Текст книги "Eric (СИ)"

Автор книги: Марина Шпак

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 19 (всего у книги 21 страниц)

In the evening Eric gathered in the big and spacious hall of the town council two dozen residents. Before them stood the most talkative poor, burdened by large families and minimal diligence, carefully collected from all over the city.

" Citizens of Piraeus! "You have a very important and responsible task on which the welfare of your entire city and your families depends in particular. After the end of this meeting every hour one of you will go to the side of Athens. On arrival, your task will be to get as many people as possible about what atrocities I am creating in this city. It is especially worth emphasizing that my warriors, drunk heavily, roam the groups around the city and rape everything that is female. Embellish this version with references to the violence against young nuns right in the church or something else in the same spirit.

" Sir, why should we lie? "You are very kind to the townspeople.

– This is necessary for the implementation of my plan. I can not tell you the details yet. The main goal of my idea is to minimize losses among the civilians of Athens, whom I promised to cut out all. So you try and paint my atrocities in the brightest colors. Of course – do not name any names so that there is no specifics and you could not be caught in lies. Before you go out, you get two dozen denarii to be uncoated in the city. In addition, your family will receive as much for food and, if it burns out, then on the Bosporan ruble from above. And whether you survive or not – it does not matter, money will reach your families in any case. Do you understand everything?

– Yes, sir. – The men answered in chorus.

" In that case, I need the bravest of you, take two steps forward. " – Five people came out of the crowd, to whom the prince came and personally made them several cosmetic cuts of the skin. – So it will be more realistic. By the way, do not forget to dress in slightly torn and dirty clothes, for a fugitive in clean and new clothes will arouse suspicion. So, if everyone understands everything, then you are at the disposal of Theodore. "Eric nodded at the calm man standing by the window with attentive cold eyes. Then he turned and left. His next task was to install observers on all possible routes from Athens to his bet. As well as creating the illusion of fires in the city, for which he ordered at every intersection to lay a large fire, in which to burn raw firewood and wet old rags to more smoke. Residents reacted with understanding – let them burn old rags better than their homes. In the morning of the fourth day, a breathless messenger galloped around, who reported that the enemy had advanced with all his strength towards the city. The detachment led a detachment of five dozen knights on horseback, followed by a column – to a thousand militia with spears. The key task of this battle was the need to destroy the enemy and prevent the retreat of large forces into the city. A real, serious assault on his plans was not included. Therefore, he did so. On a small hill, overgrown with shrubbery, he ambushed personnel of artillerymen who, from one or two volleys, were to cover the knights, shooting from twenty to thirty paces. The rest of the forces must go in the equestrian order from the rear and be accelerated in the meadow to strike at the infantry. The strength for a horse-drawn attack was not small – up to two with half a hundred heavy cavalrymen, capable of moving in a dense formation. No sooner said than done. Already by lunchtime heading the cavalry detachment, going by a line at sixty with a penny man and depth of four horses, he flew into the orders of a frightened mob of militiamen. The horses were so fast that the first few meters people did not slow them down, bouncing like rag dolls. After, having slowed down enough for melee, the riders began to work with sabers along the people who were rapidly disappearing into a deep panic. Some ten minutes and on the battlefield lies a bloody mess instead of an army that tried to threaten the prince. Immediately advance in Athens did not, because it was necessary to give time to as many residents as possible to flee. Therefore, they took up trophies and funerals. In general, the entire remaining day was spent and only on the morning of the fifth day did they leave for the city.

