POV Rio
"Can you repeat that?"
I stood there dumbfounded at what Xena had just said.
"Kratos has taken Translvannia without a fight. And further, he hasn't been able to find any citizens in most of the territory," Xena says with a calm face.
"Do we know where everyone has gone?"
"Most of my agents and informants have gone dark, but the little I gathered suggests that King David ordered the citizens to evacuate the area, and they would be given forgiveness for rebelling. The Church leaders were all called away shortly before the rebellion began, and I am not sure where they have gone. They were all ordered to take everything that wasn't nailed down, and they did just that. Kratos has yet to find even a single copper coin," Xena said.
"Huh, that is pretty clever of King David. He has given up land, but we gain little. If we want to use it, we will have to risk our people. Meanwhile, all he loses is a salt mine and a long-dried-up gold mine. But that only explains the populace, not the garrison troops. Surely they wouldn't abandon their lord so easily."
"From what I could find, they were called to service by the Duke because King David had managed to form an alliance with Austria and Switzerland. And King David has nearly emptied his coffers to hire mercenaries. The Duke was allied with another Duke and the kingdoms of Novgorod and Bohemia, but their armies together were not enough. A final battle near the Danube River should begin soon. King David and his allies number 60k, and the rebel army and their allies number 50k. 10k rebels were kept behind to defend against us, so we have now completed the terms of our agreement," Xena says with a coniving smile.
"Will King David win?"
"Yes, he has not only the superior numbers but higher quality troops. King David's troops are made up of 20k Mercenaries, 20k German allies, and the last remaining 20k are mostly his elite personal troops. Meanwhile, the rebel army is 30k garrison troops and 20k Polish and Bohemian allies, and the remaining 10k are his elite troops. If King David didn't buy so many mercenaries, then perhaps it might be a fairly even battle, but as it stands, the rebellion will end fairly quickly," Xena calmly analyses.
"That's good. But King David will undoubtedly centralize his kingdom. We should keep an eye on him for the time being while we settle our new gains."
"Of course, my lord. I do have something that might interest you. A single village didn't evacuate. And moreover, they are ruled by a Dhampir named Alucard. He claims to be the son of Count Dracula. He wishes to join Concordia," Xena says.
I narrow my eyes.
"A Dhampir? In a catholic country that despises anything non-human. And further Dracula existed?"
"I found it suspicious as well. Vampires are known to have the lowest fertility rates of all known species. I asked the Vampires that live here, and they said that they haven't heard of Count Dracula having any children before he was killed. And yes, Count Dracula existed. He was the former ruler of Transylvania before it was conquered around 200 years ago. He had great relations with Radovid II, but Radovid III was less friendly. And he may have let Transylvania be conquered. As for Alcuard, he has faked his death every 50 years and was replaced by his son, who looked exactly like him. Since the village was isolated, it was rarely looked into. It didn't even have a church," Xena says.
"Do you believe his story, and do the villagers know about his origin?"
"I believe it. The Vampires I spoke to said that it is plausible, and Kratos has confirmed that there is some evidence to suggest his story is true. And my instincts are telling me he is telling the truth. As for the Villagers, from what I could find, they know but would keep it quiet. They are the descendants of the loyalists who refused to submit to the Catholics," Xena said.
"Let them in, but make them stay where they are. Keep them under observation for the time being and work on getting the forts garrisoned. And commend Kratos for his performance during this time. I know that he must be disappointed that he didn't get to fight, but he will have a chance eventually. Now what is next?"
"The ERE has lost most of its territories. They only managed to survive thanks to a last-ditch effort to save Constantinople. They lost 4 major battles one after another, and only managed to survive thanks to a rebel army killing the surviving Khazarians and the fact that the Pope declared a crusade for the Zaporizhia region. My sources estimate that the ERE has lost most of its people and is now only left with the city of Constantinople," Xena explained.
"How did the ERE lose so badly?"
"The first battle was against the Seljuks. The ERE had an army of 120k vs the 160k that the Seljuks had. The ERE came out with only 40k. The Seljuks weren't much better, with only 50 or so thousand survivors. The ERE retreated and gathered another army to push the Egyptians back. They forcibly conscripted any able-bodied men and gave them random weapons before the battle. The ERE had 200k men of questionable quality. The Egyptians had 140k of much more experienced and capable warriors. It was a massacre. The Egyptians lost only 75k, but the ERE lost 180k. The broken army retreated again, and this time they gave up the entire Anatolia region to the enemy," Xena said with a grim face.
"They gave it up? Just like that?"
