Patriarchal Representative:
And to whom exactly are the applications for Scholar sent to?
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Patriarchal Representative:
And to whom exactly are the applications for Scholar sent to?
Savvas' scribe wakes up as he hears the voice of the Patriarchal Representative.
Forgive me mylord. I believe the Basileus appointed his daughter as Dean of the University.
Kosmas shrugs.
Perhaps I should have said "a" standard way to deal with rebels. I prefer to hang only the ring leaders myself, unless I think doing so will create martyrs. Whatever the most common method, killing rebels is generally not seen as enough of an event to affect a man's reputation among the people of the Empire. If it were, perhaps more generals would "arrange" so that none of their rebel foes surrender.
Patriarchal Representative:
Thank you, kind scribe.
*The Representative shuffles out of the chamber, muttering such words as "nepotism" and "power grab" under his breath.*
Edit: Nothing to see here...
Makedonios walks into the Magnaura in full armor.
Senators,
I come back from the field to address the Magnaura on the state of our Empire.
Basically, we are sliding into severe debt. And it is not the Crusade that is doing it. That is self-funded. I don't know where all the money went, but it's gone. The Empire is already in debt by 2997 florins.
And it isn't the Order. As promised, our financial footprint is relatively small. In fact, we're basically neglected on everything. Exactly one thing has been built in the Levant all term and that is only because it was something I legally "prioritized." And I picked a pretty modest building I might add.
Our garrisons are the bare minimum required to keep order. Adana has 1 militia regiment and 3 archers. Not 3 archer regiments. I mean three archers. Aleppo has 2 battered regiments of peasants. Antioch has 1 militia regiment. And Nicosia has 1 peasant regiment for a garrison and 2 peasant regiments for my army.
Speaking of my army. It is legally complete, but those 2 peasant regiments are stuck on Nicosia. Why? Because the Caesar has taken the one ship in the entire Eastern Med and sent them to Jerusalem. According to naval orders, that ship will blockade Jerusalem's port next year. The problem with that is the fact that the war will start with an Egyptian army right next to me in Antioch AND PART OF MY ARMY IS STILL STUCK ON AN ISLAND!!!!!!!
Makedonios takes a breath after raising his voice.
Pardon my volume but things are getting bleak gentlemen. Since the Caesar has ignored my letter regarding the navy, I will lay it out in public. I need that ship moved back to Nicosia this turn so those 2 peasant regiments can be moved to my army next turn. So I can then defend Antioch properly. And this shouldn't even be open for debate. By law, my army has to at least be minimum standards. And it isn't. It's already a joke that the Caesar is giving me peasants for what is legally supposed to be a "professional" army. But those peasants are completely cut off from reinforcing me.
Furthermore, Hypatos Armatos requires an army BY LAW! And what does he have? NOTHING! And I know recruitment has gone on throughout the Empire! The Caesar's royal army just got filled with new mercenary units. Asteri has probably 5 or 6 private armies worth of troops even though they only have 3 nobles with the rank to require them. And Armatos goes COMPLETELY WITHOUT! Meanwhile, the Turks are to the north of Adana, the Fatamids are next to Antioch, and the Templars are still massing on our border. We NEED two armies! Not only do we need them, but they are legally required! Again, I should NOT have to come in here and say this!
I know we voted against the Caesar but this blatant mistreatment of the Order risks lives! We are at war gentlemen!
Furthermore, there are now NO PRIESTS in the Levant! None! Zero! They are all in Anatolia! And both Iconium and Caesara are more than half converted. We need at least a couple of them back in the Levant to convert Adana and Aleppo.
Back to the finances. Do you know we have only 1 merchant!?! ONE! The Levant is the trading crossroads of the world! Our only merchant is there right now raking in over a thousand florins a year. Why aren't there more merchants?
And why has the navy by Greece gotten bloated and sits idle? And I don't mean the Crusader ships because those don't get funded by us. I mean, the ones sitting off Athens. The eastern Med has exactly 1 ship. Yet there are so many ships in the west that I can walk from Constantinople to Crete without getting my feet wet!
And what is with all the mercenaries! I'm stuck with filling my army with peasants but Pavlos gets to recruit Saracens for the Caesar's army. Something stinks!
