Babylon, page 24
‘That’s Archias the Exile-Hunter,’ Seleukos replied, deliberately misunderstanding.
‘I know who that is, I’ve availed myself of his services a couple of times. No, who’s the girl?’
‘Oh, the girl? That is Eumenes’ widow, Artonis; and she is not for you so you can forget about looking behind her veil, or any other item of her clothing for that matter. I’m taking her to Kassandros so that she can bear witness to Antigonos’ plan to rid himself of the pockmarked little toad, with a view to encouraging him onto our side in this war.’
‘Stiffen his resolve, as it were? I’m sure she will do that.’ Asander cast Artonis another lecherous look. ‘But I wonder whether Kassandros wants his resolve stiffened. From all accounts, Kassandros is very much taken with his new wife. Rumour has it that he is completely in love with the woman and would do anything for her; he’s even named his new city after her. I’m told that he plans for it eventually to be the greatest city in Macedon so perhaps it’s to Thessalonike to whom you should take the girl. But come, we have much to discuss – and much to eat and drink.’
It was the latter two activities that took precedence over the former, but Asander would do nothing until he had taken his midday meal in the citadel on the Royal Island. Seleukos restrained himself from hurrying on to business, despite his desire to push matters forward, not wishing to display bad manners to a host who was also an important ally. But eventually the meal was cleared away and he joined Asander in his study, overlooking, from a great height, the harbour to the west and, to the east, the disembarkation of the troops, under Myrmidon, along the beach on Alexander’s old camp to the east.
‘So, Alexandros and his less than whelming father have sided with Antigonos, have they?’ Asander mused, taking a seat by the window so that he could cast an eye now and again over his new army assembling on the beach. ‘That would seem rather a rash move to me, Antigonos still being hard-pushed for ships and his new allies, the Rhodians, having little interest or desire to interfere in mainland Greece. It would seem that they are setting themselves up for a drubbing from you.’
‘Or from Kassandros.’
‘Kassandros? I hardly think so; why would he want to effectively declare war on Antigonos when the war is clearly being fought on this side of the Aegean? If I were Kassandros, I would wait and see how things play out over here before I made my move. Just because a has-been and his son with a few thousand men in a ditch somewhere on the isthmus have decided to become chums with our resinated cyclops would not be a reason for me to stick my neck out.’
‘Even if said cyclops was going to kill him and I can furnish him with that evidence?’
‘Said cyclops has first got to cross to Macedon to accomplish that and that could prove harder than one might think; although, I suppose he could always employ the Exile-Hunter to do the deed seeing as he’s on the way there anyway.’
Seleukos smiled. ‘The noble Archias is working exclusively for Ptolemy at the moment.’
‘Things change, old thing, things change. Anyway, I have two questions for you: why would Kassandros even be tempted to interfere in any war that did not involve Macedon and Greece directly now that he is so secure? And what would Alexandros and Polyperchon gain by antagonising Kassandros even though they have formed an alliance with Antigonos when he is engaged elsewhere?’
‘The answer to the second question is that Alexandros and Polyperchon antagonise Kassandros just by being there and supporting Greek democracies. And the answer to the first is he doesn’t have to get involved in the Asian theatre yet.’
‘Yet?’
‘Yes, yet. At the moment it is enough for him to take the fight to Polyperchon and Alexandros in the Peloponnese. You see, old thing, Ptolemy’s strategy is to have Antigonos’ superior forces stretched around Asia and Europe, until the army facing him on the Egyptian border is small enough to handle and then he will strike. You will do your bit here and in the Euxine Sea; Polycleitus and his fleet will raid along the coast of Cilicia; Menelaus holding Cyprus can use his fleet to harry the Phoenician and Palestinian coasts as well as run the blockade of Tyros with supplies thus extending the siege and tying down thousands of his troops. Kassandros fighting Antigonos’ allies in Greece is a bonus because the great thing about Kassandros, as we have all been surprised to discover, is that he’s good and he’s lucky.’
Asander wrinkled his nose at the thought of such an ally. ‘He’s also thoroughly unpleasant.’
