Diplomacy Thread

[Hax]

Hah! If anyone is subjugating, dear Basileus, it is you. You force these noble Shahs to prostrate before you, whether officially or not. I offer them freedom, liberty and rewards.
And I have as much right to divide up an Empire as your grandfather did. Rather than bowing to the one true king, Alexandros Aegos, you betrayed the Grandson of Zeus!

Alexandros Aigos was murdered by Kassandros, who was the king of Macedon. You have forgotten, Theodotos, that it were we who gave you the satrapy of Baktria in the first place.

And brave Makedonians will continue to die in your lands until the Arche is destroyed. And what of the names of your cities? Sure, they may have been built by past Emperors, but that would not stop me from gifting them and the land between them to the Ptolemaioi in return for their aid.

So it is this that is your goal! To destroy the heirs to the largest part of Alexandros' empire. First you spoke of dividing the Arche's lands, leaving Persis to us, and now you speak of destroying us! Dear friends, it now seems Theodotos' goal is sure. You seek only to throw the lands into further growing conflict.

Theodotos, I will send a force to relieve you of your satrapy. Dear friends from Hayasdan and Pontos, this is not a threat to you. I do not seek your thrones, I seek peace and prosperity for all Hellenes.

-Antiochos Soter, vanquisher of the Galatians, friend of Ptolemaios Soter, Basileus tes Seleukeia kai Babylon.

[Subotan]

Alexandros Aigos was murdered by Kassandros, who was the king of Macedon.

But did you protect him? Did you offer your loyalty and soldiers to him? Clearly not, otherwise his son would be Emperor today and I would gladly serve him!

So it is this that is your goal! To destroy the heirs to the largest part of Alexandros' empire. First you spoke of dividing the Arche's lands, leaving Persis to us, and now you speak of destroying us!

That was a misunderstanding. By destroy, I meant destroy the power of the Arche in it's current state, not wipe it from the map. With retrospect, I see my crass error was ill-advised and beg for forgiveness that you will understand that that was not the meaning that was meant to be implied.

Theodotos, I will send a force to relieve you of your satrapy. Dear friends from Hayasdan and Pontos, this is not a threat to you. I do not seek your thrones, I seek peace and prosperity for all Hellenes.

Hah! Look hither! Instead of giving thanks to Baktrians for our valiant defence of Hellenes, in our constant wars against the Amu Darya, in either land, wealth or mere recognition, he has decided that such prowess and courage is a a despicable trait, only carried by the bravest and most skilled Satraps, and that we therefore deserve punishment for our good actions and intentions. Although we are still open to diplomacy, and hope that this Hellenic blood-shedding may be avoided, it appears that nothing can stop this warmonger from his dreams of conquest and oppression.

[Hax]

Your words are rank of hypocrisy, Theodotos. Good actions and intentions? Your plan is to divide my lands and only leave the Arche with the lands of Persis, you even took the word of destroying in your mouth, and now you say that I wish to conquer and oppress the Hellenes of Baktra.

Open to diplomacy? You come at my door and demand that I surrender the good part of my lands, including the riches of Mikras Asias, Seleukeia, built by my father, and Antiocheia, who I raised myself. This is not diplomacy, Theodotos.

However, if you truly do not wish any harm to be brought upon the Hellenes, which I too, would greatly regret, I can give you the cities of Marakanda and Alexandreia "the Furthest". From there, we can look to turn the barbaroi from the north back to the vast plains from whence they came. Ptolemaios and myself have already discussed a peacetreaty to avoid any Hellenic bloodshed in the Levant, and yet you seek to throw the Hellenic lands into turmoil and civil war.

I do not wish your blood, but if you continue to threaten me in such a way, I have no other option but to relieve you of your satrapy. Look at my offer closely, Theodotos.

[Subotan]

However, if you truly do not wish any harm to be brought upon the Hellenes, which I too, would greatly regret, I can give you the cities of Marakanda and Alexandreia "the Furthest". From there, we can look to turn the barbaroi from the north back to the vast plains from whence they came. Ptolemaios and myself have already discussed a peacetreaty to avoid any Hellenic bloodshed in the Levant, and yet you seek to throw the Hellenic lands into turmoil and civil war.

I assure you, that this all the Baktrian people want. Whether intentionally or not, we have been neglected by the great Arche, thanks to your distractions in the Levant, and we feel, whether justifiably or not, that our sacrifices have not been rewarded or even noticed by the Basileus. This is what we have been striving for, not conquest or conflict, ad we humbly ask for your forgiveness for what we said about dividing your great Arche; never would we think to act upon such a misguided whim.

However we beseech upon thee the request to add Margiane to our Satrapy; it would make communications between our three provinces easier and help finance our war against the Saka. To take the war against the Saka to the next level, as you propose, we will need more resources than a mere three provinces can provide, and with the Saka constantly harassing us, we will have no resources to spare to gather more territory in your name and push back the Saka. We would govern it in your name of course, and we will obey your every command. We would also like to remind you that there are rumblings among the Pahlava, and that a betrayal by them is not unlikely. Should Margiane stay under your direct control, it has no chance of being safely retained in your hands, with your resources stretched so thinly in your great Empire. However, were you to gift it to us, then we would be able to enforce your will much quicker and effectively than all the way from Antiochea.

Your Satrap of Baktria, Servant of the Arche - Diodotos II.

[Hax]

I understand what you are aiming at, Theodotos. Let us forget our past insults and threats, and let us look towards a common enemy; the steppe barbarians. I will move my capital to Susa as well, which is a better position to look over the east as well, and if you do what you say you will do, be assured that you will be rewarded.

[Subotan]

I understand what you are aiming at, Theodotos. Let us forget our past insults and threats, and let us look towards a common enemy; the steppe barbarians.

That sounds like an excellent plan Basileus, as the slaughter of Hellenes hurts us twice over, in that not only are there less Hellenes to resist those barbaroi, but more barbaroi will have survived to kill even more Hellenes; a vicious cycle.

I will move my capital to Susa as well, which is a better position to look over the east as well

I am not one to question you will Basileus, but why is this? There seem to be no lands to the east as to which you can expand into, we are friends with the Ptolemaioi, I am confident I can hold the North Eastern Frontier. If I were you, I would expand to the West, into Anatolia, and maybe even original Hellas...

[justmyname]

If I were you, I would expand to the West, into Anatolia, and maybe even original Hellas...

now, that is a dangerous thought my dear friend. expansion, as you say it, sounds like war.