detachment with the king and the prisoners went into one of the valleys, where the rest of the army was waiting for him with Polyperchon and Erigy. Garpal organized the supply of food, the soldiers were quite well fed and happy, and Alexander went to the prisoners, to negotiate with the leader.
The leader of the honeys was sitting with tied legs, but his hands were released to him, and heaped with his batons in order to prevent the leader from having rebellious thoughts. The prince, smiling, already in a clean dress, sat in a folding chair opposite the chieftain.
– Hello, Res, – he turned, – I broke all your troops, you are in captivity, it’s time to think about the world.
“I will not be a slave to the Hellenes,” the leader replied, proudly throwing back his head, and the golden hryvnia on his neck proudly flooded.
– Why do I need slaves? – Alexander was surprised, I don’t have anything to feed them, he laughed a little, with his head on his shoulder, – But your fortress will be mine, and you will swear loyalty, and every year you will send me five hundred lightly armed and two hundred horsemen, and you will give your son hostage. And you will not rob the roads.
“But these are our customs,” Al already scoffed.
“There is no more,” Alexander stretched out his hand to him, and after a pause, the leader extended his hand, having sealed the contract. Then they swore in the presence of the priests, and without the ropes on their feet, honey was present at the feast. Just the soldiers killed three wild boars, and one was given to the royal retinue, and he was fried in a hole, long tormented with herbs. The feast turned out great, but the guard was sober, afraid of the treachery of the Highlanders. Moved along the mountain roads to the city of Reza, the fortress for a few days. Going to the city, the Macedonians decided that everything was perfectly arranged with the honey-fortress was well fortified, the moat and the shaft were very wide, and although the wall was low, he moat and the shaft were insurmountable.
“I like the fortress, Alexander,” asked Res, turning in the saddle to the equestrian prince too.
“Great,” looking at the city with an admiring gaze answered the young man, “I swear you will not regret the king about our contract.”
“I want to name the city in honor of you, Alexandropolis,” answered Res, Alexander simply beamed at these words, he adored expressions of self-love and answered a hundredfold.
“But I will leave the garrison here, stop fifty peltastes, Res, and I would like to look at the city inside, the prince added harsherly, and the Thracian looked at him with respect and understanding.” The horsemen approached the gates, and at the scream of Resa, the gates opened, and the Pelttes and retinue of Junior Argead entered the city. Inside were several squat houses, a well, stables, nothing surprising. The king spoke with his Thracian, and Teres translated the meaning of the speeches: “We lost, but the prince is kind, allows us to live according to our customs, lets the prisoners go, but demands to stop the looting, to send five hundred young men every year to serve him, and the king’s son as a sign of friendship, they will live near the Macedonians. And also the Macedonians will leave a garrison in the fortress, and if the Mezians attack Mead, Alexander will come to the rescue. “The elders who listened to the king, agreed nod, and as the servant conveyed to Nearh, they agreed. When the prince heard the words of a Cretan citizen about this, he was delighted with this answer of the elders, and called for Eumenes,
“Write to Pella to the mother and father that I conquered the honey,” he thought for a few moments, “and stormed their fortress and called it Alexandropolis. Recorded Eumenes?
“Yes, Alexander,” after a short time he gave the prince two scrolls, he sealed them with his ring and gave Evmen back.
– Send today with the messengers, father and mother. Such news they like more.
“Res, in a week you will send five hundred fighters to Pella, and one of the hurdles of Alexandropol conducts them,” the young commander ordered, the king of the honey nodded his affirmative to these words.
– Alexander, if the Mezians come, will you definitely help?
– I never lie, Res. I will come with the army, I swear by Zeus, – with these words the honey brightened, nodded and set out to place its wounded, and select people to serve the Macedonians.
After a day at the fortress, the army returned to Pella, returned victorious. Apart from the dead from the dead, Res paid twenty talents of silver, so there was something to pay the soldiers. On the way, part of the detachments were dismissed to their homes, and only hypaspists, Eters and Thessalians returned to the capital. Only on their way did the Eters see that Alexander grew gloomy more and more.
“What’s the matter with you, Alexander,” asked his closest friend Hephaestion, and he looked up at him with sadness,
“You know Hephaestion, they tear me apart, as if you can share my love,” answered the prince in impotence by hanging his blond head,
“What is he,” asked Nearh in a whisper to Ptolemy,
“He loves both his mother and father, but they don’t get along well, and the Olympiad has a very domineering character,” Alexander’s bodyguard replied to him. “I hope that this time it will be okay.”
Having entered the city, the prince dismissed the detachments to their homes, leaving the hypaspists and personal squad, and the entire retinue approached the palace, where Alexander sent a vestnik of his return, and since King Philip returned to the city with a successful war, in honor of his victory and victory Son called all the nobility to the feast. But first, the Eters went to the bathhouse, the palace had the same showers as Miez, so they managed to get comfortable in order, and after changing their clothes, the Eters went to the Great Hall of the Palace, but Alexander went to visit his mother, so long as he did not with friends. The hall was richly decorated, and for the sake of celebration, it was thickly hung with flower garlands, there were lodges for the Goths and small tables nearby, and a large table, on which stood oratory and subtle divine aromas of fine and wine, Philip and Alexander Lodge were near, on some elevation, they also invited two aedovs in order to brighten the ears of the guests with declamation and music. Philip, as the owner, was already reclining in a wreath of flowers, the prince was not there yet, and the butler indicated the place to the guests according to their merits and nobility, so Alexander’s eters were far from the royal place. Philip was gloomy, and already called the butler to him, as Alexander appeared, he was wearing a new beautiful dress, but he was collected and pale,
“You keep yourself waiting, my beloved son,” said the king, with a light reproach, “you have undoubtedly accomplished many feats, but still?
– Sorry, father, -Alexander came up and kissed the king on the cheek,
“Your son is a skillful commander!” Said Perdiccas loudly, “he has the sense of a true warrior!”
Philip really liked the praise of a skilled commander, and he didn’t hide it.
“I don’t like to shed blood just like that, and Alexander’s face slightly twisted, as if it were from pain,” but it’s better to live a faithful ally than scorched fields and mountains of corpses.
“Well, after all, you took Alexandropolis by attack,” Philip pointedly noted, “this is the Tsarevich who kept modestly silent,” now the hones will send us help, the tsar added for his entourage.
