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Anno Domini, 831-November-27
''And tell me, Basil, what was the weather like over there in Aegyptus?'' asked Theophilos while I reviewed several books with reports from many officers of the empire and examined their requests.
''Horrible. There were days when I lost men simply because they could not endure the heat. I literally had to assign officers to make sure there was not only water to drink, but also enough water for the men to cool themselves properly in the camps farthest from the Nile River. We could not always operate along its banks'' I replied, while I began reviewing some numbers from the imperial warehouses.
''Hum… And having seen the great wonders of the region, the pyramids and the sphinxes that adorn those lands, it must have been a magnificent sight. Also Alexandria… I wonder if you tried to search for the tomb of the great conqueror. From what is known, you have many people working in Aegyptus. Tell me, are you looking for the tomb of Alexander the Great?'' Theophilos asked again, clearly imagining everything I must have seen.
''Yes, I saw the pyramids. Well, they are that, pyramids. They serve to decorate the desert, but they do not do much more. I also saw the sphinx, but as I told you, I was more focused on finishing important matters: preparing the contracts, carrying out the censuses and putting the Copts to work as soon as possible. We need to have the numbers closed for the Italian campaign against the Carolingians'' I replied, while taking another book with information from the strategos of Croatia. ''And no, I am not looking for the tomb of Alexander the Great… It did not even occur to me. I am building a canal for ships between the seas''
''Really? Well, I may send a group of scholars to Alexandria so they can try to locate the tomb of the legendary conqueror. I would love to see how he was buried. It was a privilege granted to many in antiquity, and it should also be one for us now that the great province returns to Rome thanks to our undefeated general'' said Theophilos with a smile, walking around me.
''It could be something we do later, but what matters most for the moment is that we have everything ready for Italy. Tell me, how many men are you planning to send? Many of my requests for reinforcements were not answered, even when I urgently needed them because of all the sarakenoi presence'' I said, closing another book and opening a new one.
''I had planned to commit around eighty thousand men from the themata and send some tagmata forces to secure our cavalry presence. Of course, we will have to defend the border we have with the Carolingians in Carpathia, so some of those troops will not be with you, but ideally the tagmata will'' said Theophilos, sitting in his chair.
''I understand… Then…'' I said while thinking, but Theophilos interrupted me.
''Hey… I am a father. Are you not going to say anything?'' asked Theophilos, raising an eyebrow.
''Oh, yes? And how many times have you changed the warm gifts your son leaves you?'' I asked, returning his gaze.
''Eh… never. That is the servants' work'' he said after looking somewhat surprised.
''Hum, how nice. Well, congratulations. Let us hope he grows well. Make sure to educate him properly. You could send him, when he reaches the right age, to Leo's university. From what I understand, he has gathered the brightest minds using my gold, but that university does wonders for forming future generations'' I said, smiling after letting out a slight laugh at Theophilos's reaction.
''Hey, I cannot simply send my son and heir on a journey to Crete like the one you are suggesting. The teachers should come to my son'' said Theophilos with a smile.
''So they can treat him like a future monarch from the moment he barely knows how to walk? That will only create a spoiled brat who will insult anyone he considers beneath him… reminds me of someone. Besides, he will lack true friendships. You know how difficult it is to make friends when you are already at the top. Everyone is a traitor or someone who wants something. I would recommend sending him to the university with some care, although, of course, we are talking about ten or twelve years from now'' I said, thinking about the possibilities.
''Ah, true. But what interests me more is knowing when you are going to have a child with Maria. My idea is for our children to preserve our friendship in the future. We had the fortune that our ages and desires coincided, but now that worries me. Our children should be educated together'' said Theophilos with a smile he could barely contain.
''Yes, it is not as if I have forgotten that my dear wife was acting as a spy for her father. So let us say that having a child with her at the moment is not my priority. I am more focused on finishing this. Although I can no longer say I am going to retire. I will probably just dedicate myself to administrative work'' I said, finishing the review of one of the piles of documentation from the strategoi.
''Ah, come on. I know it was serious, but it is not a reason to remain bitter for life either. Marinos already knows that you do not tolerate that kind of thing, and I am sure he will not try it again'' said Theophilos.
''We will see if the work of magister ton Scholon takes those memories out of my head. I will no longer be able to retire as I used to say so much now that I have this post'' I said, looking at all the documents I still had to review in order to put the requests for the following year in order.
''True, true. Now, as magister ton Scholon, you cannot retire for the moment. When we crush the Carolingians, we will stop the expansion of the empire. We have to secure our borders. We will only dedicate ourselves to protecting our gains, and we could consider an expansion into Africa only after a necessary period of peace. We have exhausted our men too much with so much war'' said Theophilos, nodding.
''That is good news. I hope the peace lasts quite a while. And in the end, what was negotiated with the Abbasids? Considering that you sent diplomats, is it something good or will we have to remain alert?'' I asked, interested in imperial diplomacy.
