Chapter 10: The taste of victory
5 June 1853, Emperor's chambers, Rome
Constantine XII carefully met the gaze of each man in the room. First, his new Chancellor, Karl Marx. His Marshal, Julius Contadino. His Prince (and brother), Trajan. His Foreign Minister, Benjamin O'Connor. And finally, his Minister of Science and Industry, Edward Vickers. He nodded to each one and received a respectful nod in turn.
"Gentlemen, we are losing money. We've already spent nearly 400,000 £ to finance this war. We've been rocked, badly, by political scandal. We need order, we need stability, and we need it now. Options?"
As everyone expected, Marx spoke first. "Your Majesty, the best way to assure loyalty is to give greater rights to the working class. They are the engine that drives our Empire, and even the most stout engine requires shovelfuls of coal every now and again."
Vickers smiled and shook his head. "An apt metaphor, Karl, but if we expect our wealthiest citizens to continue financing this war, we cannot 'reform' too much; an overstoked boiler is likely to explode, after all."
Both men chuckled, but uneasily. Neither wanted to admit the other had a point. Marshal Contadino took the opportunity to speak his piece. "Emperor, I know that casualties thus far have been significant. God only knows how many men the Russians have lost retaking Karelia. But at the same time, the strategy is working. Every day, our ships see a few dozen Swedish soldiers deserting and sailing back to Stockholm. They have 29 ships sitting in Stockholm Harbor, and not one has so much as weighed anchor, let alone engaged our blockade. The Swedes cannot last forever."
O'Connor nodded. "I would agree with the Marshal's assessment. The Swedish ambassador has already offered, quietly, to surrender Swedish Karelia to Russia if only we'll let them slide on the debts. Chancellor, have you or Deputy Chancellor Germanicus had any luck in convincing your colleagues to withdraw their requests?"
Marx sighed. "I wish I had better news, Minister. Chancellor Decimus promised what he could not deliver, but that does not excuse us from making good. The same individuals my good friend Edward is worried about are the ones who would block any peace deal."
The Emperor snorted. "I control war and peace, Chancellor. Not the Senate."
To his surprise, the defender of the Senate was his own brother. "Constantine, that may be true in legal terms. However, you've lost a lot of popularity; some prominent Senators blame
you for Decimus' greed. The fact that Mr. Vickers" -- Edward bristled at the mention of his name, but said nothing -- "is still in the Cabinet is only further damaging your reputation. We need a victory, brother, and a decisive one."
Constantine sighed. "Is this about me keeping you out of the army, Trajan?"
A ghost of a smile crossed his brother's face. "Of course not, Constantine."
The Emperor gazed skyward, then turned to his Marshal. "Can we still win?"
Julius nodded vigorously. "Of course we can. General Bava-Beccaris is scheduled to attack Copenhagen again in the next couple of months. He's waiting for his legions to reinforce, but remember this: the Swedes cannot escape if we do not let them. One victory and I believe -- no,
I know -- this war is over."
"Then win me that war. We could use some good news."
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11 August 1853, Copenhagen, Sweden
Arturo Orsatti crouched behind a stone wall.
I've got three rounds left. Better make them count. He glanced over at his squadmates, all of whom curtly shook their heads.
They're about out too. He waved his corporal over.
"Corporal, how are the men?"
His corporal was a Frenchman named Louis Broussard. "They are tired, sir. The loss of our sergeant has a couple of them scared."
Orsatti let out a slow breath as inaudibly as possible. "Marcus was a good man. I'm as sorry to lose him as they are. We should feel blessed; one loss in a squad of ten is the lowest casualty rate in our century."
A Gallic shrug was followed by silence. Orsatti gestured for him to continue. The corporal nodded quietly. "Sir, that's as may be. I cannot promise that everybody will be with you if we charge again. Even our fancy new Porcupines are of little use against an enemy ten times our number."
Arturo grunted and looked at the map again. "A squad against a century. I know manpower is thin here, but whose brilliant idea was this?"
Louis chuckled. "Yours, Lieutenant. You've been so damned effective with your rifles that the high command thinks you're a miracle worker."
"I hate to disappoint them, Louis. All right, we'll take another five minutes, then slowly inch our way towards that building over there. I want to station our best shooters over --" The sound of a trumpet blaring drowned out the rest of Arturo's sentence. "Louis, have I gone deaf? Is that the order to advance?"
Broussard nodded. "It is, sir."
"Where's it coming from?"
