Текст книги "Eric (СИ)"

Автор книги: Марина Шпак

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The city met them with slightly cloudy weather. His ships slowly entered the bay of the military port of Elefenterius and moored. Coming to the pier, Eric gave the necessary instructions, after which he walked to a small harbor tavern according to previously known landmarks. There he was to wait for an emissary. Having met with Theodore, he quickly talked about the current state of affairs and seconded him at Rudolph's disposal, which was supposed to organize the unloading and delivery of people and property to a huge courtyard that the baron bought back last summer. It was a total area of about eight acres, that is, about three hectares, and was located in the port area of Xerolofos. The very location of the courtyard was very convenient – with one side it approached the old wall of Constantine on the highest area of the site, towering fifty meters above sea level. Among other things, it was possible to arrange a shooting range, because the dilapidated fortress wall would have excluded surprises like accidental defeat of passers-by. The other side of it was pestering the main street, which ran from the Arcadia Forum to the Exokonnon district, which lay east of the wall of Constantine. The proximity to the port and the convenience of location on the terrain made this land the best choice. Of course, such an acquisition could hardly have been made before, but now, when Constantinople was in terrible decline because of the unreasonable policy of the emperor, it turned out to be quite real. Even more so – the land was bought for a very small amount. Of course, this land at the time of purchase was no estate, therefore, choosing a place, his emissary was engaged in the traditional work of the dealer – bought the land by hook or by crook. For the year that the land was bought, all buildings could be demolished, it could be surrounded by a three-meter brick fence with a wall thickness of about a meter and a number of buildings, both residential and technological. Throughout the year, Theodore worked to prepare the courtyard for the arrival of his master. The most pleasant was, of course, a large bath with a thermae and an indoor pool, an area of thirty to twenty meters. Money was invested here in surprisingly little, since some of its masters, partially hired by the emissary specialists who worked idle due to general decline and lack of orders, were working partly. In total, bringing the land to the state of a normal, working farmstead, capable of solving all its tasks, cost him three hundred and fifty marks, but here it is worth adding one hundred more marks for the land itself, but, anyway, the amount was quite tolerable for such an acquisition. Eric was preparing for the fact that this land will become his permanent base in Constantinople. Of course, he should have feared the riots of 1204, when after the flight of the emperor the city will be plundered. But he had very good connections among the crusaders and the Venetian nobility, and therefore was completely confident that his farmstead would remain a hotbed of peace and quiet, even if everything around him was destroyed. Although, with all the openwork of the situation, the work on bringing the farmhouse to mind was still a lot, and not for one year. So, having sent Rudolph to do a useful job, he took an escort from Morrigan, Ostronega, Antonio and the Valentino brothers from Vincento, after which he went on a visit to Philippe de Plesier – the Great Master of the Knights Templar with a slight, slightly expressive pomp.

" And good morning, Baron. "Yes, I wanted to talk with you. Please come to my office, here we can accommodate comfortably and have a snack. You in fact from the road, I think, will not refuse a small meal.

" That's right, I will not refuse. "I hope your hospitality extends to my people?

Of course. They will be able to stay here in this room, where they will rest and have breakfast.

– Excellent. – Then they went to the Grand Master's office.

" I hope you know that my predecessor, Gilbert, wanted to study such an interesting person as you. "For what I wanted to arrange an interrogation for you. He was terribly frightened by your methods. On the other hand, he saw from you immediate and solid favor for the Order.

Of course. I was aware of his plans. However, for some reason last year he did not look for a meeting with me.

That's not quite how it is. I was looking. But seeing that you are completely absorbed in the fight against Muslims, and very successfully, did not want to distract you. But, alas, he is no longer with us. He rolled his eyes and crossed himself, whispering something. "I spent a lot of time and energy trying to gather information about you, starting with your childhood. " With you, there must have been something amazing happening, because at the age of fourteen you completely changed. Of course, I'm not Monsieur Eral, and I do not care about your personal secrets. They are not interesting to me. Even though you yourself are the Devil, if you are doing charitable deeds, then the Creator Himself sent you to help us.

"I'm flattered to hear such compliments.

" Baron, you rendered a lot of invaluable services to the Order. "If to speak in essence, then you alone have done more than any of the members of the order. I would like to invite you to join it. Of course, not ordinary brother.