Oh, and by the way! Who ever dropped their army into Belgrade didn't do the Empire any favors! Anastatios is... where ever it is Anastatios goes... But the point is, without him to give permission, a whole army is LOCKED in a city on the other side of a war! And we can't disband them to save money because he needs to sign the paperwork!
So, I want the Megas to appear and tell us how he is going to get us out of this mess. With the Empire in severe debt, I don't expect the Megas to recruit or build to offset the giant inequalities that have developed. I only lay out the Order's situation so we don't get blamed for draining the Empire's coffers.
What is wrong with the Caesar!?! Ampelas built up the army and navy and he was able to do it without sinking the whole Empire into crushing debt! And he kept up building at a steady pace.
We are on the edge of financial ruin! If the Megas does not fix this, then for the good of the Empire, we will need to impeach him and get a guy in office who can fix this. And the worst is yet to come. The Crusade is currently self-funding so it is not adding to our troubles. But when that Crusade is over, all of those troops will become part of the Imperial Army which means WE will be paying for them. If the Megas doesn't fix our budget NOW, then we will plummet economically and our Empire will completely stagnate.
Now that I have kicked the hornet's nest, I welcome the other nobles and especially House leaders to comment.
Patriarchal Representative:
Calm yourself. The Basileus organized the effort to get his son elected. I'm sure this is all part of his plan.
Solomon shuffles into the Magnaura, looking sullen and angry. He carries a goblet of wine
I for one find the irony delicious. Despite his opposition to the crusade, it appears that our "great" Caesar now requires the Nile's wealth to keep the empire solvent.
raising his goblet
May Basileus Aleksios continue to rule over us for years to come.
Aleksios listens intently to Makedonios, smiles coldly when the Patriarchal flunky speaks and frowns at the words of Solomon.
Grandmaster, I too am eager to hear from the Megas Logothetes concerning our finances and recruitment.
The Basileus turns to the Patriarchal lickspittle.
Sarcasm is unbecoming a man of the cloth. I see that you have slithered back into this chamber, if you wish to stay, bide your tongue.
Aleksios looks at Solomon, holding his gaze for a moment.
Thank you for the toast, Senator.
Caesar Ioannis enters the Magnaura, looking calm as he rises to speak.
Senators, I thank you for your patience in waiting for me. With your leave, I will first respond to the concerns to Senator Ksanthopoulos.
Turning to Makedonios, Ioannis begins to speak.
Thank you for your concerns, senator. I shall do my best to allay your fears, though I fear it is a waste of time.
The treasury is indeed empty. I speak bluntly, because speaking otherwise will not suddenly bring us more florins. For years now, the thirst for war has led us to build up our armies to an enormous size. This is partly due to the anticipation of the campaign being undertaken in Anatolia, and partly due to the shame we suffered in the years following Manzikert.
As a consequence of this, we will be in debt until we have driven the Turks out of Anatolia. War is an expensive business.
The Order, very nobly, has kept its word and has not required many men from the empire. I salute their sincerity, and wish to uphold them as an example to others on keeping promises they made.
I regret to say that my royal army was illegally under strength for 30 years. As such, I took steps to fix this discrepancy, as is required in our charter. Regrettably, due to the shortage of florins, I was unable to hire any other units for your army save the two companies of peasant levies. This was due to the construction of major works around the empire.
I am suprised at your alarm over the impending war with the Fatimids. Did not you eloquently argue for this war? And now that this war is almost upon you, you begin to realise that sometimes wars should not be entered into rashly. I am only obeying the will of this august body, as is my duty. If you now agree with me and see the imprudence of such an action, then you would do well to voice it.
As for those two companies of peasantry, I will be dispatching them as soon as ships can be sent from the main fleet. You are a competent general, and should not feel their lack. Besides, they are but peasants.
The conversion of Anatolia is far more important than Syria. We are currently in a war with the infidel, and the people's morale must be boosted with the preaching of the true faith.
Turning again to address the whole of the Magnaura, Ioannis continues.
Senators, the times are not easy, but I shall guide us through them with a steady hand. Have more patience, and we will emerge stronger from this trial.
Ioannis finishes speaking and exits the Magnaura.
Surprised that the Caesar simply left without taking replies, Makedonios stands.
Since the Caesar has decided to run away, I will address his points.
Frankly, I find his answers to be less than satisfactory.
