Страница 61 из 118
OUSANAS AGREES TO DAMODARA TERMS ALSO STOP WILL TAKE FLEET AND
ARMY IMMEDIATELY TO BHARAKUCCHA STOP WHAT YOU WANT ME AND PHOTIUS DO
STOP
"Have her and the boy go with them," Maurice suggested. "They'll be much safer in Bharakuccha than up here, with everything breaking loose. And what would they do here, anyway?"
It didn't take Belisarius long to decide that Maurice was right. If Antonina still had her Theodoran Cohort with her, she might be able to play a useful military role in the Triangle. But she'd left them behind in Alexandria. If just she and Photius and Tahmina came to the Triangle-with a huge flock of servants, to make things worse-they'd be nothing a distraction and a nuisance to Maurice.
And Belisarius himself wouldn't be there at all, if his plans worked.
"Yes, I agree. Leaving aside the safety problem, she'll probably be useful in Bharakuccha anyway. That populace will need to be settled down, and she's a lot better at that than Ousanas would be. Calopodius, tell her and Photius to accompany Ousanas to Bharakuccha.
Two last messages came back:
WHEN WILL SEE YOU AGAIN STOP
Then, after a brief pause:
NEVER MIND STOP STUPID QUESTION STOP BE WELL STOP LOVE YOU STOP
The warmth that last message gave him dissipated soon enough. The negotiations with Khusrau were neither brief nor cordial.
Eventually, Belisarius broke it off altogether. "I haven't got time for this nonsense," he snarled. "Tell him an assault just started and I have to leave. Damodara's terms are important and need a quick answer. This is just mindless Aryan pig-headed greed."
As the telegraph operator did as instructed, Belisarius stalked over to the radio. "I can't believe it. Khusrau's not usually that stupid. Wasting time with endless quibbles over a few square miles of the Punjab, for God's sake!"
Maurice was ru
Still too irritated to think clearly, Belisarius shook his head. "What's the point, Maurice?"
"The point is that he's playing to an audience. You know the great houses aren't happy at all with the way he's using small dehgans as imperial officials to administer the Sind. Menander says they're howling like banshees, insisting that they deserve a big share of the Punjab."
Belisarius rolled his eyes. "Just what's needed! A herd of idiot feudal magnates pouring into…"
His eyes came down, squinting at Maurice. "Jesus," he hissed. "Could he be that ruthless?"
Sure he could, said Aide. It'd be one quick way to break feudalism in Persia. Lead the magnates into a slaughter. No feudalists, no feudalism.
"Maybe," said Maurice. He gestured with his thumb toward the radio. "But why don't you let me worry about that, if need be? You've got Damodara to deal with."
"So I do." He looked around. "Calopodius, are you ready?"
The young signals officer hurried up. "Yes, General. Sorry. I just wanted to make sure the scribes were set."
The smile he gave Belisarius was half apology and half sheer anticipation.
"Sorry," he repeated. "I've got the soul of an historian. And this is… history."
Belisarius chuckled. "Not yet. But let's see if we can't make it so. The first message is-"
Chapter 24
Bharakuccha
Damodara stared at the message which had just been handed to him. Idly, some part of his mind noted that the radio operator had perhaps the best handwriting he'd ever seen. Artistic calligraphy, almost-yet he'd seen the man jot down the message as rapidly as it came in.
He tilted the paper in his hand, so that Rana Sanga and Narses could read it also.
THIS MESSAGE RELAYED THROUGH BARBARICUM STOP SATI CANNOT HEAR IT
STOP SATI WILL HEAR ANY MESSAGE SENT TO US STOP ROMANS AND AXUMITES
ACCEPT TERMS STOP CANNOT SPEAK TO KUSHANS DIRECTLY BUT FORESEE NO
DIFFICULTY THEIR PART STOP PERSIANS USUAL SELVES STOP WILL WORK ON
THEM STOP
"Persians," Narses sneered. "That's why I was able to manipulate them so easily, in my days in Rome. Every border dehgan fancies himself the Lord of the Universe, because he's got a few more goats than his neighbor. It might help if he could read."
Rana Sanga shrugged. "I don't see where the Persians on their own can be much of a problem. Well…"
"Except in the Punjab," said Damodara.
The radio operator handed him another message.
TERMS FOR PUNJAB AGREEABLE TO ROME STOP BUT WANT IRON TRIANGLE
MAINTAINED AS ROMAN ENCLAVE STOP KEEP THE PEACE STOP
"He's probably right," said Sanga. "The Rajputs can live with a small Roman territory in the fork of the Indus and the Chenab, easily enough. Probably even be good for us, in terms of trade. And he might keep the Persians from pushing north."
"Why do you care, anyway?" demanded Narses. " Let the Persians have part of the Punjab, for pity's sake. Just insist on two things. First, they have to stay west of the Indus as far north as Multan; then, west of the line formed by the Chenab and the Jhelum. To make sure they stick to it, expand the Roman enclave. Let the Romans have the whole area in the fork of the Indus and the Chenab all the way up to Multan-and give them Multan."
Sanga was starting to look outraged. "You'd give the Persians almost half-"
"Oh, nonsense! It's not more than a third of the Punjab-and most of it, once you get north of Multan, is desert and badlands. Almost useless, except to the hill tribes. So let the Persians deal with the cantankerous bastards. As far as the expanded Roman enclave goes, yes, that's fertile territory. But it's still not all that much-and you can't stop them from taking it anyway, if Link's-"
He glanced at the radio operator. "If Great Lady Sati's army collapses. Which we're counting on, because if it doesn't we're for exile anyway. Assuming we survive at all."
"He has a point, Sanga," said Damodara mildly. "There's another advantage, too, which is that giving the Aryans everything west of the Jhelum brings them up against the Kushans in the north."
Sanga thought about it, briefly. "True. And that means the Persians and the Kushans-not us-would have to deal with the Pathans and the other hill tribes. An endless headache, that is."
He gave Narses a not-entirely-admiring look. "And what's the second thing?"
The old eunuch's smile was very cold. "I should think it was obvious. The Persians can have that area- if they can take it."
After a moment, Damodara laughed harshly. "Yes. Let them bleed. Done, Narses."
In the Iron Triangle, it was Belisarius' turn to stare at a message. Then, tilt it so that Maurice could see. He also spoke the words aloud, for the benefit of Justinian and Calopodius.