‘Granted, but when did that ever be a reason for not dealing with someone? But however unpleasant he is, he will defeat Antigonos’ new allies – thus making Antigonos look weak, unable to support his allies – unless Antigonos sends them more of his troops and drains his strength even further in Asia.’
Asander had a moment of clarity. ‘I see, old thing: Antigonos has made a strategic mistake by courting Alexandros and his father, hasn’t he? Ptolemy was always going to drive them into Antigonos’ camp for that very reason. They’re expendable bait to pull in Kassandros.’
Seleukos nodded, pleased that his ally had grasped the essence of the strategy. ‘Precisely; whatever happens to them is irrelevant because Kassandros is a bigger prize for us than they are for Antigonos. Antigonos misread what Kassandros would do: he assumed that if he brought Alexandros and Polyperchon in on his side, Kassandros would follow to prevent Antigonos using their territory as a foothold for an invasion of Greece. The trouble is I had already predicted to Kassandros that Antigonos would try to make such an alliance with them and not with him, and that would expose his antipathy towards him and desire for Macedon. Kassandros is, even now, probably contemplating the pros and cons of a swift campaign in the south.’
‘And your arrival with Artonis will be the last bit of impetus he will need to head south.’
‘Kassandros finds out about Alexandros and Polyperchon’s new alliance with Antigonos immediately before he hears just what Antigonos offered Eumenes in return for his life and…’
‘It leaves him no option.’
‘It’s perfect. He’s ours.’
Asander put his palms up, wincing. ‘Hush, old thing. Do not tempt the gods so.’
‘You’re right. With the will of the gods he’ll be ours. And so I shall be leaving tomorrow and spurring Kassandros into action as soon as possible.’
Asander’s eyes widened. ‘You’ll obviously not be taking your fleet to Macedon; that would look like an aggressive move on your behalf. So might I—’
‘No, Asander, you may not.’
‘Is it just going to sit here and do nothing?’
‘Far from it; I’m going to use it to besiege Erythrae.’
‘Erythrae? Why?’
‘Antigonos has given Lydia back to Menander as a reward for his service for him in the east. If I lay blockade by sea and lay siege to his main port, Antigonos will be forced to send more troops and ships to relieve his old friend’s main strategic naval centre.’
‘Antigonos is going to be very stretched.’
Seleukos gestured to the window and the army formed up now on the beach. ‘So, old thing, take Myrmidon and his men inland and hit Antigonos hard. By the spring of next year the resinated cyclops won’t know in which direction to point his remaining eye.’
ANTIGONOS.
THE ONE-EYED.
THE FRUSTRATION was mounting with the passing of each day and the wasting of each life; Antigonos cursed the wall of Tyros which had remained unyielding to all assaults. In the months since he had returned from his foray south he had attacked thrice at three different points of the wall but, at each attempt, repulsion had been his fate and his grim mood had deepened with every reverse. ‘Where do they get the men from?’ he growled as he and Andronicus, his commander of the siege works, surveyed the many figures manning the landward wall of Tyros; before them, in smouldering heaps, lay the wreckage of three of the great siege towers; within their mangled remains, charred and broken bodies, the dead from the last failed assault, lay festering in the sun providing a feast for the countless gulls flocking around the carnage, their endless cries of contentment echoing off the walls. ‘And, more to the point, where do they get the food to feed them all? My arse! If I ever get my hands on Archias and his Thracians I’ll make them pay for assassinating Monimus and his men.’
Andronicus, his eyes ringed with tiredness, looked at his commander. ‘How can you be sure it was the Exile-Hunter who killed them?’
‘The timing: I learned from prisoners we took from the Gaza garrison that Archias had been in the town shortly before we arrived and so, presumably, he left on the fleet that sailed north. It stopped in Tyros for the night and when I eventually came back I had Monimus’ head waiting for me in a jar of oil. Of course it was Archias. And now we have to make our way over or under the walls because I haven’t got anyone inside who can open the gates any more.’ A series of guttural curses rumbled in his throat as he contemplated his situation. It was good but not nearly as good as it had been when he had first arrived on the coast, seven months previously.
