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Anno Domini 828, July-4-7
I sat down in the chair, adjusting my armor to be more comfortable as I studied the map of the city of Tarsus spread out on the table.
''Well… I can understand you conquering one city. Maybe you caught them off guard or with a small garrison. But… six cities?'' Teophilos said, sitting down on his improvised throne.
''During my raids I discovered there was a large Christian population and, using a few tricks, I managed to have the gates opened for me. In several cases the garrison was Christian and, by guaranteeing their safety, they let me in. Once inside, I killed the sarakenoi and liberated the city of Antarados'' I began to recount calmly.
''That is completely dishonorable'' said one of Teophilos' generals, looking at me with disapproval.
''You shut up. You've been promising me for two weeks that the walls of this city would fall. Don't come lecturing me about honor when you can't do your job'' Teophilos replied with obvious irritation as he stared him down. ''Continue.''
''We took Antarados and, while we were processing the loot, the wali of Homs arrived with a force that exceeded twenty thousand men. He decided to attack the city immediately with rams and ladders. I deceived him into believing we were barely a couple of thousand, and he attacked without thinking. There appears to be a clear division between Arabs and Persians. The wali of Homs had no qualms about sacrificing his Persian forces, which allowed me to launch a counterattack. They fled'' I said, shrugging.
''How could they flee from a counterattack when they outnumbered you?'' asked one of the strategoi I did not recognize, probably one of the new ones.
''I attacked their siege camp while everyone was focused on the walls. Panic spread, and from one moment to the next they began to flee. I simply pursued them. The other cities in the area opened their gates in a similar manner. In Emesa the collaborators did the same. There was hardly anyone left capable of organizing a defense'' I concluded the first part of the campaign.
Teophilos remained silent for a few moments, studying the map.''Then we have secured the Levantine coast. If we control these ports, we can deny the movement of the Abbasid fleet'' he finally said, his focus renewed.
''Yes, but I need reinforcements to secure those cities. Although I relocated the Christian population to the coastal settlements, expanded the walls, and secured farmland, I doubt the local forces can hold the area on their own. They will need an additional garrison'' I replied calmly, looking at the faces inside the tent.
Teophilos thought for a long time before answering.''We are extremely short on men, Basil. I do not think it would be wise to divert necessary troops while we have not finished here,'' he said seriously.
I extended my hand and placed the letter on the table.''The wali of Antioch requested aid from the caliph al-Ma'mun. The reply indicates that the Abbasid army will descend in one or two months, once they break the defenses of Anatolia and lift the current sieges''
Teophilos brought his hands to his head and closed his eyes.
''That means they are optimistic about the outcome of their campaigns. If that is the case, our fortresses in Anatolia must be at their limit. It may be that the generals I sent are failing to contain them; they have not even been able to give me a clear estimate of their forces,'' he said after a few seconds.
''It doesn't look good'' I added. ''The defenses of the new conquests are in place. I organized themata in the area, but they are novices. They are numbers, nothing more. They will serve in a siege, but not in open field. Even so, there are more than twenty thousand men with assigned land who can hold the defenses. I brought a few thousand with me to reinforce our presence here.''
Teophilos extended both hands toward me and then looked at the others in the tent.
''At last, good news, for the love of God. With Antioch and those cities we could negotiate a favorable peace treaty. We could return Syrian territories in exchange for them ceding Cilicia to us'' he said in a calculating tone.
''I must point out that the speed of my conquests was due to local collaboration. Handing over those cities would be throwing them directly into the hands of those who would massacre them without hesitation,'' I replied immediately.
Teophilos slowly shook his head.''Closing Cilicia is far more important than holding Syria. Controlling those passes means shutting the gates of Anatolia to incursions. The benefits for the peace and prosperity of the Empire would be enormous, in addition to allowing future campaigns in Abbasid territory or applying pressure on other fronts'' he replied firmly.
''My basileus Rhōmaiōn… I gave my word. We cannot leave them at the mercy of the sarakenoi who will be thirsting for vengeance. We cannot abandon them. There are many more Christian communities under sarakenoi rule, and if they learn that we use them as bargaining chips in war, they will think twice before collaborating with us'' I said, with a nervousness I could not hide as I realized I would be condemning more than three hundred thousand people.
''Unfortunately, Basil, that is war and that is how diplomacy works'' said one of the new strategoi coldly.
Teophilos remained silent for a few seconds before speaking.
''We can try. This information is a breath of fresh air. I would have been satisfied leaving this war having gained even a single city, but now we can not only close Cilicia, but also open the door to Syria and carry the war far from Anatolia in the future. But that will require holding Antioch, and that means containing the Abbasid army'' he said, rising from his improvised throne and beginning to pace in circles.
''If His Imperial Majesty so permits, I would gladly accept the honor of commanding the troops in the defense of Antioch'' said one of the generals, standing and giving a slight bow.
''His Majesty does not need the counsel of someone who does not even know how to redirect a river. How could he possibly withstand a siege? The defense would be far better in my hands,'' another general retorted almost immediately.
