THE VANISHED EMPIRE by Andrej Koymasky (C) 2006 written on February 11, 1995 translated by the author English text kindly revised by John
USUAL DISCLAIMER
"THE VANISHED EMPIRE" is a gay story, with some parts containing graphic scenes of sex between males. So, if in your land, religion, family, opinion and so on this is not good for you, it will be better not to read this story. But if you really want, or because YOU don't care, or because you think you really want to read it, please be my welcomed guest.
FOURTH - GANO'S ASSASSINATION - HIS SUCCESSOR
4.1 - Gano takes the emperor in front of the court
A period of peace followed. The young emperor was now nineteen-years-old. Gano went to the imperial palace, and in the throne hall, in front of all the court asked him to make him Great General of the empire and Regent, thus practically surrendering to him all the effective power, even though not the nominal one. But the youth, revered and served since his childhood by everybody, was convinced the real power was all in his hands. Therefore he answered Gano that he would willingly name him Great General, but not Regent - he didn't see a good reason for that.
Gano climbed the steps and, in front of all the court, smacked the young man. Many rose up, included some of Gano's generals. He drew out his sword and pointed it to the emperor's throat, "You, boy, didn't yet understand one thing - without me you are nothing!" Gano said. Then, addressing the court, he added, "Do you want to see what value this conceited boy has for me? Look, then, and open your eyes wide!" he shouted.
He took away the crown from the scared boy's head, pulled out his mantle and threw it on the floor. With studied slowness, started to undress him. The youth was trembling, white as a washed-too-often sheet. When Yude guessed what Gano had in mind, he said aloud, "No, I beg you, don't do it!"
Gano answered with a laugh and continued to undress the youth that he had crowned eight years before. He undressed him methodically, with an amused smile on his lips, teasing and groping him while he was exposing his body, until the youth was totally naked.
"Kneel in front of me!" Gano ordered dryly, making the cold blade of his sword glide along the youth's back. The emperor, trembling, complied. "Pull it out nd lick it!"
"No!" an aristocrat yelled drawing out his sword.
"Still and silent, if you don't want me to cut his throat here in front of you!" Gano ordered, with flaming eyes. The aristocrat sheathed his sword. "You, obey!" Gano said curtly to the youth.
The emperor rummaged in Gano's clothes, extracted the turgid member and bent to lick it, while tears were streaming down his face.
"Stop it, Gano..." Usae said.
Gano laughed again, "Are you jealous? Are you remembering our good old times?" Gano asked, then said to the young emperor, "Open wide your mouth, suck it nicely. Don't make me feel your teeth... Wet it well with your saliva, so it will enter smothly when I will fuck your ass..."
"Why are you doing this?" Usae asked him.
"Because I like it, because he has to learn to keep his place, because this amuses me, becuse I wanted to do it even before now..."
"But why in front of everybody?" Usae insisted.
"Because everybody has to see how well our emperor is skilled to give pleasure to the man to whom he owes everything! Because he can so show his gratitude. You see, boy, they are worried about you - tell them you like, you always desired doing it... tell them!"
The youth continued sucking. Gano slipped it out of his mouth and menacingly repeated, "Tell them!" and forced him to stand up and to face the hall.
The young emperor, his tears continuing to stream out, said, "I like it."
Gano caressed his bottom and said, "Say it again!"
"I like it." The youth repeated in a sob.
Gano slipped a finger between his buttocks, brushing his hole, "You are no longer a virgin, here, are you?" Gano said, as he knew that the youth had a relationship with two of his body guards. The young emperor was silent, his eyes lowered. "Is it so?" Gano shouted.
"Yes, it is so..." the youth murmured.
"Good, therefore I will not hurt you, on the contrary... bend down and spread your buttocks well " he ordered.
The youth complied. Gano sank on him with a single sharp stroke, pulling the boy to himself, girdling his waist with his free arm, while with the blade of his sword he caressed the youth's chest.
"Give yourself satisfaction, you have to enjoy this fuck too..."
"No..."
"You had better - I won't stop until you come, I warn you..."
The youth started to masturbate himself and Gano to piston inside him. In spite of all, the young man became aroused and, shutting his eyes, started to pant lightly. Gano enjoyed him with calm in front of the astonished, silent, still court.