"That would be me, gentlemen." Louis Broussard leapt to his feet as Arturo started to curse under his breath. When Arturo looked up, his face went pale. Arturo quickly stood up and saluted. "General Bava-Beccaris, sir! This is unexpected!"
The Italian aristocrat smiled broadly. "Don't feel too badly; look at those poor Swedes over there." As Arturo followed the General's hand, his heart lifted. An entire brigade of infantry poured into the destroyed city. Some of the enemy screamed their surrender as loudly as they could; others dropped their rifles and ran. "Lieutenant, you have done your Empire an immeasurable service. I hear that Minister von Horgen only had to let it slip that the 'Eagle of the Empire' was on the outskirts of Copenhagen and they ran screaming."
Arturo's eyes widened. "Uh, sir, I don't --"
The General laughed. "At ease, Orsatti. I am only teasing you, although in all honesty, you have developed quite a reputation as a man who gets things done. 'The Eagle of the Empire' is the name the Roman Times has come up with for you; you have some powerful friends, it seems."
"But --"
"Enjoy your moment, Lieutenant. Enjoy our Empire's moment. I am here for two purposes. First, I'm proud to promote you to Centurion on the spot. Second, I will briefly be entering the city to negotiate surrender terms with General von Essen. I would be honored to have you along as my aide."
Arturo nodded vigorously. "Yes, of course sir!"
With that sentence, the Third Battle of Copenhagen was over. A decisive Roman victory.
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27 December 1853, Foreign Minister's office, Rome
Benjamin O'Connor looked at the clock with some trepidation.
I've already missed Christmas working out the details on this damned treaty. If I'm not home by 10 tonight, I may need to find a new wife. Benjamin had any number of capable clerks, but being the excellent boss that he was, he'd let them all go home early to spend time with their loved ones.
"Working late, Ben?"
The Foreign Minister looked up and smiled as Edward Vickers entered the room with an unknown gentleman. "Ed! A pleasure to see you. I'm just about done for the evening, I hope. Who's your friend?"
"This is Doctor Charles Darwin."
Benjamin took in the visitor with greater interest. "Dr. Darwin. I've heard a lot about you."
Charles grinned slightly. "No doubt from Karl, Minister O'Connor."
"He is one of your biggest admirers."
Darwin laughed. "I sometimes think Chancellor Marx admires me more than my wife, from time to time."
All three men had a good chuckle at that. Edward Vickers was the first to regain his composure. "To business, Ben. I am bringing Dr. Darwin along in my capacity as Minister. We're funding his research with the money left over from the artillery project just completed."
Ben nodded. "Hand me the forms and I'll sign them. You do good work, Dr. Darwin. Do keep it up."
As Chancellor, Karl Marx had made a habit of ensuring that every cabinet member was kept apprised of every decision by the Senate, to the degree that every minister was required to acknowledge them in writing. Vickers examined the signature with satisfaction. "Anything for me today?"
Ben grumbled. "I wish. Even though the treaty was signed two months ago, I'm still examining every page to make sure that we weren't 'cheated from our fair share.'"
Ed snorted. "It isn't like Sweden matters much. They've lost their place as a Great Power to Poland, of all countries!"
Before Ben could reply, a knock at the door announced an Imperial page. "Ministers, I have been required by the Emperor to provide you with copies of this decree."
The first to react was Benjamin. "I don't believe it. He actually went through with it!"
"As our good friend Charles can attest, the Chancellor can be very persuasive. The Senate was deadlocked for two weeks discussing how to deal with the unions; Karl went straight to Constantine at the beginning of the third week and asked for a decree."
Ben frowned. "Was that wise? Karl spent so much time making sure the Emperor wasn't too powerful; hasn't he just undone all of that hard work?"
"I don't think so. The Emperor retained decree powers in 'extraordinary circumstances' in the Constitution, and Karl was smart enough to make sure that the Senate alone could appeal to the Emperor in such cases."
"I still see the potential for abuse; not from Constantine XII, but perhaps a future Emperor."
"We are civil servants, Benjamin. We can only obey."
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6 March 1854, Office of the Minister of Information; location unknown
Magnus von Horgen was, in certain circles, the most unpopular man in Rome. Although he'd carefully avoided the crimes of the old Ministry of the Interior, the reputation for cruelty and tyranny still remained. It had gotten so bad that he'd had to hide his office. The only people who knew where to find him were the Emperor and his agents; even Chancellor Marx had relinquished the right to be aware of the Minister's location. Magnus was well compensated for his time, and his home was lavish. Given that he had never married and spent most of his time working, these rewards were trifles. Magnus kept at his work for one reason and one reason only: because Switzerland, as part of the Empire, could thrive.
