"You will pay the price for your words and actions!"
"Don't worry about it. We didn't say we wouldn't resist. Since Lord Nicias has issued such an order, we have no choice but to execute it. But each of us has our own ideas. You can't shut all of us up and stop us from speaking, right?"
What this man said also represents everyone's attitude.
Even though it sounds very harsh now.
But it does reflect reality.
In the city of Athens, everyone was not as solid as a steel plate, holding each other tightly. Instead, everyone had their own ideas and were thinking about how to deal with this huge change that might only happen once in a hundred years.
Although many people do not want this to happen, if the gods really did not help Athens to solve the huge threat of the Byzantines, just like they did with the Persians.
The Byzantines, who were also Greeks, were obviously more easily accepted by the Athenians than the Persians. Not to mention that the Byzantines had already conquered the hearts of the Athenians through their excellent handicrafts, spirits, wine and other agricultural products. The prosperous and powerful Byzantine city gradually emerged in the Greek world.
To ask the Athenians to accept the Byzantines.
This is actually not difficult.
Even the red-robed man himself knew it very well.
If they were not bound by Nicias and the gods standing behind Nicias, when the Athenians faced the invasion of the Byzantine Empire independently, facing such a huge gap in power, most people in Athens would choose to surrender. As long as they could preserve their current wealthy lives and continue to make money, there would be no problem.
But now that the gods had intervened between Athens and the Byzantine Empire, the Athenians had no other choice. Otherwise, it would be disrespectful to the gods. This was a serious sin in Athens, which believed in the Greek gods, and no one could afford it.
Everyone was furious.
Part of it is because of the gods.
Part of it was because of the Byzantine Empire.
Part of it is because of themselves.
Nicias was not unaware of this contradictory situation.
The citizen representatives left the Citizen Assembly, but Nicias did not leave in a hurry. He stood alone in the middle of the Citizen Assembly, looking at this important place that determined the political direction of Athens. As an official in Athens, he also reported his work to 400 citizen representatives in this place.
At this moment, Nicias could not help but begin to envy the dictatorial situation of the Byzantine Empire.
If it was Hilde, she would just issue her orders, and everyone would execute them wholeheartedly and complete all tasks efficiently. But in Athens, this would not happen.
Nicias also had doubts.
Next words...
Is it possible to unite all the people in Athens?
Chapter 8: The Soldiers' Concerns
It is precisely because of this that Nicias was very puzzled.
In fact, this problem is easy to solve. As long as Hera shows up in front of all the Athenians, the Athenians will definitely choose to unite because of the appearance of the god. But now, Hera is hiding in Nicias's mansion and doesn't show up at all. Naturally, many people don't believe what Nicias said. It's just that due to Nicias' dual identity as the Archon of Athens and the Oracle, it's hard for everyone to speak directly.
and so……
Lady Hera, what does that mean?
With such doubts in mind, Nicias left the Assembly.
He didn't dare to ask Hera directly.
However, he knew very well that if the gods chose to give up Athens, the first person to die would definitely be himself.
Although many Athenians were somewhat skeptical about what Nicias said, they did not believe that things were really as Nicias said, but now there was no other choice. The citizen representatives and officials, together with the generals and soldiers, began to prepare for the next battle.
There is no doubt that it was difficult for many Athenian civilians to accept the idea of relying on the city for defense like the Thebans. After all, no miracles had occurred in Athens, but Nicias' words alone meant that Athens would have to fight a bloody battle with the Byzantine Empire that destroyed Thebes. Obviously, few Athenians could accept such a thing.
However, military orders are as heavy as a mountain.
Orders during war are absolute.
No one can refute it.
The soldiers moved out the supplies stored in the warehouses of Athens. Large amounts of dried wheat, as well as dried fish and meat, were moved out box by box. These supplies were used to help Athens survive the most difficult period, but now that they were taken out, it meant that these things would be used for the next battle.
At the same time, the Athenian army also began mobilization orders.
