Chapter 280: The Flag

"Ελευθερία ή θάνατος!" 

-        Greek War of Independence 

The supposedly 'mistress' Anna sent the admiral and his army a gorgeously designed banner of war, using the most out standing silken material from the whole of Thessaly, and what she means by sending this flag is simple as described in the letter which came along with the flag; If Antonius managed to survive through this hardship along side with the city of Thessaloniki, he will have the amount of influence and prestige to no longer have the need to rely on the legitimacy given from the emperor of Constantinople, and then his entire army can fly this banner with pride. 

But for now, Antonius still has to keep the banner of royal purple and Orthodox Chi Rho decorated with the double headed eagle. 

"Send my regards to Anna, a new flag is just the right thing I need to lead my men." Antonius plucked out the cutlass that used to accompany him for almost an entire year and placed it firmly on to the hand palm of the messenger. "Bring my old friend to Anna, say that I need to trouble her to refine my blade making it match the values of the war banner after the war." 

"Yes, my admiral!" The messengers leapt on to the horses and rode away with out even taking a sip of water. 

Antonius then proceed to pluck out a bronze headed lance from the near by shelf and walked up to an arrow slit and yelled to his soldiers beneath. "Prepare for the battle lads! Lets show our families, friends and lass inside the city behind us that we, are totally capable of holding this place and fly the new banner!" 

The Latin soldiers shouted out raising their arms towards the sky. "Vincere est vivere!" 

The local Greek(slash) Roman soldiers roared "Eleftheria i Thanatos!" meaning 'Freedom or death' and then went on singing Orthodox praise songs as their usual tradition. 

While for the Mamluks and Arabs they knocked their curved blades on their shields and whistled. "تحيا البطل! الله أكبر!" meaning. "Long live the champion, Long Live the Mighty God."

Trully an army of nations. 

…

But their stream of hot blood is poured with a bucket of freezing winter water, as for the next few days the Ottomans laid no further attacks or sieges on any of the fortress near Thessaloniki. Some times they popped out from the woods and the shallow morning fogs in to the plains and observed the Roman defense line at a safe distance, not even willing to step a single foot further inside. 

But that does not mean the battle field is being completely quiet, instead for the next couple of days letters are being exchanged from both sides, with the Grand Vizier starting first delivering a letter to Antonius that looked like that of an old friend saying that Antonius is really, really missed by him and every one in his, eh no, the Sultan's army. Antonius made a letter in reply thanking the Grand Vizier for still remembering a minute figure like him, and mentioned that no one in his army misses the Grand Vizier, because perhaps it is because they have not seen the Grand Vizier in person yet and hence they do not know the might and prestige of the Grand Vizier. In the end of the letter Antonius attached an invitation for the Grand Vizier welcoming him to come and spectate the camp and the Roman city of Thessaloniki if he has the free time. 

Seeing this trick won't work the Grand Vizier wrote another letter to Abdullah, but immediately after the later got it he transferred the letter to Antonius with out even opening it, and the later returned it back too with out suspecting what might be inside. 

In the end Abdullah unsealed the letter and read it loud towards every one in the tent. However he soon regretted it, as apart from the part where the Grand Vizier boosted how well did he treat Abdullah when he was a kid, the rest is all about how he looked after him back then, like how he spoon fed the young Abdullah milk, how he changed the diapers for the young Abdullah when he defecated in it, and how the young Abdullah pissed in his arms when he was hugging the baby. Although all of these in the letter are made to make people misunderstand and suspect about their relationship, with most of them being fake news, but all of these made a pretty good laugh for every one here and this piece of memory probably will not go away from their memories in the near future. 

Seeing this trick wont work too the Grand Vizier started writing letters to other commanders of various fortresses promising to threaten them that there are no way for them to fend off his enemy, and if they surrender now he, eh no, the Sultan will grant them much higher titles, honour, glory and monetary rewards. Some commanders made no replies, some replied with curses and vulgar, some wrote ambiguous statements in their letters neither rejecting or accepting the Grand Vizier's good intentions. While some others expressed will to join, but in the end of the day, not a single commander walked out of those barricades. 

By this time the various beys and lords have already became impatient with  all the siege preparations done and started urging their Grand Vizier to stop wasting time over here and begin the attack, claiming that the Romans will not hold long in front of the never ending waves of assaults by the Ottoman warriors in superior number. However, the Grand Vizier rejected the proposal of stupidity achieving victory by wasting perhaps one quarter of the valuable lives of his assets and provide his true foe Zaganos Pasha more convenience in the end of the day. He tried one last trick he has in mind. 

He stopped wasting his precious time and effort on these pig headed Rumelian commanders, and started sending information straight in to the city of Thessaloniki through lines of espionage, activating the rebellious seeds he has planted there long before through various ways asking them to start spreading rumors among the families of soldiers in the front line, claiming that Antonius has failed them running away with his fleet, the defenses have crumbled, their children have been slaughtered, and it is not that late yet if they are to cut off the supply routes from the city to other Rumelian camps and surrender, the honourable and principled Grand Vizier will keep their lives and properties. 

Within a few days after the seeds of the rumors and gossips are planted in the city, sentiments of fright and terror began spreading like wild bush fire among the other ignorant or overly worried citizens of Thessaloniki as they crowded outside the Government Building in protest demanding governor Anjelo to stop the quarantine that limited their freedom, let them go out of the city and go fetch their children home. 

Of course, Anjelo cannot comply with such ignorant demands, but still he has to come out and explain step by step to the crowd behind trying to talk some sense in to these fuming people letting them calm down. Though all of these efforts went futile and even his fore head got smashed by a twig thrown by an angry protester leaving a permanent scratch scar on his wrinkled face, achieving a remarkable thing that no enemy of Anjelo has achieved in the almost past seventy years. 

Seeing how the direction of the entire situation has developed, some rich families, land lords and nobles decided to leave this city whose fate is unknown, some decided to stay for good intentions deciding to protect their city once more by their own hands. While some others remained in the city with a suspectable intention in their minds. 

After settling the crowd convincing them to return home that night, the exasperated Anjelo unleashed his agents in shadows carrying a pre prepared list along with them, knocking on the doors of the people's door steps whose names are on the list, and arrested them even before they could respond or resist. The secret agents would usually claim that they are here to deliver a message to the owner of the house, and as long as there is an opening on the door the agents would break through it holding weapons in their hands forcing these people in to submission. 

By day break Angelo's men has arrested more than a hundred people who are convicted of carrying out espionage service for the Ottomans casting the entire city in to fear of white terror. It went so far that there was a joke circulating around saying that; You know what is the most fortunate thing that is to happen to you? It is that one day these Angelo's watch dogs came knocking on your door shouting. "Master Constantine! You have got a message from your old friend! Open up!" And you can reply by. "I am sorry good sir; Constantine lives next door!"