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Anno Domini,833-April-14-19
''They have already tried to plunder our lands, basileus. The forces of the strategos of Anatolikon have crossed the border several times to burn villages, but the Serbs have stopped most of their incursions. When the raiders do manage to attack a settlement, they usually suffer heavy losses during their retreat'' reported one of the local commanders from Boukellarion.
''What have the scouts seen? How many men are we talking about?'' I asked as we rode toward the rendezvous with the provincial troops.
''About two thousand, Your Majesty. That is the force we have observed, consisting mainly of soldiers from the tagma of Anatolikon. The theme once maintained large numbers of troops, but its military spending has been reduced in recent years. After the Saracens' defeats in Cilicia and Syria, the threat diminished, and its standing force was assigned mainly to hunting down the thieves and bandits who preyed on Anatolia's trade routes'' the commander replied, pointing out the roads along which the raiders approached.
''Two thousand… That is a rather low figure. The son of a… He reported four thousand men'' I said, recalling the records he had submitted to request his troops' pay.
''Was he pocketing their wages?'' the commander asked, tilting his head and frowning.
''Possibly, or perhaps he has the rest deployed elsewhere. I remember that last year, before we marched to Italy, he reported four thousand soldiers in his tagma. If he only has half that number, he must have been pocketing the pay of two thousand men and the money intended to maintain their equipment. Another thief we will have to settle accounts with… And if that is the case, he must now regret not having those troops. Many of the Empire's forges are under our control; others are in the hands of the other claimants. I doubt his workshops can quickly equip an army capable of stopping us'' I replied.
I continued watching the landscape as the wind struck my face.
''Would you like me to summon the Serbs? Many are deployed in the region's hills and forests, waiting to ambush that strategos's patrols. Others are watching the passes through which more raiding parties might enter'' the commander explained.
''No. Have them hold their positions for now. Once the troops from Ancyra join us, we will march south and enter Anatolikon. I want to defeat that commander as soon as possible, without giving him time to ask one of the claimants for help. Nor do we want another strategos, one of those who have yet to choose a side, deciding to come to his aid and complicating our campaign'' I replied.
I spurred my horse and turned to look at the long column of men following us east.
I had gathered every soldier I could spare from the other fronts. Even so, this campaign would be difficult: I had only about thirty-five thousand men. The need to send armies to different regions had considerably divided the great force we had concentrated at the beginning of the civil war.
Nor did I have as many Varangians as I would have liked. Sigurd had taken many of them, leaving me with only the two thousand men of the Varangian Guard and another two thousand heavy cavalrymen of the same origin. The rest had been forced to remain in Constantinople to guard it. They were the men I trusted most to keep the city under my authority against any intrigues that might arise during my absence.
The largest contingent in my army consisted of fifteen thousand Serbs. I had taken them far from their homeland because deploying them against their own countrymen could lead to widespread desertion. They were mainly light infantry, though during the recent campaigns they had gradually acquired better weapons and armor.
I also had about six thousand Slavic horsemen. Many wore armor comparable to that of our heavy infantry and fought with composite bows from horseback. They served a role similar to that of Belisarius's bucellarii.
The rest were troops recruited in the provinces, intended to fight as heavy infantry. I had a fairly balanced force, with men capable of fulfilling the different roles we would need during the campaign.
But that was all. For the moment, I could expect no reinforcements.
The provinces had begun an emergency levy to raise another five thousand men in their cities, though it would be at least four months before they were ready. They needed equipment and basic training. I did not want to receive a mass of armed men who would flee as soon as they encountered the enemy.
We continued our march to Ancyra, the provincial capital. There, we collected the provisions prepared for us, added more pack animals and welcomed the provincial troops who had arrived at the rendezvous. Their arrival brought our force close to its planned strength.
I sent messages to the Serbian officers, ordering them to leave their positions and join us on the road to Amorium. We spent only one night quartered in the city. At first light the following day, we resumed our march.
Amorium was one of the most important thematic capitals. Theophilos and his father had been particularly fond of it as their family's city of origin and had invested large sums in its defenses.
We advanced with the provisions and equipment we had brought from Greece. Most of my men were veterans, which allowed us to maintain a good marching pace. The Serbian and Slavic scouts also did their work well: we received reports on the terrain ahead and the movements of the rebel strategos, who was looking for an opportunity to attack us.
Apparently, he had mobilized the region's thematic soldiers and was now trying to find a position where the terrain would give him an advantage. According to our scouts' estimates, he had about eight thousand men. They were not enough to face us in the open, but they could hurt us if they caught us poorly deployed or managed to lure us into an ambush.
