“Besides, we have no choice.”
“That’s true.”
Even the Speaker agreed with Aristocles.
If Hilde really led the troops to attack the city, Corinth would not be able to hold out for long. The huge gap in strength between the two made it impossible for Corinth to sit at the negotiation table with the Greek Empire. So, if that's the case, Aristocles's efforts to secure these conditions for Corinth were already a miracle out of nothing.
Rational nobles naturally know the weight of these things.
If it comes true.
The Corinthians will be richer than they are now!
Free cities, trade nodes, these are what the Corinthians need.
Aristocles was right. For the Greek Empire and Basilius, Corinth was just a tiny place. What they wanted was for the Corinthians to not cause trouble, and to avoid unnecessary wars. If Corinth was really satisfied, the two advantages of a free city and a trade node would not be a loss to the empire.
But this is the case.
It undoubtedly hurt some people.
Especially those who were ready to flee Corinth.
"How can this be possible!?"
"Are you going to give up Corinth!?"
Aristocles looked at these people and thought they were ridiculous.
This is too strange.
Almost all those who came out to say this were those who had started to sell off their property in private. As soon as they saw the direction of things developing in a direction beyond their expectations, they began to get scared. If it was really as Aristocles said, they would lose a lot by selling off their property. After all, the free cities and trade nodes alone could make Corinth a lot of money. And those who cleared out their property would end up looking like fools and would only become a laughing stock.
But such people.
All together it's only about one-fifth.
Their voices were quickly drowned out.
"So, Mr. Archon, what is your opinion?"
"Join the Greek Empire, of course."
"Well... indeed, we have no other choice. The Spartans have proven themselves to be no match for the Greek Empire. Moreover, the gods have never appeared again. Perhaps they have given up."
"Yes."
There are also wise men among the nobles.
Right now, they can be said to have no other choice.
If Hilde wanted them to die, they would have no choice but to die. The only bargaining chip they could use to negotiate with Hilde was the city of Corinth itself. Hilde wanted to resolve the issue peacefully, and whether it could be resolved peacefully depended on whether the nobles agreed. Therefore, since Aristocles had received such a reply, the nobles felt that joining the Greek Empire was not something that was unacceptable.
"Then please vote."
The Speaker raised his left hand.
"Those who wish to join the Greek Empire, please raise your left hands."
"..."
Suddenly, more than two-thirds of the people in the venue raised their left hands.
This is already an absolute advantage.
The counter began to count the numbers, and finally there were 220 people who agreed to join the Greek Empire.
In the council, if this ratio is reached, it can basically be determined. Although some nobles were reluctant, they could no longer decide what others thought. After getting the result he wanted, Aristocles was also very satisfied. At least, in this matter, these nobles were more aware that they had no way out. It also prevented Aristocles from taking some unconventional measures, such as leading the troops to mutiny.
"In that case, I will send an envoy to convey your wishes to Hilde."
"Okay, the council will leave this matter entirely to you."
The Speaker's words basically set the tone for the matter.
It’s settled.
"Yes, I understand."
----------
Corinthian feedback.
This was also within Hilde's expectations.
The other side's envoy expressed Corinth's intention to surrender, and also confirmed with Hilde the status of the free city and the promise of the trade node. Hilde of course agreed to all of them, but it was a verbal agreement.
Free city status.
This is not something that can be given casually.
How can Corinth be a free city? Isn't this just raising poisonous insects?
Set off a big bomb in your core area.
Moreover, compromising with the nobles of Corinth was not in line with Hilde's style. Hilde had always been against these traditional nobles. She was a staunch civilian. If she defended the interests of the Corinthian nobles for the sake of Corinth, it would not be fair to the common people of Corinth on the one hand, and on the other hand, it would also have a bad impact on the nobles in other regions of the Greek Empire.
Therefore, what needs to be settled must be settled.
Just to see if they can figure out what they should do.
After confirming Corinth's surrender.
Hilde also led his troops and began to march towards Corinth.
The time taken was only three days. On the date agreed upon by the other party, Hilde's army set out from Megara, with more than 40,000 people heading to Corinth. With such a large scale, even if Corinth was deceiving and intended to ambush Hilde, it would definitely not be able to ignore the wind and waves. No one could ambush such a large-scale army.
Section 6: The Army Enters Corinth
This is the benefit of absolute strength.
"Aristocles... I'm really interested in this guy."
"I heard he's a very eloquent person."
Sophia smiled gently and said:
"It must be very impressive to be the Archon of Corinth."
"He can become Archon because he is an Oracle."
Hilde thought it was nothing.
However, his ambitious plans and ideas still surprised Hilde a little.
There are not many people like this nowadays.
As for Aristocles' future arrangements, Hilde already had an idea in mind.