"You know my answer. "

– Of course, but I still have to try. You were invited many times, but you refused every time. Is it personal ambition or something else?

"It's just a cold calculation, caused by some premonition. "

– Can you share it?

Of course. Remember – how your order was founded. Nine knights of their own free will have sworn an oath and so on. Remember!

Excellent! Remember how long it took until Papa got involved in your business?

" Twenty years. "What are you driving at?

– The Order of the Knights Templar is a military monastic order, which is the support of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land. You reasoned reasonably, but because you are seriously engaged in finance, in order to meet your needs. Resources are, alas, not the manna of heaven, they do not fall from the sky. At the moment, you already have a huge amount of money, what will happen in a hundred years? Do you understand the consequences of this phenomenon?

Of course. On our means, many monarchs of Europe are already envious of envy.

Excellent! Now consider the second aspect. East The Order itself can not wage war against Muslims, and Christian rulers in their own selfish ambitions are not able to act in an organized manner. You can observe the result of such activity already now. Do you remember who Yusuf, called by the people of Salah ad-Din, is?

Yes!

– So, the turnover is so tense that a crusade has begun to prepare against them, in which it is supposed to destroy heresy physically.

What? Where did you get this information from?

" I have many spies. "And do you know who will most likely lead this campaign?

"Do not worry, Baron.

– Earl of Artois, Louis I, who is the most serious contender for the throne of the French kingdom. Do you understand what I'm getting at?

– It's hard not to understand. And it's terrible that, firstly, you are right, and secondly, we can not retreat any more. These are sad words, Baron. Now I understand your unwillingness to enter the order.

" You must also understand why I do not want you to be kicked out of the Holy Land. "While you stay there, even if you bite your teeth into a small patch of land, you will exist. As soon as you fly out of there – you will be abolished and looted, and it is possible that after accusing heresy and betraying the execution.

– I just do not understand this. Why do you need this?

– I need a strong bank, to which I can entrust my business.

– It's amazing! Philip waved his hands in surprise.

– And what is the point of twisting, in order to explain the earthly goals with higher powers?

– Yeah, you totally embarrassed me. Before our conversation, my path was clear and straight. Now I am completely at a loss.

– And why get lost? It is necessary, after realizing the details of the emerging situation, to act in such a way that it is no longer a shame. Although these are all small things that do not yet play a serious role. Let's talk about the matter.

Chapter 6

Then they spent about two hours discussing plans for Eric's future campaign and ways of interacting. The Grand Master offered a way to obtain a formal right to the land that our hero wanted to take to himself. The Baron will be represented at court to the emperor, and his merits against the enemies of Byzantium will be painted with the most vivid colors. In short, they will arrange a small variety show. After that, Alex will be forced to repay such a faithful servant, but since he does not have land for a present or some solid post, he can offer only something formal. For example, a title without a land, of course, it will be prompted in advance by our wise autocrat. And this is exactly what Eric wants. After that, he will swear allegiance to the emperor. Of course, no one from him will not demand anything, since the title is formal. But the right to land will be, it will only be left for her. In general, a curious adventure. From Constantinople, the Grand Master was going to go to the Principality of Antioch in order to take a lively part in what was developing there. Therefore, much of the time in the conversation was devoted exclusively to applied issues. In particular, the issue of Raymund, which remained a serious guarantor of instability, was especially carefully studied. It was necessary to solve two issues: the power in Antioch and the loyalty of the Cilician kingdom. Eric proposed a very simple scheme. The prince, together with the commander, should act as initiators for the release of Rupen. Officially, they must pay 200 gold marks to the Treasury of the Moslem emir. Of course, only 30 marks will be paid, in order for the emir to endow his people, so as not to cause suspicion. After, not far from Edessa, an escort with the grandson of Levon II should be attacked by a group of iconic Turks, naturally hired through a figurehead, which quite by chance, will be missed by several people. Raimund, of course, will be killed in this skirmish. The escort is recruited honestly, from suicide bombers, that is, people who have already baked, but there is no formal reason to execute or expel them. This intrigue should embitter Levon on the Seljuks of Iconium, and also bring them closer to the principality and the Templars proper, as people who selflessly tried to save his grandson. The Grand Master fully supported the idea, since he was most concerned about the situation in the principality. Finally, Eric discussed the possibility of prompt deployment of the bank's branch in the conquered land, said goodbye and left for his compound, where he intended to meet with Demeter and inspect the replenishment. With his priestess, he solved all the issues very quickly, and so in the evening she left for Athens to the ship. The only thing that amused her is a slight shaking, when communicating with him. This woman firmly believed that he was the god Ares, the last doubts were dispelled when all of Europe flew all about his tremendous victory under Edessa. Although the better, there is less chance that she will betray him. Worse case was with the replenishment. Hand on heart, these people could be called a maximum of garbage, albeit armed. Therefore, the younger brother of Demeter departed with her, for he did not live up to his hope. In general, after selecting after ten minutes of inspection of fifty people, the rest he handed in five denarii and ordered to go to all four sides. Pre-surrendering armor, weapons and coats of arms. He really wanted to drive everyone out, but changed his mind, because these, although they were completely unprepared, but had the potential, and therefore transferred the miserable man to the tender care of Rudolph. Toward evening, cooled down, he spoke with Theodore, entrusting him with a new task, which was to contact the Genoese from Sugdeya, and redeem the captive Slavic soldiers from slavery at the age of 20 to 25 years. Of course, not all in a row, but physically healthy, not broken and ready to fight with those who enslaved them. It was necessary to have about fifty to sixty people. The goods are not running, but sometimes it happens. After buying the guys wash, feed and deliver here. He has two months to complete the assignment.

