by Geoff Fabron
Stephanie was woken by the sound of gunfire. Alexander was fast asleep beside her and she started to shake him, but he just mumbled and turned over.
"Wake up, damn you," she screamed at him as the intensity of the shooting increased. It had been a late night and the empty bottles strewn around the bedroom explained the Emperor's lack of interest in what was going on. Stephanie encouraged Alexander to drink as much as he liked, but was not stupid enough to over indulge herself.
Eventually the Emperor sat up looking dazed and still partly drunk.
"What's going on?" he demanded. "And what's that god awful noise!"
"It's gunfire!" she snapped at him irritably. "The palace must be under attack."
Terror showed in Alexander's face.
"Monomachus has come to kill me!" he wailed.
Stephanie jumped out of bed. "Get dressed," she ordered, picking up some of her clothes that were lying on the floor, "we may have to get out of here."
Alexander sat in the bed paralysed, watching her get dressed with a vacant look on his face.
"Get up!" she screamed at him again. "And get a grip on yourself for God’s sake! You’re the Emperor – at least act like it."
Suddenly the doors burst open and a squad of armed soldiers rushed into the room. Stephanie let out a scream but they just ignored her. Two of the men ran over to the window and took up firing positions, whilst a centurion holding a handgun went over to the Emperor. He saluted.
"Your Majesty, the palace is under attack by troops from the Army of Asia Minor. We cannot hold them back for long. You must leave here immediately and get to a place of safety."
Alexander nodded wordlessly; got up and walked over to his wardrobe where he took out the first thing he laid his hand on.
"We have a couple of motorboats waiting at the waterfront to take you to a navy warship in the Bosporos," said the praetorian officer as Alexander dressed. "Chief Minister Exanzenus and some other officials will meet us there."
A few minutes later, escorted by the squad of loyal praetorians, Alexander and Stephanie left the imperial apartments and made their way through the gardens to the palace jetty. Five minutes after the motorboats had left for the warship the remaining praetorians, their job done, surrendered to the legionaries of General Strategicus.
There were only a few representatives and senators who did not attend the assembly that evening, mostly supporters of Exanzenus who feared a purge. Outside the assembly building soldiers of the legio XVI Flavia stood guard, but inside there were no armed men, except the traditional lictors with their rods and axes. The Emperor's throne was empty but Gregory Nicerites and General Strategicus sat nearby.
When all who were expected had arrived General Strategicus rose and began to speak.
"Honoured representatives of the people and noble senators, I stand before you now, neither as a usurper of the throne nor as a military dictator, but as an imperial citizen driven to take drastic action due to desperate circumstances." There were muted comments from all sides of the assembly, but nobody was making themself too conspicuous until the situation had been clarified,
"The Empire is in the midst of its worse crisis for a generation," he continued, "to the north of this great city a civil war rages, in the West our weakened armies struggle to hold back the Saxons and are in danger of being overwhelmed, whilst the province of Britannia is being overrun. Only in the East, by the grace of God, have we been able to lay low our foes, but due to the pernicious influence of Chief Minister Exanzenus this victory was to have been wasted! He has been using our Emperor to control the state, abusing the emergency powers available to the throne to bypass the Assembly and the Senate. Thus, it was with a heavy heart and after much soul searching that I agreed to use force of arms to redress this situation."
He turned to Gregory who got up to speak whilst Strategicus sat down.
"Until the Emperor can be persuaded to return and govern in accordance with the constitution and without Exanzenus as chief minister, I wish to propose that a regency council be set up to act on behalf of his Majesty."
"Who's going to be on this council?" demanded a radical representative.
"Nicerites and half a dozen generals of course!" shouted back someone else.
"NO!" said Gregory loudly and firmly, "General Strategicus said that this is not a military coup and he meant it. The membership of the regency council will be determined by the Assembly and the Senate as laid down by the law."
This announcement took them all by surprise and there was a brief silence as the politicians thought this through. The military had just seized power but were effectively giving it away again. That was definitely a first in the history of the Empire!
John Phocas, leader of the modernist party rose in his seat, and Gregory indicated that he could speak.
"A regency council could order both you General Strategicus to be arrested on charges of treason" pointed out Phocas.
"We are aware of that," replied Gregory "But we are willing to face the courts if necessary. We took this action because it was the only way of ejecting Exanzenus."
"What about Monomachus?" continued Phocas.
"We still recognise Alexander IX as the only Emperor of the Romans. We will continue to send supplies and equipment to the troops fighting the rebel Moesian legions that are supporting the usurper Monomachus. The legio XVI Flavia will remain in Constantinople to ensure the safety of the regency council and will take its orders from that body. I will also remain in the capital at the disposal of the council."
"What about General Strategicus?" asked a member of the Equestrian party.
Gregory smiled. "General Strategicus and the rest of the Army of Asia Minor have an appointment elsewhere."
