals.
She is still waiting.
Waiting for the final opportunity to arrive.
Now, the field is divided into two major factions.
The nobles supported Hilde to become the consul for the year.
As for the civilians, they supported Hilde to become consul for life.
Both sides are arguing for their own interests. To put it bluntly, it is just for their own naked selfish desires.
At this moment, Amyntas, who had been silent just now, suddenly spoke in an extremely loud voice: "I have an idea!"
As soon as Amyntas spoke, everyone fell silent.
As a general of the Byzantine city, Amyntas' right to speak naturally cannot be deprived.
At this time, Amyntas took a few steps forward, then turned around and spoke to all the citizens: "The Athenian democratic system is indeed an excellent system. However, this system is not suitable for Byzantium. You know, Athens is a large city-state with a population of 200,000. Counting other villages and slaves in Attica, there are more than one million people living in Attica. Since the great archon Cleisthenes, Athens has embarked on the road of democratic reform, and has come all the way to today, and has achieved the achievements you have seen. However, this does not mean that we can just use it directly."
"Lord Amyntas, could you please explain it more clearly?"
At this time, a noble asked in a questioning tone.
"We don't quite understand why you, as an Athenian, oppose the Athenian democracy?"
"First, I have to refute you."
Amyntas said directly to the nobleman: "I am no longer an Athenian, but a glorious Byzantine."
"Secondly, you must not know what Athenian democracy is like. So... can anyone here tell me which great archon started Athenian democracy?"
"It's Solon!"
Many people stood up and said.
"Yes, it was Solon. We all say that there were seven smartest people in the entire Greek world, and they were called the Seven Sages of Greece. They included Thales of Miletus, Chiron of Sparta, and the great Solon of Athens. But do you really understand? Solon did bring democracy to Athens, but did he realize democracy? No! He failed. The reforms he supported for the common people did not receive the support of the nobles, and he never carried out reforms, which also wore out the patience of the common people. In the end, he had no choice but to leave Athens. The great Solon's reforms did not have a great impact on Athens."
Upon hearing this, both commoners and nobles took a deep breath.
They don't know this knowledge.
All they knew was that Solon did leave his beloved Athens in the end.
"And you know who carried out Solon's legislation to the end!"
"This..." Many people were confused. At this time, a knowledgeable noble said, "It's Pisistratus."
"Pesistratus? Isn't he a tyrant?"
"Yes, I heard that his rule was very cruel."
"That's all lies!" At this time, Amyntas raised his voice and said, "Although Pisistratus was a tyrant, he always implemented Solon's legislation during his reign and implemented Solon's democracy in the city-state. Because he was a tyrant, he suppressed the powerful Athenian nobles and established the democratic status of the common people. He laid water pipelines for Athens, built the Temple of Olympian Zeus on the banks of the Ilisus River, and carried out large-scale municipal construction, making Athens beautiful and prosperous. At the same time, he also expanded armaments, established a navy, and colonized Asia Minor, earning a lot of money for Athens. He attached importance to culture and held the Panathenaic Games, which improved Athens' reputation. At the same time, he distributed farm tools, seeds and loans to farmers, and brought democracy to rural areas, established a circuit trial system, and resolved the litigation problems of farmers in rural areas."
"But he is a tyrant!"
Some people couldn't help but retort.
"How can a tyrant promote democracy?"
"However, this is actually the case. Peisistratus created the heyday of Athens. In the end, the son of Peisistratus was bribed by a hostile family and obtained a false Delphi oracle. Using the power of the Spartans, the rule of Hippias, the son of Peisistratus, was ended. Peisistratus promoted the process of democracy in the form of dictatorship and made Athens more prosperous."
The Excellence of Wang Zheng
Peisistratus was a tyrant.
There is no doubt about this matter.
However, even though he was a dictator, Peisistratus did improve Athens' democratic system, enhance Athens' national strength, and build Athens into a large city-state with a flourishing culture, a strong navy, and a prosperous city. Therefore, it can be said that it was Peisistratus, as a dictator, who facilitated everything that happened today because of his wise rule.
At this time, Amyntas continued:
"Everyone, you should also know that Lady Hilde is the daughter of Pericles, the current archon of Athens. But have you ever thought about why Lady Hilde left a big city-state like Athens and came here? The reason is that Lord Pericles has always felt that his daughter is not his own, so he took advantage of the fact that Hilde's mother, Aspasia of Miletus, was not in Athens and exiled his daughter here!"
