“It’s time to reach out to them.”
Hilde turned around and gave instructions to the officer.
"Now, we can send out a small boat to contact them."
"Yes! Your Majesty!"
"Please give them my handwritten letter."
Hilde handed the prepared letter to the officer.
Although this is Hilde's handwritten letter.
But it was actually Sophia who taught Hilde to write.
Sophia taught Hilde a lot of Carthaginian and also taught her how to write Phoenician fluently. However, Phoenician was not difficult for Hilde. It was the ancestor of the Greek alphabet, so the writing method was not very different. So Hilde wrote a letter in Carthaginian without much effort.
The officers and soldiers who received the letter took the warship's boat and rowed to the range of the enemy fleet. They were soon invited to board the ship by the Carthaginians. Soon, after conveying Hilde's purpose and showing specific documents, Hilde's officers and soldiers also returned, and brought several officers from Carthage. After they arrived here, they met Hilde very respectfully. They knew that the beautiful woman in front of them, who was dressed in luxurious clothes and had a unique temperament, was the empress of the Greek Empire.
"Your Majesty Basilius of the Greek Empire, welcome."
The leading Carthaginian officer bowed his head to express his welcome.
Hilde also looked around.
The armor worn by these Carthaginian soldiers was quite different from that of the Greeks. The Greeks liked to wear heavy linen armor or bronze breastplates made of bronze, but the Carthaginians had already worn chain mail. Although chain mail at this time was not considered a good thing at all, and its defensive performance was not necessarily much better than that of heavy linen armor, the complex production process and the requirements for metal smelting technology still made chain mail a relatively rare thing.
The Carthaginians worshipped pure white. They wore white robes over their armor and painted their bronze round shields with white paint, with the family totems or symbols of gods they believed in painted on the shields. This was not much different from the Greeks. The weapons they used were short swords made of smelted iron, bronze spears, and the like.
It seems that the Carthaginians' weapons are not much stronger than those of the Greeks.
Hilde probably had an idea in mind.
So she smiled and asked:
"So, how will the Carthaginians welcome me?"
Sophia translated Hilde's words word for word.
The officer was a little surprised when he saw the red-haired woman next to Hilde suddenly acting as an interpreter. When he came just now, he didn't notice this woman. After taking a closer look, he realized that this beautiful woman, who was also dressed gorgeously, was also a Carthaginian.
"Please forgive me, Your Majesty, we need to inform His Majesty the King before we can be sure."
"It doesn't matter."
Hilde pointed to the fleet behind him with a smile:
"This time, as a gift for meeting the king, I have brought a lot of gifts for him."
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I will report this to the King right away!"
After saying that, the officer and his soldiers quickly left.
When they boarded the ship, they were really nervous, but it was not their fault. They did not know whether Hilde and his party were friends or enemies. Moreover, it was probably their first time to board such a large warship. In addition, the soldiers standing behind Hilde were fully armed, with shiny weapons, and it was obvious that they were elite troops. Under such circumstances, it was no wonder that the Carthaginians were very nervous.
After they left.
Sophia gripped her collar nervously.
"I actually came back."
"Do you feel like you're dreaming?"
"Um……"
Sophia didn't look that happy.
It's just a simple doubt about one's own destiny.
Perhaps in Sophia's mind, Carthage seemed to have disappeared forever, and it was not a place she would ever return to. After all, she was driven out and sold into slavery.
But now, she is back.
Hilde looked at Sophia, who was trembling a little, and patted her shoulder.
"Are you nervous?"
"Yes, yes, Your Majesty..."
"You see, when you get nervous, you start using honorifics."
"Ah, no, no, Sissi, I... I just thought that after returning to Carthage, I would have to face those people who harmed our family. Moreover, I would have to face a problem, that is, where did my father and mother go." Sophia seemed to realize that her thoughts were not appropriate, so she shook her head and forced herself to cheer up. "No, no, how can I think like this? These things have nothing to do with me now..."
"If you care, check it out."
Hilde reached into Sophia's hood.
Gently stroking her delicate cheek.
"Remember, this is your freedom."
"But..." Sophia's eyes dodged, "This is not good."
"Didn't we agree on this when we came here? There's nothing wrong with this. If you don't want to accept your past, then just don't accept it. If you have many regrets about the past, then take action and eliminate those regrets. No matter what you do, I will support you... So, remember, Sophia, I will always have your back. I will unconditionally support you in all your actions."
"Sissi..."
Sophia heard this.
Her eyes gradually became moist.
"I, I know!"
"Well, don't rush to give me an answer. Tell me when you have made up your mind."
"Yes!"
Hilde's encouragement was useful.
Sophia had been worried about this all the way, but she didn't take it too seriously.
But now it was different. Now, what lay before her was the city of Carthage, and what had just appeared before her were Carthaginian soldiers and officers. She had also spoken the Carthaginian language again, after not using it for a long time. The familiar scenery, the familiar people, and the familiar language they spoke awakened the strangeness and fear in Sophia's heart.
