Chapter 265: 260: Hundred Thousand

"Equo ne credite, Teucri Quidquid id est, timeo Danaos et dona ferentis"

"Do not trust those horses called Trojans. Or what ever it is, I fear the Greeks even when they are offering gifts." 

-        The Aeneid, Virgil

Just as Antonius and Khalid drinks the alcohol and is having a little bit of break time soothing their tired bones and worn out muscles after a prolonged horse riding journey, the commander of that petite cavalry force with less than a hundred riders, Abraham ran in to the room grasping for air wearing only his casual wears still with the scent of horse dungs and salty concentrated hay Lage. 

"Admiral, I heard that you are going to put these horses as logistics purposes carrying loads and wagons?" 

"Ah, Abraham." Antonius welcomed the man and ushered him to take a seat beside Khalid, then confessed his thought. "Aye, you are right my friend, I did intent last time to place this herd of horse in to logistics division."

"Oh, ābētu lemini yanini taderigalehi!" Abdullah groaned in a trembling voice making it almost feel like he is going to cry. "Why, why would you do that, admiral?"

"Calm down, Abraham." Smiled Antonius as he poured his cavalry captain a cup of mead too pushing it towards him. 

"My admiral, I have always said that horses to natural riders, are like ships to the sailors, it is like our…"

"Wives?" 

Abraham halted his words surprised that the admiral knows what he is going to talk about next. "Yes, wife." 

"Let me introduce you towards this man." Antonius pointed towards Khalid. "His name is Khalid, an expert in horses, and definitely also an expert in mounted combat, previously served as a Mamluk cavalry in Egyptus. You too had the same idea arguing with me that those horses should not be used as wagon horses. And because of him, I have changed my idea pulling back the orders I have sent earlier, you can relax about your treasured horses now." 

Hearing the admiral's words Abraham heaved a sigh of relief, then he stood up and made a deep bow towards the man beside him, While Khalid sheepishly jumped up from his chair and moved aside dodging the bow by the captain. 

"Now, listen to the plan I just formed up in my head. Khalid, how many slaves do you have in the herd that have the same back ground as you efficient in horse riding mounted combat techniques?"

Khalid calculated with his fingers and toes and replied. "Around forty of them." 

"Forty… Enough for now, I shall use the rules of the Mamluks, these people, although still slaves, shall receive better lives and wages. However, they shall be responsible for herding and taking care of the horses, and on top of that they shall join my calvary corps forming a special branch of mounted skills tutors that are responsible also for teaching my soldiers horse riding techniques, mounted archery and mounted combat, while they shall also be brought in to battle field acting as my elite cavalry force breaking through enemy lines, and fending off enemy calvaries just like the things you do in the past in the Mamluk army." 

"As you wish, my lord. Please accept my thousands of appreciation and thanks on behalf of my brothers, that you, the mighty and prophetic Grand Admiral, has blessed us with a brand new identity! So that in the future we shall not need to walk on the sides of the road evading other people's shadows feeding on the left overs and scavenged food from garbage, I thank you, my admiral." Hearing the news Khalid kneeled down right on the marble ground banging his head repeatedly with tears flowing down his cheeks again. 

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"Abdullah, from this point of time on wards Khalid shall become your second in charge of the cavalry force, I hope that the two of you can corporate together with modesty, and just like what Khalid has said to me earlier on, I want to see unity in between the both of you." 

"Aye, admiral." The two men willingly accepted the order.

"Khalid, your first mission from me is to browse through the slave market looking for large quantity of Mamluk slaves just like you, liberate them from the slave traders and use them to form my first batch of calvary force. Together with these men you shall train the local Romans from infantries to cavalries… All your expense shall come from Alexios, since, while he is the main culprit behind the demise of that horse… Ahem, you can punch him, kick him in the arse or what so ever, just keep him in a good shape to continue working." 

"Aye admiral, but don't worry, I shall not inflict my own loss in my mind in to suffering for others, even if that man has conducted a sinful crime." Bowed Khalid again. "And I must also request that we should not only look at the local slave market, we should also set own focus on to the other markets over seas, and if we can I suggest that we can even send an envoy to my Sultan in Qalaʿat Salāḥ ad-Dīn, from my understanding of my Sultan I can certainly bet that he is very much obliged to send you some reinforcements to spur more trouble at the back of the Ottomans." 

"You have a point." Antonius nodded in agreement and called out to the guards. "Do me a favor boys, call me Abdullah, say that I have some important issues to discuss with him." 

But instead of going away, the guard stood there hesitating holding some thing in his hands. "Emm, admiral, I think ye ought to read this here first, it looks damn to the depths important with a red seal an' three feathers." 

"Three feathers and a red seal?" Antonius instantly increased the level of alert as he vividly felt that some thing ominous might be going on. He took the letter, unsealed it, and found out that it is a report sent by his out post all the way back in the Prince Islands, from the Basileus of Constantinople himself. It is a long report, and with each sentence the vague wrinkle on his fore head deepens by a bit. Seeing this Khalid stood there not knowing what to do, while Abraham by his side pulled his robes signaling him to just sit down. 

After reading the letter Antonius placed the letter on the table and ordered again to the guard in a more serious tone. "Then now there is an even more urgent reason to call Abdullah hear, run, be fast, after that I want you to call every single captain and lord to the grand hall, if they ask you why just say it is top secret. Be quick! Take a mount if you need it." 

"Aye, admiral." The guard acknowledged and headed straight out of the room. 

Seeing the expression of the admiral Abraham knows that they are getting in to a new unknown dire situation. Unable to resist the curiosity within himself Abdullah stood up and asked. "Admiral, may I know…"

"No, you cant!" Antonius did not even let Abraham finish his words as he took deep breathe relentlessly trying to calm the hysterical waves of emotions in his heart with his eyes closed. But still, after a while, he opened his eyes showing a lost sight and groaned. "Fine, it is a letter from our good old friend Constantine in Nova Roma, warning us that the Ottomans are now withdrawing their forces from the borders of Bulgaria, Wallachia, and Serbia assembling the forces in Edirne. The local government has also started drafting men, both Christians and Ottoman Turks, from the age of fifteen to fifty, in to the various camps and training centers to receive basic military training. That Candarli Halil Pasha also ordered the various eyelets and beys to start storing up supplies and food to prepare for the logistics of a large campaign." 

"Which means…" Abraham took a cold breathe, he can already guess what is going to happen next. 

The admiral leaned back again staring the ceiling. "Yes, which means that the Ottomans are now coming for us and the city, but this is not the thing that made me so damn hopeless, you know what is it Abraham?" 

"I don't Admiral." 

"According to the report by our friend Constantine, the Candarli Halil Pasha assembled a force of at least sixty thousand strong combat forces, supported by the entire arsenal of the Ottomans and more than a hundred thousand of mobilized workers and peasants providing logistics support." 

"This shall be the first time we are facing against an enemy of more than a hundred thousand strong."

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