33. The Gamble

  On the 27th of February, after a brisk march Gocelin arrived at Otranto, his men were exhausted, and they laid down their spears and crossbows before buying supplies in the city.

  “As a reward for your fast marching, we will have a feast on me!” Gocelin said, “well done.”

  “Well done!” Thorphinius shouted, “if you want to wash, and buy some whores!”

  “Ah goodness,” Gocelin quietly muttered, to laughter to those who heard, “find a wife!” He then turned to Thorphinius, “why did you rush them here?”

  “It’s good low stakes exercise,” Thorphinius explained, “it’s better to train hard and fight easy than the other way around.”

  “So you decided to drill mercenaries?” Gocelin questioned, “you know how they are,” he whispered a little irritated and worried.

  “You want lazy soldiers?” Thorphinius said, “now their rest feels earned, trust me they’ll feel better like this.”

  Gocelin had to relent for he was probably right, standing in the merchant quarter of the town, he could already see the results of the catapults and Republic loyal garrison.

  I guess I can focus on attack. That’s a good thing. I wonder what that Greek lout is doing.

  Meanwhile Zethos and Lucanus looked around the road, as they trundled along toward the town, they made a wagon camp, and in the old roman style, the runners, the bolt shooters, and some of the infantry dug and made a fortified camp, with bolt shooters standing guard, and lanterns lit. Zethos looked at the dark night, and contemplated his life choices.

  I might have just fucked myself. The council did not authorise this, they will not send reinforcements, on the other hand, if I just sit at Taranto, I know they will just take everything away, it is just the nature of things. Adaneus is far more terrifying than Guiscard or any wannabe warlord.

  “You made a glaive-man your number two,” Lucanus said, sitting next to his commander, “perhaps one of the bolt shooters should be your third in command?”

  “Oh yeah you have anyone in mind?” Zethos asked half seriously.

  “There’s a guy called Aspar who apparently managed to single handedly take out 20 men with his bolt shooter.”

  “Yeah?” Zethos said.

  The man himself had bright red head and light crystalline blue eyes, a relatively thin man, whose strength was hidden underneath his shirt.

  “You talking about me commander?” Aspar said, “I am honoured.”

  “What are your thoughts on taking Masafra?” Zethos said.

  “Depends if you want Calabria or Samnium,” Aspar said, “I would be cautious, best pen a note or send a messenger to Adaneus, I have the perfect excuse.”

  “You do?” Zethos and Lucanus asked.

  “Of course, we are protecting the road of Bari to Taranto by taking Lucania,” Aspar said with a grin.

  “Did you study with Demetra?” Zethos said.

  “Whose Demetra?” Aspar asked.

  “Never-mind,” Zethos hissed, It’s a good plan, it’s plausible at least.

  He said his entire thought process aloud, making Aspar and Lucanus grin.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  “Make sure to buy extra padding when you get some coin men!” Lucanus said to a few soldiers standing watch.

  “It will be too slow to take the province you realise that right? And the Norman lords will certainly mobilise against you.”

  “Then they will die,” Zethos said, “should I be sorry for them?”

  “We should be careful, I know better than anyone how slow the bolt shooters can be, but at the same time how effective they are.”

  “Altillia is important,” Aspar said, “it’s a village basically, but it controls the road to Bari, and I hear the Normans have a fort there, not much loot, but if you want to justify your actions. Likewise Torito, that whole road is important, if you want to conduct a campaign and not just starve to death.”

  The night passed, and the great general shot dead a Norman scout with a bolt shooter, his army checked to see if there were any others, but he was acting alone, and his arms and armour were used as quasi payment.

  28th of February Bari. The city was bustling, 1000 Eastern Roman traders came to ask for goods, they bought the entire Indigo crop and bought all the cloves, 3150 litrai of cloves and indigo roughly 92,000 solidi simply from the Eastern Roman demand, all the black pepper was bought by a bunch of Venetians buying 3150 litrai of black pepper, adding another 3500 to the budget. He immediately spent the 500 on a bonus to the bolt shooter makers, 181,000 solidi in the treasury, again Adaneus paused before making big investments.

  The heel could have more salt production, and that would be beneficial to the state, but if the Catholic coalition come thundering down, we’re screwed, Adaneus thought.

  He bought another 130 fishing boats spending 20,000 solidi, while simultaneously 5 military vessels for transport, crewing them with migrants who needed a job, spending some 6000 solidi on the ship and crew, loading them with catapults and ballistae. The state was left with 155,000 solidi.

  “These ships are loyal to the Republic,” Adaneus said.

  “Good call,” Demetra said, “more vessels mean more ability to supply our cities so that they don’t ever fall.”

  “I know you said the generals can keep the market tax money as a way of supplying their armies, but both of them are moving in a strange manner,” Adaneus said, “anyway, enough of this.”

  “I want your child,” Demetra said softly, looking up at him.

  The stress of work, gave way to them going to their quarters safe from the outside world.

  Gocelin loaded his men in the transports, but he outfitted the crossbowmen with bolt shooters, hiring 500 more men so that he would have 500 bolt shooters. He spent 5000, in his occupation of Lecce he had received 15,000 solidi from church property, garrison coinage and of course their equipment which he sold for a profit. He had 55,000 solidi, but he decided against any new hires, looking at the nostalgic name of his old fief. Reading the name on a piece of parchment and nodding slowly.

  “Gocelin of Molfetta huh?” Thorphinius said, “that’s what had you come to Eastern Rome to begin with.”

  “Quite,” Gocelin said, “now I work for the Western Roman Republic.”

  “Good call on the bolt shooters,” Thorphinius said, “as much as I like crossbows, bolt shooters pack more of a punch.”

  Meanwhile Zethos had marched on the town of Masafra with relative ease, the town put up a dogged resistance but when a mere fraction of the bolt shooters began firing, Richard the Seneschal attempted to rally a defence, but at one point as the glaive-men and mace-men approached he galloped away, it was Aspar who shouted for the city to surrender.

  “Spare your lives or we will riddle you to pieces!” Aspar shouted.

  The town did as much, after looting the church and the garrisons funds, Zethos had 2500 solidi in his reserves, he had no idea how much Gocelin would have laughed if he found out, but the thought crossed his mind as he took the small loot.

  “Don’t loot the merchants!” Lucanus repeated to the soldiers, “we need people to buy food from remember!”

  The logic was also that Zethos knew the state was a mercantile one, the local merchant class were natural allies, and also since the 5% tax went into his pocket, he was determined to not harm the income of the 5% that would finance his operations.

  “It’s almost March huh,” Lucanus thought aloud, the god of wars month. And this bastard wants to bring it straight to them.

  “Well done men! You see what bolt shooters can do!”

  A big roar went up, the captured soldiers were treated fairly, disarmed, with their weapons sold, if they had heirlooms Zethos relented and let them keep them provided they swear to not rebel.

  “The terms of the Western Roman state are generous as I’m sure you know, there is only a 5% tax in the markets to fund the army, Adaneus is doing a leasing scheme to purchase land, but that functions more like credit, you get an upfront payment in return the state gets a share of your profit,” Zethos told them.

  The peasants were amazed by the generosity, all their eyebrows raised, even the recently captured soldiers looked at each other.

  “0? 0%?” One man said, “but even the Eastern Romans imposed 30% 3 out of every 10, the Normans when we add everything together it can be 5 out of every 10.”

  With only a market tax, there was a slight problem with under the table purchases, but at least in the market and for foreign traders the tax would be enforced.

  I think I need to pen another letter. Zethos thought shaking his head.