Chapter 59
In 657 BC, Prince Bezhan of the Greek city-state of Megara (next to Athens and to its southwest) was preparing to lead his people to build a colony on the coast of Asia Minor. He asked Delphi for an oracle to help him choose a suitable location to build the city, but he received a vague answer: build the city opposite the blind man.
Bezhan didn't understand the oracle at first, but when his ship arrived at the city of Charseton on the east side of the Bosporus Strait, he suddenly understood. Charseton's geographical location was so bad that he couldn't see the Golden Horn Bay on the other side. It was obvious that only a blind man would build a city there. Thus, he built a colony on the other side of Charseton and named it Byzantium.
Since Megara wasn't a strong city-state, the number of immigrants it could provide was limited. After a few hundred years of development, Byzantium was still a small city, but its position gradually became more important. After the rise of Athens, food mainly came from the city-states in the Yoke Galaxy. Therefore, Byzantium, which had already conquered Charseton, was the hub city that guarded the sea passage between the Yoke Galaxy and the Aegean Sea. Naturally, it became the focus of Athens' attention. After that, Byzantium joined the Delian League and became an ally of Athens.
After the Peloponnesian War, the Spartans, who were the victors of the Peloponnesian War, saw the geographical location of the Byzantine Empire. Not only did they establish a puppet regime in the Byzantine Empire, but they also stationed troops in the city and controlled the Bosporus Strait.
One day in the early spring of 399 BC, Burkos' ship sailed into the port of Byzantium. Standing at the bow of the ship, he saw more than a hundred warships densely packed at the port. He temporarily heaved a sigh of relief: I should be able to make it in time.
Just as he was following the instructions of the port manager and directing the crew to slowly sail the ship to the designated port, the people who were busy at the port suddenly screamed. In the chaos, many people jumped onto the ships in panic, untied the ropes, and were about to sail away from the port. Without coordination, the ships collided with each other, and it was a mess. Some ships were even knocked over, and the crew panicked and fell into the water …
Burkos hurriedly ordered the ship to row back. Fortunately, he hadn't entered the port yet, and he escaped the disaster. He anchored the ship outside the port unwillingly and observed the situation. Many people had the same idea as him. After a while, hundreds of ships of various sizes were anchored outside the port, floating up and down with the waves.
Looking at the previously bustling port, in the blink of an eye, it had become empty, leaving behind a mess. Burkos was puzzled, so he asked the neighboring ship loudly, "Hey, what's going on?"
"It's those damn mercenaries! The mercenaries from Persia are going to attack Byzantium! "
"Mercenaries attacking the Byzantine Empire?!" Burkos' heart skipped a beat, "Why?"
"I don't know. They heard that Sparta lied to them and told them that they would be given food as long as they arrived at Byzantium. However, when they arrived at Byzantium, they didn't fulfill their promise and even tricked them out of the city and closed the gate. Therefore, these mercenaries were furious. Sigh, in this world, there are soldiers with spears and shields roaming the streets like bandits. The unlucky ones are us ordinary citizens! "An old man who looked like the captain of the ship said," Brother, you are not a Byzantine, right? Where are you from? "
Burkos hesitated for a second and said, "Turií."
"Turií … … Oh, I know that city. Is it in Greece? I haven't been there, but I have been to Tarantum. It is a good place, so rich! I say … … your place is the best! Right now, Asia Minor is in chaos, and wars can break out everywhere! … … "
Burkos didn't want to listen to the old man's rambling, so he asked, "Who is in charge of Byzantium now?"
"General Creander of Sparta," the old man complained, "Sparta only know how to kill people, but they don't know how to manage a city! It has only been a few years since they conquered Byzantium! Look, they are much worse than before … … Sigh! "
Burkos suddenly thought of something and asked, "Old man, what's your name? You have been a captain for many years, right? You should be familiar with all the ship owners here! "
"Byzantium's Pysilas. When Pericles of Athens became the chief general, I started running ships. At that time, he even led the Athens fleet to Yoke Galaxy to buy wheat, and I met him before! I am familiar with all the ship owners and ship owners here. I watched a lot of them grow up … … "The old man bragged about his past and asked casually," What? You want to use ships? "
"Eh … … Maybe," Burkos said vaguely.
"What are you transporting?" The old man didn't avoid the topic and continued to ask, "Food? Wood? Stone? Olive oil? … … "
Burkos was a little helpless against this old man's questioning. He thought for a while and said, "… … Maybe people."
The old man's eyes opened wide, and he immediately thought of something. "Could it be those mercenaries?! No wonder you asked me if I know all the ship owners here! Great! That was great! Quickly get them out of here, and our Byzantium will be peaceful for a while! "
Burkos didn't admit nor deny.
At this moment, a signal came from the port: "Everything is safe, and the ships are allowed to enter the port."
"Hey, brother! If you want to use a ship, you can come to the port. Tell any Byzantine at the port, 'Find Old Pysilas', and they will bring you to me! "As the ships entered the port, the old man was still at the back of the ship, and he left a message for Burkos.
"Ok!" Burkos answered. He was thinking, "Should I visit the Byzantine Commander of Sparta, Creander first?"
… …
There were a few Thracian villages not far away from the city of Byzantium, and the military camps of the Greek mercenaries were everywhere. It was already dusk, and most of the soldiers were resting. Only one big tent was lit by candlelight.
Devers was thinking hard in the tent, and he didn't even notice Christoya coming in.
"Dear, what are you thinking about?" Christoya reached out her snow-white arms and hugged Devers from behind and asked softly.
Devers sniffed her hair and sighed. He said, "Today, we arranged the soldiers to put on a show. We made the angry Sparta pretend that they are going to attack Byzantium, and we forced them to give us some supplies. However, this can't solve the problem.
Merses sneaked into the city and got some information. Sparta's general, Tiburon, was appointed as the Governor of Asia Minor of Sparta. He has arrived at Ephesus and started to recruit soldiers. It seems like your judgment is correct. Sparta is going to start a war with Persia!
Sparta's Commander Creander trapped us here, and he wants us to help him eliminate the Thracians nearby. I'm afraid he wants us to help him fight against Persia. "
"Didn't Keristhorpes think highly of you? When he went back to report on his work, he even asked Anacis to take care of you. Unfortunately, you ignored Anacis's attempts to rope you in. Now, he's on good terms with Xenophon. "Kristoya caressed his face and teased.
"Xenophon is good at this, but I'm not interested in Sparta." Dyvers scratched his head in annoyance. "If we keep fighting with Sparda, I'm afraid we won't even have a place to bury ourselves before we die. It's a pity that we're fish out of the sea now. We can only wait to be slaughtered!"
Christoya kissed him gently on the cheek. "Dear, don't be so depressed. I met someone on my way here. He might be able to solve your problem. "
"Who?" Davus was shocked when he heard this.
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