As expected, most of the residents left the city and retired to Thebes, the formal capital of Achaea at that time. Nobody defended the city gates. Entering the city, Eric gave the order to kill everyone he met. Rudolph was alarmed, because he did not know that the agitators and scouts were instructed to leave the city on the morning of the fifth day, so as not to get into the meat grinder. The next few days everything was very methodical and measured – the prince's troops stormed the courtyard beyond the backyard without fuss and haste. Breaking in, they killed everyone who resisted, the rest were driven out into the yard and forced to dig a grave for the dead. When the foundation pit turned out to be ready, the bodies of those killed were staked in the assault, after cutting the remaining ones and also pushed down. We had to fall asleep ourselves. This approach helped avoid the collapse of the streets with corpses and the likely spread of some contamination, as well as emergency excavations, as in Sughd. In total, according to rough estimates, on the morning of April 19th, about six hundred people were killed, and only his soldiers and servants remained in the city. The promise was fulfilled – the inhabitants obeyed him and he cut out all those found inside the city walls. At the same time, Eric was doubly pleased, as he was able to avoid a really serious slaughter, because by the time of his arrival in Greece, up to twenty thousand people lived in Athens. The main goal he pursued, allowing the residents to leave and not allowing their total annihilation, was the massive PR of his methods. The more people learn that those who do not obey him will die, the fewer cities in the future he will have to storm. Everything was collected in the city, in general everything that had value. At the collection of trophies worked and representatives of Piraeus by order of the magistrate. Part he decided to leave to the residents of the port, in order to reward them for sobriety and adequacy of actions. The rest were loaded on ships and exported – either to Corfu, which was the transshipment base of the trading company of Demeter, or to Bosporus. On the morning of the first of May, the prince, at the head of his army of two mouths with a total number of about two and a half hundred advanced to the side of Thebes. In the evening he approached the frontier where he was met – in a small field near the apartment houses stood a large militia of several thousand people, which was led by a detachment of about a hundred knights. The militia, of course, was ridiculous, because it represented people in simple clothes, even without quilted armor, armed, than horrible – from just wooden clubs, to copies and working axes. But there were a lot of them, very many. It would be too troublesome to kill them. The guys, apparently, also understood that this battle does not threaten anything good, that's why they were the first to come to the talks.

– Good evening. My name is Eric Bosporsky. I'm surprised at such attention to my humble person or are you still waiting for someone else on this field? It's amazing where you found such a crowd of peasants?

" And good evening to you. "I'm Harald, Baron von Laneck. You are right, we are waiting for you.

Yes! But! Kind, is such an escort in vogue? – The prince had a very sweet smile on his face.

"What do you want from us? " Harald looked at him calmly, his eyes narrowing slightly.

– Oh, well, do not pretend to be naive. You know perfectly well why I came. But I have a good mood and spoil it with the death cries of this herd of sheep I do not want. Eric nodded at the militia.

" A good desire, but then what shall we do? "You just do not go away. At least the rumor about you says so.

– Sometimes it seems to me that there are more fairy tales about living me than about dead heroes. Although you are right, to the point. I think you understand very well that you do not have a chance in this fight. Eric paused and looked inquiringly at Harald.

– Why such confidence? You have two and a half hundred knights, it's very solid, but we have a hundred. You will have tangible losses. Plus these, "he waved carelessly toward the militia," there are a lot of them, but then how lucky. It is not excluded that you will kill them without much loss. But the total loss you will have is very serious.

– Note that every my warrior has a crossbow. Your hundred will fall from the first volley. After that I'll take care of these buffoons, who can not even get into a heap tightly. Look, look, – the prince waved his hand towards the militia, – they stand as if they are asked to walk through them with a crowd of heavy cavalry.

– Crossbows I somehow did not notice them at once. The Baron's face grew very sad. – It really changes everything. I do not want to deprive my people of life so mediocre.

– Correct conclusion. Now we will discuss the terms of your retreat.

– Are you not enough that we will give you the battlefield without a battle? The Baron was surprised.

Of course. After all, your life is undivided only in my hands and it's up to me to decide whether you will live or die. I think one of the peasants will escape from the battlefield after all, as there are many of them and it will be possible not to follow everyone, but the knights will all fall. Or do you doubt it?

– No, I do not doubt this. – He completely wilted his face. – Well, what do you suggest?