Chapter Eighteen
1st September 1920
Minden, Saxony
News of the appointment of a regency council and the fall of Exanzenus broke in Minden at the same time as the report that the Saxon army's attempt to cross the Mosa had been repulsed. These two events enabled Frederick to persuade a number of key nobles to support his call for a cease-fire.
The council meeting was heated and Frederick had to take a great deal of verbal abuse from the more belligerent members of the 'war party'. He drew attention to the failure of the army to achieve the decisive breakthrough that they had promised and the suspension of the imperial trade laws announced by the regency council to justify a cease-fire.
The mood amongst the nobles and the people in general had begun to swing against the continuance of the war. The surge of national pride caused by the initial success of the army and the capture of an Eagle had been sobered by the increasingly long casualty lists and continuing imperial resistance. Many of the nobles who had earlier supported Godisger now backed Maleric's call for an end to the fighting.
The King, sensitive to the change in mood, agreed and instructed that a proposal for a cease-fire and peace conference should be sent to Constantinople. In the meantime the Saxon armies would remain in place and take no further offensive action.
1st September 1920
Mosa River, Saxon Army Headquarters
It was almost dark when the message from Minden was received at the army field headquarters. Franz Maleric looked at the piece of paper in disbelief.
"Cease all offensive actions! Fire only in self-defence! They're fools, cowards! Don't they know how close we are to victory! The army is ready to attack tomorrow! One more push across the river and they'll collapse. They have no reserves left!"
Edwin, who had delivered the message, stood quietly and waited until Franz had finished his tirade before speaking.
"Only three people in the army know about this message," he said quietly.
Franz looked at his friend, immediately grasping the hidden meaning in his words. "Who else?" he demanded.
"The radio operator next door."
"Can we trust him to keep quiet?"
"He'll do as he is told," Edwin replied confidently.
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br /> Franz looked at the message again. It was a notice that a unilateral cease-fire would take effect in twenty-four hours. He was expected to inform the units of the Saxon army in Gaul. The army command in Minden would send confirmation orders the next day. This had been the policy in the Saxon army for nearly a century since a Saxon army commander had been bribed by the Turks to accept a truce. After that act of treason any cessation of hostilities had to be confirmed by Minden.
"Some of the generals would have got wind of this," observed Franz. "They have their own contacts in the capital. If we ignore this message and confirm the order for tomorrow's assault a couple of them might query it."
"We don't need a full scale assault by the entire army," argued Edwin. "The dozen regiments under my direct command will be enough. Once we have broken through their defences and are heading for Lutetia the rest of the army will follow us, cease fire or no cease fire."
Franz looked long and hard at Edwin and the message in his hands, then slowly and deliberately he screwed the paper into a ball.
"You're right. We've come too far to stop now. The attack proceeds as planned, but just with your regiments."
1st September 1920
Britannia
Titus was surprised at how quickly Sextus had replied to his message. The commander of the imperial forces in Britannia had summoned him early that morning with news of the appointment of the regency council and the reply from Gregory to Sextus's proposals. Later that morning Titus had sent word to Sextus requesting another meeting and by early evening had received a reply to met him at midnight at the same place as before.
"I complement you on the efficiency of your communications," said Titus as they met.
"This is our land and we know how to use it to our advantage," pointed out Burrus, who had accompanied Sextus.
"You have news for us?" asked Sextus impatiently.
"A regency council has been set up by Gregory Nicerites and General Strategicus. Exanzenus has been stripped of his position and charged with treason. The Emperor has fled the capital."
Sextus and Burrus looked at each other. This was one piece of news that they had not heard.
"Gregory presented your proposals to the council and they have accepted them. Britannia will be accepted back into the Empire with a full pardon for all people involved."
"A full pardon - for everyone?" repeated Sextus sceptically.
"Yes," confirmed Titus. "The council believes that it's time to put this madness behind us."
"So what are we going to do about the Caledonians?" asked Burrus. "I don't see them being very happy about this reconciliation."
"We want to co-ordinate a counter-offensive with your auxiliary forces," said Titus. "This will allow us to take the Caledonians by surprise. It'll take a few days to organise but if all goes well the province will soon be clear of your northern neighbours."
Both Sextus and Burrus nodded. "I'll return to Bremenacum. Burrus will co-ordinate the military activities with you."
"I suggest we use your contact man in Deva," said Titus with a touch of amusement, "it seems quicker than an imperial courier."
They took their leave of each other and Titus watched the two men make their way back to their own part of the divided province, sharing their wish that Britannia would soon be at peace again.
1st September 1920
Mosa River, Headquarters of Saxon 54th Regiment
When Franz Maleric had received the cease-fire order, General Godisger had been on an inspection tour of the Saxon units preparing for the following mornings assault. As Franz had guessed, news of the council’s decision had reached some of the better-connected Saxon commanders through less official channels. Godisger attempted to contact Franz later that night for confirmation but the telephone operator could not raise the headquarters.
"I'm sorry General," apologised a rather flustered young soldier. "But the lines seem to be down. I can't raise them on the wireless either. I can send some men from the signals section to trace the break in the line but they'll have to wait until daylight."
