Chapter 607: Greater Roman Idea
"Die Zukunft wird nicht gemeistert von denen, die am Vergangenen kleben."
"Those who adhere to the past won’t be able to cope with the future."
- Willy Brandt
Abdullah sank to his knees before the Sultan and the Sultana Dowager, right under the gaze of all present, his head bowed low, his hands resting on his thighs. A gasp of shock echoed across the scene as no one ever imagined the highest court official of the Rumelians stooping before his adversaries. Even the Sultan blinked in surprise, not having been privy to Abdullah’s intended actions in their prior meetings.
The air around Edirne became tense, icy even, although it was still the height of summer.
Abdullah remained in a kneeling position, without making a word.
The Sultana Dowager leaned back and sighed. "Negotiations are not done via kneeling and silence, Lord Miralai."
"I’m aware, your Majesty," Abdullah replied. "However, I find no other means to express my sincerity and regret for the vile plots of my colleagues which I was unable to counter, and no words seem apt to absolve me from the potential charge of mass genocide. Thus, I chose silence."
"So it seems."
...
"What is Abdullah doing there! He is disgracing himself!" Antonius murmured, his gaze transfixed on the unfolding drama, while the two men, Cerberus and Mauro, who are completely unsure of what to do under this situation, kept looking back at the direction of Antonius hoping to see any form of signals.
"Order Mauro and Cerberus to take Abdullah back."
"Hold on, Caesar!" Alexios interrupted, raising his hand to stop the signal man from transmitting the order. "Please, allow Lord Abdullah more time. I don’t believe he would humiliate himself without good reason."
Antonius rolled his eyes but held his tongue, continuing to observe.
....
After an eternity of heavy silence, the Sultana Dowager exhaled, extending her hand. "Let’s resume the negotiations. We’ll never reach any agreement if we both persist in this mute standoff."
Abdullah rose to his feet, not taking her offered hand.
"I’m sorry, Lord Miralai, but trusting you presents too great a risk," the Sultana Dowager said, her voice steady. "During the rebellion led by the traitor Celalettin Özgür, I attempted suicide, expecting the poison to end my life swiftly. But it didn’t. A swift kick from an invading rebel knocked the poison from my mouth... I’ve always believed it was divine intervention, a miraculous force, that saved me. A miracle happened, protecting my son and me. But can I wager my family’s lives on another miracle? Is Allah so merciful as to grant me, a humble vessel of his, two miracles in my life? I have no certainty, and the fate of my family lies in your hands, making it too risky to place my trust in you."
"And furthermore, I have trusted you Rumelians before, I signed a treaty with you, Abdullah Miralai, five years back, a treaty of peace, but it is you, your king, Antonius De’Ricci, marching onto the land breaking the peace. I trusted my court guards, but they failed me; I trusted Candarli Halil, but he failed me, I trusted the eunuchs, but they failed me; I trusted you, but you failed me as well sinking me into this kind of situation, so why would you still expect me to ever trust you again?"
Abdullah remained silent, for the Caesar is indeed the one who broke the peace treaty, a great harm to his prestige and level of trust in the world of diplomacy between states.
The Sultana Dowager gently touched the face of her son. "As a mother, I would really want to weep right here on the spot, for the sufferings that my son has went through; As a mother of a muslim and an Ottoman, I would really want to give him another slap in the face, for his disastrous defeat and unfaithful action of self harm; But as the Queen mother of the state and the leader of a family, I must take my caution in every step I approach, I am responsible to the state."
Suddenly, the Sultan, who have been silent throughout, passed a paper to his mother.
"But I trust him."
"You..."
Abdullah remained silent.
"I have failed you, mother, but the tens of thousands of citizens in Edirne does not deserve this, it is my responsibilities, and I will take my full responsibilities for it... I shall go to Thessaloniki myself, as an abdicated Sultan..."
"There are no more princes to take over your throne!" The Sultana Dowager suddenly raised her voice. "All the previous Çelebi princes have already died with only females left! Do you still have a bit of responsibilities? You know what it means?"