So. What did he have at the moment from human resources? One hundred well-armed soldiers and ten neophytes. Not much. True, he had another hundred and fifty servants, among whom more than half were artisans. But letting servants into battle is stupid, although it is often practiced. In the war that he wants to start, he obviously lacks resources, quantitatively. And this needs to be somehow compensated, first of all by improving the quality of general training and equipment. Therefore, within a week he, with the forces of his servants, unfolded a very decent sports ground, on which he drove all his soldiers. The guys were at least experienced, but they did not follow very much themselves, and therefore they needed to be brought into tonus. And in general – the training has not prevented anyone. In addition to a complex of general developing and strengthening exercises on the bar and bars, the guys ran, and decently – every day for five miles, and once in five days – fifteen miles. This 15-mile race took place in the equipment, that is, in armor, with weapons and some supply of provisions. An important gap in the preparation of his detachment was that they were able to fight normally only in equestrian order. Therefore, with them the drill was begun – the development of the column and square. This in our time, drill training has a practical purpose, close to zero, for its real useful use is limited to parades. During the same contact battle from the ability of fighters to keep the construction depended on their lives. So, in addition to the development of personal physical qualities, his fighters developed in terms of traditional drill. In truth, it is not quite traditional, because our hero seriously diversified it by the fact that when working off the column he divided people into two equal parts, built them against each other and set the task to push opponents off the site. Thus, he developed the pressure of the column as the main attacking infantry formation. It must crush the enemy's constructions, break them, like a hammer blow breaks the shell. The training was so intense that the guys just fell from their feet after the lights out, and therefore slept soundly, happy sleep. He began to prepare his army, and therefore needed a charter. In his army there were already officers who ruled the spontaneous groups. This is wrong, because if the number of troops increases even more, it will be very difficult to deal with management. For his troops, he installed a uniform in the form of a cotta that was long in the middle of the thigh and without sleeves, standard colors. The composition of the cottages was simple – in front and behind it was cut into four sections with a vertical and horizontal line exactly in the center. In front of the painting of the squares was the following – white, red, white, red, in order from top to bottom and from left to right, from the back – inverted. Red was chosen a bright scarlet shade. At the intersection of these four sections, the Baron's coat of arms, both from the front and from behind, was sewn. In the left upper section of the chest, on a white field, an improvised badge in the form of a white diamond with a black border was sewn. The rhombus was divided by a horizontal line in half. Above it was a Latin number denoting the number of the company, from the bottom – a Latin letter denoting the rank. In the statute, he envisaged the following system of organization and ranks for the army. The basis of the organization was miles, that is, a warrior. His badge on the chase is the letter "m". From three to six such comrades were united in a group headed by a millet with the designation "p". The four groups were united in a platoon headed by a sergeant, marked with the rank "s". Three to six platoons were united in a company, she was commanded by a lieutenant, on the patch of which the letter "l" flaunted. From three to six mouths was reduced to a battalion under the captain's cap, bearing the letter "k". There were no plans for larger units in his army, but it was easy to deploy further. The scheme was equivalent to any kind of troops, be it infantry or cavalry. From his people, he formed a company, the head of which was Rudolph. The next step in streamlining his military improvisation was the regulation of the patrol and guard service. As in the campaign, and on vacation, his army must have round-the-clock security in order to reduce the chance of occurrence of excesses to a minimum. In addition to replenishing the letters of the charter, a schedule was drawn up, according to which the platoons of his company were on duty. At the gate of the courtyard was installed a booth with a permanent post, there was also placed a room for a resting part of the guard. On the territory of his possessions were laid routes and established the regularity of their passage. Therefore, every new day, with dawn, a new platoon was on duty, which provided protection of the perimeter from strangers. The rest of the units were completely focused on training.