It did not take us long to reach Amorium, which lay relatively close to our area of operations in Boukellarion.
However, the strategos had abandoned the city.
He must have realized he could not defend it with the forces at his disposal and had withdrawn east. My men entered without resistance, but discovered that the rebels had taken everything they could use. The granaries were empty, as were the coffers. Only the inhabitants who had not been called up remained.
We had gained its walls, but not the resources I had expected to find behind them.
Much to my regret, I had to leave five hundred Roman infantrymen to guard the city and prevent the enemy from retaking it as soon as we moved away.
Then we continued south.
Over the following days, I realized that my opponent was trying to wage a war of attrition, using the same tactics against us that had been employed to counter Saracen incursions.
Eventually, our scouts located his camp a short distance from our marching columns. I immediately sent the Slavic horsemen to begin harassing it and diverted the rest of the army toward it.
The Slavs switched to fresh horses and galloped off. The terrain was fairly even, allowing them to advance quickly and reach the camp long before our infantry.
We marched after them, trying to arrive as soon as possible.
A few hours later, we found our enemies trapped in their camp by the Slavic cavalry. Numerous horsemen from the theme lay dead nearby. Apparently, their cavalry had tried to escape, leaving the infantry behind while the strategos fled.
''What do we do with them?'' asked one of the Varangian Guard officers.
The thematic soldiers had formed up in front of the camp entrances. Our horsemen patrolled the surrounding area, watching for any attempt to escape.
''I do not trust their loyalty, and we are not yet desperate enough to take them into our ranks. We will spare their lives if they surrender their weapons and armor. Their service obligations in the theme will be canceled, but they will have to move with their families to the lands we assign them in the Balkans. Their properties here will pass to the imperial treasury. Go and offer them those terms, and remind them that if they refuse, they will have to face an army several times their size'' I ordered.
I looked away from the Varangian and motioned to one of my Greek officers to deliver the proposal.
The man rode toward the camp with several subordinates and announced the terms of surrender.
Shortly afterward, the thematic soldiers began piling up their spears, swords and bows. Then they removed their armor until they wore only their linen clothing and boots, and returned to their tents to collect their belongings.
I left men to guard them and organize their transfer to Constantinople with their families. We had to get them out of the combat zone, even if that meant detaching another portion of our forces so we could continue advancing without leaving enemies behind us.
We continued along the strategos of Anatolikon's retreat route, following the trail of dead horsemen, some with arrows still embedded in their armor. I wanted to keep the pressure on him, but I also sent out fresh scouting parties to make sure we were not advancing toward the strategos of Cappadocia's troops.
During the pursuit, several groups of Slavs returned to our columns to exchange their exhausted horses for fresh mounts before riding out again.
The strategos tried to find refuge, but our horsemen gave him no time to stop. After several hours, they finally brought him before me, bloodied and covered in dirt, though still alive.
''Well… It seems your rebellion did not last very long, did it?'' I said, gripping his cheeks while several Slavs held his arms and legs.
''Fuck you, you damned murderer… No one will serve you after what you have done. No one. It is only a matter of time before someone drives a dagger into your back'' the strategos replied, breathing heavily without taking his eyes off mine.
''Unlike others, I do not need to buy the support of local dignitaries so they can pretend to be loyal while demanding land, gold and offices. I can fill the administration with pagans if it gives me men who keep their word. You are a fine example of what the loyalty of those who call themselves servants of Rome is worth, you corrupt bastard… Do you regret pocketing the money you could have used to fill your granaries or maintain the soldiers you claimed to have? You represent everything that is rotting the Empire from within, and I will tear it out by the roots… Now let me close your eyes, since Rome has finally opened its own'' I replied.
I drew my dagger and drove it deep into his neck. His body jerked in the Slavs' grasp.
When I withdrew the blade, blood began flowing from the wound. I waited until he stopped struggling and closed his eyes before my men released the corpse.
''Gather the other dead and give them a proper burial. Find out whether any men from the local levy remain whom the strategos did not mobilize, and assign them the work. If there are none, we will leave some of our own men. At least their families will know they were buried… But the strategos stays here. Let him rot. Set up camp. We will rest tonight and resume our march at dawn. Our next objective will be Cappadocia. Then we will advance north again so we can count on the imperial navy's support when we march on Armenia'' I ordered, turning toward my men.
Without lingering any longer, I returned to planning the next stages of the campaign.
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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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