But, unfortunately.
Now the only one who can save Athens is Hera.
This solution is quite sad.
Rhodes, who had just finished flooding Ares Mountain, was looking forward to receiving news. Soon, a soldier informed Rhodes that Athens had sent a messenger to contact him. And Rhodes knew that this messenger must have something to do with the flood. Rhodes was still calm on the surface, but he was very excited inside.
"The other party finally understood what was best for him."
Amyntas breathed a sigh of relief.
He was an Athenian.
It is true that they do not want Athens to encounter any danger.
"Well, don't be too happy yet." Rhodes said calmly, "I'm not sure whether the Athenians are holding a peaceful attitude or trying to fool me and kill time. If they are really trying to delay time..."
"That shouldn't be the case, right?"
"Why not?"
Although Rhodes was happy, he was still very clear-headed.
Athens is now waiting for the support of the gods.
However, Hera was nowhere to be found.
I don’t know if Hera is aware of the problems Athens is facing now.
Therefore, Rhodes knew that time was running out. If Athens did not surrender now, Rhodes would have to lead the fleet to encircle and destroy the Athenian fleet. As long as the Athenian fleet was destroyed, the Byzantine Kingdom would have almost absolute initiative in this war.
Anyway, all the cards are in Rhodes' hands.
It just depends on whether Rhodes is willing to play cards.
"The messenger has arrived."
"Let him come over."
Amyntas brought the Athenian envoys to Rhodes again.
After seeing Rhodes, the messenger immediately smiled.
"Lord Rhodes, long time no see."
"Huh? Who are you?"
"Everyone in Athens knows you, Lord Rhodes. So, it's not strange that I, as an Athenian, also know you." The envoy smiled and continued, "I came here this time, naturally hoping to have a good talk with the Byzantine Kingdom about what will happen next. The flood on Mount Ares just now has made the Athenians know how powerful you are. Now, we Athenians naturally hope that Lord Rhodes can be magnanimous and forgive us this time. Therefore, we can carefully consider the Byzantine Kingdom's request and decide whether to agree to it."
"You guys, there's no reason to say this."
Rhodes held his chin with his hand, looking nonchalant.
"If you don't agree, I'll just flood Athens."
"No, absolutely not!"
Chapter 6, Part 2: Negotiations between the Envoy and Rhodes
"Everyone in Athens knows you, Lord Rhodes. So, it's not strange that I, as an Athenian, also know you." The envoy smiled and continued, "I came here this time, naturally hoping to have a good talk with the Byzantine Kingdom about what will happen next. The flood on Mount Ares just now has made the Athenians know how powerful you are. Now, we Athenians naturally hope that Lord Rhodes can be magnanimous and forgive us this time. Therefore, we can carefully consider the Byzantine Kingdom's request and decide whether to agree to it."
"You guys, there's no reason to say this."
Rhodes held his chin with his hand, looking nonchalant.
"If you don't agree, I'll just flood Athens."
"No, absolutely not!"
The messenger didn't know either.
Was what Rhodes said a joke?
But given that Rhodes has already done so.
Although the flooding of Ares Mountain did not cause much damage, it left a deep psychological shadow on the Athenians. Under such circumstances, no matter what Rhodes said, the Athenians would never take it as a joke. So the messenger immediately reacted and said to Rhodes: "I am just an ordinary messenger. There are many things that I cannot decide."
"Then you won't send someone who can make the decision?"
"This……"
This seems to be the case.
The messenger was speechless for a moment.
Rhode held his chin and said helplessly, "I know, you guys are just trying to delay time, right?"
"How is this possible?!"
"Then you, this doesn't show any sincerity."
"Lord Rhodes, you are also an Athenian. You should know that everything in Athens needs to be determined by the Citizens' Assembly. Although Athens is now facing an attack from your country, I hope Lord Rhodes can also respect our Athenian system. Now, the Athenians are discussing this matter. We need to know your requirements before we can make a decision." The messenger stood up and said, "But Athens is the greatest city-state in Greece after all. Even if it is submerged by a flood, it would rather die than surrender. Moreover, Lord Rhodes, as Lord Poseidon's oracle, must not want your hands to be stained with the blood of countless Athenians. I guess the gods will not allow this."
"Um……"
Unexpectedly, the messenger suddenly said this.
It hit Rhodes' most vulnerable spot.
Rhodes really didn't dare to do that.
"So, this is your attitude in Athens, is it?"
"Yes."
The messenger had probably made preparations before coming.
There was absolutely no way he could have come up with these words on the spur of the moment.
Rhode thought for a moment, then said, "You are gambling, and there is nothing wrong with gambling, at least for us. I can have the blood of many people on my hands, I can go back and kill people, and I can also wipe out the Athenian fleet. This is no problem for me. But what about Athens? Can you afford the gamble? Do you think the lives of hundreds of thousands of Athenians and the 300 warships of Athens can be used as a bet?"
"Lord Rhodes."
Rhodes's feedback was also within the messenger's expectations.
However, he knew very well that Rhodes would not really do it.
"You see, if we say this, it seems like the situation is tense. The reason why I came here is to represent Athens and have a good discussion with Lord Rhodes. We Athens are not without the intention of surrendering, but that is surrender, and it means handing over our Athens completely to Lord Rhodes. So, if we are not careful, we may die without a burial place. In this matter, it's okay for us to be cautious."