The weather was very good today. The dozens of kilometers from Megara to Corinth were all clear and sunny. Bathed in the autumn sunshine, Hilde felt like she was on a picnic. The last time she came here, she was fighting the Spartans. The bloody battlefield had now become a place of birdsong and flowers. The blood and corpses had disappeared, as if the war had never happened.
"Sophia."
"What's wrong, Sissy?"
"I want the whole world to know that you are mine."
Hilde said this out of the blue, and Sophia didn't react for a moment.
Xerxes at the side couldn't help but ask: "What about me? Have you forgotten me?"
"As for you... Once I conquer Persia, I will take you back to Byzantium and make you mine! So, you must stay alive and wait until then."
Hilde smiled.
This sentence also represents her hope.
But whether it will succeed...Xerxes himself doesn't know.
Xerxes could only smile bitterly and said, "Will I live to see that day?"
“It’s hard to say, but I will try my best.”
"Okay, Xiao Xuexue will definitely be fine."
Sophia quickly comforted.
But Hilde and Xerxes knew that something must be happening.
Xerxes' torture by the flames was getting a little serious. Before, Ahura Mazda's power would backfire once or twice every six months, causing Xerxes to feel as if he was being burned by fire. Now, the frequency of this situation has increased to once or twice every three months. Hilde also witnessed the pain Xerxes was in when the flames burned his body.
There is not much time left.
Xerxes himself said that it would probably take a few years.
But... after these few years, Xerxes was possessed by Ahura Mazda, and only death awaited her.
It can be said that this is a doomed ending, and Hilde is just helping Xerxes to fulfill her last wish. But how could Hilde want Xerxes to die? She had already discovered her love for Xerxes. Seeing her beloved being tortured while she could do nothing made Hilde very sad. But now is not the time to discuss this matter.
When Hilde's army was about to reach the city of Corinth, the reconnaissance cavalry had returned.
"His Majesty--!"
"How's it going?"
"Corinth has opened the city and surrendered!"
Tomyris couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when she heard the news.
"It seems that Aristocles has kept his word."
"Okay, then let's take over Corinth peacefully."
The armed forces of Corinth had been waiting outside the city for a long time. All the soldiers were divided into two rows, without any weapons or shields in their hands. The soldiers stood up straight, wearing their armor, and looked at the mighty imperial soldiers with some worry. They were afraid that the imperial soldiers would suddenly attack these unarmed surrendered soldiers. However, out of trust in the Greeks and the Oracle of Athena, they still stood up straight and waited for Hilde to come here in person.
Of course, there was no way Hilde would hurt them.
Seeing that the soldiers had surrendered, Hilde led his troops directly and marched into the city in a swagger.
The people of Corinth looked at Hilde curiously on both sides of the street.
This legendary Basileus, like the Megarans, was full of curiosity about Hilde. And Hilde naturally showed her most charming side, smiling and waving to the people around her, which attracted the cheers of the Corinthians. Similarly, Hilde's guards followed Hilde into the city. These direct troops wearing exquisite armor also showed the Corinthians how powerful Basileus was.
"Long live your Majesty!"
"Long live!"
The cheers around him made Hilde wonder if he had returned to Byzantium.
However, hostile gazes could still be felt in the crowd. Although when he followed the gazes, those people quickly lowered their heads and looked cowardly, this also told Hilde that this was not Byzantium, but an unstable city-state, Corinth.
The city of pottery and prostitutes.
One of the largest city-states in Greece.
It was also the beginning of Hilde's conquest of the Peloponnese.
No matter what will happen here in the future, for Hilde himself, this is also a beginning.
As the Greek Empire, begin the conquest of the world.
The army entered the city from the north gate of Corinth, marched along the wide road, and finally arrived at the Acropolis of Corinth. The Acropolis of Corinth is similar to the Acropolis of Athens, both built on a high ground in Corinth, but it is not as magnificent as the Ares Hill in Athens. On the contrary, it has a stronger sense of art.
In ancient Greek architecture, the most common structure is called a "column", which is generally carved from marble and used to support buildings. These exposed marble columns have become the main features of Greek architecture and later Roman architecture. The marble column has developed into three variants in Greece. These are the Ionic column style common in Athens and Byzantium, the simple and majestic Doric column style, and the most luxurious Corinthian column style.
This was the first time Hilde had seen a Corinthian-style building.
It really is the ultimate in luxury.
On the Corinthian columns, the top of the marble columns are carved with very complex and delicate patterns. The top is a vine-like scroll that holds up the heavy building, and slightly below is a very complex yet delicate acanthus pattern. It's like someone made a wreath of buttercups and put it on the top of the column. It's really hard to imagine how many carvers were used to build the entire city's buildings in this extremely terrifying way.
It's really breathtaking.
Hield has heard this before.
The sixth tune, the eighth section, the hospitality of friends
But, in the original world.
Hilde doesn't have the money to travel to Greece.
Now, not only can people come here for tourism, but they can also see what these historical sites really looked like in ancient times.
"that is?"