To make sure that the Empire was strong, von Horgen had employed some ruthless methods, to be sure. Even the Empire's newest legions -- the London based Legio XXXIII 'Expeditiones' and the Florence based Legio XXXIV 'Florentia' -- had some of his men working on the staffs of each brigade. He had no reason to expect disloyalty from the army; that was exactly why he was so careful. Forces expected to be disloyal rarely were; they were watched too closely. Only somebody you trust can betray you, and so Magnus quietly guaranteed the Empire's security in an emergency situation. That didn't mean he didn't have official duties too. More often than not, Magnus found out about wars before Benjamin O'Connor did: the recent wars between Ireland and Austria and Mecklenburg and Tuscany were no exceptions.
Magnus's thickest file was on Chancellor Karl Marx. Very few people knew of Marx's ties to the Jacobins. Even Magnus suspected that his days of radicalism -- at least violent radicalism -- were over. Yet even if Marx had forgotten about the Jacobins, the Jacobins had not forgotten about Marx. Magnus made it a point to ensure that he knew the Chancellor's actions as quickly as possible, so that he and his network could watch for any threats. The latest example was a new budget, designed to make life easier for the average Romans by making imports cheaper.
The big industrialists might not like that; better have my agents keep a close eye on them, Magnus noted on the budget document. He wondered if he could afford to divert any personnel from "Project Colossus." Colossus -- a deliberately chosen name, designed to make any spy convinced that it involved the Isle of Rhodes, and not a larger island to the east -- was a propaganda campaign to drum up public opinion for a new war. This assignment came straight from the Emperor, and Magnus approved.
Not that his approval mattered: Magnus was loyal to a fault, and would sooner die than betray the Empire.
Better yet, he would sooner kill.
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24 May 1854, Office of the Foreign Minister, Rome
Benjamin O'Connor was one of the very few people in the Imperial government that knew and understood Project Colossus. He surreptitiously pushed news regarding that small island to the top of his pile for his "daily briefing" to the Emperor. He found a copy of an article from a Cypriot newspaper and passed it along to Constantine; he knew that the Emperor would be pleased.
Ben couldn't help but laugh at the most recent communications from Cyprus -- a request for an alliance!
If you poor fools only knew, thought the Minister, barely containing his mirth.
Of course, Ben had his share of regular business too, including the formal treaty between Rome and the Chinese Empire signalling the entry of the Empire into the Roman sphere of influence.
Ben started to gather his papers when he heard a knock at the door. He briefly considered ducking out the back way, but shook his head and opened it. "Marshal? To what do I owe the unexpected pleasure?"
Marshal Julius Contadino entered and took a seat. "Ben, what do you know about Australia?"
O'Connor blinked a couple of times. "Australia? Not very much. It's technically an Imperial colony now, since it was confiscated as a result of Decimus' trial, but I've never been there."
"I'm asking because I've heard reports that some of their Aborigines would like to enlist in the legions."
"I see. Why not let them enlist?"
The Marshal chuckled dryly. "They are natives, Ben. They've hardly even seen a rifle before. If we were going to train them, we'd need two things: a clerk from the Foreign Ministry we can trust and a reliable officer. Centurion Orsatti has been given the latter assignment; who could you recommend for the first?"
O'Connor frowned in concentration. He grabbed a list of his clerks from a nearby desk and scanned it. "What exactly do you want from the clerk?"
"The situation in Australia is sticky. Since they are not full-fledged
provinciae yet, they can't vote, run for the Senate or Curia, or receive government aid directly. It is closely akin to negotiations with a foreign power. They can't refuse any reasonable request made by the Empire, but it would behoove us to promote relations with them, I think. They are very far away."
"Isn't the Emperor supposed to appoint a governor for Australia and New Zealand?"
Julius grimaced. "Marx talked him out of it. Something about 'self government'. Agrippa Germanicus concurred, which surprised me even more."
"Agrippa has gotten a little weird since he's been Deputy Chancellor. Okay... here's a good name for you. Caroline Sheridan."
Julius raised an eyebrow. "A woman?"
"Yes, a woman. She's one of my top negotiators, and she's British, so she's got a lot of experience with dealing with delays. Plus, she knows English, and for whatever reason, a lot of the colonists to Australia have adopted that particular language as their own. Probably because Decimus relied so heavily on non-Italians to keep us from detecting the Syndicate."