"Exile your own daughter!?"
For a city-state to exile someone, strict procedures are required.
Therefore, some people raised their opinions.
"If Athens wanted to exile someone, didn't it need to use ostracism to determine it?"
"That's true, but Pericles skipped this step. Moreover, what Pericles actually did was contrary to democracy. The Areopagus Hill Council has become a decoration, and the citizens of the Citizens' Assembly are all under the control of Pericles. They follow Pericles' lead and agree to any decision Pericles makes. It is precisely because of this that Pericles is actually the de facto tyrant of Athens! Because no one can compete with Pericles."
"Then according to your meaning, doesn't it mean that only a tyrant can guarantee the stability and development of the city-state? If so, why did you kill Patrofilus? Isn't he a de facto tyrant?" At this time, an aristocrat ridiculed, if the tyrant is so good, then what happened to Patrofilus? Such questions actually exist in the minds of others. And Amyntas was prepared for this.
"Of course, this is because Patrofilus is actually a cruel tyrant. Why should we kill him? Not because he is a tyrant, but because he seeks personal gain at the expense of the city-state, so we have to kill him. However, when a tyrant can bring prosperity and strength to the city-state, when a tyrant has the city-state in his heart and takes the interests of the city-state as his top priority, then he is a good tyrant!"
"Amyntas, do you mean that Lord Hilde should be a tyrant?"
"of course not!"
At this time, Amyntas looked straight at Hilde.
"After all, tyrants do not come to power legitimately, and are a title that is despised by people."
"Then what do you think?"
"I, Amyntas, and all the soldiers of the Byzantine army suggest that the Byzantine city establish a monarchy system, support Lord Hilde as the King of Byzantium, and establish the Byzantine Kingdom!" Having said this, Amyntas knelt on one knee, and the soldiers behind him also knelt on the ground, smashing the spears in their hands hard on the ground, making a terrifying metallic sound. "Only when Lord Hilde becomes our king can the city of Byzantium defeat all the enemies around it and move towards glory and honor."
"absurd!"
At this time, a noble couldn't help but curse:
"The monarchy is an outdated thing that has been eliminated for hundreds of years!"
"Is it really outdated? Is it really inferior to democracy?" Amyntas looked at the people who were shocked by his remarks, and continued, "Not far from Byzantium, there is a country called Persia. Everyone only knows that the Persians are cruel, but do you know that the Persian palace is filled with rare treasures from all over the world? Their slaves are tall and mighty, their soldiers are loyal and good at fighting, their territory is vast, and their civilians are rich. And who brought all this to Persia? You know, Persia has never established a democratic system. The Persians have always been a monarchy! The king of Persia, he led the Persians and became the overlord of the East! Don't you know?"
"This……"
The Persian example is perfect.
After all, Persia was a very powerful country, feared by the entire Greek world.
However, although everyone was afraid of Persia, a few decades ago, after the outbreak of the Greco-Persian War, the coalition forces of the Greek city-states defeated the Persian invasion, and the Spartan Battle of Thermopylae showed the power of the Greeks. Therefore, in the Greek world, everyone generally looked down on Persia. However, when Amyntas said this, everyone recalled the legends about Persia, the legends about the most powerful country in the world.
"Persian King, King of Kings, although they once invaded our Greece and failed, but that time, we Greece almost used all our strength to repel Persia. Now Athens and Sparta are at war with each other, but both sides are accepting gold coins from Persia! Under the leadership of the new Persian King, Persia is now a very powerful existence. It's just that they have lost interest in our small and poor Greece."
Tune 6, Verse 6 I am the King of Byzantium
At this time, Amyntas raised the spear in his hand high.
"So, I am here to propose to support Lord Hilde to become the king of Byzantium!"
"King! King!"
The collective shouts of the soldiers frightened both nobles and commoners.
"This this……"
"Everyone be quiet."
At this time, Hilde, who had been silent just now, finally spoke.
"I understand what you all mean, but everyone's opinions are not unified. So, why don't we vote collectively? I will respect your opinions. No matter what kind of political system it is, as long as it is chosen by the majority, I, Hilde, will naturally become the defender of this system." Having said this, Hilde smiled and looked at the nobles, "No matter what kind of political system it is, I guarantee that your rights and interests will not be harmed, and your status can be maintained as it is."
