"Thank you." Hilde vaguely felt that Sophia seemed to have guessed something. Her words of support seemed to be a signal to Hilde. That is, no matter what decision Hilde makes, she will support her. If, in the event of an attack by the Persians, Hilde, who had no ability to resist, would have no choice but to surrender. Surrendering, to some extent, would be equivalent to betraying her own country and all the citizens of the Byzantine Empire. But if she did not surrender, all the people who would die would be the people of the Byzantine Empire, and even the entire country might be destroyed. Even if you may be scolded. Hilde also had to save the country. And Sophia seemed to have sensed Hilde's pressure. Sophia's encouragement gave Hilde a renewed motivation, allowing her to face the risks that might arise at any time in the future. Therefore, early the next morning, Hilde began to order her subordinates to send scouts from Chalcedon to other places to observe and see the movements of the Persian army. And Hilde was not idle either.
She first called an internal meeting. Members included Amyntas, Sitalces, the municipal governor Marcus and a series of other officials. Since this was an internal meeting, and a top-secret one, when everyone arrived on time, Hilde first emphasized confidentiality. So, Hilde said, "What I am going to say today is related to the future survival of the Byzantine Kingdom and whether the citizens of the kingdom can live safely. This is a very serious issue. I ask you not to tell anyone what I said today, no matter what." "Yes! Your Majesty." All the officials nodded in affirmation. "Everyone knows about Miletus, right?" "Yes, Your Majesty, the events in Miletus have caused many people in the kingdom to start to worry." "You are right to worry. The Persians are very powerful. If they decide to attack, unless the city-states in mainland Greece can put aside their prejudices and unite together, there is absolutely no way to resist the Persians. The same is true for our Byzantine Kingdom. Up to now, our military strength has barely reached 5,000. If the Persians invade on a large scale, we must pay an extremely heavy price to have a chance of defeating them." Hilde's words made Amyntas nervous. Five thousand people is already a large number. In the ancient Greek world, there was an army of 5,000 people, which could be considered a hegemon. However, the number of Persians was dozens of times higher than this. The Greek world knew very little about Persia, but a rough estimate showed that the Persians had at least 200,000 armed forces, and the quality of the troops was not bad. Therefore, it was possible that Hilde's army could defeat the Persian offensive in a few battles, but once it fell into a protracted war, the Byzantine Kingdom would have no chance of turning around. So, Hilde continued: "If the Persians really intend to attack the Byzantine Empire, I have decided to surrender." "Surrender? I don't agree!" At this time, an official in charge of agriculture stood up and said: "Although we are not strong, our soldiers are brave and fearless. Moreover, if the Persians really attack, we can defend Chalcedon first. If Chalcedon cannot be defended, we will retreat to Byzantium, unite with other Greek city-states, and use the navy to block the Persians' way. The Persians do not have enough ports, so they cannot cross the sea to attack us! However, if we surrender." "That's what I want to say." Hilde tapped the table lightly.
Signaling everyone to be quiet. "First of all, before Miletus was conquered, why didn't other Greek city-states come out to help? What is the Ionian League doing? You know, Athens and Sparta are now accepting gold from Persia. The Peloponnesian League and the Delian League have the shadow of the Persians behind them. We Greeks are not a united people! I am afraid that if we use all our national strength to resist Persia, the final result will be that we will be abandoned." "Moreover, if we surrender, the Persians can march straight into Thrace. At that time, in front of the Persian army, the Thracian region, including the Thracian king in the north, will have to face the Persian attack, and they, like you, will definitely choose to fight to the death. The final result will be a loss for both sides. Do you remember what you said? The Persian navy is not strong... Yes, this is what I want. Once the Persian army is severely damaged, we can immediately cut off their sea supply. With our intact army, we can immediately sweep the entire Thracian region! So, this is my plan." Section 10 of the Fifth Amendment: Special Surrender Demands After Hilde told her plan. These officials can also feel this. That's what Hilde said today, and it's very serious indeed. They also realized why Hilde emphasized confidentiality at the beginning, because if the plan were leaked, there would be unpredictable consequences. The Persians' way of ruling is somewhat different from Hilde's. During the Persian conquest, if a force surrendered, they would ask the surrendered force to send troops to assist them. In the Greco-Persian War, the Thracians stood on the side of the Persians, and they sent out tens of thousands of troops to become the Persians' auxiliary forces. However, in fact, during the Greco-Persian War, the Thracians did not contribute money or effort. After the Persians retreated, the Thracians became independent again, and they continued to do what they should do. This is the Thracian way of ruling. Hield doesn’t just want a do-over. Moreover, it was to give the Persians a fatal blow. Hild's sphere of influence is small and his army is small, so he is more likely to be ignored. "I've finished speaking, who's for it and who's against it?" Hilde looked around, at everyone's face, and memorized their expressions in her mind. Some were surprised, some were helpless, and some were indignant. Everyone's attitude determined everyone's view on this matter. As for opposition, they would never directly oppose Hilde, but from their reactions, Hilde could roughly understand what they were thinking. This was his idea, so Hilde continued: "Since everyone has no suggestions, then let's just leave it at that. If the Persians don't attack, all our plans will remain the same. If the Persians really attack, then we will follow the plan I just mentioned." "Yes!" Everyone agreed. But Hilde was not sure what the outcome would be. In the blink of an eye, several days passed. Hilde was still proceeding according to the original plan. After taking Chalcedon, the Byzantine Kingdom began to digest this city-state, which was about the same size as the Byzantine city. Due to the disastrous defeat of the army and heavy casualties, Chalcedon had a strong resistance to the Byzantine Kingdom, but they had no ability to resist. Hilde simply accepted a few hundred Chalcedonians into the army as auxiliary troops, and sent two thousand soldiers to station in Chalcedon, on the one hand to prevent the Chalcedonians from rioting, and on the other hand to prevent the activities of the Persians. And Hilde's bad premonition became more and more serious as time went by. The people she sent out didn't find any reliable intelligence at all. None of them knew what Aspasia's current situation was. Seeing her mother missing for such a long time, Hilde was extremely nervous. Although she would not show her nervousness on weekdays, Hilde knew in her heart that she was not a heartless person. Aspasia had always been very good to Hilde since she was a child. She was Hilde's biological mother in this world. How could Hilde really not care about her mother's accident? Just as Hilde was becoming more and more anxious. Suddenly, a scout rushed to Byzantium with a letter. "Your Majesty! This is a letter from the Persian Emperor!"