"Maybe. If you think she's capable, I'll have Orsatti to your office in two days. We're sending along a century with him, equipped with the new iron artillery and the Porcupines."
"Makes sense. I'll notify her at once."
"Thank you, Benjamin."
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13 August 1854, office of the Minister of Science and Industry, Rome
Edward Vickers grumbled as he looked at the latest projections for Vickers Munitions. Thomas had sent along some disturbing numbers; the end of the recent war with Sweden had caused the bottom to fall out of the ammunition market. To make matters worse, the entire economy was in a recession; nobody had realized just how important the war was to the Roman economy, and with Marx's refusal to employ any subsidies to protect Roman industry, a lot of his former friends were losing their businesses. If not for Southampton Shipping and the recently completed Classis IX 'Sanctam', Vickers himself would be bankrupt. Although he no longer held a controlling stake in his businesses, Edward still gained a sizable income from them. The latest budget was particularly troubling.
1500 £ a day?! We need to do something and soon. Damn Karl's 'maximum tax policy!' He could ruin us all! Vickers made a note to meet with Marx about cancelling the import subsidies; that would negate part of the problem, or so he hoped. He'd quietly encouraged his son Thomas to begin investing in a new Machine Parts factory; interchangeable parts was proving a tremendous boon to the economy, and while the actual gains had been minor as of yet, the pure lack of factories of this kind would quickly help at least the Vickers family rebound, if not the Empire.
Maybe this war with Cyprus will help? Vickers hadn't originally been briefed on Operation Colossus, but it was hard to pretend he didn't know what was going on when the Roman Times broke the story.
The Empire's press remained heavily censored, despite the "Campaign for a Free Press," but every now and again a story slipped through the cracks. In this case, one of von Horgen's less talented agents, who'd wanted to make sure he wasn't blamed for the failure in Cyprus, had tried to make it look like Cyprus was planning to attack the Empire, with predictable results. Even newspapermen couldn't be that easily fooled, and they'd quickly discovered the truth. Vickers hoped the war would be over quickly -- there was no reason to think it wouldn't, since Cyprus had no friends, a tiny army, and a very small fleet -- but equally hoped for a boom in the Roman economy.
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18 January 1855, Imperial throne room
Constantine XII tried to hide his relief at the dispatch from Minister von Horgen, but didn't quite succeed. Thankfully, he didn't have to try too hard, as he was alone.
His economy remained in serious jeopardy, to the point that the
Pecuniares, of all parties, had rebounded and helped gain a conservative majority in the Senate.
Some had speculated that the
Pecuniares would entirely collapse with the execution of Decimus, but there had to be some powerful interests that kept the faction going. The new leader of the faction was an obscure Senator from London named Benjamin Disraeli. Disraeli was a close personal friend of Vickers, and when Vickers declined to run for the Senate again, he gave Disraeli his political blessing. Disraeli was well known in Britannia, and most importantly favored the restoration of subsidies to repair the Roman economy. That had made for some debates between Gaius Tullius Cicero of the
Militares and Disraeli, which quickly elevated Disraeli to faction leader. Decimus' son remained leader of the
Protectores, and they remained a force in the Senate, but lacked the vigor and respectability of the other two parties. A careful polling of the faction members revealed the main reason the
Protectores were still popular; the conservative aristocracy, who had never much liked the considerable loss of autonomy they'd once enjoyed and were entitled to by their birth. Many had won their positions by bribery or outright purchase, given the tremendous latitude in nominating Senators. Families like the Ciceros and Catos had stayed away, mostly because they'd attained power in other ways. Not every family had.
The economy would probably get worse before it got better, thanks to Russian aggression in Punjab, India.
For the first time since the founding of the Russo-Roman alliance, Constantine seriously thought about saying no. There was no efficient way for Roman soldiers to get to India, even if they'd wanted to, but the expense of maintaining all Roman forces at a high state of readiness would simply exacerbate the recession of the Roman Empire, at least in the short term. At the end of the day, though, Constantine wanted Russian support for the annexation of Cyprus, and there was always the implied threat that if Russia and Rome were not allies, they would be rivals, and possibly enemies.
Constantine knew such a war would be so destructive that Rome might never recover entirely. Rome would win -- it was larger, more advanced, and more powerful than any other country -- but that didn't mean that consequences wouldn't be dire. So Constantine, with only the briefest hesitation, signaled his approval.
He only prayed it would not collapse the Roman economy.
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I'm about 80% sure Chapter 11 will be in two parts, but it will cover 1855 to 1860. Then, we'll do a state of the world style update. Anything in particular you folks would like to see?