"To be precise, I am Basileus of the Greek Empire, and Syracuse is a colony of the Corinthians. Now that the Corinthians have come under my rule, there is no reason for Syracuse not to submit. But unfortunately, the Syracusans are very stubborn and are not willing to accept a peaceful solution. Therefore, I can only conquer Syracuse through war. Of course, I don't want a war, but this is a last resort."
"I see……"
Hamilcar was a little panicked.
His worries came true.
"So what are your plans?"
"What's the plan?"
"That is, what are your plans after conquering Syracuse?"
"It's very simple. I will establish a new province called Greater Greece, which will include the entire Sicily Island and southern Italy. I will integrate the power of the Greeks here, establish an efficient administrative system, and then bring it under the rule of the Greek Empire. In short, I will put an end to the current situation of the Greeks being divided into many parts, and let all Greeks, under my rule, put an end to the history of infighting among each other."
"Your Majesty is truly amazing."
Sure enough, this is Hilde's ambition.
Integrate all of Greece.
But Greece was the Carthaginians' greatest enemy in the Mediterranean. Once the Greeks united and became a political entity, it would be the end of Carthage. Hamilcar was pessimistic about this matter, but he could not tell Hilde directly about his idea. He just smiled with a non-awkward smile and continued, "After you conquer all of Greece, what are your plans next?"
"Hmm... I think there's something wrong with your question."
"what happened?"
"Why don't you ask me why I want to unify Greece and why the Greeks want to become the Greek Empire?"
"No, I don't know..."
"Because of the Persian threat."
Hilde pointed to the east.
"Perhaps you Carthaginians don't know, but we Greeks, especially the Byzantines and Ionians, are living under the shadow of the Persians. Everyone knows this. The Persians are preparing their troops and will launch a westward expedition at any time. When the Persian army returns, how can the Greeks, who are exhausted by the Peloponnesian War, stop the Persian invasion? Therefore, in order to deal with the Persian crisis, we must unite and integrate the strength of all Greeks to completely disintegrate the Persian invasion."
"Persia, Persia... So that's how it is."
Hamilcar nodded in understanding.
"I see. I understand."
"Does this answer your question?"
"Yes, yes, I understand clearly now."
Indeed, doing this in order to deal with the Persians is indeed in line with Hilde's plan.
After all, the Greeks had suffered a great loss due to the invasion of the Persians decades ago, so it was a reasonable reason for the Greeks to unite again because of the threat of the Persians. Moreover, Hamilcar had heard of this before, so he did not think there was anything wrong with Hilde's reason. So Hamilcar said seriously and earnestly: "In this case, I wish your Majesty can achieve your goal and defeat the Persian invasion as soon as possible. The Greeks could defeat the Persians decades ago, and they can certainly do it now."
The seventh section of the third tune doesn't follow the routine.
"Thank you for your kind words."
Hilde smiled.
But then he continued, "However, this matter is still quite complicated. I came to Carthage this time because I hope the Carthaginians can understand one thing. The threat from the Persians is not just a risk that we Greeks have to bear. The Carthaginians also need it. After all, you Carthaginians are part of Phoenicia, and your homeland is now a province under the rule of the Persian Empire. Tens of thousands of Phoenicians live under the high-pressure rule of the Persian Empire. You must be very clear about this."
"of course I know."
Hamilcar's eyebrow twitched.
Hilde definitely wasn't joking when she said this.
And Hilde must have his own purpose.
Therefore, it is clear without much thought that Hilde must have his own deep meaning behind what he said.
"so……"
"The relationship between the Greeks and the Carthaginians is like lips and teeth. If the Persian attack leads to the Greeks' defeat and conquest by the Persians, then there is no doubt that the next target of the Persians will be the Carthaginians. The Persians have already conquered Egypt and Cyrene. They only need to move their army a few steps west to reach the territory of Carthage. How could the rich Carthage not be on the mind of the Persians? Of course, this is just my opinion. I wonder if the Carthaginians think so."
"The Carthaginians are also prepared for danger in times of peace."
Hamilcar said seriously:
"So, we also know about the Persian threat."
"Now that you understand, it's easy to talk about it."
"But the Greek Empire has almost unified all of Greece, so facing the Persian invasion shouldn't be a big deal, right?"
"Then you must have underestimated the Persians. The entire population of the Greek Empire is only one million. Even if we take Syracuse, our population is only about six million. However, you have to know that the Persian Empire is a giant country with a population of more than 20 million. The population of this country is so large and the army is so vast that it is unimaginable. Therefore, even if the Greeks unite, they will feel powerless when facing a giant like the Persian Empire. This is not something the Greeks are unwilling to do, but the absolute gap in strength."
Hilde said with some sadness:
"Therefore, we must unite all the forces that can be united."
"I see."
Does this mean that Carthage and the Greek Empire will form an alliance?
However, Carthage certainly does not want to get involved in this mess.
However, Hilde continued, "My goal is to liberate all the peoples conquered by the Persians and give them free land. We will drive out the Persians and let those places return to the sun. Similarly, the homeland of the Phoenicians is also within our goal. When the Phoenician cities such as Tyre are liberated, this must be closely related to you Carthaginians."
"We can also hear the voices of our Phoenician compatriots who want freedom."
"That's easy to say."
Hilde directly pursued the victory.
She knew that Hamilcar was trying to trick her.
However, the more blunt she was, the more Hamilcar, who was always trying to be polite, didn't know how to respond.
