Chapter 1205
The reason why this admiral, who had been banished by the people of Athens, was valued in Phrygia was not only because of his talent in naval warfare, but also because he was a good friend of the governor of Phrygia, Ariobazenis.
How could a wandering citizen of Athens be friends with a respected governor of Persia?
The reason could be traced back to a few decades ago. After the War of Peloponnesus, the famous admiral of Athens, Konon, fled to Persia. He was courteously received by Cyrus the Younger, who was the military commander of the western part of Asia Minor at that time, and settled down there. He had a close relationship with the nobles of Persia at that time, which laid the foundation for him to become the commander of the Persia's fleet in Asia Minor.
His son, Timotheus, had lived in the western part of Asia Minor for many years and had befriended many young nobles of Persia. Ariobazenis was one of them. After Timotheus returned to Athens, the two of them often kept in touch. This time, when he was chased out of Athens, the first thing he thought of was to seek refuge with his good friend, who had become the governor of Phrygia.
Ariobazenis was happy for the arrival of his good friend. He also knew his friend's ability very well, and after only half a year, he boldly promoted him to commander of the fleet.
Today, Ariobazenis sent someone to inform Timotheus that he had something important to discuss with him. Although the messenger did not tell Timotheus what it was, he had a hunch that the thing he had been requesting for a long time had come to fruition. Therefore, he anxiously rode to the governor's mansion.
Ariobazenis' residence was in the central town of Phrygia, Geldium, on the right bank of the Sakaria River. Timotheus finally arrived on the evening of the fifth day, after running three horses until they were exhausted.
Ariobazenis, who had already received the messenger's message, personally went out to greet Timotheus. He said in a serious tone, "Timotheus, I am so sorry! I've already severely punished the messenger who brought you here. He didn't completely understand my orders and didn't explain it to you clearly. Actually, the matter wasn't urgent, but he made you rush here without any rest. If something happened to you on the way here, I would feel very guilty and uneasy. Luckily, God Maz protected me! "
Timotheus was touched by Ariobazenis's concern. He quickly bowed and said, "Lord Viceroy —"
Aliobazenis immediately interrupted him with a displeased expression, "Hey, how come you've changed the way you address me in just a few months? First of all, you are my good friend, and then you are my subordinate. I hope that this friendship can be maintained for a long time, so you better call me like before. "
For the people of Athens who did not like to bow and scrape, this was exactly what Timotheus wanted. He immediately changed his tone. "Ario, why have you called me here?"
Aliobazenis laughed and took his arm, leading him into the mansion. At the same time, he said, "Although the messenger made a mistake, I am very happy to see you so soon! You must be tired and hungry after such a long journey. Go take a bath first, then we can eat together. We can talk while eating. "
With the help of the maidservants, Timotheus finished his bath and briefly told Aliobazenis about the situation of the Phrygian fleet.
After listening carefully, Aliobazenis expressed his satisfaction with Timotheus's actions in Aspendus. Then, he talked about some of the interesting things that happened between them when they were young.
Timotheus also interjected from time to time. Although there were five or six maidservants in the dining hall and only the two of them, the atmosphere was quite lively.
After three rounds of wine and five dishes, Aliobazenis said with a serious expression, "Timotheus, the last time you told me that you wanted to lead the fleet to support Athens and fight against the navy of Diónia … I can't agree to this."
Hearing this, Timotheus was instantly disappointed. Although he did not show this emotion, he instantly maintained his silence.
Aliobazenis saw this and calmly took out a letter from his pocket. He handed it to Timotheus and said, "Take a look at this first."
Timotheus took the letter with a puzzled expression and opened it. Very soon, his expression changed. "The king of Persia wants to attack Egypt, and he wants you to provide troops and supplies. He even asked me to lead the fleet to Tyre?!"