Finally the youth reached his orgasm and, after a short while, Gano inside him did so too. Then he slipped out, tidied himself, took the crown and put it on the boy's head, picked up the mantle and covered his naked body, made him sit again on the throne.
Then, "Now, your majesty, what will you do to thank Gano for the pleasure he gave you?" he asked with irony.
The youth, with a loud and clear voice, said, "I name you my Regent and Great General of all the empire, prince Gano Oddo."
"Thank you, your majesty. May I now dismiss the court?"
"Yes, you may..."
"Out, everybody! Fast!" Gano harshly said.
Everybody left in a deathhlike silence, bowing to the emperor and drawing back without turning their shoulders. When the last man was out and the big door of the throne Hall was closed, Gano said to the youth, "You asked for it. I would have liked to have had a different intercourse with you... You forced me."
"Are you apologizing, perhaps?" the youth asked, proudly.
Gano laughed, "I like you, you have grit. No, I'm not at all apologizing, and anyway I would do it again."
"I don't doubt it..."
"I would like doing it again, right now, but I would prefer having you in my bed."
"How did you know that I had already been taken?"
"I never lose sight of you, not even an instant, I know everything about you."
"Also about my two bodyguards?"
"Certainly. But I also know that you never betrayed me. Why did you refuse me the Regency?"
"Because... because I thought I was the emperor, therefore I didn't accept orders..."
"And now?"
"Now I know that I'm nothing but a toy in your hands."
"Yes, it is so, after all. But the one uniting the empire, risking his life on the field, is me, not you. Do you hate me for what I just did to you?"
The youth didn't answer immediately, then said, "I should. You could make me yours in another way and obtain everything all the same, without humiliating me in front of all the court. I admired you before; I wanted to get your attention; I would have loved being yours. You spoiled everything..."
"No, I didn't spoil anything. I am an unfeeling man, I would never have been a good lover for you. As I have not been one for Kiai..." Gano said honestly. Then he made the emperor stand up from the throne, sat on it and took him on his lap, took away his crown and caressed his hair, "I will never be a good lover for anybody, believe me. I'm now forty-seven-year-old... there is too much blood on my hands to be a good lover."
"And I will never be a true emperor..."
Gano nodded in assent, "But... you and I will make the empire one single nation again. And we will enter history."
"Who kows if what you just did will enter history too?" the youth asked with irony.
"We could never be lovers, you and I, and possibly not friends either, I don't have true friends. But we can respect each other."
"Gano! How can you talk about respect, after what you did me?"
"But I respect you. Or else, I would have just killed you."
"A weird way to respect me."
"I never had sex with an enemy or with a man I didn't respect. You have to believe at least that."
"I believe you. You are a strange man, Gano."
"I think so too."
"What need do you have of me? Keeping me on the throne?"
"When this land is united again, it will need somebody, after us, who is able to keep it united, a real emperor, strong, determined... It is not enough being of imperial blood to be a good emperor, or the son of a warrior to be a good warrior. The hereditary system is the most absurd that man invented. Well, get dressed, now. We have plenty of things to do, before the problem arises."
4.2 - Reforms of the empire. Assassination of Gano
Many were astounded to see the young emperor coming out of the throne hall talking quietly with Gano about the reorganisation of the territories under his control. After that incident Gano was often seen to confer with the young emperor before asking him to issue an edict. However, Gano's priviledged councillors remained Usae and Yude for both civil and military matters.
On civil policy, the edicts issued by the young emperor at Gano's request, were many and concerned the abolition of customs between the provinces, the reconstruction or improvement of roads and bridges, mainly in Granla and in Misaga, and the development of Seko port.
But Gano took particular care of religious matters. As I said earlier, the Eigthfold Order of monks, althought it was founded as a religious order, had been transformed into a powerful faction with totally secular and profane interests. But in various provinces ancient and spontaneous cults still existed, with some common traits and a number of local differences. On several occasions, Gano, even in enemy territory, had received hospitality and food, mainly from the followers of a sect with few believers, but spread over all the territories, worshipping a "god of mercy" known by different local names.