"..." Hilde took a deep breath. Sure enough, what was supposed to come came. "Send it up." "Yes!" The scout handed the letter to Hilde, then took two steps back and walked aside. Hilde opened the letter, which was written in neat Greek. Hilde did not think that it was written by the Persian emperor himself. After all, the emperor must have many translators who were proficient in foreign languages. She read the letter carefully and then put it aside. At this time, Amyntas and others standing by were looking at Hilde very nervously. They did not know what happened to Hilde. She seemed to have a headache and trouble, as if something unexpected had happened to her. "Your Majesty... Is this a letter of surrender from Persia?" At this time, Amyntas asked: "If so……" "It is indeed a letter persuading the surrender, but it is also a little different." "That is how the matter?" "The Persian emperor doesn't want our land or our wealth. His only request is that I go from Chalcedon to Ankara to meet the Persian emperor in person." Hilde sighed and said helplessly, "If I don't agree, the Persian emperor will kill my mother Aspasia and let the entire Byzantine Empire be buried with her." "What a joke!" At this time, someone said angrily: "This is a scheme to frame your majesty!" "Yes! If they want the land, just give it to them. Why do we need His Majesty to go there?" The officials below were talking at once, and Hilde took a deep breath. "I have made up my mind about this matter. No matter what, I must go there in person. Whether it is for Byzantium or for my mother." The first section of the sixth tune is called the decision to sacrifice "Your Majesty, no!" Facing Hilde's decision. The crowd immediately objected. "How can a kingdom be without a king? If the king leaves and something happens, what will happen to our kingdom?" "With the king gone, can't the country function normally? Remember, if I don't go, not to mention the country, you all will die here! Everyone listen to me. If, after I go, you officials still operate according to the established guidelines and wait for me to come back with the results. However, if I have no news for more than a year, or die directly, then the Byzantine Kingdom will change from a kingdom to a republic." Hilde sighed helplessly, she looked a little tired, "Sorry, it's still because our country is too weak, and so am I." "His Majesty……" Amyntas fell to his knees. "Your Majesty, since this is your decision, I cannot stop you. May the gods bless you!"
"May the gods bless you!" Everyone knelt down in unison, and Hilde was somewhat moved. "Thank you all." "Your Majesty, when will you set off?" "Today." Hilde knew that if he went there this time, his life or death might be uncertain. She didn't know why the Persian emperor wanted her to go there in person. If he just wanted her to go there to show her submission, then it was fine. As long as she could come back safely, it would be fine. If the other party had other plans, then Hilde would fight to the death with him. Anyway, if she couldn't survive, Hilde didn't plan to die on her knees. So, after arranging a series of things, Hilde quickly returned home. At this time, Sophia and Dione stayed at home and had no idea what had happened. When they saw Hilde coming back, they were going to greet her with a smile, but they saw that Hilde had a gloomy face and seemed to be in a bad mood. "Sissi, what happened?" At this time, Sophia asked. And Hilde explained somewhat helplessly. "It's like this... The Persian Emperor sent me a letter asking me to go to Ankara in person, otherwise she would kill Aspasia and everyone in the Byzantine Empire. I had to go, so I came back to tell you that you have to go with me because you have to suck blood. I'm sorry... If something happens, I can only find a way to take you away. But I guess the Persian Emperor may just want me to submit to her, so it shouldn't be a big problem." "This, this is what to do!" Sophia suddenly panicked. "This is too dangerous for you!" "It's dangerous, but there's nothing we can do about it." Hilde reached out and gently touched Sophia's head. "Luckily, I have you guys to accompany me... Dione, are you willing to follow me? This time it may be dangerous, but... I'm sorry, you have to come with me." "I-I do!" Dione nodded affirmatively. "I will go with His Majesty!" "Dione..." After hearing what Dione said, Sophia was speechless. "Aspasia is now in the hands of the Persian emperor. I can't just sit there and watch. If my mother died in her hands because of me, I would be heartbroken for the rest of my life. Moreover... this is a sacrifice of me in exchange for the chance for others to survive. As the king of the Byzantine Kingdom, I have been prepared to sacrifice my life for the country from the beginning." Hilde's earnest words made Sophia cry. She knew Hilde well. The decision Hilde made could not be persuaded in any way. Hilde is usually carefree and doesn't seem to care about many things, but in fact, Hilde's heart has always been very concerned about the people around her. Whether it is Sofia, Aspasia, Dione, or Amyntas, these people who are loyal to her, Hilde cares about them very much. She absolutely does not want them to face the water and fire because of her. Therefore, Sofia can only hold Hilde's hand and say to her: "Sissi, I will accompany you, no matter what, I will accompany you!"
"Um……" Hilde smiled and said: "Thank you very much." Hilde felt that the ones who felt most sorry were probably Sofia and Dioni. I don't know what will happen when I go to Persia this time, but because of the curse and withdrawal reaction on them, I have to take them with me. So, if I really encounter any danger, I'm afraid Hilde will have to do her best to save her. Even if I die, I can't let them die because of me.