Athens currently has a standing force of about 20,000, including 15,000 heavy infantry, 3,000 auxiliary troops, and 2,000 cavalry. When defending a city, the role of cavalry is far less than that of heavy infantry, so all cavalry units are on standby.
But now, the army of the Byzantine Empire is far more than this number. Nicias alone knows that the Byzantine Empire's attacking force is as many as 40,000 to 50,000. With such a large scale, if Athens can only rely on weapons and equipment to fight a desperate resistance against the enemy's 20,000 troops, there is no doubt that it will lose miserably in the end.
Thus, the mobilization order against the citizens of Athens and Attica began.
In the city of Athens, all Athenian male citizens had received formal military training and served in the army for a period of time. After retiring, these adult men were still able to fight. Therefore, these citizens were required to pick up their weapons at home as reserve forces, ready to replace them at any time when the Byzantines were ready to start attacking the city.
In addition, there were farmers from Attica and citizens of some small city-states controlled by Athens. Although these people were not citizens of Athens but foreigners, they had also received military training in their hometowns. Athens opened the armory and distributed the weapons in the armory to these foreigners, so that they could be put into the battlefield anytime and anywhere.
Finally, it’s estimated.
Athens' military strength was barely expanded to about 35,000 people.
Among them, the number of soldiers equipped with heavy infantry reached 23,000, while the number of light infantry was around 5,000.
The eight thousand javelin throwers and archers have also completed basic armament.
Among them, there are 500 sharpshooters from Crete. These archers were mercenaries recruited by Athens from Crete's allies. Later, due to the siege, they never returned to Crete. Now, these mercenaries will be put into the battlefield again.
The other Athenian archers were also well-known throughout Greece. The quality of Athenian archers was very high. The archers deployed on the battlefield had all received years of training. They could not say that they could never miss a target, but they could still put a lot of pressure on the enemy. A full 8,000 well-trained archers would cause great damage to the enemy on the battlefield.
At least, that’s what the Athenians thought.
City defense weapons such as thunder logs.
There are also huge scorpion crossbows installed on the city walls.
Now everything is ready, waiting for the Byzantine attack at any time.
However, compared to the full preparation, the morale of the Athenians was not very high. The generals walked among the soldiers, speaking loudly and inspiringly, and gave passionate speeches. But the words said by the young soldiers who fled into Athens had already made the civilians in Athens feel the horror of the Byzantines. Now, Athens was fully armed, but all the soldiers began to fear the possibility of facing the Byzantines head-on.
The general raised his sword.
He shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Everyone remember! The gods are protecting us! If we let the Byzantines enter Athens, then our families, our partners! Our proud culture and democracy will be destroyed by these northern barbarians!!!"
"We are not just defending Athens! We are defending the gods from the invasion of demons!!!"
"Citizens of Athens! It's time to dedicate your loyalty to Athens!!!"
Listen to these cliches.
Most of the soldiers didn't take it seriously.
"They are still fighting... I heard that Alcibiades is now a general in the Byzantine Empire."
"Yes, and Lord Amyntas as well..."
The soldiers were whispering to each other, and what they said was also very negative.
"We are now left with a bunch of good-for-nothings in Athens. All the capable generals have fled to the Byzantine Empire and have now turned around and become our enemies. How can we fight them? Lord Nicias? He is not a talent for leading an army. It's okay to let him govern Athens and conduct diplomatic negotiations, but I'm afraid he is not capable of fighting a war."
"Yeah, it's better to just surrender."
The soldiers' words.
It's not like the general couldn't hear it.
But what the soldiers said was actually what the general, or the rulers, thought.
Don’t they understand this truth?
How could the current Athens have the ability to compete with the Byzantine Empire?
Chapter 9: The Queen Comes to Investigate
"Please be quiet!"
The generals shouted at the top of their lungs:
"Now! This is not the time to discuss such meaningless things! Athens is facing a life-and-death situation. Do you really think that if you surrender, everything will remain the same? Impossible! Once the Byzantines enter Athens, the wealth of Athens will never come back! Moreover, from then on, our freedom and democracy will be trampled under the feet of the tyrannical monarch Hilde!"
