Chapter 266: 261: The Debate

""Forward! Remember that from those monuments yonder forty centuries look down upon you."

-        Napoleon Bonaparte, Battle of the Pyramids

All the various captains and courtiers took positions in the grand hall awaiting their admiral. They gathered in their smaller factions and groups, staring to discuss vigorously about the news about the preparing Ottoman devastation on to them. Separated in to different groups with different political ideas and views about this issue. Arguments and debates started breaking out among them as they are having a hard time coping with the sudden immense pressure of the sheer numerical number of 'more than a hundred thousand enemies. 

What they do not know that their admiral, Antonius is just behind the door listening to the ongoing arguments. With the rapid expansion of Antonius unknowingly his men have divided in to a few factions each with areas of specialties and traits forming political alliances in the system of the government. Usually this adds on the level of competition between them giving extra boosts to their working speed and quality as the state is improving on its overall power fast, but when faced with a tremendous force from the outside the chain of corporation between them breaks apart, and their quarrels and conflicts accumulated through the time swept under the carpet all suddenly exploded in this time, making this room now feel like a fire barrel seating on a pile of gun powder, ready to set off at any moment. 

Antonius is needed more than ever here to soothe down the quarrel and arguments between the different factions. Anjelo, Abdullah and Alexios are far more capable from cooling down the nervous sentiments of people inside the room, while Antonius as their back bone is undoubtedly able to re unite the different parties back under his lead against the outside enemy even if he just stands here in this room with out uttering a word, not because of his look or what, but only because he is Antonius; the people and captains all have a mutual trust on him that he must be the one to bring the guys out of this trash hole again after going through so many hardships and miracles. 

Thus when Antonius hear the quarrel and arguments inside the room has intensified as vulgarities filled the air, and he knows that it is now the time for him to get involved. Antonius coughed tidying up his collars and boots trying to make himself look not a bit panicked, then pushed open the door and strolled in to the room heading straight towards his seat with out looking at his captains. While the moment the admiral entered the room, the crowd of lords and captains beneath him quietened down instantly standing there rooted staring at the admiral waiting for his orders. 

But Antonius just sat there, poured himself the third cup of mead for the day, blew it although it has already been cooled, and drank it siting there as if he has came for an afternoon drink party. 

"Admiral…." A captain called Baron carefully approached Antonius. "We are all waiting for your order." 

"Huh? Order?" Antonius pretends he is caught in surprise by the captain's words. "But I am still waiting for you people to finish your debate, go on lads! Go on! Continue your debates! I shall just sit here drink my wine and wait for you to settle your problems first, go on lads!" 

Of course, no one dared to talk. Hearing this Abdullah could not resist himself and twerked his lips trying to control his laughter. No matter how much time has passed with the power and army Antonius has, he still carries the trait of that merry man setting sail in the Mediterranean, and this trait shall accompany him forever, although he is being turned more and more in to a true ruler, a true king.

Anjelo, who is usually playful always at discrete about things, turned to be rather serious in times like this. He stood out going up the short stair case towards Antonius and reprimanded. "Admiral! It is time to get serious!" 

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Antonius is startled, Abdullah is startled, and the captains beneath are equally as startled. Antonius quickly stood up dropping that cup of mead, going down and supported the old man down the stair case grinning. "Relax, old man, I will be serious, damn I almost thought that you are falling down the stairs! Don't scare me old man!" 

The admiral then returned to his seat this time with a stern look. He glanced through the crowd of people observing their faces, expressions and asked in a majestic voice with his sound echoing through out the specially designed dome structured building. "You people have disappointed me, greatly, just now. Have I not told you that we need to stay united as the smallest force in the region, and we shall be completely eaten up by others if we stay disjointed and separated? Then what are you folks doing just now? Especially you, Fisnik, stand out! Huh? Are you raising your fist towards that elder clergy just now? What are your intentions?" 

The young boy Fisnik stood out of the crowd and replied trying to suppress the amount of hatred and abhorrence in his voice. "Admiral, this old bastard said that we should abandon the city of Thessaloniki like how the crusaders have abandoned my home town Avlonya last year! Leaving the residents and citizens to under the mercy by the Ottoman war mongers holding their blades which is still dripping blood!" 

"I see." Nodded Antonius with out expression on his face. "Understood, thank you Fisnik… The rest of you, do all of you have the same idea as father Arnae?" 

No one dared to say a word in support of this father's idea beneath. 

"Just say your thoughts out. I am not the Saracens or the Franks who will persecute people for having different ideas. No matter right or wrong, I need to know what you are thinking of." 

"Admiral." The clergy from Constantinople came out, bowed towards Antonius and said. "I do support this idea, as a humble representative of God among human, I must tell you that God definitely does not want to see his elite warriors and disciples getting involved in a war they cannot win, losing their lives for nothing casting a layer of shadow on the face of God and the church, thus with the help of God I foresee that pathetic future, and I am here to warn you admiral, please do not make that vision come true! The city of Thessaloniki is a place of misfortune! We don't belong here!" 

"No, no, no!" A local rich business man supporting the admiral's army interrupted and ran out of the crowd making the clergy shut up and kneeled on to the hard marble floor begging to the admiral. "Admiral! Please do not listen to this maniac! We Thessalians have helped you acquire the city giving you our full support just in the hope that you are able to protect us against the infidels, you cannot leave us aside! Admiral, you are your army have all of our support and help, what ever you need, just say the word! Please! If we go back to Ottoman rule we shall be slaughtered and sold as slaves, just like what has happened thirty plus years ago!" 

Even Yuri could not take at and cursed the clergy pointing directly at his face. "Really, I cannot stand this kind of cowardice behaviour from a man of God, seriously are you really a clergy? Your behaviour is no where near a respected father back in my far away home town of Ruski, when the Mongols came our hard witted fathers are always the first jumping out of the barricades charging towards the Mongolian barbarians with only a blade in his hand, what kind of man are you? Have your guts been eaten by dogs?"

"Shut up! You Nordic barbarian!" A captain who is of Cherson back ground who was a pirate in the Black Sea initially joining the fleet during the siege of Constantinople argued and gave Yuri a spit. "Admiral, I suggest that we should with draw from Thessaloniki fast, because this city will soon become a hell of a place bringing us more loss than revenue. But we are going to make a come back, aren't we? Thus, I suggest that for our convenience sake we should tear down the walls, fortresses and towers of the city so that we will have a much easier time next…" 

The captain was interrupted abruptly as the local business man roared picking up a metal rod that came out of no where throwing it towards him, smacking right on to his fore head with blood starting to sip out. The captain quickly turned back and charged towards the rich merchant starting a fight exchanging fists right in the middle of the room. The entire place quickly fell back to its initial state being chaotic with all sorts of argument and quarrels going on between different parties of mainly two opposing ideas; Abandon? Or stay in the city?

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