The tent turned into a political battlefield. Voices overlapped, accusations surfaced, and old rivalries began to emerge as everyone competed for imperial favor.
''Enough. We need to be united, not clawing at each other'' Teophilos said, striking the table with his fist. Then he looked at me. ''Basil, do you recommend any of them?''
''Forgive my ignorance, my basileus Rhōmaiōn, but I am unfamiliar with most of them. I do not believe I can give good advice on who should lead the defense of Antioch. If Skleros were here, my answer would be clear… but I do not know the majority'' I replied honestly.
Teophilos nodded slowly. ''Good. Then the mission is yours'' he said, looking at the rest of the tent with an expression that extinguished any attempt at protest. ''You know the terrain better than we do and the people respect you. They will be more willing to cooperate with someone they already know than with a new face. Return with what you have. We will send reinforcements once we finish the sieges''
''And the strategos of Cyprus? He has just joined a siege and managed to trap the Abbasid fleet. He has been fundamental to my campaign and his sailors have been of enormous help'' I asked, thinking of the fourteen thousand men who were still available.
''If he has managed to trap the Abbasid fleet I fear he will not be able to help you for now. Until that siege is finished his forces will be committed. Destroying that fleet will give us control of the sea and allow us to move supplies and messages as we wish'' Teophilos replied.
''I understand. Then I will have to make do'' I replied, already calculating how to withstand a siege by forces whose numbers I still did not know.
''Go when you can and prepare everything. Prepare the ground in your favor. Burn the fields, raze the villages, poison the wells north of Antioch. Let their army lack supplies before it even reaches the walls'' Teophilos ordered.
''I will do so. I will take my men back to Antioch and prepare everything for a siege'' I replied, before stopping. ''One more thing. Do you need siege equipment? If you provide me with wood and some iron I can recreate the machines I used in Crete. With constant use we could destroy walls in a month''
''We have miners working and battering rams prepared to break the gates'' one of the generals replied.
''I know, but the trebuchet I propose can hurl enormous stones over great distances. The walls would truly suffer'' I said, standing up.
Teophilos watched me in silence for a few seconds.
''Give me the plans'' he finally said.
''I don't have them on hand'' I replied, touching my skull. ''I have them here''
''Good. I will assign you the siege engineers. Build your machine and let them observe it. Then return to Antioch for the inevitable clash. Try to do it quickly we are losing time'' Teophilos said, gesturing with his hand for me to leave.
I left the tent feeling the gazes of the strategoi and generals on my back. There was an uncomfortable mixture of approval and envy in them.
''Let's see you bunch of incompetents. Can anyone explain to me how someone with eight thousand men achieves these results?'' I heard Teophilos shout from inside the tent. His voice was filled with fury.
I simply went on with my work. It seemed the boss was giving a scolding to his less productive subordinates.
Without wasting time I went to the front of the siege of Tarsus where I spoke with the siege engineers of the imperial camp. There we began to draw the plans for the trebuchet. In a matter of hours we managed to assemble a prototype. It was a smaller version of what I had in mind limited by the available wood and the absence of prepared long beams but it fulfilled its purpose. It served as a practical example. I left them the exact measurements the real trebuchet needed to have and the proportions required for its construction.
Although I would have liked to directly support the sieges in Cilicia I had clear orders. Defend Antioch from the Abbasid attack that would inevitably come once the campaigns in Anatolia were finished.
When the prototype was completed and Teophilos' engineers began to calculate how many trees they would need and what work would fall to the smiths I left the siege camp. Outside my men were waiting for me with their camp already set up.
There were still a few hours of daylight left so we broke camp and began the march back toward our ships. We marched for hours until we reached the mouth of the river where our vessels were. There we set up camp to sleep.
At first light the next day we set sail for Rosos. We left part of the fleet there and I sent messengers to Crete with clear instructions. They were to bring the overproduction of armor and weapons. The forges were working at full capacity and there should be surplus beyond Teophilos' orders. They were also to stay alert for the arrival of Hakon's men. If they managed to arrive soon they would be an enormous relief. It was summer and river movement would be fast although recruiting so many warriors always took time.
I also ordered them to bring me every possible shipment of crossbows and bolts even with instructions for Lysander to look for more smiths somewhere or simply to find people to teach the trade since production would have to be increased rapidly.
The crossbow was the most essential weapon for the long siege that was approaching in addition to managing the purchase of supplies since we had to take advantage of the situation to fill the city with food and military equipment.
We disembarked at Rosos and resumed the road to Antioch to evaluate how things had developed in my absence.
As soon as I arrived I had to put out a few fires. One of the local notables had taken advantage of my absence to use private guards and seize lands that did not belong to him convinced that I would not return.
I had him arrested immediately and sent to the dungeons for appropriating property of the basileus Rhōmaiōn.
Thus my authority began to take root in Antioch not only as a general but also as governor. Everything indicated that I would be busy here for a long time.
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If there are spelling mistakes, please let me know.
Leave a comment; support is always appreciated.
I remind you to leave your ideas or what you would like to see.
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