Before AD [Babylonian Favorites]

It was only later that I realized that many things were foreshadowed, but Alexander suppressed them with his strong beliefs.However, the success of one thing needs the promotion of many people. The trend of the times and the expectations of all people must pay attention to the right time, place and people. I think he understands this truth like many generals.

Discord between people will create great resistance.

The entry of the centurions that day into Alexander's camp was just the beginning, followed by Lysimachus. As the leader of the Greek mercenaries, his position in the army should not be underestimated.Then more high-ranking officers, even Kasander, Seleucus, and finally Ptolemy were surrounded by his subordinates and pushed into the camp.When everyone was persuading Alexander, he finally fell silent. After the generals argued hard, he finally let go.

"Since everyone needs to rest, we will temporarily stop the expedition and return to Persia to replenish our strength. Now that we have conquered many areas, we can effectively replenish and expand the army. It is also necessary to go back and reorganize the deployment."

Yes, back to Persia, not Macedonia.Until he finally let go, Alexander's focus was still stubbornly on the next expedition.

In the winter of 325 BC, Alexander's expedition finally returned to Persia.The beautiful Persepolis Palace has long been ruined, but the Persians have not forgotten their new emperor, and a more glorious palace has sprung up on the original site of the Persepolis Palace.The grand welcome ceremony and celebration banquet were held for nearly ten days, and wherever Alexander went, there was nothing but praise and praise.

As he promised, when he came back, he married the long-awaited Statina as the princess, and married her younger sister Delibides to his right assistant minister and comrade-in-arms Hephaestion .Because of this incident, he was even more loved by the Persian people.Of course, all the Greek people also thought this was good. After all, although their young kings achieved great achievements, they still had no heirs so far. One more wife always increases the possibility of continuous heirs.

But this is not what the great emperor cared about the most. As soon as he returned to Persia, he only rested for a winter, and he started his journey of reorganizing his empire and army non-stop.For almost a whole year, he was immersed in it and never tired of it.Whenever I hear him happily describe his future marching plan to me, and see his ecstatic expression, I can't bear to say any extra words.I just smiled and looked at him.Every minute and every second is a kind of happiness to me.

Alexander thought it was strange that I was like this.

Once, he stopped suddenly while talking, suddenly held my face in his hands, and looked at me intently.

"Bagoss, my boy, I don't think you're really happy, though you're smiling. I can feel that you're sad inside."

Saying so, he kissed me lightly.

If I know it is destined to be like this, if I know the beginning and end of this story, if I know what your life is like, what should I choose to do?In fact, even I myself don't know what the standard answer should be.

In May 324 BC, early summer, I met Hephaestion whom I had not seen for a long time.He had just returned from his order, sweating profusely, and had an audience with Alexander.They are all over 5, mature men, and each has a wife.They fight and hug each other when they don't meet again, without any scruples.But there is no doubt that if Alexander was asked who his best friend was, his answer would always be the same.

That night, Alexander left him to have a banquet in the palace. Hephaestion didn't drink too much, but Alexander was drunk.Fearing that he would be dissipated after being drunk, Empress Roxanna sent Melanie to help him directly back to the bedroom. Of course, considering the issue of heirs, the Empress stopped me from accompanying him.

When I was alone with him in the courtyard, Hephaistion's question was straightforward: "When will I die?"

I paused, then smiled wryly: "Can I not answer this question?"

"Okay," Hephaestion thought for a while, and then said, "Then tell me, what about him...?"

Neither problem is easy.But I know there will be such a day, and I have also rehearsed many times in my mind how to answer.

"Lord Hephaistion, you are only 31 years old this year, and you still have a long way to go, and so does Your Majesty."

I smiled at him and gave him the answer he wanted.

He added: "after I leave, will you always protect him for me?"

I nodded and said firmly, "Of course I will."

Hephaistion looked at me for a long time, as if to find any trace of lying in my face.However, after a long time, he still blinked those crystal clear blue eyes, showing a smile without worry.

"Do you regret it?" I asked him suddenly.

Hephaistion didn't answer, but looked into the distant sky.

"If I meet him again, I will follow him life and death..."

That night, the wind blew through the irises in the garden, and the night was cool and beautiful.

On a very sweltering day that autumn, Alexander received the news of Hephaistion's death in his palace.The letter said that he was suffering from typhoid fever, and he became ill very quickly, but within two or three days he was already dead.

