The two of them immediately rushed into the Citizens' Assembly.
And Nicias was a little nervous.
After he finished talking to Hera, he felt an indescribable sense of depression in his heart. He felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't put it into words. Thinking about it carefully, it might be related to Hera's attitude. Nicias hoped that the gods could show that they were really thinking about Athens and the Athenians, instead of treating Athens as a pawn to solve the problem of Hilde. But in fact, judging from Hera's attitude towards the Thebans, Hera never regarded them as independent individuals.
This time for the Athenians.
Estimated, the Athenians and the city of Athens.
It is also a chess piece of the gods.
Nicias heard from the elders in Athens that during the Greco-Persian War, the gods on Mount Olympus really stood firmly with the Athenians. At that time, some people even saw Athena, dressed in golden light, descending from the sky, leading her oracles and army, and blocking the Persians on the beach, and the fierce battle lasted for several days.
Later, after the God's Domain was closed, the gods never contacted the humans on the ground again, and humans gradually forgot about the life with gods. But now, the gods did appear, but Nicias felt that it would be better if the gods did not appear. These gods only thought about their own plans and had no mercy on their believers.
Nicias shook his head.
Then he walked quickly into the Citizens' Assembly.
Soon, after learning the good news brought by Nicias, the 400 representatives of the Citizens' Assembly quickly gathered in the venue.
Nicias walked to the center, and when he looked around, he saw the expectant eyes of the citizen representatives, and the psychological pressure on Nicias increased. He took a deep breath and said, "Everyone, I came here to bring you good news. After so many days of pious waiting, Lady Hera finally responded to our prayers and came to Athens today."
"Where's Lady Hera?"
"She didn't show up?"
These chirping questions.
Nicias just shook his head.
"Lady Hera does not intend to perform miracles to let everyone know that she has arrived in Athens. Instead, she chooses to be low-key. She will naturally appear in front of you later to make everyone believe that the gods are still blessing us. I, Nicias, as the archon of Athens and the oracle of the goddess Hera, have received the will from the gods. Now, I will tell you all about this."
Nicias coughed twice.
Cleared his throat.
"The Byzantine army is about to reach Athens. Hilde and her evil followers have all gathered around Athens. So now is the best time to capture Hilde and her followers. Therefore, the gods hope that Athens can become a place that attracts the Byzantine army. We must resist the attack of the Byzantine Kingdom at all costs under the protection of the gods."
"What? We still have to fight!"
"How can we resist this?"
"The gods are here, why can't we defeat the enemy in one go?"
Faced with such questions.
Nicias had guessed it long ago.
After all, he had this problem too.
"At that time, during the Greco-Persian War, we fought against the Persian army with the help of the gods. But at that time, didn't we Greeks still need to take up arms and fight the Persians head-on? It's just that the gods haven't appeared for too long, and we have all forgotten about it. Don't worry, everyone. The gods will stand on our side and face the enemy's attack with us!"
"Too……"
"Since the gods are here, there should be no problem."
Everyone looked around.
He looks very unconfident.
"In addition, now, the entire Greece has sent troops to help us. The army of our ally, the Corinthians, is already on the way. The Peloponnesian coalition led by the gods, mainly Sparta and Argolis, is also quickly reinforcing us. In a few days, the gods will lead the entire Greek army to sweep across the Byzantine Kingdom!"
Chapter 8: Mobilization Order of the Athenians
"Spartans?"
"Are they coming to help us too?"
Everyone began to question it.
After all, the Spartans had been fighting with Athens in the previous two years, and the war between the Peloponnesian League and the Delian League had only recently ended. But in fact, many conflicts between the two alliances, or between the Spartans and the Athenians, had not been well resolved until now. So, when the Athenian citizen representatives heard that the Spartan Peloponnesian League was coming to help the Athenians, they still looked very surprised.
"Don't worry, everyone."
Nicias also saw everyone's concern.