" For the knights, I propose two forms of capitulation, each of them will be free to choose himself. "The first is that they pay me 5 Vienna denarii each and, having sworn by their immortal soul, never again come out against me, even in my thoughts, move away from my eyes. The second option is that they come to my service, taking the oath of loyalty, that is, they become my warriors. As for the militia, they must pay for their impudence. Pay and remember who they are and what their place is. I want to see the decimation of this herd of rams, that is, every tenth of their number will be executed by their own companions. The rest will be free to return home.

"But they went out to defend their house? "

" They came with a weapon against me. "You are warriors, it is your job and duty, it would be strange if people like you were hiding at home in difficult days. And they are peasants who think they know what. Such nonsense should be beaten out of bad heads, so that it was not enviable to repeat. These idiots came here to die ingloriously and throwing their families out of elemental stupidity and greed. Do you seriously believe that this is it, – he again showed in the direction of the militia, – is able to at least something to protect?

" You're right, I did not think about this state of affairs. "Indeed, it was silly to collect them at all. A bloody magistrate, he did not even give them weapons.

" You see, you understand everything yourself. "Try to remember the last successful use of the militia in battles. Eric smiled. – They have already Charlemagne tried not to collect, considering a bad army.

" They are freakish, greedy. "And what about the Thebes themselves? If we retreat, the city will be at your disposal. What are your plans for it?

"If my conditions are met exactly, and the city itself does not resist me, I will take the tribute and leave it, not taking the destruction and not killing the murders. "

" And what will be the tribute? "Do you count on a specific amount of silver?

– It will be rather modest. Specific sums, I do not call, because I do not know in what state the city is and whether it has the cash I need. Why put unrealistic conditions? In total, I want a third of all the cash and valuables, the third part of all the goods, all the iron, except that on your knights, all the books and all the ancient statues, if they can be taken away.

– Solid. Do I have time to consider and agree on your proposal?

Of course. How much time do you need?

"I think until tomorrow morning. "

Ok. So we will proceed. I expect you tomorrow at dawn. I'll be placed in that compound. I liked its massive walls and the fragrance of olives. But, you, I think, you know, I will not give you a second chance. If you try to cheat me, or give a battle, then I will not save anyone's life, either you or the townspeople. Athens is an example of this is a very colorful example, only this time I will not allow the most intelligent people to leave the city. Eric smiled cunningly. "The baron until morning. " Good night to you.

Eric settled on a very extensive farmstead, which served as a small workshop for the production of olive oil. Its two-meter stone walls allowed, if necessary, to conduct an effective defensive battle against a greatly superior enemy. A decent sized sheds – to hide horses for the night. Immediately after occupying the territory, positions were set up and the order of changing the guard was established so as not to miss the attack. But everything turned out. In the morning, with the first rays of the sun, a delegation approached the gates of the courtyard. Overnight Baron was able to contact the city magistrate and discuss the situation with them. Of course, they did not like it, but the offer offered by the prince quite satisfied them, since it was the lesser evil. Not only that, the baron brought a very pleasant news that almost all the knights are ready to swear allegiance to the ruler of the Bosporus. They, in general, were not very satisfied with the service as mercenaries of the Byzantine feudal lords, as they were very stingy to their people. Such employers, as practice shows, at all times did not like. Since the knights were all from poor or very poor houses, and even the younger ones in the family, the equipment was very poor for them. Haubeck was only with Harald, the others wore chainmail of different size and quality. The poorest were in absolutely terrible homemade crafts, which were pieces of old mail, sewn on a quilted aketon. In general, a very motley company value, which, incidentally, was very high, as people possessed very high psychological stability and good fighting qualities. Excellent material for replenishment. The delegation went into the courtyard, where for an hour they discussed the details and ate fresh fried meat for a snack with fresh juicy vegetables and greens, as well as dried fruits for dessert. After the negotiations on the coordination of actions were completed, Eric, accompanied by part of the delegation, left for the field, where everything was ready for the execution of the selected militia group. Near the edge of the forest, the graves were neatly opened by long, neat rows of four lines deep. Near each of them was a company of three people. One was kneeling with his hands tied behind his back, the other holding hands and the back of his head, the third was standing next to a knife in his hand. Eric went ahead and loudly said that before his death, each of those destined to die called his name, so as not to die nameless sheep in the eyes of the noble prince. After that, he moved from one end and, meeting his eyes with the first militiaman, asked: "What is your name as a soldier? " Hearing the answer, he nodded to the executioner next to him and watched him clumsily cut the poor man's throat, as his eyes widen with horror as blood gushes from his throat. And so on, until his life subsides. After that, he nods once more, the executed person is pushed into the grave and begins to dig in, and he goes to the next. Behind this action, all the other troops that Harald showed on this field were lined up along the place of execution. After the execution of the execution over the graves, the priests conducted a service, and the militia, giving up all the weapons that they had, began to disperse to their homes. Even wooden truncheons and those handed over. When it was finally over, accompanied by Harald's retinue and their companies, the prince went to Thebes, where the magistrate prepared the wing of the magistrate's building for his placement. The process of collecting trophies and taking them out took about a week. Almost certainly would have turned out more, but the city's leadership promoted all available ways to speed up the process, since Eric was afraid to the horror. At the end of the designated week, the parallel process of taking vassal oaths from the knights of Harald ended. Of course, the conditions of service, questions of discipline, recovery and extraction were stipulated with them. The knight poor were more than happy to act for the full maintenance of the prince and not to receive a share of the prey in the campaign. The feud was also replaced by maintenance and equipment at the expense of the suzerain. At the end of this procedure, Eric stepped in the direction of Corinth, having under his command about three and a half hundred mounted and armored warriors and four convenient and mobile ballistae on horsepower.

