Chapter 232: Strength For Justice

Back in the tent of Sultan Orhan which is already shifted to the interior ruins of Izmit. 

A trial is going on. 

Antonius, Abraham with the rest of the crew on the left, still with blood stains on their armours and faces. The chieftain who attacked them kneeling down in the center, hands tied behind his back, and his men on the right, with their Sultan Orhan seated right on the top with a stern face and a pair of eyes that feels like spitting fire burning this chieftain to ashes at any moment. 

"That is the entire story, Orhan." Antonius explained the entire thing to the Sultan. "I hope that you shall give me and my men justice at the end of the day." 

"Of course, of course, my friend." Orhan hurriedly stood up apologizing for the fault of his subordinate. "May Allah bless your poor innocent young boys, my deepest condolences to all those lives lost, and I assure you that I will give you a satisfied judgement."

"Now, Ayrat Vali, what do you have in your defence of the barbarous sins of murder you have just committed against innocent people?"

"Sultan, Sultan!" The chieftain desperately crawled kneeling to his lord and begged for mercy. "I am deeply sorry, my Sultan, please forgive me for my actions… For I have done it all for you! My Sultan! Out of the plain wish to help you develop a stronger Sultanate!"

"Stop! Stop! Shut up!" Orhan's face changed the moment this man dared to say that he is doing this for the Sultanate, by am uncontrollable frustration he pushed the table before him causing every thing to fall onto the chieftain's head causing some blood to slowly ooze out, but the chieftain still dare not raise his head up.

"You, you sly piece of crap, how dare you associate your sins with me? Everyone in the camp knows that it is your personal lust and greed that motivated you to try to attack our allies and loot all the wealth by yourself…"

"I am just being truthful! My Sultan!" The chieftain suddenly raised his head up interrupting his Sultan.

"I said shut! Up." Orhan became even more agitated as he started throwing every thing he can grab onto the chieftain, but the chieftain just will not stop talking.

"My Sultan! After this battle we are going to cede large amount of land in Peninsula of Erdek to the Rumelians which is simply not worth it for just one city! And if he is eliminated, the Sultan will have no enemies expanding onto the sea of Marmara using it as a jump board to Thrace!"

Even if Antonius have an inadequate knowledge of the Ottoman Turkish language, he could get a glimpse of what this man is talking about. Feeling there might be hidden blades pointing towards him in the tent, Antonius' face changed too becoming even more grim.

Orhan is tired of talking any longer to this brute, he called his Janissary leader Emin bey, and ordered to have this chieftain executed and properties confiscated.

However just as Emin bey is about to drag this chieftain out of the tent for his final phase of life, some thing unexpecting happened, A bunch of high ranking pashas, beys, and chieftains suddenly stormed into the Sultan's tent, accounting to almost half of the entire high command in the army. These bunch of lords and officers kneeled down the moment they entered this tent in the centre behind Emin Bey and started begging towards the Sultan for him to spare their pal chieftain Ayrut Vali from death penalty.

"Sultan! Ayrut Vali has done a superb contribution towards the establishment of the Sultanate! You can't do this to your contributor!" 

"Sultan! Please think twice about executing Ayrut Vali, he is an important lord guarding the borders facing directly to those damned Persians!"

"Yes, Sultan! Executing Ayrut Vali shall definitely lead to instability of the Sultanate's borders!" 

Even the leader of the army from the Beylick of Karaman came pleading for Ayrut Vali. "Honourable Sultan of the Ottomans, my lord would definitely not want to see our friend and pal, Ayrut Vali bey get killed, I bet our lord will be deeply saddened by this news." 

"Yes, my Sultan!" Here came the final and ultimate strike. "If you killed Ayrut Vali bey, it might lead to chaos and rebellions spreading not only through out the camp, but also through out the Sultanate…" 

The raging Sultan Orhan suddenly calmed down after he heard these sentences thinking about one thing that sent a child shiver down his spine. Since here is only half of those chieftains and lords in the tent, where is the other half? He knows that these lords came here pleading for this twit not because they have a good relationship or what, but it is because if he is going to confiscate the army of Ayrut Vali, the Sultan's strength might become stronger making him harder to manipulate like a fiddle. He also understands the last sentence of these people, it sends a clear hidden message saying that if he is not obedient enough, they might change him with a new figure head… 

Antonius watched this entire fuss from the side with a freezing look sipping the cup of Cyprus wine. 

After some time of consideration Sultan Orhan admitted defeat, standing up like a loser with a seemingly hunched back going down the stage pulling all the lords up, patting the dust off them and announced his final decision. "I shall spare him this time, but I shall not forgive him for the crimes he has conducted, he shall receive thir…fifty lashes, as a form of punishment… Now get off from my face!" 

The chieftain heaved a sigh of relief getting up from the ground knowing that he has survived; He is not a bit afraid of all these whip and slash nonsense, because he shall make sure that these slashes go as soft as they are massaging his back. Before he left he did not forget to give another complacent and threatening stare back to Antonius, just like he is saying all of these is not over. While for Antonius one can see that he is resisting his temptation to puncture a hole through this man's head as seen from his trembling hands clenching the cup that its bronze handle is almost distorted in shape. 

The group of Ottoman chieftains and lords left, laughing and jeering in their own language thinking Antonius do not understand, leaving Antonius, his men and Sultan Orhan stuck in the tent, in a silent atmosphere of embarrassment. 

"I have withdrawn all my forces on the Peninsula of Erdek." The Sultan broke the silence in a tone filled with inconfidence and misery. "And I have given your man called Julian all the keys to the five fortresses on the Peninsula, it is yours now." 

Hearing this Antonius gulped down the cup of Cyprus grape wine, slammed it on the short table, stood up and walked straight towards the door with his men ready to leave. 

"Antonius!" Sultan Orhan suddenly called out reaching his hand forward, but he found himself wordless as he opened his mouth repeatedly trying to squeeze a sentence out. 

Antonius staggered before leaving, looked back at the Sultan seeing him in this state, then sighed shaking his head and paced straight out of the tent with out heading back, leaving Sultan Orhan behind maintaining his posture with his mouth still gaping open staring at the back of Antonius, until it is covered up by the door portiere.

…

Antonius only relaxed his freezing face returning a smile on his cheeks after he returned to his ships seeing all the comrades by his side, Abraham, Julian, Yuri, Fisnik, Alexios, Helios and others, cheering with each other for this victory and showing condolences to those brave souls who have fallen before the final moment of victory, paying respects to those who have showed their capabilities and skills, distributing the rewards equally and fairly among every one showing no difference between a captain or an ordinary sailor. 

The siege of Izmit, was relatively an easy siege for Antonius with his army showing a fluent and flexible corporation between the land forces and the artillery fleet, and the tactics of deploying Varangians equipped in heavy plate armour have showed its power smashing through enemy defences with ease if they are not equipped with anti armour weapons like lances or hammers. 

Now, it is time to leave this place, though Antonius knows that one day he shall return, as he looks at the flying banner of Orhan on the towers of Izmit. 

Alexios walked to his side against the sea breeze and asked carefully. "Admiral, thinking about some thing?" 

Antonius shook his head first, then nodded, turned his body facing his crews bustling around on the decks of his massive fleet making a final conclusion.

"You know what, Alexios, in the very end, I understood one principle from this battle."

"What is it?" 

"Never expect others to give you a justice you deserve, for all true justice is based on your strength."

The expansion of Antonius along the coast of Constantinople is now over.