It had been the sight of Ptolemy’s great fleet in the process of embarking an army to the south of Gaza’s harbour and the distinct possibility that he might catch it in the water that had been the high point of his campaign; the low point had come very soon after as he stood on the beach and watched the fleet disappear north and then had to endure being waved at by a grinning Ptolemy as he sailed back to Alexandria. He had consoled himself with the swift taking of the city and its harbour – the garrison had opened the gates to him without him even having to get his artillery up on the hill – but the triumph of completing his conquest of Palestine had been severely diluted when he saw the quality of the troops that Ptolemy had left in that final city. He had meant for Gaza to fall. But why? Having left Demetrios – with the steady Nearchos, old and experienced, to temper his impetuous spirit – in the south, with a substantial field army of approaching twenty thousand men, to fend off any counterattack by Ptolemy, Antigonos had come back to Tyros to find his grisly gift and his chances of taking Tyros by treachery gone.
And then the news from Cyprus had arrived and not for the first time he regretted either disaffecting Seleukos or failing to execute him when he had the chance – depending upon his mood. For Seleukos’ swift campaign in Cyprus had been brutally effective and none of the petty kings were even prepared to hold secret negotiations with him any more and the island was now lost to him for the foreseeable future. But that had been only the beginning of his troubles for he had now learned Asander had sent a force north through the Hellespont to lay siege to Amisius on the northern coast of Kappadokia.
Gods, is there no end to it? I need to send troops to secure Kappadokia and prevent Asander’s men from getting inland, until I have the ships to relieve Amisius; I can’t afford to keep wasting lives trying to scale the walls. Antigonos gritted his teeth and swore again. I’m going to have to do this the slow way. ‘We’ll have to starve them out over the winter.’
‘But they’re still being supplied by Menelaus’ fleet from Cyprus,’ Andronicus pointed out. ‘They run the blockade whenever they like because we still haven’t got enough ships to prevent them. Since you went south they have done it twice, each time taking supplies to last the city a month.’
Ships; it always comes down to ships, I’ll never have enough; for every three I build one gets destroyed before it even gets its hull wet. ‘How many do we have in the blockade now?’
‘Sixty-three.’
Antigonos had never been much of a naval man. ‘And why is that not enough to seal off the harbour?’
‘Menelaus comes with at least a hundred; obviously the arithmetic is simple.’
Antigonos’ one eye turned on his subordinate, its infamous glare burning full as he assessed whether Andronicus was patronising him on purpose.
The siege commander felt the intensity and held up his hands. ‘I meant to say: we are presently a little outnumbered at sea.’
‘Hmph. I take your point. Well, keep the men not on the siege lines at their ship-building. In the meantime I should have a fleet of around fifty ships coming south very soon from the shipyards in Rhodos and Cilicia, along with six thousand recruits under the command of two old comrades of mine, Theodotus and Perilaus; that should help move things along. And I warn you, Andronicus, things do need to move along because I’m losing the initiative stuck here and I can’t leave the place in Ptolemy’s hands; I would never gain any respect if I were to do that.’ With another growl he turned and stomped off to his tent with his hands clasped behind his back and head down deep in thought for it only to be disturbed by his nephew, Ptolemaios.
‘Uncle, Aristodemus has arrived,’ Ptolemaios said, looking more nervous than he should being the bearer of such tidings. ‘He’s brought Alexandros with him and news that I think you should hear from his own mouth.’
It was, therefore, with a mixture of emotions that Antigonos found Aristodemus and Alexandros waiting at his tent. ‘You’d better come in.’
Stepping inside, Antigonos remembered his manners – what there were of them – and turned to Alexandros, clasping his forearm as Ptolemaios and Aristodemus seated themselves. ‘Forgive me for being abrupt, I have much on my mind; but you are welcome nonetheless as I assume that you’re here to formalise the alliance between us.’
‘I’m honoured to be here, Antigonos. My father and I have always been keen supporters of yours.’