I will remind the Caesar that filling armies takes precedence over construction. I will point to "limitation 2" of the Megas's powers.
Quite simply, a private/royal army must be filled before spending money on anything else. Therefore, the Caesar has just admitted to breaking Rule 4.3. And this isn't just breaking an edict. Rules are absolutely sacrosanct. Totally and completely.Quote:
(2) No money can be spent on any construction until all Prioritized Buildings have been funded, unless the Senators who Prioritized them agree otherwise. If there are multiple Prioritized Buildings, and not enough funding for all of them, the Megas Logothetes may choose which to construct first. Rule 4.3 takes precedence over all prioritized buildings.
I still support war against Egypt. What I don't support is you stranding part of my legally sanctioned private army on an island. You don't have a choice in this matter. Rule 4.3 clearly states that you must make my army to the legal minimum required standards. Not to mention the fact that peasants hardly count as "professional" troops. You do not need to send that ship to blockade Jerusalem's port. I demand that it be brought north so you can actually follow the law and add those peasants to my army.
As for Anatolia being more important, isn't it important to spread the word everywhere? And wasn't there an edict that passed mandating that you send priests to provinces with a church that was below a certain amount of conversion? Just how many laws do you plan on breaking Caesar? We're only a couple years into your term...
I again ask that we call an emergency session and put forth articles of impeachment against the Caesar. We just punished Hypatios for violating Edicts. The Caesar just admitted that he violated the Rules. If we punish Edict violations but ignore Rule violations, then we are truly hypocrites.
The Caesar has just put every citizen in the Levant at risk by flat out refusing to recruit Hypatos Armatos's army and refusing to give me my legally mandated reinforcements. In the meantime, he has recruited hundreds of mercenaries and bankrupted the Empire. I hope those of you who voted for him are now happy with where he is leading us. Remember, I warned many of you in private of this day.
OOC: We need to figure out what to do OOC as well. I'm pretty sure Ig actually broke the rules of the game when he refused to recruit troops for a legal army, yet recruited and built elsewhere.
The Basileus leans back in Throne and surveys Makedonios over tented fingers. He speaks quietly.
I would be interested to hear the views of other Senators on this matter.
Iakovos stands.
"Your Majesty, if I may? The Grandmaster made mention of the fact that Adana is garrisoned with only 3 archers and one under strength spear unit, and myself. Reports from scouts that I sent out in the area tell me that a large Turkish army is coming down the pass just northeast of Adana. If they beseige Adana, there will be no hope in defending it."
Iakovos grabs a document from his desk and reads from it, continuing to speak in an even tone.
"May I also ask why is it that a good portion of the Caesars army is in Trebizond? Yes, that may be in Anatolia, but as far as the report says here in my hand, not only is the army in Trebizond composed of expensive mercenaries, it is also as far away from the actual fighting taking place while still being able to claim that it is 'for the Anatolian campaign'."
Iakovos clears his throat and continues, his attention fully given to the Emperor.
"I am sure you also understand that Adana is also in Anatolia, along a favored route of the Turkish army. As such, Adana should be considered a priority zone. The loss of Adana means the Turks may strike at will at either Iconium, Antioch, and Caesarea. We would be making a grave strategic error if Adana falls. I also would like to remind everyone at the Caesars words that 'The conversion of Anatolia is far more important than Syria'. I would like to ask, that if the conversion of Anatolia is so important, why have no priests been sent to Adana?"
Iakovos retuns to his desk to pick up yet another document
"I would also like to add that although we asked for war with the Egyptians, with the Caesars obvious disdain, I would like to point out that Aleppo is vulnerable to Turkish troops heading south. If we do not want to be caught in a pincer movement, then we must do something about this."
Iakovos looks over the paper again
"I would point as well that the army that took Iconium is in fact still in Iconium. Logistical reports indicate that only a skeleton garrison would be needed at this point to hold Iconium, and the rest of the troops could be put to good use in further pushing east against the Turks. Why hasn't this been done?"
Iakovos returns to his seat.
"I won't bother going over the points the Grandmaster has made, since I agree with them all in detail, and to simply parrot words would be a waste of everyone's time here."
Savvas enters the Magnaura.
This is the second time I have to leave my troops...
Dear Grandmaster, the treasury is empty, what would you want the Caesar to do? Sell his garments?