Aliobazenis sighed. "When you made this request to me, I hesitated, not because I'm stingy, but because the Persian King is planning to attack Egypt. If I agree to your request and send the fleet to Athens, the Persian King will think that I'm not willing to provide him with military support, and with his suspicious and vengeful nature, I'm afraid he'll think that I'm not willing to provide him with military support and deliberately found such an excuse in advance. I'm afraid he won't let me off easily in the future …
Sigh! Ever since the defeat of His Highness Cyrus, the king has had a bad impression of Asia Minor … When Sparta invaded our land, not only did he not provide any help, but he also supported Sparta's rule over Greece in the end … In the subsequent wars, Asia Minor contributed the most. Of course, we also suffered the greatest losses … "
Hearing this, not only did the dissatisfaction in Timotheus' heart disappear, but he also felt guilty. He said sincerely, "Aliobazenis, I was expelled from Athens. Not only did you take me in, but you also entrusted me with an important task. I'm very grateful! I shouldn't have made such a request and made it difficult for you. This is my fault! "
Aliobazenis shook his head and said helplessly, "Athens expelled you, but you still want to help Athens. I admire you very much! It's unfortunate that these two things happened together. Otherwise, Lord Fanabazos would have done what he did. (Fanabazos persuaded the governors of Asia Minor to allow Konon to lead the western Asia Minor Allied Fleet to attack Sparta in retaliation for Agesilaus's destruction of western Asia Minor. In the end, he also acquiesced to Konon's decision to bring the warships into Athens.) With our friendship, I would have provided you with even more support! "
Timotheus could only lament his bad luck. He was silent for a moment, then took a big gulp of wine. Then he asked doubtfully, "I've never met the king of Persia. Why would he specifically mention me in his letter?"
Aliobazenis smiled and said, "Timotheus, you underestimate yourself. You performed well in the war against Sparta, and you have proved to the world that you are an excellent naval commander who is no less talented than your father. I think the king who has been paying attention to the Greek war must have heard of your name. You have to know that although Persia is strong, we lack a good naval commander. Otherwise, we would not have lost so many naval battles against Greece in the past. Although the Egyptian navy is not strong — "
Aliobazenis sneered, "But the king has suffered several defeats in the previous wars. This time, he will not allow himself to fail again. So, of course, he wants to choose a good naval commander to help him. In any case, this is a good thing for you. If you can get the king's appreciation, maybe you can ask him to lead the entire Persia navy to rescue Greece and fight against Diónia."
Timotheus' heart skipped a beat. At that moment, he had already decided to go to Tyre.
Aliobazenis obviously saw through his thoughts and said, "Timotheus, if you agree to accept the king's invitation, can you do me two small favors?"
"You are too kind, Aliobazenis. Ever since I left Athens and came to Phrygia, you have been taking care of me. I was worried that I would not have a chance to repay you. Let alone two favors, even if it is a hundred, as long as I can do it, I will do my best to help you!"
"Okay, then I will say it directly! I spent a few years of Phrygia's taxes to barely build such a fleet. If you can be put in an important position by the king, I hope that you can do your best to protect my warships in the war against Egypt. "
Timotheus answered straightforwardly, "Don't worry, I will do my best!"
"The second favor is … after you become the king's subordinate and participate in the war against Egypt, can you … regularly write to me in detail about the movements of the entire army? You know … hmm, there is a lot of trade between Phrygia and Egypt. I need to make some decisions according to the development of the war. The Phrygian merchants who are still in some towns in Egypt should either evacuate as soon as possible or seize some important resources and mines there … "
Timotheus hesitated for a moment before replying, "I will write to you, but after arriving in Phrygia, I will be mainly responsible for the navy. I may not be very clear about the future movements of the army of Persia …"
"Just do your best!" Aliobazenis smiled and raised his glass. "Let's toast. I wish you all the best in the war!"
Late at night, Aliobazenis' trusted servant, who had disappeared for a period of time, quietly returned to the governor's mansion.
Aliobazenis summoned him alone in the study.
"Master, 15 days ago, I arrived at Samalla in Cappadocia. The governor met me in secret. I showed him the letter you wrote and the letter written by the Pharaoh of Egypt. This is his reply."
Aliobazenis quickly took the letter, and after reading it, a look of joy appeared on his face.
Although the trusted servant was curious, he knew not to ask.
However, Ariobazenis still could not help but say, "Not only did Streidates agree to my suggestion, he decided to accept the Pharaoh's plan and join forces with us. He also took the initiative to persuade the governors of Paphlagoni, Lyconia, and Armenia."
"Master, if you contact too many people, it will be difficult to keep it a secret!" The trusted servant reminded worriedly.
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