Chapter 568: Hagia Irene
"Are you sure that it is Giovanni Giustiniani?"
Thomas Palaiologos is shocked.
Everyone has a possibility to revolt of course, inclusive of Giovanni Giustiniani.
However, Thomas simply can’t get it through his head on the true purpose behind the intel on Giovanni’s open coup.
Is he after wealth? Definitely not, if he is after wealth, he could just learn the examples of his good old friend Antonius collecting ransoms and protection fees off the coasts of the Black Sea and he would be filthy rich rather than putting in the time and effort in creating a coup on a government that is going for bankruptcy pretty much soon.
Is he after power? Maybe yes, maybe no, because he is a foreigner, a Latin, half alien to the local Roman population. If he wanted power there would definitely be a smarter way to obtain power as compared to leading an open coup, as the coup would only make Giovanni become an obvious target for every single person in the government to point their blades upon. If he really wanted to pursue for power, he could have done that through an obscener mean, such as creating his own political faction in the government and forcing courtiers to join by threatening or bribing.
Then what is he after? Deposing the current government is never a goal, it is only a mean to achieve one’s ultimate goals. There must be something he is after, and being the immediate sovereign of the city, there can either be something that Thomas does not know, or it got to be some personal reasons like hatred towards him or it is simply that the man called Lucas is lying, Giovanni Giustiniani is not the one rebelling, he got to be lying.
Thomas Palaiologos believes that there can be nothing that he do not know about the government inside the city with his antennas all over the corner, and hence Lucas must be lying. And he believes that he has no crossings with Giovanni Giustiniani, for he too wants to reform the government and turn the state into a much more powerful state.
He is confident.
Thomas grabbed his servant Lucas by his shoulders and yelled right into his face with his Aegean might. "Are you freaking God damn sure that the coup is led by his highness Giovanni Giustiniani? Do you know what you have just said? Do you understand that the penalty for defamation and backbiting on a nobleman by a peasant like you can be punishable by death?"
Lucas is sterned by the harsh words of his master as he started shivering violently all over his body.
"Yes... Yes! My lord! Your Majesty! I could not get a proper look on the banners of the rebels, and neither could I gain a peek on the leader of those rebels... I have only made the conclusion based on my assumptions! All of them have armours and helmets! Please! Your majesty! Pardon my souls! Forgive my sins! I... I... Oh God! No! Please your majesty! My lord!"
The man is dragged away from the face of Thomas Palaiologos, leaving a trail of transparent liquid behind on the marble ground.
"No matter what, we need to assemble all of our men in preparation for our final defence." Thomas instructed his commanders. "Gather all of our men, and hide them in the building... We must avoid a direct conflict with the rebels as much as possible but place all the archers and crossbow men on the roof and balconies, we need to show to our guests that we are prepared for a fight as well."
This is not the first time Thomas Palaiologos has faced an open rebellion, for he has seen way too many back then during his times in the Despotate of Morea, but this is the first time he has faced the direct challenge from a fully equipped army, if what Lucas mentioned just now is true.
Should he run? He can, and there are numerous people who have advised him before the arrival of Lucas and the information. But he, Thomas Palaiologos, has no intention to flee, for his prestige and pride as a man born in purple, and the immediate Basileus of the Romans (If he ever had the possibility of succeeding), he simply cannot allow himself to flee like a peasant, like a coward. He fears that if he shows the slightest sign of being weak, all the support and influences that he used so much of his wealth and effort to gain shall leave him in hell.
What scares a man in politics the most is not death, but the loss of power.
"I will stay, and greet him, personally." Thomas made his decision. "If it is a challenge from the army, then I shall take the challenge, and show them that I am capable of satisfying all of their needs, or I am able to crash their tiny revolt and force them to join my sides, like what Basil II of the Makedons did to Bardas Phokas...."
The advisors could advise no more seeing their the attitude coming from their sovereign, but they know very well inside their minds that Thomas Paleologos can no where be compared with that butcher of the Bulgers, not even the slightest.
The rebel army soon came, setting up blockades off the streets clearing up the area in front of Hagia Irene.
Giovanni Giustiniani got off his horse, took off his gloves and gazed at this spectacular building.
The church is a treasure of Constantinople that stood against the centuries of howling winds and pondering rain drops. Although not as astonishing as the Hagia Sophia, at thirty plus meters high it is still one of the biggest buildings in the city, especially after the fourth crusade whereby numerous palaces and churches are turned into ruins. A building has a classical design of the pre-Justinian era with a dome decorated with various icons that have witnessed the times of Iconoclasm, and its scarlet walls stood against the centuries of time.
Now, again, this magnificent building is going to face the test of another civil war.
Giovanni looked up at the balconies and windows, obviously the enemies have well prepared themselves for his army’s arrival.
"Tell our troopers, try to not damage the building and the things inside as much as possible if we see combat later."
Although Giovanni well knows that what happens next is not in their control. Obviously, the enemies inside the building are not going to surrender themselves willingly to the ’rebels. His sentries and scouts did a pretty bad job in stopping any leak of information.
All nearby residents have been evacuated; the animals kept in the region have been pushed into their pens protected with roofs. Now it is up to Giovanni on how he would want to deal with the Hagia Irene.
"Time is in our hands; these men have no other ways to run." Giovanni thought for a well and told his lieutenants. "Inform our men in the cistern, cut off their water supply, shoot anyone who tries to peak their heads out of the windows, rooftops or balconies that tries to collect any rainwater, that should force them to surrender within a day or two."
"We need to take the high ground in order for our archers to cover the entire building, your highness." Giovanni is approached by one of his junior commanders. "And the highest ground we have in the area is the Hagia Sophia... But... Should we? Or can we?"
Giovanni knows what his man is referring to.
In order to cover the entire building, his archers need to take the high grounds, in order to get the high grounds, they will need to station their archers inside the Hagia Sophia, but Hagia Sophia is a holy Icon of the entire Orthodox world where the Ecumenical Patriarch resides who, as a guardian of order in the state, would definitely not allow the rebels to take advantage of his land to pour arrows onto one of the legitimate royals. And if Giovanni’s troops are to enter the Hagia Sophia, it puts Giovanni in a very bad light possibly upsetting the Ecumenical Patriarch, and half of the Christian world that comes with him, therefore severely undermining the legitimacy of his uprising.
So, what should he do?
Giovanni hesitated for a bit.
"We shall have to do it without entering the Hagia Sophia, find whatever high grounds you people can find in the premise, and cover up the rooves as much as possible."
"Yes, your highness."
Giovanni chose to not offend the religious powers and therefore sacrificing part of his military dominance. Just like how Thomas Palaiologos chose to stay to show off his manhood to his subordinates rather than leaving for his life. One must say that these two men are a pair of well-matched rivals, one is willing to back off for prestige, while the other one is unwilling to back off because of prestige.