"What you need to know is our request, isn't it?"
Rhodes shook his head helplessly.
"We said this when we just besieged the Port of Piraeus."
"But then was then, and now is now..."
"There are some things I don't want to repeat too many times."
Rhodes waved his hand.
"In short, we will not occupy Athens, nor will we change Athens' political system. Our attitude is that the Persians are putting a lot of pressure on us, so we must integrate Greece's strength. Everyone in the world knows the power of Athens, so I hope your attitude is to choose to surrender, and then hand over your troops to our Byzantine Kingdom. Once we defeat the Persians, we will withdraw from Athens... So, that's it."
"understood."
The messenger certainly knew this.
However, after Rhodes said that, the messenger was still a little nervous.
In fact, what Rhodes said was somewhat complicated and vague. He said that he only wanted the military forces of Athens, but if the military forces were given to the Byzantine Kingdom, wouldn't it be the same as giving the entire city of Athens to you? Because the army was basically the whole of Athens, and the Byzantine Kingdom did not mean that Athens should maintain a certain degree of independence and form an alliance, but that it wanted to completely control the Athenian army, including all power including command. So in this case, the envoy also knew that the Byzantine Kingdom was really greedy.
"Then I will bring your country's ideas back to Athens."
“I hope you can be more efficient.”
"Yes, I understand."
So Rhodes sent the messenger back.
After the messenger left, Amyntas couldn't help but say, "Isn't this just a way to delay time?"
"That's normal. They have the protection of Lady Hera behind them. If Lady Hera comes in person, she will be able to resolve the current crisis in Athens... They all think so. However, their wishful thinking will definitely not work. Even if Goddess Hera comes in person, it will still be difficult to completely resolve this matter with the power of a god after descending to earth."
Rhodes touched his trident.
This is the source of her confidence.
"I still have the right to rule on the sea."
"Of course!"
Amyntas was also generous with his praise.
"With Lord Rhodes here, even if the other party is a god, there is absolutely no way they can defeat us!!!"
Having said that, Rhodes also had concerns.
There's nothing I can do about this worry.
If Hera really came at that time, Rhode could not guarantee that he could solve the matter perfectly. Therefore, Rhode was a little nervous.
But now Athens can no longer remain calm.
If this continues.
The city of Athens, or rather the Athenian fleet, was no longer the same.
The threat they faced was very real. If they failed to handle this problem properly, the danger the Athenians might face would be extremely great. Therefore, when the envoys returned to Athens, the Athenian Citizens' Assembly was also extremely nervous. They were temporarily unable to figure out the Byzantine Kingdom's plans, especially the military power, and they had no idea what was going on.
However, the less clear the question is, the better.
Athens's purpose was to delay time.
The more problems you have.
The more questions there are that can delay time.
Therefore, no matter what, we must seize this opportunity.
The sixth tune, the third section, the stubborn Thebes
The Athenians placed all their hopes on delaying time and waiting for the miracle to happen.
But in Thebes, or Thebes, northwest of Athens, the picture is quite different now.
The Thebans have completely sealed off their city. Everyone in this powerful city-state in the Boeotia region is now trembling, as if the world is about to end. The history of the seven generals attacking Thebes seems to be happening to them again. After all, at this time, Thebes is experiencing the most terrible siege in Greek history. Now, the entire Thebes has been completely surrounded by the army of the Byzantine Kingdom, and it has been surrounded by water.
Thebes was one of the most powerful city-states in the Greek peninsula. Its military strength was no less than that of Sparta and Athens. Moreover, before the arrival of the Byzantine army, Thebes had already integrated the power of the city-states in the Boeotia region and possessed the strength to compete with Sparta and Athens. It was definitely one of the local hegemonies.
At the same time, we were heading to Athens.
The only way.
Then, when the Byzantine army passed through the territories of the Macedonian Kingdom and the Thessalians.
They went straight into the Boeotia region and immediately laid siege to the city.
The speed was so fast that the Thebans had no time to react.
Now, the army in front of him was the elite army of the Byzantine Empire, with more than 40,000 people. The officers and nobles of Thebes climbed up the city wall and looked down. They saw fully armed Byzantine troops everywhere. The eagle flag representing the Byzantine Empire was fluttering in the wind. Moreover, no matter which direction you look from, Thebes is now surrounded. There is no place to rush out to pass on the news.
And Hilde rode a white horse.
Standing less than 500 meters away from the walls of Thebes.
Looking at the city of Thebes not far away.
"The Thebans have been under siege for three days."
Hilde's tone was a little impatient.
Sophia, who was riding a horse, quickly tried to comfort them: "It's okay, it's okay, they will definitely surrender."
"I don't have time to waste here."
"But……"
"Right now, we don't know the situation in Athens. I'm not too confident that Rhodes is holding on alone. So, I hope to take Thebes as soon as possible, and then surround Athens directly from the land." Hilde stared at the city wall coldly, then thought for a while, "How about this, send an envoy to inform Atrometos, the governor of Thebes, that if they don't surrender today, we will launch an attack on the city tomorrow!!!"
"understood."
Now that Hilde has made his decision.
Then, Sophia knew that it was useless for her to say anything.
