assassins would suffice, now. Belisarius was sure to be accompanied by his cataphracts, henceforth, probably in full armor. Malwa assassins were skilled, true. But the subtle skills of assassins were no match for armed and ready cataphracts. Not those cataphracts, for a certainty.
The only remaining alternative was an actual military operation, using Rajputs or Ye-tai. With enough numbers, such an assault would succeed. But there would be no way to disguise such an attack as anything other than what it was. The Malwa emperor was not ready, yet, to declare open hostilities against Rome. A pretense of friendship, or at least, neutrality, was necessary until His thoughts were interrupted by the girl’s sobbing. Enraged, Venandakatra beat her into a whimpering half-silence. It took a while, for he was not a strong man. But he didn’t mind the time spent. Not in the slightest.
When he finally returned to his considerations, he was exhausted. Glumly, he reconciled himself to Belisarius’ survival.
Perhaps it was all for the best, mused Venandakatra. He had almost canceled the planned assassination, in any event. There had been those indications, in Belisarius’ conversation aboard ship, of a man resentful of his treatment at the hands of the Roman emperor. Slight indications, to be sure, nothing more than subtle tones of bitterness and the trace of discontent in a few phrases. Still-Venandakatra decided they were worth pursuing.
The Indian lord even smiled then. There was this much satisfaction to be had, after all: Belisarius relished tales of debauchery, and told quite good ones himself. So, in the long weeks of the journey into the interior, Venandakatra would at least enjoy his conversation. Just as he had aboard the ship.
Memories of those conversations turned his thoughts toward the delightful news he had received upon embarking. The Princess Shakuntala herself! A gift from the Emperor, awaiting him in his own palace.
Venandakatra had heard tales of the girl’s beauty. A pity, of course, that she was seventeen. He preferred his concubines much younger. (The one he had just beaten was twelve.) But-best of all, she was the prize of Andhra. Venandakatra detested the southerners. Marathas especially, the surly dogs. Shakuntala was not Maratha, but she was their princess nonetheless. In mounting her, he would be subjugating that entire polluted people.
His thoughts enflamed him. He eyed the dazed and bleeding girl on his bed. He considered summoning the chamberlain to bring another concubine, but dismissed the thought almost at once. To the contrary-this one would do marvelously.
Chapter 19
“So, they are not warships?”
Garmat shrugged. “They could serve as such, Belisarius. Poorly, however, except as rocket ships.” The adviser began a technical discourse, but Belisarius shook his head.
“There’s no need, Garmat. I’ll take your word for it. It doesn’t surprise me, anyway. It’s what I expected.”
Garmat cocked his head inquisitorily.
Before he answered, Belisarius looked about the room. The room was rather small, quite plain and utilitarian, and windowless. It was obviously a chamber for servants, which the hostel owner had attempted to prettify with a few cheap tapestries hastily hung on the walls. The hostel owner had offered Belisarius a more suitable room elsewhere, but the general had insisted on quarters adjoining those of his men.
His and Garmat’s room, now. On the second day of their stay in Bharakuccha, Garmat had approached Belisarius with a plea to share his quarters. It seemed the sarwen and Ousanas had arrived at the same conclusion as the cataphracts, and Garmat had no wish to remain in quarters which were now crowded with the presence of three young women. Maratha women, in this case.
“I’m too old for orgies,” he’d explained.
Belisarius looked back at Garmat.
“Before I answer you, I have a question. Describe the military capabilities of Axum. Strengths and weaknesses.”
Garmat did not hesitate. The die had been cast.
“The army of the negusa nagast is very good, in my opinion. I have fought against them, you know, as well as with them. My bedouin were no match for them in a pitched battle, as the Arabs learned some time ago. In a raid, taking advantage of our mobility, we could occasionally overcome small detachments of sarwen. And we could always escape them. The Axumite army is an infantry army, essentially. Their cavalry is very small, and weak. Couriers, for the most part. And they have no skill with camels at all.”
He stroked his beard.
“Axum is not really a land power, as Rome is. True, King Kaleb rules over a vast region. But it is nowhere near as vast as Rome, even-”
He hesitated. Belisarius smiled.
“In private, Garmat, we will dispense with the formality that the western Mediterranean is still ruled by the Emperor.”
Garmat smiled back. “As you wish. As I was saying, even if we exclude the western portions of your empire, Rome’s territory is still much larger than Axum’s. And the disparity is even greater in terms of population. You have visited Ethiopia yourself, now. As you saw, it is essentially a highland region, with control over the Red Sea and portions of Arabia. Mountains and deserts, for the most part. So, our people are not numerous, even if we include the Arabs and southern barbarians under our rule. And thus, our army is not large. Good, but small.”
Garmat paused for a moment, thinking, then continued:
“The strength of the Axumite army lies primarily in the skill and discipline of the sarawit. Their discipline lacks the subtlety of Roman discipline, mind you. The Empire of Axum does not have the history that Rome does. It was forged in conquest, true, just as your empire was. But the Ethiopians fought only barbarians, except when they conquered Meroe. And the kingdom of the Nubians, by then, was a decrepit thing. Barely a shadow of its former glory, long ago, when it ruled all of Egypt. So-”
Belisarius nodded. “I understand. Firm discipline, which maintains a good order in battle. That is all one needs to defeat barbarians. But no subtlety in tactics. Much as the Roman army might have been, had we never faced such civilized foes as the Etruscans, Carthaginians, Greeks, and Persians.”
“Yes. But there’s more to it. The real power of Axum lies in its control over trade routes. Especially the sea- borne trade. So, you have a peculiar situation. Although the heartland of Ethiopia is a highland region, the kingdom itself is a naval power. Our sarawit are produced and trained in the highlands, but serve primarily at sea.”
“So they are marines, basically,” said Belisarius.
Garmat nodded. “Yes. From what you told me, I gather that our recent affray with the Arab pirates was your first personal experience in a sea battle. You can understand, then, the qualities needed for marines.”
Belisarius gazed up at the ceiling of the room, thinking back upon the battle.
“Courage, and skill with weapons-the combat is close, ferocious, and unforgiving. Firm discipline-iron discipline, even. But no tactical sophistication. There’s no need for it in the tight quarters of a boarding operation. Nor room, for that matter.”
He looked back down at Garmat.
“And those are the weaknesses of the Axumite army. Small numbers. Inexperience in large land battles. Primitive tactics.”
“Yes.”
“That’s about what I thought.”
“May I ask the purpose of these questions?”
“Of course. It goes back to the matter of the Indian ships we were talking about. You are puzzled, I think, by what we’ve seen in the harbor.”
Garmat nodded. “I fail to understand the Malwa purpose in launching such a ship-building project. Such an enormous project, building such enormous ships. Ships of the size we saw being created in the harbor are very expensive, Belisarius. Men who are not seamen, even experienced generals such as yourself, never really grasp how expensive such vessels are. To maintain and operate, as much as to build.”
The adviser shrugged. “So what is the point of doing it, when the ships themselves are so poorly designed for