The eighth stanza of the second tune shocked the Carthaginians
but……
Since we have come to this point today.
Then what are you afraid of!
Sophia quickly cheered up.
"I will face this well!"
"Well, now that you have the answer, everything is solved."
"Ok!"
Sophia put her hands on her chest and said seriously, "I won't cause any trouble to Sissi either."
"It's fine."
trouble?
Since he chose to come to Carthage, Hilde has never been afraid of trouble.
Negotiations with the Carthaginians would be very difficult and troublesome. Asking them to give up Sicily would be like asking Hilde to give up Asia Minor. It was simply unthinkable. If a country came to him and said, "I want to attack Persia, and Asia Minor also belongs to Persia, so you can go." Then Hilde would definitely hang up this arrogant envoy and skin him, and then join forces with Persia to beat the daring guy to death.
Compare your heart to your heart.
Now you understand the possible attitude of the Carthaginians.
So, Hilde is still quite interested in what will happen next.
After more than three hours of tossing and turning in the sea of Carthage, Hilde's fleet was finally allowed to dock at the port of Carthage. Carthage also took Hilde, the Greek Empire's Basileus, very seriously. This was Basileus himself, the supreme leader of the other country, and no matter what, he had to show the highest etiquette. So, the one who came to greet Hilde was the King of Carthage——
Hannibal Magor.
Not far away, Hilde saw a man in luxurious clothes walking towards the port under the escort of soldiers.
Judging from the situation, it is most likely His Majesty the King.
The other person had red hair, almost exactly the same as Sophia's.
Sophia also noticed it, she took two steps back in fear, and then hid behind Hilde. Hilde felt Sophia's fear, she just smiled and held Sophia's hand, then took two steps forward.
The other party also came quickly.
"Respected Basilius, welcome to your coming from afar."
The other party spoke fluent Greek.
This surprised Hilde.
"I am Hannibal Mago, King of Carthage."
"I am Basileus of the Greek Empire, Hilde."
"I have heard of Hilde's reputation for a long time, but I didn't expect to see her today. She is indeed amazing." King Hannibal showed a surprised expression. He knew that this Greek Empire's Basileus was a woman as beautiful as Helen, but when he saw her with his own eyes, Hilde's beauty still made the king at a loss for words. However, after all, he was a king, and he quickly returned to his serious state. He smiled slightly and explained, "However, honorable Hilde, your visit to our country this time is a bit too hasty?"
"I was rude for not informing your country in advance."
Hilde placed her hand on her chest.
The elegant smile made the Carthaginian men around her unable to restrain themselves.
"But you guys will welcome it, right?"
"Of course you're welcome!"
Hannibal felt a little embarrassed seeing such a smile.
"However, time is short and we are unable to welcome you with the most luxurious etiquette for the time being. This would make us Carthaginians seem too stingy and unworthy of your intention to come here specially."
"It's okay, as long as the intention is there."
Hilde turned around and pointed at his fleet.
"I have prepared a gift from the Greek Empire for the honorable Hannibal. Please accept it."
"Thank you so much."
Hannibal was also a little surprised.
This empress was easier to get along with than he had imagined.
At this time, Hilde's adjutant announced: "His Majesty, the noble and great Greek Basilius, presented the equally noble King of Carthage, His Majesty Hannibal Mago, with the following gifts: 500 barrels of the finest Byzantine brandy, 1,000 barrels of wine, 1,000 Thracian hides, 100 meters of Seres silk..."
The adjutant said so.
Sophia, who was standing next to Hilde, translated into Carthaginian.
Not to mention King Hannibal.
The Carthaginians nearby were also stunned.
The Carthaginians were already a very wealthy nation, but after hearing about the gifts Hilde gave them, they were all stunned. There were all kinds of fine wines, silks, animal skins, dyes, weapons and supplies made of steel. All kinds of things were extremely expensive and practical. Many of them were sold at sky-high prices even in Carthage, and were rarely used even in the king's palace. So many things were enough to show Hilde's sincerity and the wealth of the Greek Empire.
This is too, too much.
After the other party has finished reading.
Hannibal was dumbfounded.
Is this a gift for yourself?
The other party gave so many gifts. According to the principle between countries, Carthage should at least give gifts of similar weight in return. But... after giving so much, what should Carthage give in return to be worthy of this gift? Elephants?
"Are you satisfied with these gifts?"
"Ah, satisfied! Very satisfied!"
Hannibal didn't know what to say.
It feels like a country bumpkin who has seen the world.
After all, the current Carthage was really weak and was completely different from the Carthaginians who would confront the Romans head-on hundreds of years later. Hilde was also very satisfied with her reaction, so she gently pulled Sophia to her side and introduced her with a smile: "I forgot to introduce her, this is Barcelissa of the Greek Empire, my favorite woman... Her name is Sophia, but you should have discovered that she is also a Carthaginian."
"Ah, this..."
Hannibal looked at the other's face.
He frowned slightly.
The red hair that showed through her cloak was indeed proof that she was a Carthaginian.
