Pharnabazus, satrap of Hellespontine Phrygia and master of Achaemenid sea policy, turned Persian wealth into Aegean power. Partnering with the Athenian admiral Conon, he crushed the Spartan fleet at Cnidus (394 BCE), reopened the sealanes to Persian influence, and financed the rebuilding of Athens’ Long Walls—proof that the King’s gold could redraw Greek politics without a Persian hoplite on the Acropolis. Equally at home in council and campaign, he balanced treaties with sudden force, guarded the grain gates of the straits, and kept Ionian cities within the royal orbit ahead of the King’s Peace. When empire needed reach beyond roads and couriers, Pharnabazus supplied ships and strategy, projecting Susa’s will across the wine-dark sea. As Jack of Diamonds he stands for the general as steward of resources: victory by logistics, diplomacy backed by fleets, and the disciplined conversion of tribute into power that glitters—and governs—far from the throne.