All Athenians were waiting to see what would happen next.
Woo——! ! !
Accompanied by the long sound of the horn, everyone looked in the other direction.
The strong soldiers were holding up the horns, making a terrifying sound. At this time, at the end of the sight, a team of elegant and magnificent troops were moving towards here. Walking in the front were the spirited Royal Guards Cavalry. These elite troops composed of Byzantine nobles were Hilde's most loyal guards. They were wearing straight steel armor, holding lances in their hands, and marching neatly in front of the team.
On both sides of the team, the Royal Guards, who also belonged to the Royal Guards, marched in unison, following the team forward to protect the left and right wings of the team. They held kite shields and long swords, and were also armed to the teeth. Among them, the leading officer wore a hat made of bear skin and held high the flag of the Greek Empire, which was the eagle flag. With the whistling sound of breaking wind, these flag bearers brought an indescribable sense of oppression to the entire team.
Of course, the focus of the entire team.
Not them.
Instead, they protected Hilde and his group in the middle.
Wearing silver armor and a red cloak, Hilde looked like a female war god descended from the sky.
It was the first time that the Athenians saw Hilde in military uniform so closely. Her long silver hair was tied into a ponytail with a red ribbon, which made her look smart and handsome, with a heroic beauty. The exquisite silver armor was built to fit Hilde's body curves perfectly, highlighting her excellent figure.
Her beautiful white horse was now wearing her own armor and a delicate Persian-made horseback cushion, making the whole horse look so elegant and noble. At the same time, the terrifying Medusa on the Medusa Shield in her hand also closed her eyes, but still gave people an indescribable sense of oppression. The Spear of Hilde, which was made by Hephaestus himself, was also gently held in Hilde's right hand.
And the two beauties beside Hilde.
One had dark red hair and was clearly not Greek.
But at this moment she was wearing an elegant purple robe and had a pair of iconic long horns on her head.
The other person had a pair of wolf-like ears and dark brown hair, which reminded people of wild wolves active on the grassland. She was wearing a relatively portable and flexible leather armor, and in her right hand she held a black double-pronged fork.
"Yes, it's His Majesty Basilius!"
"Look at it!"
The citizens crowded together.
They are more focused on Hield than what happens next.
Hilde was very famous in Athens before. As the daughter of Pericles, Hilde was a well-deserved celebrity. Everyone knew that Pericles had black hair and gave birth to a daughter with silver hair and purple eyes. Everyone laughed at Pericles for being cheated on. Later, Hilde became famous in Athens because of her outstanding beauty and unique temperament. Now, this pearl of Athens has become the emperor of all Greece and the ruler of Athens.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"
"Long live your Majesty!"
Enthusiastic citizens began to line the streets to welcome them.
This is completely different from the Athens in some people's minds.
They welcomed Hilde and the return of the monarchy.
Those Athenians who benefited from Hilde's arrival wanted to kneel down and kiss Hilde's feet. This almost fanatical loyalty was just like that. However, Hilde was not here for a parade or a triumphal ceremony. Hilde did not need to greet the enthusiastic people on both sides. She carried a murderous aura that made everyone who saw her wonder what terrible things would happen next.
Soon, Hilde's team arrived at the Athens Square.
The soldiers of the Royal Guard came in columns.
Hilde, riding on a white horse, went straight to the square.
At this time, Alcibiades had been kneeling on the ground, waiting for a long time.
"Your Majesty, everything is ready!"
Chapter 4, Section 10: The Nobles with Many Crimes
Hilde just nodded slightly.
"Alcibiades."
"My subordinate is here!"
"Now, announce the situation to all citizens of Athens."
"Yes!"
Hilde dismounted and came to the temporary stands built nearby.
Alcibiades walked up to the Athenians with the documents in his hand.
In the Athens market, the seats closest to the front were mostly filled with well-known figures in Athens, such as the big merchants of the Coast Faction, those from the Mountain Faction and the Plain Faction who had not committed any crime, and some former politicians. These people now had sad faces, and they were not ordinary people who would welcome Hilde so much. Now, they were standing at the front of the Athens market, closest to Hilde and Alcibiades. There was no doubt that Hilde did this on purpose, just to show them some power.