"Yes……"
Hilde's words were tantamount to a warning to the nobles.
Now, the nobles have recognized Hilde's true face.
She...just wants to be king.
What is a permanent consul? That is not what Hilde needs. Hilde wants a complete dictatorship, where no one can affect her position. Therefore, only the implementation of a monarchy can satisfy Hilde's ambition. Although the nobles are against Hilde, Hilde has already controlled the soldiers and officers. If they continue to oppose, the nobles know how terrible they will face.
"Those who support a democratic government and a famous consul, please raise your hands to vote."
When Hilde said this.
There were only a few people who raised their hands among those who were most supportive of this point.
In the end, out of the 3,000 people present, only more than 100 raised their hands to support this system.
After the count was completed, Hilde continued, "Those who support a democratic government and a lifelong consul, please raise your hands to vote."
This was a political system widely supported by the common people, but both the nobles and the common people were confused about their previous decisions. Only half of the common people raised their hands, and more than a hundred nobles raised their hands, while the soldiers remained motionless, as if they were waiting for the last crucial moment. In the end, there were only more than 700 supporters of the democratic government and the lifelong consul, and the total number of supporters of the former was only 800, while the number of people attending the assembly this time was as large as 3,000.
"Then finally..."
Victory is assured.
Hilde already knew the final outcome.
Whether it was the nobles who felt threatened or the common people who hoped that Byzantium could be as rich and powerful as Persia, they all raised their hands and, with a huge scale of 2,000 people, determined that the next political system of Byzantium would be the monarchy. And Hilde, at this time, became the king of Byzantium.
Both for the city of Byzantium and for Hilde.
This is a very meaningful day.
"Byzantine City, from today on, will establish a monarchy and support His Majesty Hilde as the King of Byzantine City. Gods above, may the gods bless Byzantine City to stand strong in the east of the world!" On that day, in front of 3,000 citizens of Byzantium City, a noble in Byzantium City put a laurel wreath made of olive branches on Hilde's head. Hilde, holding a spear in her hand and wearing a laurel wreath on her head, looked like Athena in the legend.
It carries a sense of oppression that ordinary people cannot bear to look at.
"Everyone."
At this time, Hilde continued:
"Being able to receive your support and trust is the luckiest thing in my life. I was abandoned by my father and came here. If it were anyone else, they would have thought that their lives would end. However, I am not convinced. I am the one who received the oracle, so why should I wait to die? Since I am here, it means that this is God's will! It means that it was Lady Athena who wanted me to come here to help Byzantium get out of the crisis of destruction!"
At this time, Hilde raised the spear in his hand high.
"From today on, I, Hilde, am the king of Byzantium!"
"His Majesty!"
Either support or not support.
Everyone still bowed and paid homage to the Byzantine king.
"Please rest assured, although I am already the king of Byzantium, I will never abuse my power and will never let you live in dire straits. Since you trust me, I will definitely lead you to a better life!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
At this time, Amyntas raised his head and said:
"Your Majesty, now that the monarchy has been established, should we also establish a royal palace?"
"I don't need a palace. I'll just live in Alex's house."
After becoming the king
Hilde did not want to be extravagant as soon as he became king.
After all, becoming a king is just one of Hilde's small goals.
There are still many things to do next.
The people of Byzantium could never have imagined that their city-state would one day become a kingdom, and that the political system of the city-state would become a monarchy. In the past, people avoided monarchy and dictatorship, and were even extremely afraid of them. But now, after Hilde became king, everyone felt that it would be good if it was like this. Hilde would definitely become a kind and great king. At least, after being here for more than a month, Hilde had achieved results that they could not imagine.
Wearing a laurel wreath.
Hilde is the king of this Byzantine city.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty!"
When Hilde returned to her mansion, her most caring maid Sophia greeted her. Sophia was also very happy about the news. She didn't expect Hilde to really become the king of Byzantium. She also saw Hilde go from an exile to where he is today. Now that the Thracians outside the city have been dealt with, the beautiful life in the future seems to be right in front of her. This is true for both Hilde and others.
"I'm a little tired."
Hilde sat on the edge of the bed and sighed.
"It's really not easy to be a king."