Alexander dropped the quill in his hand, and said in a voiceless voice, "What did you say?"

I took the letter from the courier, and found that with it was a small ruby ​​ring and a letter from Hephaistion.After Alexander read the letter, he didn't tell me the content. In a rage, he ordered to go down and stab the doctor who treated Hephaistion to death, and then clamored to change his clothes to see Hephaistion in person.

Many people stopped him.

He was shaking violently all over, and found that he couldn't even put on his own clothes.He couldn't even coherently say that he asked me to change his clothes.

"Your Majesty," I stepped forward and patted him lightly, "It will take some time for the news to reach here, Lord Hephaistion has passed away for two days."

Alexander had already burst into tears.

"Great His Majesty Alexander!" Everyone in the palace fell silent after shouting his name. They looked at him and at each other, and no one knew how to comfort a heartbroken emperor.

I stayed with him in the study that night.He didn't sleep all night, and tears kept falling from his fingers.His uncontrollable cries echoed across the room, desperate and vulnerable.

Since then, it seems that half of his soul was taken away by Hephaistion.After crying bitterly for several nights, he finally cheered up and led the guards to transport Hephaestion's body to Babylon, where he held a grand commemorative ceremony.

After that, although he continued to perform his duties as the emperor, although he was still preparing for the army, his face no longer had the optimistic smile he had before.

At the end of the year two months later, he finally received a piece of good news—Roxana was pregnant.

He was very drunk that night, and when I helped him back to the bedroom, he vomited badly.I quickly directed the waiter to clean up, and carefully wiped his face.At this moment, I suddenly heard his calling.

"Bagos."

I quickly leaned over to grab his hand and put it in my arms: "I am here."

He breathed a sigh of relief, and continued intermittently: "Do you think Hephaes was killed by them?"

"His Majesty?"

"They were plotting to kill me, and Hephaistion found out...so he gave me a warning."

I subconsciously said, "Who?"

Alexander laughed drowsily. After a while, he uttered several names, each of which was more shocking: "Antipater, Roxana, Aristotle."

His subordinates, his queen, his teacher.

"Bagoss..." He half-opened his eyes, stared at me with a smile, and pressed his fingers on my heart, "You won't leave me, will you?"

"I won't leave you." I helped him onto the bed, leaned against him lightly, and kissed his forehead while hugging him tightly.

"I miss him."

He only said these three words and fell into a deep sleep.

In the middle of the night, I remembered the last time I met Hephaistion.I think he wasn't cheated by me, he just didn't want to wake up from his dream.

I have made many promises, but protecting Alexandria to the end was the hardest one.

I hesitated for a long time whether to remind Alexander to be careful of subordinates with ulterior motives, but it was only in the end that I realized that Hephaestion had already done this.I thought hard about whether I could strategize in it so that Alexander could escape the crisis of killing this time. However, I found that Alexander's subordinates were all hungry wolves waiting for the opportunity.Even his own brother Ptolemy was no exception.

When such a huge and fat piece of fresh meat is in front of his eyes, how can even the most powerful emperor get rid of the danger of being coveted?

Of course there are dishonorable ways to escape, but if a famous emperor through the ages suddenly wants to live as an unknown person that no one will know, I think that with Alexander's character, he would rather let himself die glamorously.

This move has come here, and finally came to a dead end.

Laughing bitterly at myself, I made the promise too soon, and I overestimated my capacity to bear it.

To help him survive, to see him living would be worse than death, or to watch him die.I have no guts to accept either of these options.

In the following days, countless times I quietly woke up from the night and quietly looked at the sleeping Alexander the Great in front of me.That night made everything so unreal, it made me fall into a dream.I used my fingers to gently trace his eyebrows, nose bridge, lips, cheeks, over and over again, trying to engrave his appearance in my heart.

From the infatuation at the beginning to the tears at the end, I think I finally understand the true meaning of love.

It was a long time ago, when I was young, I saw a sentence in Salinger's book. It was very strange. It has been 8 years, but I still remember it:

"Loving you is the most important thing to me. Some people think love is sex, it's marriage, it's six o'clock kisses, it's a bunch of kids...but you know what I think? I think love is wanting to touch, But he withdrew his hand."

Love is a touch yet not a touch.

I think I finally understand the true meaning of meeting him and this era.