The other side.
A thin mist shrouds the valley of Thermopylae.
The Spartan warriors had been stationed at the pass for the past two days. Occasionally, they could see Persian cavalry looking towards them from afar.
The enemy's reconnaissance missions were becoming less and less frequent, and all the Spartans knew clearly what that meant.
However, the Spartans continued to wipe their weapons, check their armor, and occasionally talk in low voices as usual.
They remained silent more and more often because, with each day that passed, the possibility of Persia launching an attack increased.
Therefore, they are becoming more vigilant and more silent.
At this moment, Leonidas, the king of Sparta, was standing at the front of the team, looking into the distance in the direction of the Persian camp.
Even though he could not see the Persian camp, even from a great distance he could tell from the vibrations of the ground that the Persian army had landed.
He just felt a little regretful. After all, if the Spartan parliament could agree to his request, he could lead the Spartan army and the gods' messengers to launch an attack before the other side completed the landing.
Unfortunately, the parliament did not agree to his request, so he could only lead these soldiers to guard the pass of Thermopylae.
However, King Leonidas of Sparta suddenly narrowed his eyes, knelt down gently, and placed his palms on the ground.
That was what he was sensing, because he noticed a tiny vibration.
Then he raised his head and looked into the distance.
Unseen by King Leonidas of Sparta, a column separated from the Persian camp and moved slowly toward Thermopylae.
Their flag was different from that of the Persian army. It was not the common Persian military flag, but a special diplomatic flag.
Leonidas, the king of Sparta, certainly knew what the flag represented.
"The enemy has sent a messenger."
King Leonidas of Sparta spoke to the warrior beside him, then he put down his shield and took off his helmet.
"Be prepared and don't act rashly."
"I want to meet these Persians myself."
When the Persian delegation arrived about a hundred steps from Thermopylae, they stopped.
Leonidas, the king of Sparta, saw that the Persian delegation was led by two men dressed in gorgeous clothes.
One is a renowned tactician of the empire, the other a high-ranking envoy specializing in diplomatic affairs.
A small group of people followed behind them, but they kept their distance and were not carrying any weapons.
On the contrary, they brought many large boxes, and even the horses seemed to have a hard time pulling the chariots loaded with large boxes.
"Spartans!"
The messenger shouted loudly, and his voice echoed through the valley of Thermopylae.
"We are the special envoys sent by Nadir Shah, the God-King of the Persian Empire and the King of Kings, to convey the will of the King of Kings!"
"Please send your leader to talk to us!"
The warriors in the Spartan camp looked at each other, and no one spoke.
They just stared at their king in silence as Leonidas slowly took a step forward.
Leonidas, the king of Sparta, was now wearing the same simple armor as other warriors, except for the red feathers on his helmet, indicating that his identity was not ordinary.
"I am Leonidas, King of Sparta."
As soon as these words were spoken, the messenger's face immediately showed surprise.
Because this means that their intelligence is correct, and as long as the Spartan king Leonidas expresses his attitude of surrender, they can easily take over the city-state of Sparta.
"Ah, King of Sparta, Leonidas."
The tactician took a step forward with joy, then raised his head arrogantly.
"On behalf of the God-King Nadir Shah, King of Kings of Persia, I greet the... ahem... city-state of Sparta."
He deliberately avoided the word "small" in his remarks.
However, Leonidas still keenly caught the other party's hesitation in speaking.
He had no expression on his face, just nodded coldly, motioning the other party to continue.
The messenger cleared his throat at this point.
"The King of Kings greatly admires your courage, and therefore, He wishes to grant you a great gift."
"Surrender to the merciful King of kings and serve under him."
"The military talent you have demonstrated will surely earn you the status and honor you deserve in the Imperial Army."
Leonidas just raised one corner of his mouth and looked at the other person with a little disdain.
The tactician then stepped forward again and signaled the messenger to step back.
"King, the King of Kings admires your courage."
"Please allow me to convey the will of our benevolent God-King once again."
The tactician straightened his back and raised his voice an octave.
"You, King of Sparta, as a token of your submission, shall only offer your earth and water, and acknowledge the suzerainty of the King of Kings over Sparta."
"Then you can join the Persian Empire."
"If you agree to this reasonable request, the King of kings will grant you unprecedented freedom and autonomy."
"The Spartans could continue to live on their own land and follow their traditional way of life, paying tribute to the King of Kings every year and providing military assistance when necessary."
When the tactical master said this, he looked around at the Spartan warriors not far away.
Sure enough, there were only a pitiful three hundred people there.
Thus, a condescending pity appeared in the tactical master's eyes.
"King of Sparta, you must understand that these conditions are beyond what you deserve."
"You know, none of the other Greek city-states that submitted to the King of Kings could obtain such favorable conditions."
"They all surrendered voluntarily without even putting up any resistance."
When he said this, he turned his gaze to Leonidas.
Seeing that Leonidas hadn't spoken yet, he continued to raise his voice.
Moreover, his voice became much colder.
"And if you reject this generous offer..."
He paused, letting the smell of fear permeate every Spartan's body.
"The King of kings will personally lead his army to raze your cities, burn your fields, and destroy your homes."
"He will give the order to kill every Spartan."
"No one, young or old, man or woman, will be spared."
Then, his voice became even colder.
"And the name of Sparta will be forever erased from the long river of history, as if it had never existed."
After saying this, the tactician put on a magnanimous attitude again.
"Now, venerable King of Sparta, Leonidas, please tell me your decision."
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