Chapter 523: The Who?
There are a ton of people flooding through the city gate, carrying wagons and luggage’s. After some consideration, Antonius ordered his cavalry scouts to intercept these people from a safe distance and brought them back here. The Roman cavalries did not use force on these civilians, of course, but the minute the cavalries showed up, these people outside the cities all started shedding tears as the city gates began slowly closing.
Before Antonius could ask these people any questions, the people started weeping and howling things like. "What the regent said is true." And "There is now no heading back for them." Being curious Antonius stopped their irritating howls and started questioning the purpose and meaning of these words. The later replied sobbing. "The regent of Ioannina... told us that we can run away from the city all we want, but we shall be held under custody and executed by you Rumelians as long as we leave the city gates..."
"Not good, your majesty." Apostolos realised something. "We have just helped that regent to strengthen his control over the city by proving what he told the citizens correct."
"Tell me, who is the regent of the city?"
"The regent is named Konstantinos Mutopoulos, an eunuch who served the Sanjek for more than twenty years?"
"A Roman?"
"Yes, a Rumelian, which is why he is always so fishy and suspicious in doing things."
Antonius approached the shivering man again, stared at him from above and continued questioning. "Don’t you realise that you are one of us too?"
"One of you?"
"Look at you." Antonius scrutinised the man. "Look at your clothing, your language, your behaviour, you are a Roman! Why do you address us as Rumelians? We are here to liberate you."
It seems like the man has no idea who the man before him is thinking that he might be nothing but just an ordinary interrogator, the chubby man jumped up in anger yelling back. "Hell no! I am never a pitiful Roman like you people, the Sanjek has already made me an honouree Ottoman Turk two years ago! I am one of the superior Ottoman ruling class! Don’t you dare call me a Rumelian! I am a proud Ottoman, and I rule over the Rumelians!"
Antonius just stood there with his arms folded before his chest watching this chubby man jumping up and down in front of him. After a while the man too has realised the situation, he is in right now and quietened down, seating down there on the ground without saying a word. It is only now that did Antonius truly know that when a person decides to cut away his ties from his original country in order to join the court of the occupiers, the person can become extremely oppressive towards his original country men and try his best to remove all characteristics of his true belongings.
Like this man, or some people has a better word to describe him, it is called traitor.
Antonius turned his back to this man resisting his temptation to give this man a good old beating.
"I have an idea, your majesty." Apostolos whispered to Antonius. "Since that regent is hoping that we will help him set a good example to his citizens by keeping these citizens as captives, why can’t we send these people back after a day or two? Then we can see whether that regent has the guts to let these people back in to the city in the risk that they might already have been interrogated and became our spies. If he does, we can have a few of our men joining back to the group of people blending in with them and enter the city. If he doesn’t, it shall just prove that whatever he told his citizens before we came are just all plain lies, and perhaps we can spark up a revolt behind those walls by the local population."
"Good idea."
It only took Antonius a while to figure out that this plan shall not only create a split between the local population and the ruling class of Ioannina, but also an invaluable chance to allow some of his elite spies trained by Anjelo himself to slip into the city. A few men on the other side as spies may not appear to be very useful in a head on battle but can prove to be incredibly useful in the long run, and maybe do some miracles occasionally giving him surprises.
Later that night, before daybreak, the guards on the walls of Ioannina are alarmed to find a bunch of people, a hundred plus of them, with wagons. They claimed themselves to be the group of people who chose to run away from the city a day before, but sadly got intercepted by the enemies and the whole lot of them had no choice but to turn back to the city.
The guards of the gate have no authority to let these people in, a messenger is dispatched galloping through the central street of the city in the middle of the night reporting this matter to the regent. But before the message even gets delivered to the hands of the regent, the citizens of Ioannina, who already have their nerves tense and straightened since a month ago, managed to somehow get the piece of information first, which instantly began spreading like wild fire as hundreds of people flocked to the gate to have a view and even conversation to those who have just returned.
By the time the regent is being woken up and reported on the matter, there are already countless people standing on the city walls looking down on the people outside desperately trying to look for their loved ones or friends to make sure that they are safe.
Just within minutes almost all the citizens living near that gate are notified about the news and it is now spreading towards the rest of the city in an incredible speed. But it is under this kind of circumstances that did the regent decide that it is too much of a risk to let these fellows back inside the city. God knows whether there is a full regiment of Rumelian cavalries ambushed outside the city walls in the pitch darkness, waiting for the gate to be opened so that they can began a charge and storm the gate. God knows what kind of stuff the Rumelians ground into their head during this one day period of time. It is not their lives do the regent cares anyways, if he really cares about the lives of the city he would have surrendered long time ago. The only thing he really cares about is his power, because he knows that once the Rumelians enter the city, his power as the regent and de facto ruler of the city shall become no more.
A man who is always hungry on his pursuit for power, shall become ignorant and unable to judge the situation when he tries to cling on to the grip of power, just like how a person desperately tries to cling on to a cliff.
However, the citizens who have already gathered themselves before the gates and on the walls definitely did not apprehend the good intentions of their regent. They definitely would not go around thinking the possibility of any spies being mixed within these people, for they only know that their family members, loved ones, friends and neighbours are now stuck outside the walls, and they have the imminent danger of getting exposed to the blades of the soldiers outside.
Antonius is still yet awake at this point of time, he never spoke for the entire night just to see how the situation is here going. And just as what Apostolos has speculated, the regent of the city dared not to let these people into the city. Although it is a pity that spies have lost their chance to earn their credit in the war, but it makes things even easier for him, because...
"Your majesty." The now again guard commander, Cerberus, whispered breaking the thoughts of Antonius. "I can lead some men downhill and scare the city guards to stir the situation up making it more intense...."
"There is no need to." Antonius shook his head. "We shall just sit here on our horseback and watch. If my circulations are correct, there shall soon be change going on inside the city."
"Change?"
"Well, it is obvious that the regent inside his palace does not have a clue on how much strength can a person, even a lady, display when it concerns their dearest ones." Antonius took out something from his side and chewed it in his mouth to keep himself awake. "And that regent certainly has never tested how much power can the people demonstrate.... We might get a show by the end of the day."
"The people?" Cerberus, who is rather a vacuum in knowledge, certainly did not get what the Caesar is talking about.
"Yes, the people."