Such a congestion of people required appropriate measures, first of all hygienic. Therefore, for each person who was in his subordination, at least three identical sets of clothes were sewn, which he gave before going to bed, getting a new one. The delivered set was washed, dried and left to be ventilated. In addition, every third day, before going to bed, the entire staff, regardless of who he was and what he was doing, went through bath procedures, where he was thoroughly washed and shaved. As for shaving, it was introduced very extensively. Men were shaved head and armpits, and women had armpits and genitals. And this procedure went through all without exception. Water procedures, except for a bath, were used very widely – morning washing, washing of hands and the face before reception of nutrition, washing before a dream. At first, of course, the people whined and yelped from laziness and self-pity, but slowly got involved and after a couple of months considered such behavior a norm, albeit unusual. Of course, so that the comrades did not consider such measures as tyranny, active explanatory work was conducted with them. The same situation was with the food that was organized in the common dining room. There was established a kind of kosher, in particular, before cooking only fresh and thoroughly washed products were allowed, as well as filtered water. The basis of the diet was fresh vegetables and meat in a boiled or well-fried form. And mostly without bread. Every morning an oatmeal served on milk with pieces of fruit was served. Once a week served boiled rice, brought from afar, and therefore very expensive. Drank milk, juices and a weak grape wine. And they lived like that. For those times their food was very chic. Eric did not spare money to bring his people to tone, and nutrition was one of the most important components of this process. It is worth noting that not only soldiers were well-fed, but also servants, who also did not pass the fate of forced sports, so that they would not become obese. Every day he drove them all away for ten miles, true, light and not fast. Strongly load them did not make sense, for they would get tired. And the workers needed him to the extreme, because he developed a stormy activity, including construction and production.

