Chapter 698: Emperor’s Down
Leo gulped and gasped for air as he saw his father’s blade come dangerously close to the village chief’s nose. However, the latter did not seem worried at all. He bravely faced the tip of the blade, unafraid of the possible consequences, and with wide-open arms, he exclaimed, "Your Majesty! Wake up! There is nothing left for me to embezzle! Wake up!"
The old emperor was startled.
The chief rose from the ground, saluted the emperor, and then led him forward. "Come, Your Majesty, I will show you what this village is currently facing."
The emperor followed, and soon they reached the centre of the village, where a gigantic pillar stood. It was a monument, blackened with age but still kept clean and free of weeds. Everything on the monument was well-maintained.
"Your Majesty," the chief turned around, "you can say that we have never fulfilled our duty, but without enough funding, all we can do is maintain these symbolic parts of the village and keep a few houses in a ready state to impress the veteran inspection team sent from Constantinople. That’s all we could do! Initially, we received some funding for veterans, but the sum decreased year by year, along with the supply of grains. In just a few years, both the grains and the funds vanished into thin air, like a puff of wind!"
"I went to Constantinople personally to ask the government where our coins and grains were. The response was that our coins were spent to support the ongoing wars with the Venetians, the Bulgarians, and the Ottomans on three fronts. The officer who answered us even argued that there was still insufficient funding for the current war. As for the grains, they replied that the grains meant for us were instead sent to the Ottomans under those sons of Zaganos, whom we spent our lives fighting against!"
Antonius remained silent as he slowly turned around, seeing the massive number of veterans behind him. They watched over him with eyes full of gladness, happy that the old emperor had not yet forgotten them—a bunch of men who felt useless. Their ignorance was palpable, as they, too, had no idea why these changes had occurred, why the country they fought to establish had become like this, and why the emperor had decided to give what should be theirs to their former enemies.
The old emperor felt a rush of words welling up inside him, but they got stuck in his throat as he looked into the eyes of his men. He wanted to explain, to say something, but soon realised that his words were just too plain—plainly useless.
"Your Majesty!" Suddenly, a man knelt onto the muddy gravel road toward the emperor. "We do not blame you for our situation! Please, lead us back onto the battlefield, to prove ourselves! That we are still warriors!"
Another man followed his lead and continued, "Yes! Your Majesty! Please, allow us to rejoin the service! We shall prove to those Turks under Zaganos that we are able warriors! We do not need to give them grains for peace! Our failures on the coasts of Anatolia are only temporary!"
"Yes, Your Majesty! We have lived a bitter life, but we cannot pass this bitter life down to our children! Your Majesty, please!"
By the end of the speech, a dozen veterans were already kneeling on the ground, looking toward the emperor. The old emperor, with a shivering hand, let a fresh tear roll down his cheek as he replied with a trembling voice, "A...are all the villages like this in this area?"
"I am not certain about that, Your Majesty," answered the chief with a sigh.
The old emperor stood up from the ground with some level of determination. He slowly, bit by bit, walked out of the village, with all the veterans following him along the tracks. Many still called out to the emperor, longing for their old leader to bring them back to the track of conquering lands and waves, like they used to.
The old emperor tried his best to hide his tears as he saw more and more impoverished states the veterans were living in. Finally, at the gate of the village, he could no longer control himself. With tears in his eyes, he turned back and made a deep bow toward the veterans behind him. "Old brothers! Go back! Go back to your homes! It is my fault you are living in such a state. Please, I promise you, that immediately, you shall see changes! And, from this day onwards, till ten years later, there shall be no more wars by me!"
The veterans, upon hearing this, halted in their tracks. They hurriedly saluted or bowed down to pay their respects to the emperor. Cerberus, shocked by the sudden movements of the emperor, hurriedly came forward, attempting to lift Antonius up. But Antonius seemed fixed in that posture. No matter how much force Cerberus applied without hurting him, the emperor simply did not move.
"Please! Old brothers! Disperse back to your homes! If not, I shall remain in this posture forever!"
Many veterans began crying out loud.
"Your Majesty, we served to protect you. Please, do not hurt yourself!"
Leo stood by the side, totally shocked out of his mind. It was the first time he saw his emperor father paying respect to others and shedding tears right in front of him.
Upon hearing this, Cerberus sighed, signalled the Varangians to keep their distance, and responded to the group of veterans. "Comrades! Please, return to your homes! You are still soldiers, and you ought to follow the orders coming from our sovereign!"
After a while, the crowd of veterans began to disperse. However, some still poked their heads out of their windows, eyes full of worry, as the emperor continued bowing.
Finally, as the last person left the scene, the old emperor felt a sense of dizziness as blood rushed to his head. He collapsed heavily onto the ground, tainting his robes with dirt. Cerberus and a few veterans hurriedly came over and lifted their emperor into a well-sealed house with rooftops and windows. They urgently sought a doctor and tried to revive the old emperor with everything they could do, the heart of the emperor is still pounding, and the breathe of the emperor is still ongoing, but there just comes little to no response, no matter how hard they try.
"Your Majesty, please!" In sheer shock and fear, Cerberus, the almost two-meter-tall, ashen-haired Varangian, kneeled on the ground and started weeping like a child. It was the first time in his entire life that such a man had no idea what to do next. The young prince Leo, gripped by his father’s arms and affected by the weight of the atmosphere around him, started weeping as well. "Father! Do not leave me! Father! Please!"
Just then, the old emperor made a few violent coughs before gradually opening his eyes bit by bit.
He first looked at Cerberus, whose entire face was covered in tears, then at the bunch of veterans around him, and finally at his young boy gripping his hand. The old emperor closed his eyes again, made a dry smile, and said, "You silly young boy, I am not dead yet! I am just... exhausted. Remember, I promised you I would bring you around the entire country. I am a man of my word."
Leo, still weeping, nodded his head deeply.
The emperor then turned to the bunch of veterans around him. "Sorry for bothering you, old brothers. This room is indeed a nice room, I must say. Can you, if possible, show my son around the village? Tell him of all the valorous deeds you have done in the past? Thank you."
The veterans looked at one another, then back at the emperor with worried eyes.
"I have Cerberus with me; I shall be fine."
The veterans nodded before leading the young prince, who was still looking at his father on the bed, out of the room.
The room now contained only Cerberus and the old emperor.
The emperor waited for a moment until the veterans and Leo were far away before he made another violent cough, this time into his sleeve.
When he opened his eyes again, he saw what he dreaded most: blood, stains of blood, on the silk linen. The emperor sighed and let his arm drop, hiding it behind himself.
"Cerberus, I am disappointed in you."
The old Varangian lowered his head. "I am sorry, Your Majesty."
"In an event like this, when the worst happens, you should never show any signs of weakness, the others can weep, but you, you have no rights to cry, instead you should always be prepared, leave me behind, bring the boy back to Constantinople, and tell no one—remember, no one—but Anna about my condition. She will know what to do."
A tear rolled down Cerberus’ cheek again. "Yes, Your Majesty."