If only Hypatios would have sacked Iconium, instead of exterminating it...
Iakovos raises an eyebrow to Savvas.
"Sacking the city would have only been a temporary solution. This is obviously a long term problem that has to do with how the money is being spent, and as such it requires a long term solution."
Savvas stays silent and waits.
Making his way into the Magnaura, Apionnas has a concerned look on his face. His armour and dress, of Arabic style as usual, are stained and travel worn.
There is certainly a serious concern with regards to the treasury. This needs to be addressed immediately by the Megas.
However calling for impeachment seems an over reaction.
I believe Senator Makedonios is referring to the regulations on Army management. Construction and recruitment are two separate issues and should be dealt with as such. Regulation 4.3 refers to Army recruiting and maintenance. It in fact states that Royal Armies have priority over Private armies. The Megas in this case does seem to be following the regulation.
Rather than getting into a legal debate over various issues, it would be far more valuable to determine how we can ensure the treasury is going to corrected.
Most of the other issues are simply finite resources being allocated in a particular order and therefore not pleasing those at the lower end of that order.
War with Egypt needs to be delayed or entirely suspended. It is unwanted, ill timed and could seriously damage the stability of the Empire. I fear that we have gone too far to reverse course now.
I hope those men that are bravely making their way to Cario have prayed long and hard.
Iakovos stands and gives a nod to Apionnas.
"I agree senator, do you have a suggestion as to what to do about it? As far as I can tell, the only thing we can do is scale back our military by removing wasteful troops by going through them in a cost/benefit analysis."
A letter arrives with a Smyrna's stamp.
Senators,
My ship is at anchor at Smyrna for resupply and I can't believe the news I am hearing from Constantinople.
I voted against Caesar Ioannis in the last election, out of fear that he would act not in the interests of the Empire but in the interests of those thta support him, and it seems I am to be proven right.
Senator Machonios have been adequately punished for his violations of our laws. Caesar Ioannis must be impeached for his admitted violations of our sacrosanct rules, violations he admittedly made knowingly.
Caesar Ioannis asks us not to be afraid, but there is cause to be : the Crusade is already on its way and cannot be turned back but what of it when it lands and successfully conquers the cities of Egypt, how will the Caesar ensure that we can build the necessary buildings or pay for the upkeep of the Crusaders ?
How can the Order defend our holdings in the Levant from an Egyptian counter-attack with a single army (and uncomplete to boot) where two are mandated by law ?
The position of Megas Logothetes does not absolve the Caesar of following our laws... Or perhaps is it that the title of Caesar has finally gotten to his head and he sees himself as some of the Roman dictators of the past, the Neros and Caligulas that spelt doom for Rome.
Though I may be absent from the Senate, I plead for the Basileos to call for an Emergency Session so that we can impeach the Caesar and nominate a new Megas more given to fairness and less to power-grubbing.
The cities of Egypt will not be sacked to fill up our emptying coffers.
Strator Methodios Tagaris
Nodding to Iakovos.
I agree that is the most pressing task that needs to be done here. Perhaps the Megas can return and provide a report on what can be done.
A slight frown now creases the brow of the Saracen looking officer.
It seems my point has been missed by a few here. I will make myself clearer.
Regulation 4.3 states:
4.3 – Army Replenishment: If a Private or Royal Army falls below the minimum strength level, all military recruitment must be allocated to restoring the Army to minimum strength before money can be spent on other recruitment, unless the owner agrees otherwise. In the event of a conflict, a Royal Army takes priority over a Private Army. This rule does not apply to armies involved in a Civil War.
The current accusation therefore is inaccurate. Is the charge concerning building or recruiting?
If impeachment is to be requested then those doing so must state their case in a far more precise fashion. With limited resources it seems clear that the "Order" of replenishment is at the discretion of the Megas when armies are categorised the same. This is not a breach of these regulations.
We could of course also use these forces and take a large amount of settlements that a) can be sacked to fill the gap in the treasury; b) will bring us income to pay for the upkeep of our forces.
Alternatively, disbanding unnecessary units seems a reasonable course of action, as long as are borders stay strong.
And I suggest Methodios offers an apology in his next letter. Comparing our Caesar to Caligula and Nero is very, very distasteful.