The construction campaign concerned first of all the preparation of a shooting range, where active collective classes will begin at the end of the summer. Production was much more extensive – from sewing underwear to making armor and ammunition. In terms of armor, it was generally something grandiose. In addition to the fact that he himself had eight blacksmiths, he contracted in addition almost all local people who carried out orders for him for certain details. The task he set for himself was to pack all his troops in reliable armor. The simplest solution was the manufacture of brigandine. That the device of this armor was not disclosed, he ordered the foreign smith exclusively details, and the same type, according to the template, and the assembly was already in the yard of the farmstead, far from the eyes of others. For the basis was taken Brigandine type I, which was to be worn on chain mail and aketon. How was it done in conditions of such a low level of technology? Yes, very simply – from the inside of a tightly quilted base of coarse linen cloth riveted large iron lap plates. The belly was covered with six plates running across. The breast was covered with three plates, which stood upright. The back was formed by a group of 16 vertical plates that covered it up to the shoulder blades, and three vertical plates that covered the area between the blades. The thickness of the plates is about a millimeter in average. Nothing complicated, but the scope of work was very respectable – there were about two hundred similar sets to be made. Alas, but this was not limited to the front of the armor work, as it was necessary to make still another type of closed helmets, simple shoulder pads and legguards in large numbers. With a helmet, he did not become wimpy, continuing the production of potchelm, since they are not bad at all. And it was the best, in fact, what can be done from that disgusting material with which to work. The only serious revision was that the helmet was mounted a suspension of the "parachute" type, which is a mesh that is fastened at eight points along the perimeter. This allowed to put the helmet on the balaclava not close to the metal, but holding it on the elastic retainer. Of course, the strap for fixing the chin was introduced. It was necessary, because the experience of exploitation simply required such refinement. Shoulders were not that easy. Actually these were the only parts that had to be pulled into the cup-shaped form. They were made exclusively on the territory of the farmstead. Legguards were tire, that is, long vertical strips are collected by butt on a quilted base. The lower part of the leopard protruded slightly downward, in order to protect the knee. As for ammunition, the campaign was divided into two parts. The first part made crossbow bolts, twisting the poles on a simple, improvised lathe with a drive from the foot. And the second part consisted in a massive contract of local rockets, which, according to the pattern, were to cut diamonds from granite about five centimeters in diameter. The weight of these balls was slightly less than two hundred grams. They were preparing for the training of those hiroballist that will be made closer to winter, and since the work on grinding balls is long, the order was made in advance. It was important to get for each car three hundred – four hundred shots, that is, a thousand – one and a half balls. The price of this round pleasure was obtained in the region of eight marks – per denarius per core. Returning to the bolts, I would like to note that they were ground from dried maple blanks and equipped with a rigid plumage and a trihedral tip, which was fastened to the shaft by means of a rather long bushing. It was impossible to drive the tip, so as not to destroy the shaft, so a channel was drilled under the bushing, in which fixation took place by means of joinery glue. The shaft itself had a kind of spindle-like shape, which in the second part sharply thinened, passing into the feathering zone. Immediately after the end of the basic installation, the raw version was sent for balancing and final polishing. After finishing machining, the bolt was covered with varnish in order to protect it from excessive influence of moisture and temperature. The layer of varnish was applied by two thin layers with intermediate polishing. For the manufacture of bolts, a primitive conveyor with a division of labor was organized, and as a result, 100 highly-executed ammunition, each weighing 50 grams each, were delivered every week to the warehouse. Thus, Erik spent his first two months in Constantinople in works and cares.