So he stood up and said:
"In front of the Byzantine Empire, all Greeks are facing the same pressure. At this time, we should put aside unnecessary disputes and unite against the enemy. After all, compared with the aggressive Byzantines, the Spartans are more trustworthy. Have you forgotten the Spartans who died in the battle to stop the Persian army at Thermopylae? What's more, Lord Ares, the God of War, is here in Sparta. I believe that under the leadership of Lord Ares, the Spartan army will be able to be unstoppable!"
"Yes."
"With these words from the Lord Archon, we feel relieved."
"I didn't expect that we would have to cooperate with the Spartans not long after the war ended..."
People expressed their feelings and helplessness to each other.
But, isn't that what life is like?
Capricious.
The same is true for politics. As long as it is in the interests of the city-state, politics can change anytime and anywhere, regardless of time and place. Now everyone is facing the same powerful enemy, the Byzantine Empire. Therefore, the Athenians and Spartans must put aside all their prejudices and hatreds, take up arms, and fight side by side. For Nicias, this situation is more in line with the current interests.
However, Nicias also felt a little emotional.
The armistice agreement between Sparta and Athens was signed by Nicias.
"Do you have any questions?"
"Then Lord Hera, when will you be willing to see us?"
"Lady Hera is a goddess. If she wants to appear, she will appear naturally. Do we still need to ask Lady Hera to give us a specific time?"
"Of course not..."
After being retorted.
The other citizen representatives also looked at Nicias quietly.
Seeing that no one had any suggestions or ideas, Nicias spoke up and said, "Since everyone has no questions, I will tell you what to do next."
"First, immediately mobilize the entire city and gather all citizens who can fight. Have them sharpen their weapons and be ready to fight at any time. Tell all Athenians that this time, our fight is not only to protect our city-state, our wives and children, but also to fight with the gods who bless us, to stop the Byzantine Kingdom and Hilde's ambitions!"
"Yes!"
"Secondly, mobilize all the available materials in the city and prepare to prevent the Byzantines from attacking the city. Our reinforcements will arrive in a few days, which means we don't need to resist alone for too long. As long as we defeat the Byzantine Empire, what we gain will be far more than what we lose. Don't be stingy with materials and stored food. Every soldier on the battlefield must eat the best!"
"Yes Yes……"
This command of Nicias.
It has caused a lot of people to worry.
This is no way.
Everyone's concerns were normal. The food stored in Athens was enough to feed the people in the city for about half a year. However, now the farmers and young people in Attica had rushed into the city, and the population had increased a lot, just like during the Peloponnesian War. Moreover, the whole city of Athens was now surrounded. Even the port of Piraeus, which had not been surrounded by the Spartans before, was now surrounded by the Byzantines.
According to conservative estimates, the food will be enough to last for three to four months.
There is no other way.
And now, if the material control is relaxed.
It is very likely that food and necessary daily necessities can only last for a month.
However, Nicias also emphasized that the reinforcements from the Spartans and Corinthians were on the way, and Athens did not need to hold out for too long. There seemed to be no problem in developing material control. Moreover, if the soldiers were well fed and well fed, their morale would be higher during the war, and there was no need to worry about whether the supplies would be used up in advance. Moreover, if the Spartan reinforcements did not arrive on time and Athens was forced to resist the Byzantine attack for a long time, then even if there were a lot of supplies, it would be meaningless.
Since the Thebans would be conquered in a day.
Then, there will not be much time left for Athens.
Everyone knows what the outcome will be.
Although everyone was somewhat dissatisfied, at least they all agreed. Seeing this, Nicias continued, "One last thing. I hope you can spread the word. Lady Hera is preparing for the next action. However, she has come to our side. I hope you can let all the soldiers and civilians of Athens know that our gods are now standing with us!"
Militarily, be prepared to resist with all your strength.
In terms of publicity, all Athenians should also be informed of the current situation.
Nicias' idea can be said to have been confirmed.
