Chapter 479: Honorable Hittites Can Be Created

Hattusa City.

This city, about two kilometers long and wide, is located in the middle of the Anatolian Peninsula.

There are a lot of farmlands around the city, providing the city with food such as wheat, barley, and beans. Large areas of hillside grasslands and forests can not only graze cattle and sheep, but also serve as entertainment venues for the Hittite royal family and nobles to hunt wild animals.

There are rivers outside the city that provide fresh water, but the flow of the river is too small to be navigable and transport goods.

When Hatepuna arrived in Hattusha City under the escort of Governor Kusala and Telepin, the coalition forces organized by the city-state princes and nobles of the Hittite Kingdom had already surrounded Hattusha City.

Hantili, who lost the support of the city-state princes and nobles, chose to surrender directly.

The palace of Hattusha City.

Hatepuna entered Hattusha City and came to the palace hall surrounded by the city-state princes and nobles, and saw Hantili sitting on the throne, with his wife and son standing beside him.

Seeing Hantili sitting on her father's throne, Hatepuna said angrily.

"Hantili, have you not accepted reality yet?"

"My dear niece Hatepuna."

Hantili said with a playful smile.

"I didn't lose to you! I was betrayed by the city-state princes around you because I lost to the Athenian Emperor Roy. Before I lost the war, none of them stood up to oppose me becoming king."

What Hantili said was indeed true.

The city-state princes and nobles united to support Hatepuna, not because Hantili usurped the throne, but because Hantili lost the war and could not protect the interests of the Hittites.

Hantili's wife, Hatepuna's aunt, said at this time.

"My child! Now we return the throne to you and can fully support you. In exchange, aunt hopes that you will not kill Hantili. Hantili will give all his power to your cousin as our punishment for him."

"Did my father die in vain?"

Hantipuna accused angrily.

"Although Hantili is your husband, my father is also your brother. Why are you so partial to your husband?"

"If you kill Hantili, will Mursili be resurrected?"

Hantili's wife cried.

"I have lost my brother. Do you want me to lose my husband and your cousin to lose his father? Although Hantili killed your father, your husband, the Athenian emperor named Roy, also killed your cousin's husband Zidanta, causing our family to lose an important member."

Governor Kushara also persuaded Hatepuna.

"Now is the time for the survival of our Hittite Kingdom. Let Hantili survive and atone on the battlefield! If Hantili dies on the battlefield, he deserves it. If Hantili can win the war, he is qualified to survive."

Other city-state princes also agreed.

Seeing this scene, Hantili sneered complacently.

The city-state princes and nobles would support Hatepuna only because they needed an orthodox heir to the throne to call on all Hittites to unite.

When this war is over, Hatepuna will become a puppet.

Under the persuasion of everyone, Hatepuna gritted her teeth and said unwillingly.

"Then I will give Hantili a chance to atone for his sins on the battlefield."

Hearing Hatepuna's words, Hantili immediately stood up from the throne and said.

"Dear niece, the throne is yours now. If you can't sit firmly on the throne, you can consider marrying your cousin. Your cousin can demote his current wife to a concubine and marry you as the new wife."

"You are dreaming!"

After glaring at Hantili angrily, Hatepuna ascended the throne under the gaze of everyone.

The legitimate heir to the throne became the queen, and the city-state princes and nobles had a reason to unite.

If Hantili, who usurped the throne, sat on the throne, everyone would fight hard to defend Hantili's throne - they would definitely feel uncomfortable.

After all, these city-state princes are either descendants of the royal family or have a marriage relationship with the royal family.

Hantili has the right to inherit the throne, don't they have the right to inherit the throne?

As a descendant of the royal family, Governor Kushara's right to inherit the throne is only higher than Hantili's.

Only by letting Mursili's children inherit the throne can the princes and nobles of the city-state unite without complaint.

Hatepuna sat on the throne and looked down at everyone, saying in a serious tone.

"Fellow countrymen! I know that you support me to ascend the throne in order to defeat the Athenian Empire and protect the interests of all our Hittites. Now the Athenian Empire rescues the Hatti in the city they captured, and has received strong support from the Hatti. The number of soldiers of the Athenian Empire is increasing. How do you think we should defeat the Athenian Empire?"

Telepin was the first to stand up and say.

"Our Hittite soldiers must be dispersed in various city-states to suppress the Hatti and prevent the Hatti from launching a rebellion against us. Therefore, the soldiers that the Hittites can gather are at most 20,000. In order to defeat the Athenian Empire, we must recruit more soldiers from the Hatti."

"But the Hatti are not fools."

Hatepuna frowned and said.

"We Hittites treat Hattites as slaves, and the Athenian Empire is rescuing Hattites. We recruit Hattite soldiers, and maybe the Hattite soldiers will turn their guns on the battlefield and help the Athenian Empire deal with us Hittites."

Those who regard others as fools are probably the arrogant fools themselves.

The Hittite city-state princes and nobles would certainly not be so foolish as to think that the Hattites, as slaves enslaved and oppressed by the Hittites, would be willing to fight for the Hittites.

Hantili suddenly said.

"Perhaps we can improve the status of some Hattites and make them honorary Hittites, so that they can enjoy the same status as the Hittites. The only condition for the Hattites to become honorary Hittites is to fight for us on the battlefield."

"Let the Hattites become honorary Hittites--"

Hearing this proposal, Governor Kushara couldn't help shaking his head and said.

"Now four Hattites support one Hittite, which is unbearable for the Hattites. If we let some Hattites become honorary Hittites, there will be a situation where two Hattites support one Hittite, and the Hattites will definitely revolt again."

"We can not fulfill our promise!"

Hantili sneered.

"We can first use the honorary Hittites to trick the Hattites into fighting for us. When we win the war, we will kill these honorary Hattites and say that they all died on the battlefield."

In the history of another world, the Spartans [Dorians] also used a similar method to trick the local Spartans [Helots] who were enslaved and oppressed by them to fight for them.

As a result, the local Spartans [Helots] won the war for the Spartans [Dorians]. Not only did the Spartans [Dorians] fail to fulfill their promise to liberate them, but they killed all the two thousand local Spartans [Helots] who had experienced the baptism of war.

Hatepna said with some reluctance.

"We Hittites not only have to trick the Hattites into fighting for us, but also kill the honorary Hittites - isn't this too much?"

"Princess Hatpna, the Hattites are slaves!"

Governor Kushara explained.

"Slaves are not people, they are livestock. We don't have to pity them like we do people."