"All soldiers! Get ready!!!"
The general was also anxious.
But what he said is indeed true.
If Athens surrendered, who could guarantee that the Byzantines would not burn, kill and loot when they entered the city?
After all, the tragedy of Thebes was right in front of us. Although the Byzantines taught all Greeks what the consequences of resisting them would be, no one knew what the consequences of not resisting would be. If the Byzantines entered the city and destroyed Athens as they had conquered the city, then it would be better to fight to the death and see if a miracle would happen to save Athens and all the Athenians.
"Listen to me!"
"The Byzantine Kingdom will attack the city the fastest tomorrow!"
"During this time, everyone, eat and drink well, and sharpen your weapons!"
"The Greek reinforcements are on the way! You must be as careful as possible in the battle, and save your own lives while ensuring that the Byzantines cannot attack the city walls! Once the Byzantines are defeated, you must leave the city and pursue them!"
The Athenian army.
During such speeches, everyone took up their respective weapons.
Under the general's arrangement, they were placed in various places along the walls of Athens.
The west of Athens is a plain area. If the enemy launches an attack, the plain area will definitely be the focus. In addition, the Byzantine army in the direction of Cape Sounion is also the focus of Athens' defense. In any case, we must be careful of the Byzantine army, who may break through the gate of Athens from the direction of Sounion and enter the city. Therefore, the Athenian army was divided into four parts.
The main force was placed on the western wall to defend against the main attack of the Byzantine Empire. At the same time, another 10,000-man defense force was placed on the eastern wall to defend Cape Suenke. There were also more than 8,000 people to defend the northern wall. At the same time, there was a mixed team of more than a thousand people, which was used as a rapid response force. Once the wall was in danger, these people would immediately move up to protect the city.
Other than that.
Nicias also planned to mobilize the young army.
Although these people are not yet adults, they have received a certain degree of military training.
If the fighting situation becomes worse, these young people will probably have to take up arms and go to the battlefield.
Athens is now intensively preparing for war.
The light of torches in the city illuminated the entire Athens in the dark night.
“Oh, roo…”
Hilde spread her wings and floated in the air, her eyes fixed on the city of Athens below. Now, Hilde could see everything that was happening in Athens clearly. As expected, the Athenians were planning to rely on the city to fight a decisive battle with the Byzantine Kingdom. It was for this reason that Hilde understood that the gods had probably taken action, giving the Athenians sufficient confidence.
Ask why Hield can be sure.
In the city of Athens.
Hilde felt that familiar...breath.
Just as the oracle could not hide his divine power, the gods could not hide it either. Hilde had no intention of hiding her whereabouts when she ventured to fly over Athens. If she flew over Athens like this, the gods in Athens would probably know that Hilde had arrived. So, Hilde was actually quite curious about how they would react next.
"I really don't know who that person is in the city."
Hilde looked towards a more luxurious building in the center of Athens.
The building was protected by soldiers.
Obviously, it was the palace where Nicias lived.
The source of the divine power was from here. And there were two of them... one was relatively weak, and the other was very powerful. The auras felt very similar to Hilde, which meant that this god and the oracle were probably together.
Well, Nicias’ god was Hera.
This also explains.
Hera should be in the city.
If it really was Hera, Hilde would be a little surprised.
If it was Ares, Ares would probably have rushed out now, ready to fight to the death with Hilde.
But Hera couldn't do that.
Therefore, Hera's presence in Athens must be for a plan, but Hilde had no idea what the Olympians were thinking. She only knew that the Athenians were ready for a fight to the death, so there must be some changes in the short term. For example, the gods would descend in the sky, or reinforcements would be on their way, or both.
The answer is whatever the case may be.
Hilde has to be extremely careful.
So Hilde turned around and flew back to his own camp.
When Hilde disappeared in the Athens sky.
