Chapter 240: Thank You

Feeling disrespected Nikolas moved on to the next phase of his plan.

While the warriors that sneaked in to the city of Thessaloniki hides themselves within the ware house that Nikolas has bought before hand catching fleas on their body and chasing rats in the damn environment. Nikolas himself decorated himself in gorgeous Mediterranean Palermo fashions, wore some make ups on his face tidying his body odour from the sweat preparing for the grand feast he is hosting tonight.

Nikolas has prepared a lot for this feast, sending invitations to almost every single officer and notable political figures inside the city including the mayor himself, and also every single wealthy merchant running trade inside city, gathering them together in the name of "Collaboration between the Sultanate and her faithful merchants under the majestic Sultan Beyezid II's flourishing rule." It seems like there is just another merchant trying to do the same old trick bribing the officials through coins and parties to strike a deal or some thing, further more almost every one here knows who this host is. 

Behind the letter is an attached note: Every guest who accepted this invitation shall receive a monetary gift by the generous host.

Meanwhile on the seas the battle fleet of Antonius is approaching the gulf of Salonika in a cruising speed, about to reach the place in merely a night's time.

…

The night fall soon came.

With the night fall the heat from the sun dispersed revealing the glistering stars in the sky of blue haze. With the moon representing truth and knowledge hanging right above the head of man kind giving common folks that kind of feeling that they are spiritually connected with the moon and the stars, just like how the Earth is connected to the skies. Although it seems like what the people beneath the sky in the city of Thessaloniki tonight has got nothing to do with knowledge, but more about lust.

Under the shades of night there is a grand festive concert held in the famous monument of Bey Hamam, or alternatively called Λουτρά Παράδεισος., the Baths of Paradise. One shall not use words to describe this master piece of a public bath as it would take up to hundreds after hundreds of exotic but meaningless vocabularies. For the guests who are invited, they only need to have one thing in mind, for tonight it is not water that flows from the foundations and baths, but wine and milk. It is not only lilacs and fruits that awaits on the trays in the tepid room, but roasted turkey and lamb. It is not only the plants and floras that decorate this entire place, it is the group of maidens thriving here not wearing any thing on their top that makes this entire place come to alive.

Daily lives in this age are pretty much boring with all the same things happening every single day, and thus hearing there is such a lavish event going on at night sponsored by a filthy rich Rumelian renting this entire place inviting this amount of people with out the need for an entrance ticket, various Ottoman nobles and officers, from big to small, cleaned themselves dressing them up dumping their blades in home, riding a similarly decorated mounts and made a ride for the bath.

It is said that even the ruler of this city is planning to attend this event to have a look personally at this legendary Rumelian merchant who paid an unthinkable number of coins to his treasury. No one in the lord's court had any objections to this, as it is apparent to them through the recent intel that the wicked fleet of sea devils under the pirate king Antonius have went to bother the cities in the north, thus should be the perfect time for their lords and nobles to take some time to relax themselves.

The arriving carts and horses from the various nobles, lords, merchants and the other benefactors of the Ottoman lordship jammed the entire main street of the city coming from all corners inside the outside of the city, and the Ottoman guards in the surrounding dare not come up forth instructing these lords clearing the roads, they only dared to leash their whip on the passing by Rumelian peasants and slaved making them clear the road for the nobles instead.

Although the Bey Hamam "Bath of Paradise" is indeed a true paradise in the city, but one must understand that this paradise is only built for the minority special classes of nobles and lords, but noy for the majority peasants out there filling the entire city.

Like wise to the nobles gathering and greeting each other on top, there is also another secret conference going on beneath the surface unknown to others.

While Nikolas is busy with the Ottoman nobles and lords, Julian gathered all the reliable Greek underground resistance forces in the region in to the city, seated in a round table awaiting the arrival of the supposed 'Ambassadors from Constantinople' coming here reading them the orders from the Basileus. They have been longing this day for so long, ever since the Romans have lost this city thirty years ago. Only one generation have passed, and within their mind they still have the memories of Roman empire, thinking of the Romans, love for the Romans and will to fight as a Roman.

The delegates seats on their chairs with all their attention on the 'Ambassador from Constantinople' with their eyes glittering with the light of hope and nervousness. Is the Basileus coming back? Or have the Basileus and Constantinople abandoned them, abandoned the forgotten sons of the Roman Empire.

Their answers are solved within the first sentence of the 'ambassador from Constantinople'.

"Gentlemen, good evening, thanks for accepting the invitation." Julian bowed towards each of them and announced. "The All Holy Saint of Orthodox Church and Hagia Sophia, Protector of Christ and the True Cross, the representative of God and the Roman people, the Autocrat and Basileus of the only Roman Empire his majesty Constantine, may God bless his name, have sent an elite army of professional fighting force coming for the aid of the people of Thessaloniki from the sea arriving in less a day's time to liberate the Romans of Thessaloniki from…."

"Hooray!"

"Θεός να σε ευλογεί!"

"ζήσω την αυτοκρατορία!"

"Ζήτω ο Βασιλικός Κωνσταντίνος!"

Even before Julian could finish his words the delegates beneath jumped from their seats in rejoice hugging with each other shouting out their cheers praising the heroic decision of the empire, seeing their worries of being forgotten gone and the thirty years long dream finally coming true; The Imperial army is finally coming to liberate them from Ottoman rule, they have waited and fought too long for this message.

"Ahem…Ahem! Gentleman! Gentleman! Please be seated!" It took Julian a while to settle down the situation. "Although my admiral is coming in tonight, but I would still like to request some help on his behalf. We appreciate all forms of help from you people that would greatly lighten the burden on the imperial navy, and make the siege a quick victory so that we will have less casualties in both the army and the civilians."

The crowd of leaders of underground resistance willingly volunteered themselves. In a corner a burly bearded man sprung up from his seat raising his fist in the air and shouted. "My brothers and I shall do what ever it takes to liberate the Romans in the city of Thessaloniki, just say the word! We have a hundred axe men under your disposal!"

"Leave the job of slaughtering the Ottomans to me! My fifty best men of Macedonia is ready to perform the heroic deeds of Alexandria the Great choking our bronze spears in to the throat of the infidels!" Another tall skinny man rose up and showed his spear to every one else.

"My men shall take the high ground!" Here comes an archer this time. "We shall accurately shoot our arrows right in to the eyes of every single Ottoman foe that dares to walk in to the range of our bow and arrows!"

"Thank you guys!... Thank you guys for joining with such eagerness, but we have to wait until further orders from the fleet and admiral in order to achieve a coordinated attack that would achieve the greatest effect!" Julian had to raise his voice to quieten the room down again. "I shall tell you the overall plan of how it is going to work… We do not need you to take up the main role tonight, leave the toughest fight to the admiral and his men, they are trained for this trust me!..."

"All of you shall help the fleet seize controls of the gates from the inside with your men, and take those Ottoman nobles into custody, if they have not been drunk by that point of time…"

"Kill them!" Shouted a native.

"Aye! Kill' Em!" The others soon followed.

Julian opened his mouth but gulped his word back as he was about to say arrest them and tie them up but judging by the situation he do think that it is best not to say it out at this point of time.