In the last days of June, our hero was supposed to happen three important events: presentation to the emperor, the beginning of the cartographic campaign in the straits and the arrival of replenishment, which was collected by Theodore. The first was his emissary, who, strictly at the set time, was able to lead to the gates of the farmstead a group of young people numbering eighty people. Mindful of the pickiness of the gentleman in choosing people, he took more, just in case. Since he selected sensibly, the baron took to his service all, passing under the leadership of Rudolph, who distributed them into groups. Alas, to meet the maximum number of companies according to the statute did not work, so the second company was formed under the leadership of Antonio. In general, of all his old acquaintances, only these two had experience in managing people, including in combat conditions. Formally, they were equal, but in practice the leading commander was the old and wise experience of the late uncle's servant. No special excesses happened – the Slavs perfectly joined the team and began to work on par with the rest. Apparently, they were helped by anger and the hope that they could take revenge on those who sold them into slavery. The next stage was the deployment of a campaign to form accurate maps of both straits: the Bosporus and the Dardanelles. Immediately upon arrival in Constantinople, Eric sent Demeter's team to create a map in his usual ways, and the most accurate. Now, when they have coped, and jewelers could fulfill its order, it was possible to send them for specifying and correcting works. The fact is that local jewelers received a bunch of small orders on the same principle as blacksmiths. As a result, when he collected from them the results of painstaking works, assembling a telescope with a high-quality copper body and adjusting the focus, as well as a machine for turning it into a level, turned out to be a matter of a couple of hours. The direct task of this device will be to measure vertical angles from the marks, in order to then calculate the distance by means of the traditional Pythagorean theorem. The work is tedious, but someone will have to do it. In order that they do not measure everything, Eric, on their map drawn a grid and marked the measurement points. At the same time he gave them a compass, which was a primitive dish with water, with a small wooden plank floating there. On one side of this improvised arrow was attached a magnet oriented to the north. The primitive thing. But for the best he did not yet have the time and opportunities – it was necessary to make a drawing of details and place an order with jewelers, but those were already loaded with work for two more levels. In late July, came a batch of Chinese paper. He rejoiced like a child. Finally, he can not write on his clothes! At the end of August, the Grand Master returned, and the baron was introduced at the court. Considering the emperor Alexis III, our hero was perplexed because what is deceptive is the appearance – apparently he is quite a healthy person, but in fact the most damaged by the mind of the ruler of Byzantium. In general, after a long and extremely pathetic ceremony, he was finally able to get out of this crooked and thoroughly hypocritical place, holding the necessary papers in his hands. Now he is the prince of the emperor, who was complaining about the lands of the peninsula, which is in the east of the Crimea, including the cities of Kafa and Korchev. These lands were exempt from taxes and other duties and passed into hereditary possession. Who would have thought – so much noise because of the "six hundred"! Of course, all these possessions had to be taken away, since they were under temporary control of arrogant invaders. Having thus obtained a formal right and becoming a titular nobleman in Byzantium, Eric unfolded, through Theodore, a powerful intelligence-diplomatic campaign. Before his emissary set the following tasks. First, it was necessary to obtain a scheme of fortifications Kafa and Korchev, as well as detailed information on the garrisons and their combat capability. Secondly, he was interested in the Timariots – local feudal lords in the specified area. With them it was necessary to get in touch and find mutual understanding. Thirdly, it was necessary to feel the remnants of the Tmutarakan principality, in terms of its ability to join the struggle against the Kypchaks, that is, to find strong leaders and ways to influence them. Fourth, we needed materials on the Kypchaks themselves: who obeys whom, what forces they have, where they are located, how and where they roam. It was not superfluous to provide technical support for these children. Fifthly, Eric was interested in the Slavic principalities, in particular, in Kiev, Galicia, Pereyaslav and Novgorod-Severnoye. For the success of the whole operation the Polovtsians must be connected elsewhere. In the place, as far as the baron remembered, there was a very solid group of Lukomor Kypchaks, to which the children from Crimea also belonged. So, even if the princes' campaign is not planned closer to the winter of next year – it must be provoked. Or at least create the appearance of preparing for the campaign.

In the first days of August, he finished work on a simple design of locking a crossbow. The product turned out to be quite technological and consisted of three bronze details of complex shape and spring. I had to master the casting directly at the courtyard – in a blacksmith barn. After several unsuccessful attempts, things went smoothly, and parts for crossbow locks of 3-4 sets each day began to arrive in the warehouse. The next stage in designing a high-quality and simple rifle tool was the creation of a body (bed and butt) and a method of attachment. The basis was taken by the French type of rifle butts, which was necessary for a comfortable aiming. The guide channel for the bolt was made of copper, by coining in shape. At the maximum swing of the bow at sixty centimeters, he gave the move a string of fifty centimeters. At this stretching he provided the claimed two hundred kilograms. No special pile and extra details were not present in them. A bronze lock of three parts, including the trigger, a clamp for the bolt, and a stirrup for the rest with the foot. The vzvedenie was carried out by means of the so-called "goat's leg", which was somewhat modified. The technique of cocking was as follows: the crossbow is lowered down, fixed with the foot by the stirrup, the "goat's leg" is put at point-blank range and stretches itself to the click, which indicates the fixation of the bowstring in the lock. After that, a bolt is installed and you can shoot. The whole operation, if it is done, takes about ten seconds. First of all, due to a very intelligent lock, which is self-mounted after each shot. The main problem in it was a spring, which had to be made from an oak board of sufficient elongation, so that it would deviate by 5-6 degrees, no more. This approach allowed to maintain a long time the rigidity of the spring, especially as it was covered with several layers of varnish, and in the place of working contact with the parts of the lock – a small copper plate. The varnish perfectly retained moisture inside the wood and protected from external influences. The most important advantage of this approach to the manufacture of small arms was the uniformity of its tactical and technical characteristics, and, in the first place, ballistics. Work on the production of crossbows went quickly, but not as we would like. The fact is that the butt and the bed were cut from the oak stock, and this required great effort with the existing tools. So it turned out that having a bow and a lock, you could do no more than one crossbow every five days. To accelerate this process, a parallel production of four lines was organized. In general, on September 1, there were only twenty-five new crossbows in the warehouse.