She lowered her head and said helplessly, "Don't worry, father. If Hilde really comes to kill me, I will fight with my life. If you want to conquer Scythia, you must step over my body. But, I hope you can be prepared. The war is not just a battle between Hilde and me. How we Scythians should face the army of the Byzantine Kingdom that annexed Thrace is an imminent issue, so..."
"All right."
Idantyrsus waved his hand impatiently.
"I see."
"Yes, Father..."
"I will consider this matter."
After Idantyrsus finished speaking, he turned to look at Tomyris: "I hope you will know your identity later."
"I see. It was my daughter's fault before."
"Just so you know, go down."
"Yes."
Now, there is a pair of animal ears on Tomyris's head.
It was already drooping listlessly.
This is exactly what Idantirsus wanted to see.
For Idantirsus, although Tomyris is an oracle, she is also his daughter. He is afraid that Tomyris will lose his control. After all, with Tomyris's reputation and ability, it is easy to replace him. Compared with Hilde who is far away, Idantirsus is more worried about whether his daughter will usurp the throne. After all, Tomyris can do it as long as she wants to... and now it seems that she has no intention of doing so.
So, Itantirsus also breathed a sigh of relief.
As for Tomyris.
She left her father's tent and walked down the road in frustration.
The current situation is already very clear.
Hilde had completely remembered the betrayal of the Kingdom of Scythia, and planned to take revenge on it later. Tomyris didn't know if Hilde was a man of his word, but she was sure that the feud between the Kingdom of Byzantium and the Kingdom of Scythia had been completely settled. Even if Hilde didn't plan to attack the Scythians now, but planned to slowly digest the legacy of the Thracian king, when the time was right, the army of the Kingdom of Byzantium would definitely go deep into the grassland.
The Scythians defeated the Thracian king's offensive.
But could the Byzantines be defeated once again?
Especially...Hilde, who has many connections with Athena.
Thinking of this, Tomyris felt an indescribable sense of despair. She was in a particularly helpless mood, not only because she had lost control of the current situation, but also because of her father. She didn't expect that Idantiersus not only didn't realize the severity of the current situation, but also that what worried him the most was that Tomyris had a bad attitude towards him... She admitted that she was a little impulsive, but when she saw Idantiersus's eyes.
Tomyris realized.
Something has changed.
Is your own father beginning to doubt you?
He actually doubted Tomyris, who fought for the Kingdom of Scythia?
Tomyris couldn't accept such a thing. Her father's suspicion was completely groundless, which made Tomyris feel frustrated. But in the current situation, Tomyris had no other choice. She could only accept it silently, and then wait for the situation to change. At least, Hilde's Byzantine Kingdom could not completely control the Thrace region, so there was no way to launch a military operation against the Kingdom of Scythia in a short time.
Likewise, Tomyris was unaware of Hilde's actions in Thrace.
After all, the Scythians were also a barbaric people, a nomadic tribe on the grassland.
They cannot realize how terrible the power of civilization is.
Now, the Hebros province was in a state of excitement. The Thracians in various places heard about Hilde's promise. They were grateful and, under the efficient bureaucratic system of the Byzantine Kingdom, they began to build the Hebros province. It happened to be the off-season for farming, and a large number of laborers began to build brick kilns and roads as instructed.
The construction officer arrived at the site in person, selected the road plan, and connected all the planned towns with roads. These roads were all dirt roads without paved bricks, and they were flattened by manpower to form a road. However, even so, the horse-drawn carriages and ox-carts passing on the dirt roads were much more efficient than the previous barren roads.
The Journey of Adlicia
Now, all the Thracians have been mobilized.
As long as there is labor force, regardless of gender, age or status, everyone starts working to build a new home.
Hilde's series of policies and words gave them a very bright future, so they naturally had to repay Hilde with ten times the enthusiasm for the life she gave them. After the affairs of Hebros Province were basically completed, Hilde led the army all the way north. She first arrived at Hildonia, which was being prepared. The city was rebuilt, so now it was just a camp built of some wood, and even the Governor's Mansion was just a small tent.
Hilde didn't stay here for long.
Instead, they crossed the Danube River and headed towards the mountains in the north.