"Everyone, these may be the most difficult days since Athens was founded. The enemies we face now are more terrible than the Persians back then. If we are not careful, the end of Athens may be like that of the Thebans, where the country is destroyed and the race is extinct. Therefore, I hope that you can unite as one during Athens' most difficult time. I, Nicias, feel honored to be able to overcome this difficulty with you and witness this historic moment. I hope that you can also give everything for Athens, for this free and democratic city-state!"
"Defeat Hilde!"
"Kill all those Byzantines!!!"
Nicias' last words.
It aroused everyone's desire to resist.
After all, if Athens continued to be so weak, it would be gone.
Now that the gods are standing by my side, there is nothing to be afraid of.
Seeing everyone's desire to fight, Nicias relaxed a little, but he also knew that this was just the first step, and the next step was the highlight. Athens was ready for battle, but what if it faced the siege of the Byzantine Empire in the next few days?
The 8th tune, the 9th section: The little thoughts of the Athenians
Nicias' mobilization order was thus smoothly issued.
Although many citizen representatives still expressed deep doubts about what Nicias said, after all, they did not believe that Nicias alone could prove that the goddess Hera really appeared in Athens. Or, Nicias had been forced into a desperate situation, so he made up this lie, hoping that everyone would make a final effort and delay time to see if they could wait for a miracle to happen, just like the Thebans.
But there was no flaw in what Nicias said. Just hearing the news that reinforcements were about to arrive was enough to make the soldiers on the battlefield and the Athenian soldiers trapped in the city and waiting anxiously feel fortunate and encouraged.
On the way out of the Citizens' Assembly.
Some citizen representatives couldn't help but start a discussion.
"Do you think what the Archon said is true?"
"I think there is a problem, but right now, there is no other way except to trust the Archon."
“I feel like we’re being lied to.”
The attitudes of some people have wavered.
He no longer had the same firmness as before.
But soon other citizen representatives stood up and refuted these weak people.
"We have no choice. Lord Nicias is an oracle after all. Moreover, he is well-known in Athens. Everyone knows that Nicias is a very upright person and would not deceive us on such a matter!"
"Do you really want to surrender? Open the gates of Athens and let these barbarians from the north enter our city-state to burn, kill and plunder at will? Do you want your wife and children to be sold into slavery and become playthings of the Byzantines?"
Those who oppose are fierce.
It was as if there was a blood feud with the Byzantine Empire.
In particular, a man in a red robe was dancing with joy.
It was as if he and the Byzantines had an irreconcilable feud.
But a man at the side, seeing the red-robed man so enthusiastic and generous, sneered and said: "You speak so righteously, I wonder how many things you have in your house that were bought from the Byzantine Kingdom? You said before that you would not even bother to use those goods if they were not produced in the Byzantine Kingdom."
"Nonsense!"
After this matter was exposed.
An expression of embarrassment immediately appeared on the red-robed man's face.
"We are clearly telling the truth."
The man next to him continued to make a fuss.
The man in the red robe was obviously so angry that his face turned the same color as his clothes.
But he continued talking.
"Yes, they keep saying that they are barbarians, but the goods produced by the barbarians are of much better quality than those produced in Athens, and the craftsmanship is also very excellent. If you really treat the Byzantines as barbarians, you will suffer a great loss."
Someone nearby also started a conversation:
"Yes, yes. Our King Hilde is the daughter of Lord Pericles. She was personally educated by Pericles from childhood to adulthood. Although she was eventually exiled to such a faraway place by her foolish father, she was able to build such a huge kingdom with her weak body. Doesn't this prove that Hilde has extraordinary ruling abilities?"
"In my opinion, if the gods really don't want to help us, why should we continue to resist? My cousin fled to the Byzantine Empire during the last catastrophe. Some time ago, he wrote to me, saying how good life is in Byzantium and asked me and my family to move there..."
"You are destroying your own fighting spirit by doing this!!!"
The man in red robe finally couldn't bear it anymore.
He roared, pointing at the men.