''Well, more than anything, it was to negotiate a peace that prevents the Abbasids from continuing to try to recover what was lost. It was agreed that we will pay them a small compensation in gold coins, something like half a million nomismata. But officially, they recognized that Aegyptus is no longer under the control of their empire, and that Africa is no longer protected by their authority. In exchange, we recognize that Arabia, Mesopotamia, parts of the Caucasus and Persia are their territories, while the empire retakes its imperial borders. Obviously, Africa still has to come under our control in practice, but in theory, with this agreement, it already is'' said Theophilos, walking around me while I continued reviewing books.
''Well, it is not as if there is a lack of budget. The treasuries must be full with all the spoils you received. Besides, the sack was quite good, considering that we did not show too much mercy toward the Copts when it came to emptying their properties'' I said, turning the page of one of the books.
''No. If it is a matter of coin, there is no lack of means to pay for everything. What may be lacking are men and smiths to equip the entire army. Arming so many men now, with the whole frontier extended, is not cheap. Besides, we must also give some economic relief to the themata, which have been gathering more and more equipment on their own to standardize themselves with our forces. So, ideally, you should depart in February to gather the men in Hydruntos'' said Theophilos, taking out a map of the Italian boot to show me.
''I was thinking of landing three forces. One in Hydruntos, so it can move north, taking the countryside and besieging the local fortresses. Another in Amalfi, to cut off any supplies that may be sent south and block any attempt to reinforce the fortresses the Carolingians may still hold. And a third in Sipous, with the same intention of preventing the Carolingian lords of the area from concentrating their forces and offering too organized resistance. Although, of course, everything depends on the Carolingian response. Do you know anything from the spies? What are the Carolingians preparing?'' I asked with interest, looking at the map Theophilos had presented to me.
''According to the latest information the spies gave me, the presence of Carolingian forces in the area is limited. They are concentrating much more on Carpathia, where they have gathered many troops for a possible future conflict. They have also sent some reinforcements to Italy, but the most important thing is that the false Carolingian emperor is now facing two of his sons in a rebellion against his authority. One defends the eastern part of the empire and the other Italy, so you will understand that this may be easier than expected'' said Theophilos, crossing his arms while smiling.
''May God hear you, because what I want most is a quick campaign, one where I do not have to spend months besieging fortresses or face a constant arrival of reinforcements. If the Carolingians are busy with internal conflicts, we may have everything ready to recover the last seat of the Pentarchy and secure southern Italy. Although restraint must prevail. We will content ourselves with only that, since if we demand too much, we will extend the war, and a long war does not favor our interests. Good, I leave that in your hands. Later, come by the banquets, since they are in your honor'' said Theophilos, giving me a pat on the back before leaving the room.
I sighed deeply after closing my eyes and looking at the pile of books in front of me.
I had been offered the post of magister ton Scholon directly, and that meant I now had power over all the Byzantine armies. It also meant that I could influence who received promotions and who was considered to occupy certain posts.
As soon as they gave me the title, during the celebration ceremonies for my triumph over Aegyptus, they tried to bribe me fifteen times to hand military posts to relatives of different aristocratic houses. Everyone was seeking high-ranking positions in the themata, since now it was my responsibility to fill specific posts related to the payment of salaries, the inspection of equipment and other matters that were not the direct responsibility of the strategoi. They were also, of course, the fastest way to make part of the imperial budget disappear.
I was noticing patterns of corruption that were far too clear. Every year, those in charge of logistics who supplied the imperial forces, that is, those who received money to buy armor and equipment for the tagmata and themata units, requested the same budget to replace everything that had supposedly been lost or worn out. However, that was not reflected in the accounting books. In some cases, the equipment records were practically empty.
Clearly, this work required great precision, since it determined whether we had soldiers, equipment and food to sustain the campaigns of the empire. Although I was doing much of the work myself, I was also sending many of my trusted officers to those expenditure control posts. That corruption represented an enormous loss within the annual budget of the empire, especially considering that military spending could reach sixty or seventy percent of imperial income.
The bad thing was that I was leaving my most competent group of officers in administrative posts, when I could entrust them with entire units to command under my guidance. Instead, I had to replace them with officers who were not always suited for the post, or with men who could easily be overcome by their own ambition.
So I was constantly fighting with the imperial bureaucracy, trying to eliminate corruption from the army. Although that would be very difficult, since complaints had begun to reach me from the themata closest to the capital because of the surprise inspections, in addition to having given them an enormous amount of additional work by forcing them to review the contracts of the thematic soldiers in order to keep updated records on how many troops there really were in the empire. The reports varied too much and everything depended on whom one asked.
That was why I had to leave the imperial army as organized as possible within the short time I had available. The campaign could not be delayed any longer, since while the Carolingians continued facing one another between father, sons and brothers, it would be a relatively simple war. If they resolved their internal disputes, the conflict would become something very different. A war of attrition where, through sheer numbers and endurance, they might manage to prevail.
As soon as I finished much of the work, I had to go to the court of snakes. There were matters I had to attend to, such as contacting the suppliers of the army, since the military campaign needed everything and many of those who controlled those supplies were there. My smithies could not supply the entire imperial army, much less the vanguards that would march toward Italy.
So, although my intention had always been never to have to play Roman politics, there I was, dancing among venomous snakes.
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