Chapter 4, Part 3: The Test of Basileus
Hilde, we must never allow such a thing to happen in our own country!
"Strict investigation..."
"Sissi?"
"This matter must be thoroughly investigated. I must thoroughly investigate it! I want to get to the bottom of it. I want to see how many fearless people are willing to do such a thing! Since these people don't value the opportunity I give them, I will let them know that the reason why I, Hilde, was able to establish the Greek Empire was not because of mercy, but because of iron and blood!"
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Alcibiades' findings.
It came out quickly.
When he returned to the barracks, he saw Hilde pacing back and forth, muttering something.
As soon as she saw Alcibiades coming back, Hilde pulled him into the tent, and then took the list that Alcibiades brought and looked at it carefully. After reading the list, Hilde's face was full of uncontrollable smiles. That terrifying smile made Alcibiades feel a chill from the bottom of his heart.
That was definitely not a good smile.
Horrible, terrible.
After reading it, Hilde put the document in his hand aside.
"Alcibiades."
"exist."
"Regarding the equal distribution of farmland and the liberation of slaves, I'm leaving you fully responsible."
"Yes……"
Alcibiades had a bad feeling.
Hilde patted the table lightly and sneered, "So, this is the answer you gave me?"
"I failed in my duty and did not consider this, which resulted in such negligence." Alcibiades did not dare to make excuses. Although he could not have imagined that these nobles would be so disgusting if he had given this matter to others, according to Alcibiades' understanding of Hilde's temper, he would never dare to make these excuses to exonerate himself. He simply admitted his mistake directly, "I will do my best to handle the next matter, and will never let such a thing happen again!"
"can."
Alcibiades admitted his mistake so decisively.
Hilde was satisfied.
"Then I'll give you another chance."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
"Listen carefully, Alcibiades." Hilde walked behind Alcibiades and said with a smile, "The destruction of farmland is only one of the reasons. Many nobles destroyed houses, warehouses and cellars when they left. This is the second reason. According to the list you just gave me, the number of slaves who have been liberated is several hundred less than the number of slaves who have been registered. Most of these people are probably missing or dead. There are also people who lived here and were slaves before and are now farmers. They told me that their wives, children and daughters are missing, so..."
"These guys must be punished."
Alcibiades looked up.
He looked at Hilde with a sharp gaze.
"Well, I don't intend to waste too much time on this meaningless thing, just get it over with as soon as possible."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Alcibiades also knew what he should do.
We must make amends.
Alcibiades, knowing this, stood up and planned to deal with the matter immediately.
But at this time, Hilde called him.
"Alcibiades."
"Your Majesty, do you have any other instructions?"
"Let me ask you a question..." Hilde held his chin and looked at the young man in front of him, "Would you rather follow me and fight all over the world, or stay in one place and use your outstanding management skills?"
"Your Majesty, this?"
"I'll give you a choice."
Alcibiades could not help but freeze in place.
Faced with this choice, he was a little overwhelmed.
“Is this choice difficult?”
"…Your Majesty, I would rather stay by your side."
"Oh? You mean, you want to join me in the expedition?"
"Yes."
Although Alcibiades hesitated for a moment, he soon understood what Hilde meant.
Conquering all over the world was Alcibiades' way of life before. He would work wherever Hilde was. If Hilde wanted to launch an expedition, he would join the army as a general and lead the troops to fight with Hilde. However, the difference was that his identity was special. He did not have the authority to directly manage an army. He was considered a temporary commander. It was different from a position like the legion commander. When he arrived at a place, he also assisted Hilde in handling local government affairs. In other words, Alcibiades had no real power.
And Hield gave the second option.
Stay in one place.
It's nothing more than becoming an official somewhere, or becoming the commander of a legion.
In this way, you will gain fixed power and have a stable life.
But what Alcibiades needed instead was Hilde's trust.
If he coveted this kind of power, Hilde would definitely give it to him according to his merits. However, in Hilde's eyes, he would be the same as an ordinary general or governor. He would no longer be like now, serving Hilde in front and behind to handle affairs, but he was deeply trusted by Hilde. Alcibiades thought about it, he could not accept losing Hilde's trust, so he came to his own conclusion without much hesitation.
And Hilde nodded with satisfaction.
"What a shame! If you had chosen the second one, I would have made you the governor of Athens."
"For me, these are nothing compared to...serving you by your side, Your Majesty."
"very good."
Hilde walked up to Alcibiades and patted him on the shoulder.
"I won't treat you badly."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Then I'll leave this matter to you. I hope you won't let me down. Do you understand?"
"understand!"
After finishing his instructions, Alcibiades immediately withdrew.
Sophia, who had been standing aside without saying a word, looked at Alcibiades tenderly as he left.
"Alcibiades, he's a very nice man."
"He is an upright and smart person, but he is a little cunning and arrogant. If the person who rules him is a coward or someone who is inferior to him, he will easily backfire on him." Hilde smiled helplessly. "So, I just tested him to see what kind of person he is and what choice he would make. The final result is quite interesting. I didn't expect him to make such a choice."
Chapter 4: The Eve of the Bloody Day
Although, Alcibiades' choice did not exceed Hilde's expectations.
He is a smart man.
It's not impossible to not hear Hilde's thoughts.
