Enemy's Hero, My Foe 2/3
On the other hand, he is most praised for his magnanimity and benevolence as a conqueror.
He defeated his maternal grandfather, who attempted to murder him, yet allowed him to live with him in his old age; he defeated the Lydia Empire, a long-time enemy of Persia, yet still treated King Chloe of Lydia as an emperor, heeding the King's advice; he conquered Babylon and personally wrote to order his army not to disturb the people and to respect local customs and religious beliefs.
From an objective standpoint, this Persian King could even be considered a moral exemplar among emperors.
Historically, Cyrus the Great conquered so many countries and so many civilizations, yet these civilizations did not perish or fade into obscurity. Instead, they flourished and even those civilizations that had disappeared were rediscovered. His actions can no longer be explained by imperial considerations or simple political maneuvering.
Rather than a conqueror of civilization, he was more of a worshipper of civilization, who built a vast and stable empire through benevolence and talent.
Under the influence of this powerful personal charisma, whether it was the Arash the Great Hero, the sorcerer Scheherazade, or the mountain people of the Eagle's Nest, they all gathered under the banner of this Persian King and obeyed his call.
Ironically, this only made things more difficult for Samael.
The enemy's hero is my enemy.
The enemy's hero is better off dead.
If this great emperor can honestly and peacefully govern the City of Seven Hills or the Land of Nothingness, Samael will not hesitate to praise him.
However, Cyrus was exceptionally resilient, and the ancient serpent failed to strike him twice.
If this is the first failure, and the actions were hasty, it is understandable.
Samael went to great lengths for the second time, even using nearly half of the Roman Legions as bait, showing rare patience in his fishing.
In the end, at the last moment, Angra Mainyu, one of the two Persian gods, actually descended in disguise and launched an indiscriminate massacre, successfully holding back Samael and protecting Cyrus.
Even Samael himself was severely injured by the curse of Angra Mainyu before his death, and now he is unlikely to fight again.
Such bad luck left the ancient snake feeling both frustrated and helpless.
In this damn world, you can't deny luck, you can't beat Europe.
As his thoughts settled, Samael raised his hand and tapped the table with his fingers, then looked at the Old Man of the Mountain with a meaningful tone.
"By the way, I heard that this benevolent emperor had the grace of rebirth for the ancestors of Israel, and was even revered by the Jews as 'God's Mandate' and 'King Gu Lie'."
According to legend, after King Solomon died after receiving the Ten Commandments, the Jews split and established their own nation. However, due to their weakness, they were conquered and ruled by different nations and races, and their lives deteriorated day by day.
Afterwards, the Jewish kingdom was conquered by Nebuchadnezzar II, the King the Babylon kingdom. While the Babylon kingdom was at war with Egypt, these Jews were not content with the status quo and broke their oath. Under the leadership of King Zedekiah, the Jews, along with other small kingdoms in the region that had submitted to the Babylon kingdom, rose up in response to the Egyptians and acted as their accomplices.
After the war ended, the Babylon, now free to deal with the situation, angrily regrouped their army and launched a second siege of Jerusalem.
The siege lasted 18 months, and Jerusalem eventually fell due to famine and internal divisions.
Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon at the time, hated the Jewish King who had repeatedly rebelled. He went down to Zedekiah, the King of Judah, and killed several of his sons. Then he gouged out Zedekiah's eyes.
When Zedekiah had already lost his sight, stood before Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar said to him, "This is the consequence of your betrayal of me!" Then he had Zedekiah chained with bronze and brought to Babylon as a public spectacle.
Furthermore, in order to punish and prevent Jews transgressions, Babylon sacked Jerusalem, destroying its walls and burning down the Temple, the royal palace, and many homes.
Almost all the surviving residents of the city were taken captive to Babylon, which is known in history as the "Babylon Captivity".
Ultimately, Cyrus the Great, the founder of the Persian Empire, won without a fight and easily conquered the ancient city of Babylon.
He issued a proclamation, releasing the Jews to return to their homeland and allowing them to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem.
At the time, it was roughly estimated that more than 42,000 Jews returned to Jerusalem. The merciful Cyrus the Great also gave 5,400 gold and silver vessels that King Nebuchadnezzar II of the Babylon Kingdom had looted from the Temple of Jehovah in Jerusalem and placed in the Babylon temple to the Jews leaders to take back.
Thus, Cyrus the Great became the Messiah of the Jews, and his glorious deeds were recorded in the Book of Ezra in the Bible.
According to the consistent logic and peculiar thought process of Judaism, although Cyrus saved them, they should thank God.
It was God who sent this messenger to save them.
Therefore, Cyrus acquired the titles of "God's Tool" and "King Gu Lie".
When Samael spoke of the Babylon captivity to the Old Man of the Mountain, it was clearly with a hidden meaning.
"This emperor is a follower of Zoroastrianism..."
The Old Man of the Mountain's expression shifted slightly, but he quickly regained his composure and spoke softly.
"If I remember correctly, in the Zoroastrianism doctrine, flame means light!"
Samael tossed a date into his mouth, chewing and savoring it as he responded.
The Book of Leviticus in the Old Testament of the Bible records in chapter 24, verses 1-9: "God is light."
During the crisis of the Uruk's Third Storm, the one revered as the God of Gods and King of Kings was their common enemy.
The Old Man of the Mountain was silent for a moment, then responded in a deep voice, his eyes fixed on him with a profound gaze.
"This... proves nothing..."
Indeed, linking Cyrus to Jehovah is merely conjecture, and Samael has no concrete evidence to back it up.
By planting a thorn between the Old Man of the Mountain Sumeru and Cyrus, the ancient serpent had already achieved its goal.
This time, Hassan Sabah's response was delayed for a long time.
"The Persian Empire attacked Greece and Rome in order to seize something called the Planetary Great Source. Legend has it that it can allow its owner to reshape the star, and thus become a god. If the King of Kings obtains it, old man, you should be able to guess what happened next."
Samael contentedly downed his glass of Jellab in one gulp, then gestured to the stunned Calamity Jane to refill his glass.
Hassan al-Sabah frowned, his eyes filled with a complex mix of emotions, and remained silent for a long time.
Frankly, despite the many doubts surrounding Cyrus the Great and Jehovah, Samael's conclusion may not be correct.
Judging from the lessons of the last Greek defeat, this King of Kings is becoming increasingly secretive and cunning, rarely appearing in public or exposing himself.
Even the Grand Assassin before them failed to notice Cyrus's unusual behavior, which likely proves that the connection between that God and Persia is not necessarily close.
Even if there is some connection between the two sides in the dark, Jehovah is more likely to be hiding in the shadows, fueling the flames, rather than directly intervening.
What business is it of his? He's not playing detective games. He's only responsible for smearing Cyrus, not for verifying anything.
Once doubt takes root, it will grow like weeds.
From this point on, a rift inevitably appeared in the relationship between the Assassins' Order and the Persian Empire.
Then, he will have the opportunity to hold this card in his hand and complete the second step of his plan.
As for why they didn't reveal their divine identity to recruit the Assassins' Order...
Haha, he is indeed the prototype of the angel of death, Azrael. And Jehovah, the King of Kings, is the prototype of Allah. The Old Man of the Mountain still did it without hesitation.
In this wretched world, there are those who want to kill gods, those who can kill gods, and those who have killed gods.
Therefore, personal relationships are personal relationships, and political stances are political stances. The basis for cooperation lies in shared interests and demands.
Don't underestimate yourself, but don't overestimate yourself either!