Chapter 520: To Help Save Greece from the Greeks
The Venetian ambassador and his assistant sailed away from the shores towards the fading sunlight in the horizon above the water surface, as if the scenery is portraying the current situation of the Venetians in these waters regarding their declining power and influence.
Helio stood there watching, with the citizens of Avlonya standing behind him. The governor of the city, the old clergy bowed slightly towards Helio expressing his gratefulness. "Thank you, noble commander! You cannot imagine how frightful we have been for the past month with the Venetian fleet outside out port, their ships have been sailing in the region and getting to a dangerously close distance to our sovereign waters day by day, you have again protected us from the outsiders!"
Following the words of the governor, the people around started making rounds of cheers for them being lucky enough to escape the blades of war once again, but soon the words of Helio pulled their heart back down into the frozen abyss.
"You cannot be too optimistic, your highness." Helio warned the old man with a stern face. "I can be here today, I can be here tomorrow, and I can be here the day after to shield the city from all incoming dangers, but my army and I cannot reside in the city forever to protect the citizens forever."
"Are...Are you saying that the army of the Caesar shall still abandon us one day?" The old governor asked with a trembling voice.
"That is not what I mean, your highness." Helio shook his head. "There is nothing to worry about, I shall leave three hundred of my best men behind in the city to be in charge of law, order and security against the outsiders – don’t give me that look, your highness, that is the most amount of men I can afford to give you, I still got to go around the city to capture all the vital fortresses, passes and towns, these are the things that truly keeps the city safe preventing it from getting attacked."
"But... what about the threats from the sea?"
"Have you heard of this thing called national service, honourable governor?"
"Yes, I know that this is a national security focus that forces all men to go through a period of compulsory military service."
"I must you, honourable governor, that the city of Avlonya shall be a city seating on the borders of the state from today onwards, laying in the cross junction between the Albanons in the North and the Latins in the west serving as the gate to the Adriatic, meaning that if the state is going to get attacked from any of these directions, Avlonya is going to be attacked first, and because of geographical and distance factors, the reinforcements from the central government is going to take weeks before reaching here for aid. You know, it takes time for information to be sent to Thessaloniki first and a troop to march here."
"So you propose that the city of Avlonya should impose the laws of national services as well just like the other parts of the state?" The senator responded first and asked back.
"Yes, senator, that is exactly what I mean. My army shall be not far away from here for around half a year, and the hundreds of men I left here shall not only be in charge of the city’s defences, but also in charge of training young recruits into qualified footmen. All men of Avlonya shall go through a three month training circle in their life time so that they can be equipped with the basic ability in partake in defensive warfare."
The governor hesitated for a brief period of time. For a man of his age, he has already seen too many things with his own eyes about war and death. It is in his natural to go against any form of policies involving pushing his citizens to the battlefield but as compared to the importance on the basic survival of the city, he do not really have any better idea other than this. Hence finally after a while, he nodded his head approving the suggestion, deciding on the fate of the thousands of youngsters in the city turning them again into trained soldiers.
...
The boat ferrying the Venetian ambassador sailed back to the war fleet.
The commanders and captains of the fleet huddled around the ambassador welcoming him back to the flag ship, while the later seemed like he could not bother to give a damn about these people and returned to his cabin without even responding to their greetings. Upon returning back to his cabin, the supposed ambassador shut the door tight behind him and sunk himself onto the cushioned seat behind the desk. The cabin room, totally unlike the other cabins on any of the ships here in the fleet, is luxuriously designed with trophies on the walls, carpets on the ground and the walls decorated with paintings and gold carvings. Behind the seat of the man is a gigantic insignia of the House of the Dandolo patrician, made of pure bronze.
The ambassador closed his eyes and massaged his forehead for a while, then a gentle knock on the door came with a voice behind it. "Honourable patrician, it is me."
"Come in."
The man with ashen beard came into the cabin and gently brought the door behind him shut. It is the commander of the fleet, he bowed slightly to the ambassador and enquired in a careful tone. "Honourable patrician, may I know about the outcome of the conversation you had with the new occupiers of Aulon?"
"Not really good. The Greeks have showed their dominance in the city."
The man leaned back and answered. Of course, his true identity is not just some random ambassador that has been marginalised from his prestigious family that he has claimed himself to be. Instead, he is one of the patrician inside the government of the Serene Republic of Venice, the leader of the Burghers, a close relative to the current Serene Doge and there has been rumours speculating that judging by his power and prestige, he is going to be the next powerful candidate from the Dandolo family for the Serene Doge’s throne after this current one.
"The citizens of Aulon have rejected our offer of bringing them prosperity, freedom and democracy." The patrician closed his eyes. "They would rather live under a bloody autocrat.... Chief, have you done your recon, how many king’s puppets have you spotted on the shores?"
"More than three thousands of them... Around a regiment, not just any conscripts like the Ottomans, all of them are armoured equipped with spears, blades, and most of them have crossbow hanging by their back."
The patrician took a gasp of cold breathe. "Three thousand plus, fully armoured, with crossbows, are you really damn sure my commander?"
"Yes, patrician, I am very sure. I had the exact same look on my face when I saw the reports."
The patrician felt his headache growing even more intense. "No wonder... No wonder that the Ottoman infidels lost... What our merchants said is true. We have far underestimated the potential capabilities of war of these Greeks, they should be at least capable of assembling ten thousand armoured troopers, no wonder they could defeat the Ottomans of that size."
The commander stood upright and retorted. "I am sure that we, the proud Venetian mercenaries and guards can do it too! Patrician! That Ottoman army of the Sanjek is totally uncapable of handling any major army operations, they are just a bunch of conscripted farmers, there is nothing to be proud of defeating a messy crowd of enemy like that!"
"Oh?" The patrician gave the commander a cold look. "Then can you and your army go onto the shores now, defeat that three thousand plus men, and then capture the city for me?"
That immense level of confidence instantly vanished from the face of the fleet commander. He made a shy smile, rubbed his hands and answered. "Well, patrician... you know that we Venetians are more used to warfare fought on the seas..."
The patrician closed his hands and waved impatiently, signifying that the commander can now get lost. If the commander is another noble belonging to the ruling class of the serene republic of Venice, he would not have been talking to him with such an attitude. But the commander and all the other captains are just a bunch of mercenaries hired by the patrician here to expand the Dandolo’s influence and sphere of control. They themselves have absolutely no idea to confront the enemies on land, that is why they have been acting to be aggressive since the start. The patrician knows what they are thinking way too well.
The patrician looked back at the insignia of the house of Dandolo behind him, he has devoted so much resources to try to get a foothold in the land of Albania following the decline of the Ottomans, but all of his efforts have been ruined by the sudden victory of that autocrat Antonius De’Ricci.