This sect was composed of humble people who preached universal brotherhood beyond social rank, beyond all hostility. This sect moreover had simple but gentle rites for the "five moments of life", that is for birth, coming of age, marriage, illness and death, and also for the "five moments of the year", that is for the preparation of soil, sowing, growth, harvest and food storage. Gano had been particularly impressed by them and therefore decided it had to become the official religion of the empire.
First of all he gave to this sect the conquered monasteries that were not destroyed, asking for them to be used for a threefold aim - to host the indigent, to cure the infirm, and to teach the children. For that he confirmed their tax exemption. The monasteries were called Shelters and a distinctive symbol was hoisted in front of their gate: a tall black pole with an open, red umbrella at the top. The Shelters couldn't own land but could receive alms.
The shelters were to be manned by volunteers who were distinguished in four categories and two kinds - the managers with a red tunic, the hosts with a blue one, the doctors with a yellow one and the teachers with a green one, and they could be permanent, with a white mantle, or temporary with a black one. In each shelter there also lived a state controller, who was a knight named by the court.
Another edict established that no castle could accommodate more than 5,000 people, including the servants; this expanded the smaller castles, reduced the biggest ones and had new castles built. Each castle was entrusted to a nobleman appointed by the court. The title of the noble changed in accordance with the importance of the castle, therefore the same official, when moved to another castle, changed his title. No charge was hereditary.
The old aristocracy still living in the conquered territories, received the generic hereditary title of nobleman, but no hereditary power. This raised some discontent, but nobody was able to oppose to this system in the territories controlled by Gano.
The old dominions were split into provinces and amongst them only one kept the old name. The Octagon was demolished in great part and in its place Gano started to build a large castle where he intended to settle.
But Gano, more than a manager, was a man at arms. In the capital in 1481, he had his troops marching past in a magnificent parade. The pretext was to present them to the emperor, but in reality it was to make everybody feel the power he had attained. He had new and very colorful uniforms made for all of them and this incidentally boosted the work of the Gami weavers. In the parade 10,000 horsemen and 50,000 infantrymen marched which, in reality, employed just a fraction of his troops.
But meanwhile, Rimo armed himself and decided to march on Ikoi, where the construction of the new ships was in progress. Gano, receiving this information, at once went with a part of his army to Assa and via the mountain pass, marched through Ekin and Misaga provinces. Meanwhile, fearing that Suna could send reinforcements penetrating through Ario to use the mountain pass connecting Ario with Rimo, Gano ordered Yude to mass his troops on the border between Ario and Suna and had Usae protect the territory around the capital.
For years Rimo had been preparing for war and had suceeded in fully arming a total force of 60,000 men. In Ikoi the general regent named by Gano was Keka, a young man of twenty-eight. Keka was the younger son of a minor knight, a distant relative of the duke Siba. At the beginning of his career Gano had been a feudatory of that duchy, which he later seized.
Keka was born and grew up at Gano's court. When Keka was fourteen, Gano noticed him while the boy was training in the use of weapons on the parade ground of Suki castle and became infatuated with him. Therefore, waiting for the boy to enter in the baths after training, Gano also entered them, sent away all the others and, being alone with the boy, took him and had sex with him.
After that, for about four years, Gano often entertained himself with Keka, but when the boy became more adult and precociously virile, he forsook him, nevertheless keeping him nearby in various military campaigns. Some years later young Keka chose a lover from amongst his younger soldiers, a sixteen-year-old boy named Mahi. But Gano, also infatuated with Mahi, demanded that Keka surrender the boy to him. Keka complied, but inside he developed a muted rancor against his ex-lover and lord.
When he was informed that Gano was coming to confront Rimo, Keka, in secret, started negotiations with the count who promised him, if they defeated Gano, to grant him the lordship of Ikoi. Therefore, when Gano reached Ikoi with his troops, Keka welcomed him with all the honors and offered to accompany him in his campaign against Rimo, to attack whom they had to pass through count Chui's territory. Keka said he knew Chui very well. In reality that count was also an ally of Rimo and together they had concocted the plot to have Gano's troops fall in an ambush.