My arse, you have; had I not cut Eumenes off from crossing the sea and uniting with you and Olympias in Greece you would have been fighting with him against Kassandros and then coming over to Asia to deal with me. ‘And I have always had great respect for you and your father.’ Mediocrities though you are.
With the pleasantries over, Antigonos invited his guests to sit and clapped his hands for a jug of resinated wine. Once they had all been served and the slave departed, he turned to his latest ally. ‘Aristodemus has provided you with reinforcements?’
‘Yes, eight thousand mercenary hoplites and peltasts; Greeks mainly but also some Thracians, Illyrians and Epiriots.’
‘So what is your present strength?’
‘Just under twenty thousand; two thousand five hundred of which is cavalry.’
‘And what are your plans?’
‘What would you like us to do?’
‘That all depends on how Kassandros responds to our alliance.’
‘Until then I suggest we remain in our position across the isthmus.’
Antigonos studied Alexandros, unimpressed by his lack of charisma or initiative. A younger version of his father but with more hair and fewer ideas if all he can suggest is to remain dug in along his present position. ‘We’ll see.’ He turned to Aristodemus. ‘What word is there of Kassandros? Ptolemaios here hinted that the news wasn’t good.’
Aristodemus swallowed before answering. ‘No, it’s not good; things are getting out of hand, spreading in what seems to me to be an orchestrated manner. A clear strategy.’
‘Ptolemy?’
‘Who else?’
‘Tell me.’
Again Aristodemus swallowed. ‘Well, no sooner had Seleukos terrified all of the surviving petty kings on Cyprus into submission, than he left the island, leaving Menelaus in command, with the bulk of his army, eight to nine thousand men, and sailed to Caria to reinforce Asander.’
‘Asander! My unwashed arse!’ Antigonos’ mind raced for a few moments, considering the weak garrison at Gaza, the strong policy on Cyprus and now the interference in Caria so soon after Asander had sent troops to Amisius and the pattern became clear. ‘You’re right: this has all been planned to force me to run around dealing with various incidents scattered all over the place. Asander knew he would soon receive reinforcements; it was on that condition that he sent an expedition to Amisius forcing me to send men all the way up north and now I’m going to have to reinforce Phrygia so that Asander doesn’t humiliate me by taking my satrapy.’
Aristodemus swallowed again. ‘It gets worse.’
‘Worse?’
‘I’m afraid so.’
‘How much worse?’
‘A lot.’
Antigonos fortified himself with a whole cup of unwatered wine. ‘Go on.’
Aristodemus swallowed again. ‘Seleukos has laid siege to Erythrae and left his fleet there to blockade it. Menander has neither the men nor the ships to repel him and is sending to you for help.’
‘How do you know this?’
‘My spies in Caria and Lydia both got messages to me on trading ships whilst we were waiting in Rhodos for a chance to sail through to you; Polycleitus is operating along the Pamphylian and Cilician coasts and is intercepting shipping.’
‘So I must peel off yet more troops and ships to deal with Menander’s problem, must I?’ Oh, Ptolemy, you have been busy. ‘But wait a moment: you said he’s left his fleet there; where’s he gone to?’
‘Pella.’
‘Again? Why?’
‘He’s taken Artonis there.’
And now Antigonos could see the magnitude of Ptolemy’s strategy. ‘She will tell him what I offered for Eumenes’ life.’
Ptolemaios nodded. ‘I’m afraid she will, Uncle. Kassandros won’t now be able to be lulled into an alliance with us.’
‘He’ll be heading south as soon as he can,’ Alexandros said with a hint of nervousness in his voice. He looked at Antigonos. ‘I will need gold to bribe the Aetolians to hold Thermopylae against him again.’
‘I said the news would get worse,’ Aristodemus interjected before Antigonos could reply. He swallowed once more. ‘Well, it does. As soon as Kassandros heard of your alliance with Alexandros and Polyperchon he made advances to the Aetolians and now they are his. He holds Thermopylae should he wish to come south, which, after he has spoken to Artonis, seems inevitable.’