With Corinth, everything went perfectly smoothly – the experience of Athens and Thebes affected. A delegation of the magistrate even came forward to greet him, in order to greet him. Doing the groundwork for the future, Eric took not the third part, but the fourth from money, jewelry and goods, in order to indicate his attitude to reasonable behavior. But the campaign must once end, so on May 22, he, along with his grown up to four hundred squads, returned to the city of Piraeus, where Demeter was firmly entrenched, at the expense of the poor knights who had moved to Corinth from all over the Moray. She, you see, found a common language with the local elite, so now this small town actually went under her care. The next stage will be turning it into an actual seaside company's trading base. Located in the very spacious residence of his priestess, the prince had a long conversation with her about the new financial receipts – how many of them, how to distribute them and what to do with a very impressive cash. The result of the robberies in central Greece was the replenishment of the budget of the Bosporus Bank for two hundred thousand denarii, although not all in cash, but still – the amount is simply colossal – the equivalent of ten tons of silver! These funds should be enough to continue the deployment of the production campaign and technology industry in his principality with the pace taken. In addition, up to ten thousand scrolls of various manuscripts were collected for the creation of the Bosporus Library and up to two hundred different statues in quite good condition, with which he wanted to decorate the city. In particular, to break in the Bosporus large and beautiful park, which decorate the most valuable, statue of Athena, the work of Phidias, which in addition to purely artistic value had a very decent commercial value, because there was not a lot of gold and ivory. In the evening he went out into the courtyard with a jug of cool milk and, settling on an open-air bench, decided to consider the events that had taken place. Somewhere there, the black sky was crawling far away all covered with small lights, and below, at the bottom of this vast ocean, he sat and analyzed everything that had happened to him in the last month. This was his second military campaign. Compared with the first, in general, a rather bloodless campaign, since only a little more than a thousand people died, and tens of thousands could die. As a result of the events that occurred, Demeter's view became even more enthusiastic. And not only her. People on the streets of Piraeus looked at him as something incredibly majestic and very dangerous. In their eyes, fear was mixed with respect and admiration. This was especially true after Feodor had successfully dissolved rumors that the prince deliberately delayed to enter Athens, giving people the opportunity to escape and avoid stupid deaths. On the other hand, Theodore recounted that Demetra had already repeatedly spoken about the essence of Ares in the presence of strangers. After taking a sip of milk, he put the jug on the ground and stretched himself. How wonderful that there are no liberals and humanists now! How great it is that people understand simple things and do not build piled up illusions and romantic hoaxes! Yes, these guys, seeing the actions of Eric, now would have simply gushed with accusations of inhumanity, cruelty and other horror stories. We would try to make our hero justify himself, feel guilty, give way to their delirium. Although no, sorry, very sorry that they are not with him now. It would be very nice to watch how they, with their extraterrestrial convictions, would survive here – in a world of concrete, cynical and extremely pragmatic people, though not educated. I wonder if it would survive at least one person per thousand of such characters during the year? By the way, yes, he was always tormented by the question – do they really believe in what they say or is it just a pose? Here, some feudal lord will press a young lady a feminist and a lesbian in the hayloft, confesses to her in genital love a couple of times. What will she do? Or put some liberal human rights activist in the skin of some feudal lord, and into the very midst of dynastic disagreements, so that he can feel the beauty of natural competition when your brother can be slaughtered for the right of inheritance. Yes, he likes the world more than the one in which he lived. Less hypocrisy, less artificiality. He is some kind of natural, naked makeup. In it, oh horror, white is called white, and black is black. Behind these thoughts, Feodor found him.