Thus, penetrating the northern part of Chui's territory, Gano and Keka met no resistance. On the night of the twelfth day of the sixth month of 1482, while Gano was sleeping peacefully, feeling he was in a safe place, Keka's men suddenly attacked his camp. They easily overcome the defenses and, after a long struggle, Gano, surrounded by Keka's men, was killed by Keka in person. Meanwhile Chui attacked the camp from the south and Rimo from the east.
Gano's men were put to rout. At the news of Gano's death, they dispersed in disordely flight. Almost at the same time, Usae and Yude came to know about Keka's treason whereupon Usae sent a message to Yude to keep Suna engaged. Leaving the territories of the capital unprotected, Usae crossed the mountains with all his men and rapidly went down, passing from Ekin through count Mim's territory, which he conquered without difficulty, and from there to the principality of Wake, who let them pass as he didn't take part to Rimo's conspiracy. He swoop upon Ikoi, besieged Keka's castle and got the better of it with the utmost ease. He cut off Keka's head and sent if to Lord Chui with a letter telling him to keep it, as he would soon arrive to cut off his head too, in order to give both to Rimo.
4.3 - Usae succeeds to Gano as Regent
Meanwhile Yude with all his men penetrated into Suna territory, infiltrating between the peripheral castles without engaging in battle and headed for the central castle, called the Pike Castle. It was a big castle, standing in the center of a wide marsh formed by river Siffo. The castle was so called because of its shape - the castle itself was the central knot of the pike, having at the south the point with the parade ground, to the west the point with the private garden, at the north it was the opening in the blade - a wide trapezoidal extension containing tilled fields, all surrounded by high walls. On the east side there was the stone road, about 520 paces long, slightly above the water surface, connecting the castle to the shore and so forming the pike handle.
The castle had ample water, filtered from the marsh into three great wells; its internal fields produced fruit and vegetables and the marsh gave them fish in abundance. Therefore it didn't fear any siege. Moreover the marsh didn't allow troops to go beneath the walls - it was too deep and treacherous to run across by foot or with horses, but not deep enough to use boats. The long, straight and uncovered road was too narrow to allow the passage in mass of an army - no more than four men or two horses side by side could travel on it. Therefore an attack along the road was unthinkable.
Yude's task was only to keep Suna's troops firmly engaged, not to conquer the castle. But when he saw the splendid buildings that were now accommodating, besides prince Suna, the old emperor and also the Prince-monk, he started to eat his brain out thinking how he could take the castle.
His generals told him it was abslutely impossible - even if they had an army of 40,000 horsemen and 100,000 footmen, they could not take that castle. The only possibility would be to drain the marsh and wait for the ground to dry, but this, in addition to impressive land reclamation works, would require years to be carried out. The only way to make the castle surrender, would have been to conquer all the surrounding territory, thus totally isolating the castle, and to wait, surely for several years, for it would capitulate.
But Yude was not persuaded. While he was flinging back the attacks of the twelve minor castles built on the boundaries of the territory, he was contemplating from the top of a rise the formidable castle asking himself how he could take it. He received the news that Usae had conquered half of Chui's territory and now was about to confront Rimo. And there Yude was, idle. He wanted that castle. He wanted it at any cost.
It was night and the still waters, turned silver by the moonlight, were framing the pike shape of the castle. The original island constituted the part with the tilled fields. All the rest had been built about three centuries before by sinking thousands of heavy tree trunks deeply into the marsh, and on them had been laid a platform of stones, perfectly linked up and on that the castle, the walls and the road had been built. The stone platform constituting the base of the whole system, was just a palm higher than the waters in the part with the walls and just an inch in the part with the road. The marsh surface level was kept constant by a low and long dam on the side of the outflow, a small and quiet river.
And Yude suddenly got the idea - notwithstanding it was night, he woke up his generals, took a map of the place and revealed his plan - they had just to raise the dam a couple of palms and the castle would be immersed in one palm of water, enough to make work in the fields impossible, to pollute the well water, to make life inside the castle very difficult.
At dawn he put to work part of his men - to find stones, square them, build a double wall on the dam and fill it with earth, so making the water level rise. To prevent it overflowing in other parts, it was also necessary to raise some earth dykes here and there, at the lower points.