And Hilde also glanced around.
Almost all citizens of Athens came to the Athenian market. Women and children were not present. All the people who came here were male citizens. The buildings in the Athenian market were full of people, just to see what was going on inside. However, Hilde did not expect everyone to see the trial process. As long as the facts could be spread from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred, that would be enough.
And Alcibiades cleared his throat.
He opened his mouth and announced.
"Fellow citizens of Athens!"
"At this moment, we all gathered here just for something that is really infuriating and painful. As you all know, since His Majesty Basilius recovered Athens, he has been working to bring fairness and justice to Athens. The exploitation and oppression of the Athenians has lasted for a long time. Many nobles have relied on their power to wantonly amass wealth and oppress the common people, which has aroused public anger. For this reason, His Majesty and the nobles calmly discussed the relevant matters. After some efforts, the nobles were convinced and took the initiative to hand over the ill-gotten gains and the high-quality land suitable for growing food to the imperial government."
"These lands should have been divided equally among the peasants, so that they could have their own land and bring stable and sufficient food to Athens. Your Majesty did not mistreat these nobles. You distributed the land suitable for growing grapes to them according to their abilities, and provided them with the land to run wine estates or flax estates, so that they could continue their previous livelihoods. This is your majesty's kindness."
Here Alcibiades said.
The tone suddenly changed.
It turned into naked anger.
"However, in the past few days, a series of things have happened that have angered both humans and gods!"
"Some nobles ignored your majesty's good intentions and God's will, and did unforgivable things because of their greed and stupidity. They killed slaves who should have been freed and buried them secretly, just to prevent others from knowing about their affair with the slaves. In order to retaliate against your majesty and the civilians who got the land, they sprinkled salt and lime on their fields, making these high-quality lands uncultivated for a long time. Many farmers got the fields but couldn't grow food. It was really ridiculous."
"Therefore, the gods above, your majesty's gift has been given to the nobles, but the nobles do not cherish it, and wantonly trample on your majesty's kindness. They are destined to pay the price for their foolish behavior! Therefore, at this moment, your majesty is here in person to judge these foolish guys!"
Alcibiades said.
He closed the scroll directly.
"Now, the verdict!"
"Woo——!!!"
The sound of the horn sounded again.
Alcibiades's loud and firm voice made people feel uneasy.
With the sound of the horn, about eighty men were escorted to the square by the soldiers. These nobles who usually wore bright and beautiful clothes and spent money lavishly were now like chickens waiting to be slaughtered. They were dejected and pressed directly to the square by the soldiers. At the same time, Hilde also stood up and slowly walked to the square.
He saw Hilde standing in front of him.
The nobles immediately knelt on the ground and cried loudly.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"
"We were wrong! We were wrong!"
"Your Majesty! Give us another chance!"
Listening to their pleas for mercy, Hilde just sneered.
"Give you a chance? No, I have already given you a chance, but you just didn't cherish it."
"His Majesty!!!"
"Today's trial is a punishment for what you have done. If you are willing to repent, you should wait until you reach the underworld and go and tell Lord Hades in person." Hilde smiled coldly, then walked to Alcibiades' side and announced loudly to the Athenians in front of him, "Everyone, I, Hilde, am also an Athenian. This is my hometown where I was born and raised. The nobles I am judging are also my father's friends, who have witnessed my growth from childhood to adulthood. From a selfish point of view, I don't want to kill them."
"But the things that happened outside the city are really despicable."
Hilde looked extremely distressed.
And Sophia on the stage couldn't help but whispered:
"Sissi is acting again."
"acting?"
Tomyris was stunned for a moment.
“Is this acting?”
"yes……"
Sophia is so familiar.
Hilde had used this trick many times before to disgust Pericles.