"Lord Miralai," the Sultana Dowager turned to Abdullah, passing him an ornate Persian glass cup filled with an unknown greenish liquid. She poured a bit of the liquid onto the earth. As it made contact, bubbles began to rise and pop in a strange, eerie dance.
"This," she began, her voice steady, "is a poison. Not immediately lethal, but corrosive. It will gradually destroy your internal organs over the next decade. However, I also have an antidote. A concoction that can neutralize the poison in mere minutes. If you truly seek my trust, drink the poison now. Only then will I know your intentions are sincere, and only then can I consider trusting you again. Is my demand clear to you?"
"Yes, clear as the thunder’s strike in the night sky, your Majesty." Abdullah took over the glass of liquid from the hands of the servant, scrutinised it for a few seconds, made a laugh and gulped it down without any form of hesitation, before Mauro and Cerberus could do any thing to stop him at the back.
"Abdullah!" Mauro roared anxiously as the gigantic Nordic man beside him has already bolted forward, attempting to snatch that supposed antidote from the Sultana Dowager, only to be pulled back by Abdullah as he gasped for air.
"I must say that this thing is pretty nasty tasting, your Majesty." Abdullah panted heavily with his chest bulging up and down. "Your Majesty, I have thrown my life into your hands, I hope that my actions today will get paid off."
The Sultana Dowager stood up, finally, for the first time ever since the two sides met. "I can see your honesty and frankness for this talk now, Lord Miralai, and let me be very frank to you as well then to build up the bilateral level of trust between us two sides... Thanks to your devilish plans of working on our water sources, we citizens of Edirne have already depleted our storage of drinking water, and I do not have the capabilities to feed a city of this size, but if you did not approach me for a talk, I would still hold the city until the very last moment, then I shall starve everyone to death, burn the entire city, and leave you with nothing but a full area of rubbles, and a surviving population that hates you to the bones."
"Then let me be very frank with you, as well, your Majesty." Abdullah stopped panting, got up on his feet, and replied. "My Caesar will advance his army into the city, and the goals that is even beyond this city, no matter under what sort of circumstances, in order to revive the empire from death, save the people from slavery, revenge his friend in Constantinople, and achieve the Greater Roman Idea, I am simply a pawn that can be sacrificed at any moment for this end goal. And, the Caesar is honest in his words, for there is indeed a castle that he has built on the mountains of Thessaly, and he is indeed planning to give it and the surrounding lands to you to establish your own private kingdom."
"Allow me to thank you for your honesty." The Sultana Dowager nodded, then suddenly raised a completely different question. "But do tell me, what is the ’Greater Roman Idealogy’ that you people have been talking about all day long?"
Abdullah paused for a moment, surprised by the question, but then his face relaxed into a smile. "Ah, the Greater Roman Idea, your Majesty. It’s our guiding star, the cornerstone of our empire’s existence, setting the course for our future. But let’s break it down, shall we?
"Firstly, we value civilization and the rule of law. We want to spread our ’civil law’ to all our territories, providing each citizen with clear codes to live by. You see, fair justice and order are fundamental to us, and we’ve built our legal framework on the solid foundations of Corpus Juris Civilis.
"Secondly, we believe in the power of advanced infrastructure. Our goal is to restore and enhance what the old Romans have built - the aqueducts, roads, and canals. Each stone laid, each canal dug, marks a step forward for our kingdom.
"Then comes education. We’re committed to spreading knowledge across the land, not only by building schools but also by establishing universities, similar to those that existed in Roman times. Every citizen, young and old, should have the opportunity to learn.
"Our fourth principle is economic rebuild. A prosperous kingdom benefit everyone. Our goal is to ensure every citizen has a reliable source of income, to share in our kingdom’s wealth and to improve their living standards.
"Fifthly, we value cultural exchange. Our lands are home to a myriad of cultures, each rich in its own right. We want to encourage learning and understanding among these different groups, promoting peace and unity.
"Lastly, we aim for a stable civil government. A government of the people, by the people, where the very best minds and talents guide us, setting an example for all our citizens to follow.
So, in essence, your Majesty, that’s the Greater Roman Idea. It’s our vision, our hope, and our path forward."