One of Kosmas' scribes, left behind to take notes from the Magnaura, looks up sheepishly at Apionnas.
Sir, if I may. Makedonios cited one of the limitations on the power of the Megas. *ahem*
"(2) No money can be spent on any construction until all Prioritized Buildings have been funded, unless the Senators who Prioritized them agree otherwise. If there are multiple Prioritized Buildings, and not enough funding for all of them, the Megas Logothetes may choose which to construct first. Rule 4.3 takes precedence over all prioritized buildings. "
So, no other construction can be done until Prioritized Buildings set by Senators of high enough rank are complete. The note that Rule 4.3, concerning Private and Royal armies, takes precedence over Prioritized Buildings prevents the Megas from contructing Prioritized Buildings until the armies have been filled to minimal levels.
The Megas cannot fulfill regular constructions orders until fulfilling prioritized ones, and cannot fulfill those until armies have been filled. Added to the requirement from rule 4.3 that no other recruitment can be done until armies are filled, and this means both construction and recruitment must be brought to a halt until Private and Royal armies are filled.
OOC Confused me at first, too. :sweatdrop:
Turning to the scribe, Apionnas responds in an even tone.
They are linked.
My questions are simple, are there forces across the region and the Empire, that if reassigned would bring the various armies up the required levels?
In addition, are all parties aware of which Senators have waived their requirements as part of the regulation?
The details have not been addressed, therefore assumptions have been made. If assumption have been made then this is my point.
Assumptions should not be part of any impeachment request.
OOC: Just occurred to me that I should mention that at least one character, Makedonios, did prioritize a building, allowing this rather tenuous chain of requirements of the Megas to connect. If there were no prioritized buildings then the Megas could at least construct buildings without filling armies to the minimum required numbers. :yes:
Iakovos consults his papers.
"Indeed, I have a full report on all of the Empires soldiers, including their numbers and location. If anyone would want, I can give them the information."
Are there enough regiments to redistribute and fulfil the reguations Senator Iakovos?
Iakovos scans the paper
All of the following soldiers are unoccupied or are otherwise not part of an official army.
At Belgrade - We have 1 Regiment of Trebizond Archers, with 64 men, 3 regiments of Byzantine Spearmen at 103, 93, and 81 men.
At Constantinople - 5 regiments of Spear Militia all at 112 men, although only one is available for use, all other being on garrison duty.
At Dardanellia - 2 regiments of Dismounted Byzantine Lancers at 90 men each.
At Nicaea - 3 regiments of Spear Militia each at 112 men, although we should keep at least one there. It also has Ballista artillery with 30 men.
At Cyrpus - 3 regiments of Peasants at 112 men each, although one should be enough to maintain civil order.
Iakovos jots down a few numbers.
This leads to a total of 9 available regiments for the use in private armies. Please take note that Belgrade is under the control of Anastasios Neokaiseritis.
Flipping through a few more pages he has, Iakovos looks back to Apionnas.
Those numbers do not include units in the field currently, nor do they reflect possible redistribution of units in settlements which currently have private armies in them.
Nodding as he too begins to note down the numbers, Apionnas looks back up at the assembled senators.
I'm not going to continue to do the work of those that accuse the Megas of breaching the regulations and call for his impeachment.
I believe ever man in this room can see in which direction I am trying to find a solution.
The impeachment request is wholly unnecessary at this time. Those that wish to continue with its request should assess the strength of the case.
Iakovos pulls out another piece of paper.
"May I ask how these regiments are to be distributed and to whom?"
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
A letter arrives from Vissarionas ek Lesvou. It reads simply:
Point of Order. The most ancient and revered of our laws requires the filling out of private armies ahead of all non-prioritized construction. It is not a matter for debate, and any man who cannot perform these duties is flatly unfit for the office of Megas.
Due to gross negligence of his duties I call for the immediate impeachment of the Megas. The Emperor should call an emergency session of the Magnaura to accomplish this.
Gentlemen I am sure it isn't necessary to remind you all that nations are founded on the rule of law, and where the law is trampled nations fail utterly and fall to dust. Do not let this happen to the legacy of Rome.
Vissarionas ek Lesvou
OOC: Since we're confusing an OOC rules violation with IC nonsense I figured I'd throw my 2 cents in as well.
:egypt:
