In 657 BC, the native Greek city-state of Megara (next to Athens, to the southwest of it), Prince Byzant, was preparing to lead his people to establish a colony on the coast of Asia Minor, and asked Delphi for an oracle to choose a suitable city site. The result was a vague answer: build a city opposite the blind man.
Byzant didn't understand the meaning of the oracle at first, but when his ship came to the city of Charleston on the east side of the Bosphorus, he suddenly understood the meaning of the oracle, because the geographical location of Charleston was too great. Too bad, I couldn't even see the Golden Horn on the opposite side. It was clearly a city that only blind people could build. So, he established a colonial city on the other side of Charleston and named it Byzantium.
Since Meghala was not a strong state, the immigration it could provide was limited. After hundreds of years of development, Byzantium was still a small city, but its location gradually became more important. After the rise of Athens, the food mainly came from the city-states of the Eoken Sea. Therefore, the Byzantine city of Charlesidon had been conquered as a hub city guarding the sea passage between the Eoken Sea and the Aegean Sea. Naturally, it became the focus of Athens' target, and then Byzantium joined. The Delian League became an ally of Athens.
After the Peloponnesian War, the victorious Spartans also took a fancy to the geographical location of Byzantium. They not only supported a puppet regime in Byzantium, but also stationed troops in the city to control the Bosphorus.
One day in the early spring of 399 BC, Bulcos' ship entered the Byzantine port. Standing on the bow of the ship, he saw more than a hundred warships moored densely in the port. He was temporarily relieved: It should be It's time to catch up.
Just as he followed the instructions of the port management personnel and instructed the crew to slowly drive the ship into the designated dock, the people who were busy at the port suddenly screamed. In the chaos, many people jumped on the ship in panic and untied the ropes. about to leave the port. Without coordination and command, ships collided with each other, making a mess, and even some ships were overturned, and the crew panicked and fell into the water...
Burkes hurriedly ordered the boat to be rowed back, but fortunately he hadn't entered the dock and escaped the disaster. He reluctantly parked the boat outside the port and watched the development. Many people had the same idea as him. After a while, hundreds of boats of various sizes moored outside the port, floating up and down with the sea.
Looking at the port, which was still busy before, it became empty in the blink of an eye, leaving a mess. Burkes was puzzled, so he asked the neighboring ship loudly: "Hey, what happened?"
"Damn mercenaries! Those mercenaries who returned from Persia are going to attack Byzantium!"
"The mercenaries attacked Byzantium?!" Burkos's heart jumped: "Why?"
"I don't know. I heard that the Spartans lied to them and said, 'As long as they go to Byzantium, they will be given provisions', but when they arrived in Byzantium, they didn't keep their promise and tricked them out of the city and closed the city gate, so These mercenaries became angry. Alas, in this world, soldiers with shields and spears are rampant like robbers everywhere, and the unfortunate ones are all ordinary citizens like us!" An old man who looked like a captain took the words and said : "Brother, you are not Byzantine. Where are you from?"
Burkes hesitated for a moment, and said, "Turii."
"Turii... oh, I know that city, is it in Greater Greece? I haven't been there, but I've been to Tarantum, it's a good place, too rich! I said... it's better yours Ah! There is chaos everywhere in Asia Minor now, and war is possible everywhere! …”
Burkes, involuntarily listening to an old man ramble, asked, "Who is responsible for Byzantium now?"
"Spartan general Kleander." The old man complained: "The Spartans only know how to kill people, but they don't know how to manage a city-state! It's only been a few years since they occupied Byzantium! You see, it's much worse than before. La... ugh!"
Burkes moved in his heart and asked, "Old man, what's your name? You've been a captain for many years! The captains here should be familiar with it!"
"Picyras of Byzantium. When Pericles of Athens became chief general, I went out to run the ship. At that time, he also led the Athenian fleet to buy wheat in the Euke Sea, and I have seen him. I am familiar with the captains and boatmen here. I grew up watching many of them..." While boasting about his past, the old man asked seemingly inadvertently, "Why do you want to use a boat?"
"Well... it's possible." Burkes said vaguely.
"What is it for transportation?" The old man did not shy away, and continued to ramble: "Grain? Timber? Stone? Olive oil?..."
Faced with the inquiries of the old man who depended on the old and sold the old, Burkes was a little helpless, thought for a while, and said, "...Maybe it's a human being."
The old man's eyes widened, and the experienced man immediately thought of something: "Could it be those mercenaries?! No wonder you have to ask me if I know all the ship owners here! Good! Great! Get them away quickly, we Byzantium It might be quiet for a while!"
Burkes neither admits nor denies it.
At this time, a signal came from the port: everything was safe and the ship was allowed to enter the port.
"Hey, brother! If you want to use a boat, you can come to the port and say to any Byzantines in the port, 'Look for old Piri', and they will bring you to me!" At the stern, shout out a message to Bulcos.
"Okay!" Burkes replied, thinking in his heart: after disembarking, should I visit the Byzantine Spartan chief Criander first
… … … … … … …
In some Thracian villages not far from the Byzantine city, where the barracks of Greek mercenaries continued, it was already dusk, most of the soldiers had rested, and there was a large tent still flickering with candles.
Davos was thinking so hard in the tent that Cristoia didn't notice when he came in.
"Dear, what are you thinking?" Cristoia stretched out her snow-white arms and hugged Davos from behind, and asked softly.
Davos sniffed her hair lightly, sighed, and said, "Today we arranged for the soldiers to perform a scene, and let the angry them act as if they were going to attack Byzantium, forcing the Spartans to give in temporarily and agree to it. Give us some sustenance, but that doesn't solve the fundamental problem.
Mersis sneaks into the city and gets some news. The Spartan general, Tiburon, who was appointed governor of Sparta in Asia Minor, had arrived at Ephesus and began to recruit soldiers. It seems that your judgment is correct, Sparta is ready to go to war with Persia!
Creander of Sparta has trapped us here, and wants us to help them eliminate the Thracians nearby, and I am afraid there is still the possibility of incorporating us to help them fight the Persians. "
"Doesn't Kerisopes value you very much? When I went back to report, I entrusted Anaxis to take care of you, but unfortunately you ignored Anaxis' wooing. Now he is fighting with Xenophon. ' Cristoia teased, stroking his face.
"Xenophon is good at this, but I'm not interested in Sparta." Davos scratched his head irritably: "If you keep fighting with Sparta, I'm afraid there won't even be a burial place when you die, but unfortunately we Now it is a fish that has left the sea, and it is only for others to slaughter it!"
Cristoia kissed him lightly on the face: "Darling, don't be so depressed. I met someone when I came, and he might be able to solve your troubles."
"Who?" Davos was shocked when he heard the words.
Cristoia turned back and shouted outside the tent: "Martius, let him in."