Chapter 463 - Can You Do It, Julian?

The lunar crescent has already replaced the position of the scorching sun when the Caesar showed up in his tent out of a sudden with no guards, no escort and no prior acknowledgement or what so ever to his subordinates. Julian was shocked initially when he came back into his tent after finishing a tiring day of work when he sensed a vague figurine seating on his bed with his back facing towards the entrance. His instinct told him that there are only two kinds of people that can enter his tent seating in the middle of three thousand people, one is an assassin who can make no one know his prescience, or a supreme being that can make everyone along the way keep their mouth shut about knowing that he is here. 

In this case it is obviously the later. 

Without any further thoughts Julian kneeled on one knee. "I did not know that you shall be here, your majesty, am I summoned for a sneak attack on the Ottoman positions?"

"Of course not, Julian, how do you sneak upon the enemy in this terrain? Roll down the hills?" Antonius maintained his body posture and replied with his back facing the half kneeled Julian. "I am here with a doubt, a doubt that only you can possibly answer for me."

"You have my ears, your majesty." 

"What kind of virtue do our leaders have did made us go back into the flames outside the coast of Anatolia to save our sailors trapped within the burning ocean?"

"The virtue of not letting any of our brother in arms behind."

"What kind of spirit do you have when you charged into the city of Thessaloniki first, warring against an amount of foe that you know you cannot defeat but yet clinging on there like a nail for hours without pulling back?"

"The spirit of always looking and marching forward without any distraction from anything."

"What kind of soul did our warriors have when we are being overshadowed by an enemy that counted up to a million men while we only had thousands huddling in a tiny city?"

"The soul of persevering even when people know that the worst is probably going to come…"

"Then I need you to answer on behalf of your men, your leaders and yourself, Julian." Antonius finally turned around, walking briskly to the side of Julian pulling him up from the ground and held his hands tightly like an iron grip. 

"Do you have the virtue of not letting any of your brother in arms behind?"

"Definitely, your majesty."

"Do you still have the spirit of marching forward without being stopped by any obstacles?"

"Absolutely, your majesty…"

"Do you and your men still have the soul of persevering against countless bolts and arrows coming right at your face?" 

"Yes! Of course! Your majesty!"

"Then I got a job for you, Julian." Antonius led Julian out of his tent holding his hands and pointed him the direction of the Ottoman fortresses a couple of Roman miles away among the valley. "The Ottomans have just burnt down our siege structures and massacred hundreds of our men, that is the greatest loss we have suffered against the Ottomans in years. Khalid have found out that they are using their first base as an observation post and a frontline operating base for sabotages and recons. If we pluck out this nail, we shall come into a blank point range with their subsequent bases allowing us to gain the strategic uperhand in whatever we are planning now. The only thing I need now is a sturdy leader leading a capable army to pluck that nail out for me, who do you recommend?" 

"I shall recommend myself, your majesty." Julian answered with the deepest of his voice as he in turn gripped Antonius' hand. "Do I have any other contestant for this job?" 

Antonius gazed at his old friend's eyes, for there is already a fire developed from a spark being started in those pair of black pupils reflecting light in the night, and that is the Julian that he is more familiar with, not that man pretending to be ignorant and dumb in order to evade responsibilities and duties alongside with the others in the central camp earlier today. 

"I am afraid that there is none." Antonius said. "And that is why I came for you for a name."

"The name shall be Julian then." Julian took up the initiative this time. "I shall wake the army up at three in the army, breakfast at four and set off at five. I shall bring you the fortress that you desired."

The Caesar nodded giving him a pat on the shoulder. "Have a good night's rest then, I shall be there personally to spectate your victorious poses on the tower behind you." 

"Yes, your majesty."

"Oh… And, one more thing, please call me simply by admiral, I am still not familiar with people calling me 'majesty' those things are not for us."

"Yes… admiral." 

Antonius smiled and left the quietening camp of infantries on horseback alone just like how he has come here an hour ago, without any guards by his side. Julian watched silently there waiting for the back of the admiral to disappear beyond the horizon before going back into his tent to get a few hours of slumber, every single day is a rushing day for a commanding officer of three thousand combatants, and tomorrow seems to be even more of a haste for his already thirty years old body. 

The acute and ear piercing blowing sounds of horns and drums woke every person in this infantry camp up punctually at three in the early morning. People began complaining initially wandering what is the reason why the higher ups are not following the six hours of sleep safety standard of procedure set by themselves.. But they are not stupid, for they soon realised within themselves on what is possibly coming up soon, and then cheers with roars of excitement started erupting in every single corner of the camp.