xymnovel Chapter 44 Military and Civilian Uprising
Chapter 44 Military and Civilian Uprising
In February of the year 6689 of creation (Julian calendar 1181), an unusual dawn broke.
The Golden Gates of Constantinople were packed with people. Porters, merchants, citizens, and nobles alike craned their necks, their eyes fixed on a blurry black dot suspended above the city walls, being slowly lowered by soldiers.
The black dot descended lower and lower until it finally stopped at the top of the city gate. People finally saw what it was—a bloody head.
The head's eyes were not closed, staring blankly at the crowd below. Half of its thick beard had been cut off, making it look both terrifying and strangely comical.
A gasp erupted from the crowd. The head belonged to none other than Andronica, whom they respected, revered, and regarded as the savior of the empire!
Before they could recover from their shock, more heads were lowered one by one, neatly hung on either side of Andronika's head. The soldiers loudly proclaimed: "Andronika attempted to kill the emperor; he and his followers are now beheaded and their heads displayed to the public!"
People gasped; these were people who had sided with Andronica and publicly opposed the Empress Dowager's regency.
The crowd erupted into chaos like dry straw set ablaze. They surged toward the city gates, angrily questioning the guards. Faces flushed crimson, eyes filled with disbelief. With a foreign enemy at hand, how dare the Empress Dowager defy the will of the people, purging dissidents and slaughtering members of the imperial family? Was she plunging the empire into an abyss?
The city gate guards were overwhelmed by the surging crowd, and the hastily erected defenses teetered on the brink of collapse. At a single glance from their commander, they all drew their swords, their cold gleam pointing at the people, and shouted, "The Empress Dowager has decreed that Andronica, having failed to assassinate His Majesty, has now plotted to murder the future Empress, the Princess of Capet! He is a traitor to the Empire!"
The gleaming blades temporarily pushed the crowd back. They retreated to a safe distance, dozens, even hundreds, of pairs of eyes fixed on the sword-wielding guards, their gazes filled with hostility.
"The Empress Dowager would tell any lie to slander Lord Andronica! Andronica is His Majesty's uncle. On every trip or hunt, when has His Majesty not been accompanied by Lord Andronica? The people of Constantinople all see the deep bond between Lord Andronica and His Majesty. How could he possibly plot against His Majesty?"
Just then, a clear and loud voice of doubt came from behind the crowd, followed by a series of neat and heavy footsteps that instantly drowned out all the shouts and commotion. People turned around in confusion and saw an armored army converging from all directions outside the city, advancing towards the city gate in a dark mass.
In the center of this army was a luxurious chariot, upon which sat their equally revered leader—Princess Maria, daughter of the late Emperor Manuel, and her husband, Rainier of Montferrat.
With her husband's help, Maria stood up, raised her arm high, and spoke in a clear and powerful voice: "That Latin woman is twisting the truth! It was clearly her who colluded with Princess Capet to launch a coup, imprison the Emperor, and attempt to establish a Latin dictatorship! Lady Andronica died protecting His Majesty! Citizens of the Empire, fight alongside us!"
The crowd erupted in jubilation. They quickly parted to make way for the princess and her army, many weeping and pleading with the princess to seek justice for Andronica and the local nobles against the hateful Latins.
The princess's chariot proceeded directly to the guards at the city gate. She stood up, looking down at the soldiers who quickly sheathed their weapons and bowed respectfully. Calmly and firmly, she said, "Soldiers of the Empire, I hope you understand right from wrong. Under the Empress Dowager's rule, the Empire's territory has been lost, and everyone within the Empire, from princes and nobles to ordinary citizens and merchants, has suffered persecution and lives in constant fear. You may choose not to join our resistance, but please do not obstruct us."
The guards exchanged bewildered glances, their faces filled with struggle. After several silent exchanges, they seemed to finally make up their minds, stepping aside to make way and entering the army behind the princess one by one.
The crowd erupted in cheers of delight, following the army through the city gates and surging toward the palace. This multitude of soldiers, citizens, and nobles moved unimpeded, passing through the Hagia Sophia, and finally collided head-on with another army in Augusta Square, between the cathedral and the palace.
The other side had no intention of negotiating at all. Almost the instant they met, a volley of arrows rained down on the princess.
The princess's army was completely unprepared for the fact that the other side had no intention of negotiating whatsoever, and even seemed intent on killing the princess. In their haste, they erected a shield wall, but arrows still pierced through the gaps. The soldier driving the chariot was struck in the chest and fell with a groan. The horse was then hit as well, the chariot tilted violently, and Maria and Rainier fell heavily to the ground.
The soldiers quickly shielded them behind them, urgently saying, "Your Highness, it's not safe here. Please, you and Lord Caesar (a title bestowed by Manuel upon important in-laws) seek refuge in the Hagia Sophia!"
Maria understood that the Queen Mother was determined to wipe them out. Things would only get more dangerous. She immediately shouted, ordering the citizens and nobles behind her to retreat into the church. Soon, only the soldiers remained in a standoff in the square.
After watching the princess and her supporters leave safely, the princess's army regrouped and engaged the Queen Mother's army in battle. In an instant, the ancient square, built during the reign of Constantine the Great, was transformed into a scene of carnage, with corpses strewn everywhere and rivers of blood flowing.
The battle raged from dawn until dusk, leaving both sides exhausted. The offensive devolved into sporadic, probing exchanges of fire. Just then, the ground began to tremble, and the heavy clatter of hooves grew louder as it approached, threatening to uproot the entire square.
Everyone tensed up, looking nervously toward the source of the sound.
In the afterglow of the setting sun, a troop of Imperial cavalry bearing the banners of the Komnen royal family galloped in, surrounding both sides in the square. Under countless vigilant and tense gazes, the officer at the head of the cavalry dismounted, slowly removed his helmet, revealing his full face.
He wore a fine suit of chainmail, the edges of which were trimmed with fish-scale plates that made a soft metallic scraping sound with his movements. A thick, dark blue velvet cloak draped over his shoulders, the hem of which was casually tucked into his waistband. His face was etched with wrinkles by the fierce winds of the Mediterranean, the corners of his eyes were sharply defined, and his slightly curled, dark brown sideburns were streaked with silver, but his eyes still shone brightly.
Both sides' soldiers froze. Then, the sounds of weapons hitting the ground rose and fell. They placed their hands on their chests, saluted respectfully, and in unison called out the name that every soldier of the Empire knew all too well:
"Lord Kantostefanos!"