Although, if he really chose the second option, Hilde would not be disappointed, because that was human nature. Who doesn't work hard to live a better life? At that time, Hilde would also give him a governorship of the Athens province, but after that, he could only be the governorship of the Athens province at most. Choosing the first option meant that Alcibiades had chosen another path, that of a court minister.
With the establishment of the Greek Empire, the bureaucratic system of the Greek Empire will inevitably change. Among them, the most notable feature is that it develops in two directions, namely court bureaucracy and local bureaucracy, that is, central and local. Local bureaucracy is a system similar to that constructed by the governor and local bureaucrats in various places, while court bureaucracy refers to the bureaucratic system with Hilde as the core, which handles national affairs. At present, there is no mature central bureaucratic system in the world of Greek civilization.
But it’s time to build.
Hilde thought so.
But right now, the things that need to be dealt with are still the affairs of these nobles.
These disgusting nobles are what Hilde urgently needs to deal with.
After leaving all these matters to Alcibiades, Hilde, who had calmed down, took Sophia back to Athens. Sophia went back and started preparing for the barbecue party in the evening. Hilde returned to the Parthenon to deal with some government affairs that had recently been transmitted from other places. Soon, an afternoon passed like this. It was not until the sky gradually darkened that Hilde closed the documents in her hand and exhaled.
My current working status.
It’s almost the same as the previous 996 period.
But for some reason, Hilde didn't feel very tired.
"Sister Sissi!"
At this time, Dione walked quickly into the room.
She came up behind Hilde and said with a smile, "Sister Sophia asked me to call you over."
"Okay, okay, I'll be right there."
Hilde gently rubbed Dione's head.
Outside the Parthenon, in the square, Sophia and her friends had piled charcoal and installed a grill. If the Athenians had found out that someone dared to grill in front of the Parthenon, they would have definitely made a scene. However, as the successor of Athena, Hilde seemed to have no problem grilling in front of the god she served.
The charcoal was piled in the mud pot, and then Xerxes lit the charcoal. The marinated beef, pork and chicken were all skewered with branches and wooden skewers. There was also a whole suckling pig that had been slaughtered, cleaned and was about to be baked in the oven. Rhodes prepared fresh sea fish and shellfish, worthy of being the daughter of a fisherman. In addition, there were a lot of vegetables and other things. Almost all the delicacies that could be found in this era were brought by Sophia and the others.
"Can you finish this?"
Hilde couldn't help but ask.
Sophia smiled and waved her hand.
"It's okay. If you can't finish it, you can ask Amyntas and the others to come over and eat."
"Ah, too."
Anyway, when it comes to barbecue, there is no concept of leftovers.
Amyntas would probably be happy with that.
When the flames were lit, Sophia couldn't wait to put the skewers on to roast. This down-to-earth barbecue method was taught to Sophia by Hilde. Light the charcoal and burn it until it turns white, then put the marinated skewers on, sprinkle with spices, apply oil, and roast until it sizzles and smells delicious, then eat it with fresh vegetables and garlic. The barbecue here in Greece is not very good, but the barbecue method that Hilde taught Sophia is so delicious that it is hard to resist.
That's why Sophia is so interested in barbecue.
Seeing Sophia's happy expression, Hilde was very happy even though she had no appetite.
"It was very difficult to have a barbecue like this during the march."
"Of course."
Xerxes smiled and said:
"Sissi has always been like this. It's impossible for the soldiers to eat ordinary food while we enjoy delicious food."
"Yes, that was when Sissi and the soldiers shared hardships, but now, everyone should have a good meal, there shouldn't be any problem." Sophia carefully moved the skewers on the grill. When the aroma came to her nose, Sophia couldn't help swallowing her saliva. "But Sissi is really amazing. I never thought that barbecue could be so delicious."
"That's for sure..."
When Greeks eat barbecue, they simply roast the meat over fire.
There will definitely be problems if it is baked like that.
When meat loses moisture, it becomes dry and finally tastes like chewing wax. However, in this era, eating meat is a luxury, so even if it is roasted like that, it is still a delicacy for most people.
But for Hilde, who is used to eating modern barbecue.
This is a waste of natural resources.
Put the beef and mutton on a skewer, wrap it with rich fat, grill it with a not-so-strong flame, use marinating and spices to remove the fishy smell, and what is left is the delicious kebab. Alternatively, brush a thin layer of honey on the surface of the meat, and the kebab will taste even better, which is also Sophia's favorite way to eat it. Alternatively, prepare a large iron plate on the stove, the cast iron type will do, brush it with oil, and fry the meat on it in thin slices, which is also extremely delicious.
Spices were relatively scarce in ancient Greece.
At this time, pepper had just entered ancient Greece, but it was extremely expensive.
As an emperor, Hilde could naturally buy pepper, but the price was almost the same as gold, so Hilde was reluctant to part with it.
Sichuan peppercorns are native to China, so there’s no need to think about that.
It naturally comes from Persia, and Xerxes' merchant ships had brought some of it.
With pepper and cumin, the mutton smell can be suppressed to a large extent, which can be said to be the key to the delicious meat skewers. In addition, in the process of development, the cinnamon, oregano, rosemary, hyssop and saffron used are all spices that originated in the Mediterranean region and widely spread in Greece. However, the Greeks are not very proficient in the use of these spices.
Until Hilde "invented" barbecue.
So, in the square outside the Parthenon.
Under the statue of Athena.