After bypassing many mountain roads, Hilde arrived at the destination of this trip to Thrace.
Adelicia.
This is the Upper Thrace Province of the Byzantine Kingdom, and the capital is the former capital of the Thrace Kingdom, Adlisia. Before coming here, Hilde learned about the situation of this tribe from the soldiers from Adlisia. The situation in Adlisia was not as good as Hilde had thought before. Although it was the largest settlement in the Thrace region, with a population of more than 20,000 people, Adlisia had no city walls, and all the buildings were very rough thatched houses.
In the original Thracian Kingdom, Adlisia had the highest status and belonged to the top level of the social class, known as the royal family. Therefore, Adlisia's situation is self-evident. These people ate the food provided by other Thracians and separated the entire tribe from production. They devoted themselves to military training, trying to make themselves the most powerful warriors. This situation is very similar to that of the Spartans.
And now, the King of Thracian is dead.
The foundation of the Thracian Kingdom collapsed.
The class system of the Thracian Kingdom also collapsed.
Now, Adlisia no longer has the privileges it had in the past. It is just the capital of the province of Upper Thrace. And the core army of the Adlisia people was basically destroyed in the defense of the Byzantine city. Therefore, Adlisia is now in trouble. If the Byzantine Kingdom had not urgently transferred food from other places, I am afraid that the Adlisia people would have starved to death... After knowing this, Hilde did not feel sorry for them.
Everything now.
It's all their own fault.
The Thracian king was indeed tyrannical.
But the Adelisians are also real vested interests.
Now, the foundation of their good life is gone, so everything that is happening now is a revenge against them. Hilde understands this too well... Moreover, such a sudden turn of events will easily make the Adrichians think that it is Hilde and the Byzantine Kingdom that have destroyed their lives, and they are likely to become opponents, so this is why Hilde asked Sitalses, who is also an Adrichian, to be responsible for the defense here.
We are all Adelaideans.
Naturally, many things are much easier to manage.
At the same time, this is also an opportunity for Hilde to give Sitalses.
That is to tell Sitalces that he not only trusts him, but is also willing to give his fellow countrymen a chance. Therefore, Sitalces will definitely seize this opportunity to actively help the Adlicians accept the new kingdom and accept Hilde's rule. Now that several months have passed, Hilde naturally needs to see how Sitalces and Damianos, the governor of Upper Thrace, have completed the tasks assigned to them.
Finally, after crossing the mountain.
Hilde and others finally arrived.
Adelicia is located at the bottom of a mountain valley.
Unlike the great plains of Hebros and Donauwies, everything here seemed very desolate, the valley was very narrow, and there was very little land for cultivation. Hilde had learned before that Adlisia was not a very suitable place to be the capital, but Hilde felt that since it could accommodate 20,000 people, it should still be a suitable place to live. But now it seemed that Hilde had thought too much.
This city is really not suitable for living.
Narrow valleys are not only unable to grow large amounts of food.
At the same time, it also hindered traffic.
To travel from Adria to other areas, you basically have to take mountain roads.
Hilde didn't know what the Greeks called this mountain range. The altitude of the mountain range was not very high, but the geographical conditions were too bad for building roads and developing productivity. On the way to Adlisia, Hilde couldn't help but wonder if it was a wrong decision to make Adlisia the capital? From now on, it should be like this... It seems that the situation in Upper Thrace is much more complicated than she imagined.
"Sissi, look quickly."
At this time, Sophia pointed to the side.
Hilde turned around and found many pillars in the open space ahead.
There were many corpses nailed to the pillars, and they looked like Thracians. The bodies of these people were tied to the pillars, and then sharp weapons pierced their bodies, and they were already dead. Flies kept circling around the corpses, and the unpleasant smell of decaying corpses filled the air. Hilde couldn't help but cover her mouth and nose, and then said, "What is going on... Looking at these corpses, they should have been dead for a few days."
"Did our people do it?"
"It should be... I think it's Sitalses."
Hanging a corpse on a wooden stake, Damianos, as a Byzantine, would never do such a thing.
However, what made Hilde curious was that the dead were almost all strong men, about 400 people. This scale made Hilde seem to have guessed something. So Hilde ignored the dead and rode towards Adlisia in the distance. Soon, the low wooden wall and the dilapidated thatched house appeared in Hilde's sight.