No. I decided to get some fresh air before going to bed and think over the affairs of the past.

YesWhy do you think so?

– You could do just an amazing thing – to make people think for the benefit of surrendering to you at mercy without a fight. There are rumors all over Attica that you are Ares himself, who has returned to earth, to teach people who are weak in spirit.

– So they are Christians! What is Ares?

" Who told you such stupid things? "A visit to the church and baptism does not make them Christians. In the whole Roman Empire, which is under the hand of Constantinople, the strength of a hundredth part can be considered real Christians, as they sincerely adhere to certain convictions. Unfortunately this is the most incompetent part of the inhabitants of the empire.

– This is just, it is very natural. It would be strange if they were the most capable.

– And yet people correctly notice

– What exactly?

" You are different from us, from all of us. "You are a very strange man. As if one of us, but very far away.

– Why do you think so?

"Faith my lord, your faith allows me to think so. "

"What do I have? " Eric smiled.

– I'm at a loss to say. My observations indicate that you do not have it at all. You as if do not take faith and the gods seriously. For you they are fiction, a fairy tale.

" You're an observant man. "And how do you estimate it yourself?

" Your Highness is very dangerous. "Already, there are rumors about you that you are coming down to earth the ancient God. I'm at a loss to say what it will result in later. But one thing is quite clear: a serious conflict with the Pope is inevitable. I understand that for you being excommunicated from the church is just words, but people who have more faith around you, and therefore may be impressed by this act.

"They know perfectly well that I will kill anyone who will go against me. "

"And if they start to leave, and not come out against you? "

– It is unlikely. With me they get too much, because of such stupidity as the faith to miss their profit. They are not even profitable to rebel against me, because my talent and my success gives them a satisfying life. What is waiting for them in a different scenario is not known to anyone.

"Are you so sure of yourself? "

– I'm absolutely sure of myself, otherwise I would not be what I have become. I would have fought, at best, somewhere in Antiochus with the Turks and Arabs as an ordinary knight. No, my dear friend, in order to lead people along, to lead confidently, accurately, you can not doubt yourself. There should not be a drop of doubt in you.

"And people will take you to heaven, considering not a man " theodore continued thoughtfully.

– Steel people yes, perhaps you are right, it was those who created the Roman empire.

" I've been to the agents around the Thebes, you know, it's amazing. You ordered to kill every tenth in that militia, and the people are grateful to you and consider it a very kind ruler.

"Curious Is that why? "

"Because you could kill everyone, but you took pity and returned most of them alive and well to your home. "

" It's just a wonderful people that understands simple things. "Much worse, if it rose with pink snot.

– Than, forgive?

" Well, I began to lament that some bloody tyrant killed innocent armed men on the battlefield. "After all, they all died on the battlefield.

"You are a very strange man. "

Is this normal? It is right. But I have to interrupt our conversation, the runner is running, it seems that something happened.