"I wish to form an alliance with the Carthaginians."
"Form an alliance?"
"Yes, once the Persians launch an invasion, the troops they have deployed in Egypt and Cyrene will be few in number. At this time, the Carthaginians only need to send troops to attack and they can easily take Egypt and Cyrene. The Persians who know the news will definitely come back to support us immediately. We will then march into Persia from Asia Minor. The Persians will not be able to take care of both ends and will surely suffer a disastrous defeat. They will then withdraw from the wealthy Egypt and Anatolia, and then retreat to Babylon. By that time, our goal will have been basically achieved. This is a game that is almost certain to win."
"This, this is it..."
Hilde's talk is just nonsense.
Hamilcar didn't know how to respond.
"So, I need to make an alliance with the Carthaginians! That's why I came here!"
Hilde expressed her thoughts so frankly.
This made Hamilcar a little overwhelmed.
However, Hamilcar calmed himself down soon. He took a deep breath to calm his restless mood, and then said to Hilde, "I understand what your majesty means, but the alliance is a very important matter. Even your majesty cannot decide on it. It needs to be determined by the Senate of Carthage. If your majesty is here for something that will benefit the future of the two countries, then it would be better to submit an application to the Senate in a formal way."
"Hahaha, that's natural."
Hilde patted Hamilcar’s shoulder cheerfully.
"I will definitely do what you ask."
"Yes Yes……"
"But what do you think?"
Hilde threw the question directly to Hamilcar.
Hamilcar was confused.
Hilde's attitude was very tough. Although she had a smile on her face, that smile was not kind at all. It always felt like the kind of smile that could kill her at any time and place. It was extremely oppressive! She asked this question to inquire about Hamilcar's attitude. If he told the truth, Hamilcar would definitely think that this was inappropriate, but in front of Hilde, he didn't dare to tell the truth directly. After hesitating for a long time, Hamilcar could only choose a compromise answer: "I personally have no objection, but it mainly depends on the opinion of the Senate."
"You are a palace official, don't you have any opinions of your own?"
"It's not my responsibility, I dare not overstep my authority."
"Oh... OK, I understand then."
Hilde nodded thoughtfully.
This feeling is the most frightening.
What on earth does this guy want to do...
First he came to Carthage without saying hello, then he brought back Elisa Mago who had been persecuted and left before, and now he said these words again. If it were anyone else, Hamilcar might think he was a lunatic, but the one in front of him was the queen who conquered all of Greece, Basileus, who was worshipped by the Greeks. She would do this, which means she must have her own ideas and plans, for sure!
Now Hamilcar began to be afraid.
He always felt that Hilde would cause big trouble.
At this moment, Hannibal came over with a glass of wine.
Perhaps Hannibal realized that Hamilcar was in trouble, so he came to the rescue.
"Oh, beautiful Hilde, don't keep drinking with my ministers."
"I'm so sorry for accidentally ignoring you."
"It's totally fine."
"Then I will excuse myself, Signor Hamilcar."
Hilde nodded with a smile.
The third tune, the eighth section, the hot North African night
Hamilcar left quickly as if he had been pardoned.
Hannibal smiled and said to Hilde: "Just now, you and Hamilcar had a very happy chat."
"He is a very good minister, so I told him the purpose of my visit. I seem to be a little too straightforward. After all, this is just a banquet, not a place to discuss state affairs. So, it's no wonder that Mr. Hamilcar doesn't know how to respond to me when I say those things here." Hilde smiled apologetically, like a girl who did something wrong. People felt pity when they saw her, and dared not blame her at all. Even Hannibal's heart trembled, but then Hannibal gritted his teeth and turned back his hesitation.
"Let's wait until tomorrow to discuss serious matters."
"Yes, indeed."
Hilde gently picked up the glass.
"For the friendship between our two countries..."
"cheers!"
----------
The party continued into the night.
After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, Hilde said she was tired and wanted to rest first. So she left the banquet hall early with Sophia and Rhodes. Hannibal also prepared a separate residence for the three of them. A large empty palace, perhaps specially prepared for foreign guests. However, Carthage probably lacked experience in receiving foreign guests. In Greece, foreign guests were generally not allowed to live in their own palaces. However, Hilde didn't care.
She fell directly onto the soft animal-skin bed.
Then he exhaled.
"Phew, I'm exhausted."
"Sissi has been talking to someone else."
Sophia also sat next to Hilde.
Hilde turned over, stretched out his hand and patted Sophia's belly twice, teasing, "Huh, you still have the nerve to criticize me, you glutton, from the beginning of the banquet to the end, I have never seen your mouth idle."
"Isn't this...I haven't eaten for a long time."
Sophia looked away with some embarrassment.
And Rhodes also said:
“I think it’s delicious.”
"Ah, indeed... This place is great, there are so many different kinds of things, like dates, which taste really good, but they can't be grown in Greece. Tsk, I'll have to import them if I want to eat them in the future." Hilde was also a little helpless, "I had the chance to eat dates before, but they were too expensive... I didn't expect them to taste like this, this is really..."
"Too expensive to afford?"
Sophia couldn't help but ask.
Hilde finally reacted and quickly sat up to explain:
"Ah, nothing, it's just that when I was a kid, I only had the few drachmas Aspasia gave me, so of course I couldn't bear to buy it."
“Are dates in Athens that expensive?”
"I forgot."
Hilde quickly got over it.