This is Adlicia.
The original goal of my expedition.
Hilde is now glad that she turned back.
Otherwise, his army would be exhausted just from climbing the mountain.
"His Majesty!"
After seeing Hilde coming, Sitalces and Damianos, who were waiting at the city gate, rushed over quickly. They knelt on the ground and said, "Your Majesty!"
"What's going on with those corpses?"
The Difficult Aristocracy
Hilde asked sternly.
In her opinion, the presence of these bodies is very problematic.
At this time, Sitalses said respectfully: "Your Majesty, those people are hunters."
"Hunters? Aren't all hunters wiped out?"
"The King of Thrace...left 500 hunters in Adlisia. When we entered the city, they put up a desperate resistance. We lost many soldiers before we finally wiped them all out. We captured more than 200 people alive. Yesterday, we tied them all up and stabbed them to death with spears in front of the Adlisia people. On the one hand, it was to help the oppressed Adlisia people get revenge, and on the other hand, it was to serve as a warning to others."
"That's it..."
Hilde turned around.
Those bodies stuck outside the city.
Perhaps this is the best warning.
“How many of us died?”
"There are a total of 170 fallen soldiers... At the beginning, we were overwhelmed, but later, after we reorganized the formation, we turned the tables. Your Majesty, I am very sorry. It was my fault in command that caused such casualties. The fallen soldiers have all been cremated and placed in boxes according to your previous arrangements. They will be sent to their families later." Sitalses knelt on the ground with his head bowed deeply, as if he had done something unforgivable.
"Okay, you did great."
Hilde shook her head helplessly.
Sitalses' troops were from the Third Legion.
The Third Legion, basically all of them are from Samos...
In other words, the more than one hundred dead were all from Samos.
Since those who were nailed to death were all the remaining hunters, Hilde understood. It seemed that these hunters were brainwashed very badly. Even though the Thracian king was dead, they were still unwilling to surrender. In the end, this was the result... After Hilde got off the horse, he asked, "So, what is the current situation? What is the situation in the city? After all, the Adrichians are the direct descendants of the Thracian king. I am afraid that other problems will arise."
"His Majesty."
At this time, Archon Damianos, who was standing aside, knelt on the ground and said:
“The current situation is not very good.”
"Huh? What happened?"
"It's like this. The Adrichians are quite resistant to us. When the hunters attacked us, some of them also participated. Later, after the hunters were dealt with, the Adrichians have been wary of us. In order to prevent any unexpected situations, our troops are stationed outside the city." Damianos turned his head and glanced at Sitalses. "General Sitalses has been negotiating with the Adrichians, hoping that they can cooperate, but... they all regard General Sitalses as a traitor, and their attitude is even worse."
"That's it."
Hilde looked at the ruined city.
Now, Hilde's mind suddenly became much clearer.
"Citalceth, come with me."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Sitalses stood up, lowered his head, and followed Hilde to the side. At this time, Hilde said to Sitalses: "I know you have tried your best, and you also hope that the Adrichians can live a good life, but now, I must tell you my thoughts, you must listen carefully."
"Your Majesty, please speak."
Sitalces had already guessed a little.
Hilde looked at Adlicia not far away and said helplessly:
"You know very well that although the Adlicians live under the reign of terror of the Thracian king, their lives are actually better than those of most Thracians. They live at the top of the exploitation hierarchy and do not need to engage in agricultural production to survive. All they need is for men to go to the army and for women to have children at home. This kind of life is already happier than that of most Thracians, so they have long been accustomed to it. In other words, they may not feel that the Thracian king owes them anything, but rather feel that they can live this way because of the existence of the Thracian king."
"..."
Sitalces did not object.
Because what Hilde said was indeed the truth.
Sitalses originally thought that the Adrichians should have the same ideas as himself.
But after arriving here and spending so many days together, Sitalses found that his thoughts were too simple. The only ones who really hated the Thracians were the soldiers from Adlicia, like Sitalses. However, these Adlicians living in the rear enjoyed the privileges given to them by the Thracian king. This privilege made them swell up and they didn't even know who they were... Therefore, this situation occurred.