After a couple of phrases came up to the vigilante Eric went to his escort to the gate. There he was waiting for a group of townspeople, guard detachments, Valentino and some man with bound hands. After a little questioning, he ordered to bring his purse and handed each citizen on a silver Bosporan denarius, thanking him for his vigilance and intelligence. It turns out that this peasant, whom they dragged, was engaged in subversive activities and embarrassed the minds of ordinary people by telling stories about the prince of fables. For example, he explained the execution on the field in front of Thebes a massive sacrifice to the ancient god Ares, who, it is said, is worshiped by Eric. In general, they brought this unfortunate agitator to a small, dark room, where they locked up. A couple of days, Demeter decided to find out what kind of a poor guy was howling without water and food in the closet? Our warrior about him, it turns out, completely forgot. Let's go together, and somehow it's not good to torment a person with the expectation of questioning and execution.

– Hello, dear. So we came to talk. What can you tell us interesting?

" Do not come near me! "The descent of hell!

– No, well, it's completely uninteresting. Eric smiled and hit the poor fellow crawling on the floor, over the genitals. He howled in pain, and our hero continued. "Every time you tell me stupid things or lie, I'll beat you, for a start. " Then the kind lady will invite the executioner here, who will start to cut you off in a hurry, and in other ways deliver a paradise pleasure. Do you understand me?

" Yes, yes, sir, I understand. "I do not want an executioner, please do not kill me. I'll tell you everything, just do not kill.

"Well, if you tell me about who you are, why you are here, and who sent you, I promise – I will not kill you. "

" Sir, my name is Tikhon, I'm from Thessalonica, where I was hired by a gentleman who introduced myself as Melety, the attorney of the Abbot Esfigmen. "He gave me a whole brand with the instruction to discredit the name of the prince in every way, trying to expose it as a pagan and atheist.

"And who told you to tell those funny tales about the execution under Thebes? "

" Meletius, sir. "Three days after the execution, he sent me a man with a letter, where he recommended that this event be presented in such a way.

" Eric, what's with the bikes? "I have not heard anything about them yet.

– Yes there is generally a rare humor, you just imagine, this man said that I brought a sacrifice to Ares in that field.

What?

Yes yes "I, too, was deeply surprised at such stupidity.

" Dear Tikhon," Demetra choked with laughter, but tried to hold on, "I'll tell you a little secret, the gods do not sacrifice themselves to themselves. "So it is not accepted.

– Mistress, I do not understand you.

– What are you unthinking. Eric is his only name. She pointed to the prince with her hand. "It's one of many. " The ancients called him Ares. And I, Demeter, are his supreme priestess. "She smiled with a completely sincere and very kind smile, and Eric looked at the poor fellow with an icy cold and calm look, completely devoid of emotion. So, like that little flea, to which an immense huge and utterly incomprehensible someone descended. Poor Tikhon turned pale to the last extreme and, soundlessly opening his mouth, trying to scream in horror, a few seconds later lost consciousness and fell into a puddle of his own urine.

" What a squishy little peasant. "What do you think of him? "

– Garbage. Waste. Even without resisting, he surrendered his master.

Right?

"Will you let him go? "

"How did you get this? "

"Well, you promised not to kill him. "

" You really did not listen well. "I said that "I" will not kill him. Erik broke into a smile. – There was not a word about the others. So take it and do with it as you wish. If you want, slowly take off your skin, if you want, take it apart in pieces, but if you want, just dig it in – it's up to you. He's your toy now. But I advise him to torment him for a while, maybe he will tell something else interesting.

Very good, sir. My younger brother is just a fan of such entertainment, he will be happy to serve you. And how do you deal with Meleti, because you can not just forgive him, but Esfigmen is the Monastery of Athos.

– Having started to act against me, he signed himself a death sentence. And if for him the community of the Holy Mountain intervenes, then so will they. Although, of course, I, as a kind gentleman, will give them a chance, since I do not want to shed the blood of the weak and the poor. – After these words, Eric turned and went to his apartment to continue to do business, this campaign brought a lot of benefits, not only material, but also technological, so there was a lot of analytical work and work on the mistakes.