Chapter 629: Storm In Gaze
"Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro: He bustles about, but only in vain; he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it."
- Psalm 39:6
Suddenly, another messenger burst in, urgently whispering into Apostolos’ ear. The old man’s eyes widened with shock. He turned towards his sovereign; his voice heavy with gravity. "Your Majesty, I have just received another piece of information here: Abbas Pasha is amassing over eight thousand battle-ready troops in Burgas."
Antonius’ eyes narrowed, a storm brewing in his gaze.
All eyes in the room fixated on the Caesar, sensing the weight of the moment.
The message from the Ottomans was unmistakable.
To Antonius and his generals, Abbas Pasha’s intentions were crystal clear. A defensive strategy would have positioned his forces in Silven, away from prying eyes, minimising the chance of misunderstanding and conflicts with the decision makers of Constantinople, ready to strike any border region swiftly. But assembling in Burgas signalled a bolder, more ominous aim: Constantinople itself.
In other words, if Abbas Pasha chose to march, his cavalry could be thundering at the gates of Constantinople within a week, as it is only a bit more than a hundred and twenty Roman miles in straight line distance.
"Julian, how much troops do we have in Constantinople?"
"Four thousand troops, all armed with the latest gears ,ready for a full combat."
"Excellent." Antonius’ nod was resolute. "Mobilise our forces! Inform the Ecumenical Patriarch: my coronation plans must change. I will not ascend the throne until every threat to our state is crushed underfoot, and Roman life free from Ottoman blades!"
"Julian, return to your men, gather your army in Serres, and march directly into the heart of Bulgaria! If war is upon us, we will extinguish the Ottoman threat in Bulgaria once and for all!"
Julian’s heart surged with fervour as he leaped to his feet. "At once, Your Majesty!"
"Helios, your post is here in Constantinople. Keep vigilant against any lurking foes and foreign dangers. If any senator whose life are spared by us, dares to disrupt our city in my absence..." Antonius’ eyes turned icy. "Let them meet the end of their fate."
"Understood, Your Majesty."
"Abraham, Abdullah, Mauro, you’re with me on this campaign. And inform the church: we need God’s delegates alongside us. This is more than a war of retaliation; it’s a holy crusade for all Roman people. Those not with us are against us. Spread my decree throughout the city... And inform our international allies arriving in the city of our situation. Those who wish to witness the crushing of the Ottomans are welcome to join us. While also express our apologies for any delays, I will make sure that every state is fairly compensated for their troubles."
"As you command, Your Majesty!"
"Prepare for battle! The Ottomans will rue the day they crossed us!"
As the room’s fervour reached its zenith, another messenger arrived, bearing a diplomatic letter from Abbas Pasha, offering apologies.
"Cast that letter to the flames," Antonius commanded, his voice seething with wrath. "Return the diplomat with a message for Abbas: You have erred gravely. Roman blood has been spilled; our swords drawn. They will not be sheathed until retribution is ours, until every drop of blood is repaid, until the Ottoman shadow is purged from Bulgaria!"
"Yes, your Majesty!"
"To arms! Rally the legions!"
The ambassadors of Abbas Pasha are still there kneeling by the gates of the palace when Antonius left at night, his whole body trembling vigorously against the winter cold, unknowing how long has he been kneeling here. And finally, upon seeing that the Caesar has left the palace, he immediately attempted to approach, only to get pinned down by his loyal guards. But that certainly does not stop him from yelling out his pleases at the top of his lungs. "Sheathe your blades! Emperor of the Romans! I am here with the kind words on behalf of the Pasha! We are no threat to thee! Majesty! Augustus! Caesar! Please! Hold back your flames of fury! We need no war but peace!"
The emperor halted his footsteps.
He turned towards the ambassador, which immediately made the later sprung up in rejoice, almost forgetting about the cold he has just went through, and kneeled beneath Antonius, with his eyes shining with hope.
However, Antonius just continued staring at the man, with his eyes ice cold, and left again throwing a few words, leaving the man kneeling there, with his face of joy slowly turned into a cry of despair.
"You mistake yourself for a player on the world map, when you are but a pawn to be played and removed, for your existence is a mere footnote on the path I walk."
...
The fleeting moments of joy in Constantinople were abruptly curtailed as the city braced for war. The once-busy construction sites, humming with the sounds of progress, now echoed with the urgent clamour of military mobilization. Ships that had carried building materials were swiftly cleared and loaded with vital supplies: grain from Thessaly, weapons from Thessaloniki, horses from the verdant pastures of Epirus, coins from Athenia, and vessels from Archea.
Notices and proclamations of war blanketed the city streets, supplanting the recent festivity with a grim reminder of the looming conflict. The once prestigious senators and nobles, who dared speak ill of the government or spread false rumours, found themselves seized from their lavish dwellings and hauled to the city’s fringes, pushed onto the shores and ports one by one, and have their heads sunk into the sea waters in ways of interrogation. The sudden shift from celebration to the spectre of war sent ripples of unease through the populace. Whispers and speculations swirled among the citizens, many fearing a siege by Ottoman forces loomed near, and if not for the strict war time regulations enforced by the government, there shall definitely be a surge of criminal cases.
Troops swelled in number within the city, each new contingent adding to the mounting tension. While some foreign delegates chose caution and withdrew, many remained, eager to witness the military prowess of this nascent power. Among them were dignitaries from significant regional players, including Zaganos Pasha from Anatolia, the Mamluks from Eygptus and Syria, and representatives from various Balkan states, big or small. King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary, having recently forged an understanding with Antonius, was particularly notable. Their agreement delineated spheres of influence: Hungary’s north of the Danube, save for Vidin, while the Roman Empire would expand southward.
And just like what Antonius said to the ambassador of Abbas Pasha, the Bulgarian Ottomans are not involved in any of the talks in the past few days, neither are the Moldovan Voivodes who are aligned with the Ottomans, for their fates area already sealed on the negotiation tables between the two biggest regional players.
A diplomatic message is sent from Constantinople again to various parts of the known world, with one clear message: What you Catholics cannot achieve twenty years ago in Varna, are going to be accomplished finally here and now by me, Antonius De’Ricci, emperor of All Romans. The Romans shall wash away the hundred years history of Ottoman dominance in Europa.
With all the diplomatic and military preparations done, it is time to march off.
Anna laid on the bed, watching over her husband in the corner of the room, preparing yet for another military expedition. Her pregnancy has already entered the late stages, making her bed ridden now for the most of the times, their daughter, Agatha, who is already now able to make simple conversations and walk around the room, went to her mother’s hugs with that wooden boy in her hands. Anna gently touched the hair of her daughter, and opened her mouth. "Will you make it when I deliver our child?"
Antonius did not stop the work he have in his hands. "I am sorry, honey, I am not sure about that, I hope I can."
"But you wasn’t here when I gave birth to our daughter as well."
"..."
The room went back to silence, as Antonius could not find a proper response for his wife, while Anna tightly clenched the quilt, with tears slowly emerging from the side of the eyes, while she tried her very best to control it and not make a voice, for she knows that her husband is again, going for war.
Agatha sensed the change of emotions from her mother, she tilted her head and stared at the face of her mom, while tilting her head again to take a look at her father. She is yet too young to understand the events that are occurring before her eyes.
Antonius left the room again, to his designated battlefield, without heading back ever once, for he knows that he owes his family way too much, and a man of his age, if he heads back towards his family, he might not make it out of this palace again.
The door behind Antonius, who is fully armoured now, is shut tight.