In front of Pericles' guests, she always acted like a father who didn't love her but was very sensible, which made many people mistaken Pericles as a bastard father who was very bad to his daughter. Later, when she was in Byzantium, Hilde also gained the support of Byzantium through such performances and became the queen of this place. So now Hilde is using the same trick again to make the Athenians believe that Hilde's behavior today is just and righteous.
And the effect is indeed so.
When Alcibiades told the truth.
Many Athenian citizens were already angry.
It was a fact in Athens that common people were oppressed by the rich and nobles, and many people dared not speak out. Now, Hilde created such a favorable policy for common people, and everyone naturally welcomed it. But unexpectedly, these nobles interfered and would rather destroy farmland and kill slaves than properly carry out Hilde's orders, which was really infuriating.
People's anger was instigated by Hilde.
Become more ferocious.
Chapter 5: Cruel Execution at the Stake
And the citizens shouted in anger.
It was also delivered here.
"They'll pay the price!"
“Punish them!”
Hearing these words suddenly spoken by an Athenian who even knew them, the nobles who were tied to the ground turned pale. In this situation, it can be said that there was no one to help. So, they immediately looked for help at the other nobles in the front row and the big merchants of the Coast Party, hoping that they would say a few good words for them because of their friendship.
But when their eyes shifted over, these people immediately turned their heads away, not wanting to look at them at all. This evasive attitude almost destroyed their last hope. There was nothing they could do. Now, including the Coast Faction merchants themselves, they all felt powerless. Now these nobles can punish people at will. Who knows if it will be the turn of the rich people in the Coast Faction after this.
Moreover, before Alcibiades.
They've already been hit.
It would be better for them to be honest and make more contributions to the empire.
otherwise……
The Plains Faction and the Mountain Faction are the future of their Coast Faction.
Therefore, no matter whether they were the nobles of the Mountain and Plain factions who had not committed any crime and survived, or the merchants of the Coast faction, they all chose to remain silent and said nothing. When faced with the requests for help from these people who were their friends before, they could only shake their heads and say that they could do nothing to help. After seeing this situation, the last hope in their hearts was completely dispelled. That kind of despair was almost unacceptable to them. However, they did not know at the moment that the real despair was still to come.
Hilde didn't intend to just deal with them so easily.
After seeing the citizens were very excited.
Hilde raised his hands and signaled everyone to be quiet.
"Everyone, listen to me."
"Now, these foolish people have been caught, and next, they will pay the price they deserve!"
"Therefore, as Basileus, I declare—"
Everyone's eyes were focused on Hilde.
They were all wondering what fate would await these nobles.
Death? Or exile?
The fate of these people basically determined what would happen to anyone who made the same mistake in the future. Therefore, everyone present looked at Hilde nervously, waiting for Hilde's order. Soon, Hilde said the result that made everyone tremble. She raised the spear in her hand and announced loudly: "All nobles who participated in the destruction of farmland and the killing of slaves will be sentenced to death by burning!"
"Burning at the stake?"
"What--!"
People looked at Hilde in surprise.
But after Hilde finished her announcement, the soldiers had already carried up the prepared stake.
This was the style of a cross. Before these nobles could recover from the announcement of the burning at the stake, they were tied to the cross by the soldiers and then stood up. For a moment, screams were heard everywhere. The nobles screamed and tried to ask Hilde to spare them, but soon, their mouths were stuffed with cloth strips to prevent them from biting their tongues to commit suicide due to the pain. Their hands and feet were tied tightly. This specially made rope could ensure that it would not be burned under high temperatures. It was also a small invention of Hilde before.
Burning at the stake is an extremely cruel form of punishment.
This is not common in Greece.
Persia used burning at the stake more frequently, after all, Persia was a country that worshipped fire.
These nobles looked at themselves standing up in despair. They were tied to the cross and looked at the Athenians in front of them. These Athenian civilians were looking at them with their heads held high. In addition to shock and fear, their eyes were also filled with contempt and excitement. For these nobles, their tragic deaths were something that many people were happy to see. Soon, the soldiers moved the prepared firewood and fuel to the feet of the nobles.