General Godisger was concerned at being out of contact with his headquarters but communication breaks in telephone lines were quite common given their hasty installation and there could be a dozen legitimate reasons for a line being cut. The wireless set was a fairly new addition to the army’s communications system and was neither very reliable nor universally in use.
He had been able to contact a few of the other regiments in the area and they had not received any confirmation of the orders to launch the planned attack the next day. General Godisger relaxed a little. After all, he told himself, if there were no cease-fire, nothing would have stopped Franz Maleric from issuing the order to attack, even if it meant delivering it to each unit in person.
Godisger left the communication tent and walked out into the pleasantly warm night. Rumour of the cease-fire was beginning to spread throughout the regiment. The chief reaction was a combination of relief at the end of the fighting and anger. Some were frustrated at having to stop, many angered by the futility of it all, whilst most were just glad that it was over.
General Godisger heard all but said nothing. His thoughts were his own and he intended to keep them to himself.
1st September 1920
Arcadiopolis, Thrace
The hotel in the centre of Arcadiopolis had been commandeered by the Head Quarters unit of the Praetorian Guard and the dining room turned into their operations room. Tables had been pushed together in the middle of the room whilst others lined the sides filled with banks of telephones and occupied by clerks with files and papers.
The Praetorian Prefect, Commander of the Guard, leaned over the table in the centre pouring over the maps spread before him, analysing the disposition of his units. The Moesians were probing his lines looking for a weak spot to launch an attack. He was keeping in regular contact with his commanders at the front ready to support them with his reserves.
“Sir.”
The Prefects concentration was broken and he straightened up and turned to face the Guardsman who had addressed him. He was from the headquarters guard century and carried his rifle slung over his shoulder.
“Yes. What is it?”
The soldier hesitated for a moment, and he started to speak a couple of times before finally spurting out “The Emperor is in reception sir!”
“What!” The Praetorian Prefect took a deep breath, looked up to the ceiling and shook his head. ‘Just what I need’, he thought to himself. ‘Alexander and a bunch of his brainless, smartass friends come to offer their advice’. He dismissed the guardsman, nodded to his adjutant to follow him and headed for the hotel reception, subconsciously checking his uniform was fully buttoned and neat.
In the large, grandiose entrance hall of the hotel the Prefect found his Emperor, together with the First Minister Exanzenus and a small group of senators plus Alexander’s mistress. They looked tired and bedraggled; the Emperor was leaning against the large reception counter supported by Stephanie. Slightly off to one side, noticeably separate stood Exanzenus and the other senators, who the Prefect recognised as close supporters of the First Minister.
The Prefect was taken aback at the sight of the group. “Your Majesty, what has happened?”
“There has been a mutiny by rogue elements in the Capital,” stated Exanzenus, ignoring Alexander who had not even acknowledged his Guard commander and just hung tightly to Stephanie, his eyes darting around the room. “There were few Praetorians in the city so we made our way here.” The warship that had rescued the group from the Palace had dropped them off at a small port up the coast where they borrowed some motor carriages from the local Police and made their way to Arcadiopolis.
The Prefect looked at Exanzenus and then back to Alexander, quickly deducing that the Emperor was in no fit state to either issue orders or comprehend the situation. “You will be safe here your Majesty,” he said. “I will arrange rooms for you and your party.”
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��Prefect. You need to do more than just arrange accommodation”, Exanzenus moved forward, interposing himself between the Prefect and Alexander. “There are rebels at Constantinople and they are probably on their way here now. You need to send a force to block the road from the Capital.”
“I only have a single cohort in reserve to support the rest of the Guard facing Monomachus. I do not have any other troops to spare.”
“Then send the reserve!” Snapped Exanzenus. “The first duty of the Praetorian Guard is to ensure the safety of the Emperor and he has already been attacked once”.
“The rebel Moesian legions are only a few miles away!” Argued the Prefect, barely holding onto his temper. ‘This pompous idiot could jeopardise our entire position’ he thought angrily.
“You have troops facing them already! Send men to block the road to the Capital Prefect. That is an order!”
Desperately the Prefect looked around Exanzenus to Alexander but the Emperor just nodded his head, a glazed expression on his face.
The Praetorian Prefect stared at the First Minister for several seconds. “Very well then”, he answered calmly. He turned to his adjutant. “See to their needs and then meet me in the operations room. We need to issue orders for the reserve cohort.” He then saluted the Emperor and smartly marched out of reception.
In the operations room he arranged for the movement of the reserve cohort from its position just to the west of the town to a blocking position on the road east to the Capital, some 6 miles away. He then went to his room, poured a very large drink and silently prayed they could hold until the Pannonian legions arrived.
A few hours later one of the headquarters clerks took a break and went outside for a smoke. He quietly made his way down a side street to a bar. There he nodded to the bar tender and went through to a back room where two men were sitting playing cards. He spoke briefly to them, took receipt of a large bag of coins and returned to the hotel.