"They at least told the citizens in the area to flee. The ERE Army fled to Athens, where they met up with their allies and marched to strike at the Italians in the area. This was a success which gave them the confidence to then march against he forces of Sicily and Carthage. Sicily had 68k and Carthage 100k. The ERE and its allies had just around 210k, and they believed that they would crush the enemy easily. But Venice left just before the battle as they were called to defend France. Without Venice, their numbers dropped to 185k. But more importantly, almost all of those troops were experienced mercenaries," Xena said with a shake of her head.
"I assume they decided to fight anyway?"
"Indeed, they did. They managed to wipe out the Sicilian Army, but at a severe cost. So bad that Serbia, Bulgaria, and Georgia dropped out of the conflict and went back home. The leader of the ERE's army was the son of the Roman Emperor, and he was almost captured. But he and around 300 men managed to flee the battlefield, and they returned to Constantinople. They arrived just before a 200k horde of Khazarians was riding towards Constantinople. That same son gathered a massive army of peasants, nearly 500k strong, to meet the Khazarians in battle before they could reach the city," Xena said.
"What, why? And how? Why not stay in the walls of Theodosia to wait out the enemy? And where did he get so many men to form an army?"
"I have no idea why he didn't remain in the walls to fight a siege. But my best guess is that his defeats threatened his position as Crown Prince, and he was forced to face the enemy in battle. As for the second question. His previous actions of warning the citizens to flee had most people flee to Constantinople, and many Greeks from across the Empire did the same. This led to a massive number of refugees who had nowhere else to go. The Crown Prince gave these refugees any weapon he could and led them into battle. From what I could gather, they were equipped with weapons like wooden clubs, rocks, and other random objects," Xena said.
"There is no way an army of peasants with no training and nonexistent equipment could beat a horde of Khazarians. The best bet would always be a siege. They are not known for their siege capabilities."
"I would agree. It would be suicide to fight them on open fields like he did. But it technically worked. It was the bloodiest battle I have ever heard or read about, but it worked. The Khazarians were beaten back, with only around 2 or 3 thousand surviving. But the cost was steep. Only 113 survivors on the ERE side, and the Crown Prince was not one of them. It was thanks to the fact that the Great Khan of Khazaria died in the battle that they managed to win. It was pure luck and the sheer number of people in the area that allowed for the victory. But this led to the ERE having only 2 heirs to the throne remaining. Both women. The other princes fell in battle as well," Xena said.
"That's not good, but at least they survived. What happened to the Khazarians?"
"They were killed by an army of rebels that seized the land and formed a new kingdom called Macedonia. They also call themselves Macedonians and claim to have returned to the old Hellenic ways. The ERE was crippeld and could no longer hold on to its territory, so it surrendered. They signed a treaty that guaranteed the rights of the House of Doukas to rule Constantinople, and in exchange for the agreement of all the nations it was fighting, they ceded the territories permanently. Thus, in all but name, the ERE is dead," Xena said.
I sighed and rubbed my face.
"Okay, that is bad, as the ERE was a peaceful neighbor of ours. Increase border guards and send any agents you can spare to our south to keep an eye on things."
"Yes, my lord. But there is more," Xena says while bowing.
"What now?"
"The nations that won the war have begun to fight each other over the territory. The Egyptian Empire has invaded the territory taken by the Seljuks, and Georgia has refused to surrender and is now fighting against the Seljuks. Wallachia and Bulgaria are at war over a land dispute. Israel was forcibly removed by Macedonia. Italy is now defending against a Carthaginian, Spanish, Jewish, Sicilian, and Greek coalition to take over the Italian region. Iberia has been united under the House of Bourbon after Portugal and Leon united. Sicily has agreed to become a vassal state under Carthage. Though it's more because the Empress of Carthage is married to the King of Sicily. The real losers of the ERE partitioning were Israel and Khazaria. But Khazaria doesn't exist anymore as they have been integrated into the Great Mongolian Horde," Xena said.
I get a little worried.
"Great Mongolian Horde?"
"Yes, that is what many call them. They are led by a Great Khan who has conquered most of the nomadic tribes from which they come. The Pechenegs submitted to them as well. But what really worries me is not the warriors of this Great Khan but his abilities in Diplomacy. He has managed to make an alliance with both the Grand Siberian Pact and Macedonia, which are now assisting against the Crusade," Xena says with a contemplative look.
"Already? Macedonia is a new country. Why would he ally with them?"
"Macedonia is new but has a decent-sized military and population. They are also isolated and in need of allies. The Great Khan required allies and had unmarried children. It was a fair deal. Both needed what the other had, so a deal was made," Xena said matter-of-factly.
"Well, let's hope they exhaust each other so we have fewer issues from our East and North. Was that all?"
"Yes, that's all I had, my lord."
Xena was dismissed, and I felt exhausted.
'What a drag.'
I felt like just being lazy, but I knew I still had a lot of work to do today.
'You gotta do what you gotta do.'