The camp of the besiegers was transformed into a yard. Yude also had some large rafts built which could navigate the raised marsh waters without hindrance. From the main tower of the castle the meaning of all these works was at once understood, so smoke signals were sent with orders to the lesser castles. But Yude had anticipated that, so all around the marsh he at once had dozens of bonfires lit onto which he had green grass thrown making wide smoke curtains, so confusing the signals of the main tower.
On the fourth day of the seventh month, Yude received a message from Usae, telling that Rimo had been defeated. In the western part of the empire there were still three territories to subjugate, besides what remained of Chui, and in the northern part, the two counties of Rone island. On the east side, besides Suna, there were three more territories - Rosti island with its two counties, Chicha island with Soka principality, Fago island with Keta principality and two duchies.
Usae was reorganizing the new territories when news came that prince Keta annexed the two duchies of his island, and prince Soko invaded the two counties of Rosti island. Moreover, Soka and Take had made a strong alliance.
On the nineteenth day of the seventh month the works around the Pike castle had been completed and the marsh waters had started to rise.
Back at the capital the solemn funerals of Gano were taking place, so Usae and Yude went back to the court for the ceremonies. Yude entrusted the command, during his absence, to Meta; Usae to his lover Kimi. All Gano's generals were present and at once started the discussion about his succession. Gano didn't have any sons, so who had the right to succeed him? Some generals proposed the division of the territories amongs them, but Usae and Yude, together with the emperor, decidedly opposed that - it would lead back to the previous lordships, thwarting all Gano's deeds. Others proposed forming a council of regents and generals electing a leader every five years. But this would provoke too frequent changes in the politics. Yude then proposed Usae to take Gano's place and the emperor at once backed this proposal.
Therefore Usae became Great General and Regent of the empire, and the title of Prince was bestowed on him. After performing the rite of allegiance to the emperor and officially receiving the titles, he also received the allegiance of all the others, Yude being the first. Usae made Kimi his councilor, confirming Yude as councilor and Grand General. Then Yude went back in haste to the besieged Pike castle - he wanted to be present at its capitulation.
On the seventh day of the eighth month, prince Suna asked to parley a surrender. He asked for a safe-conduct for himself, the old emperor, the Prince-monk and a few other important families,to allow them to take refuge in Soka. Yude granted the safe-conduct to everybody, excluding only the old emperor and the Prince-monk. Suna then refused the surrender and went back to his castle.
But the situation inside the castle had become unendurable and there was an uprising of the troops, led by one of the aristocrats, a baron Tuty, against Suna, who was killed. Then the old emperor killed himself. On the twelfth of the same month, the Prince-monk went in person to meet Yude to discuss the terms of surrender - he declared himself Yude's prisoner and asked for the lives of all the others to be spared. Yude made some conditions - Suna's son, as the sole heir, had to sign the order to surrender for all the twelve border castles and remain as Yude's prisoner along with baron Tuty and the Prince-monk. All the other men had to leave the castle unarmed and could have with them only the clothes they were wearing, then they would be set free to go wherever they wanted.
The Prince-monk went back to the castle. On the fourteenth day of the eight month 1482, the Pike castle capitulated and was evacuated. Yude gave the order to restore the dam to its previous level, allowing the water to flow out from the castle. The long row of the vanquished, searched by Yude's men while they were coming out, left the castle and dispersed, going back to their homes or seeking refuge in the territories of duke Pess in the east or of count Siie in the south. Then Yude entered the castle and sent a mesage to Usae announcing that Pike castle was in his hands.
In the depots of the castle there were treasures and gold in huge quantities. Yude had an accurate inventory made and sent it to Usae, asking him to dispose of it. Usae sent back a messenger instructing that the treasure had to be split in three equal parts - one third had to remain in Yude's hands, one third had to be sent to him and one third sent to Kimi. Yude willingly complied and asked for authorization to settle in Pike castle. Usae answered consenting and made him receive the title of prince from the emperor.
Meanwhile, Usae had the works started by Gano carried on to transform the Octagon into his residence. Kimi, named a great duke, had a castle built in Ikoi.
CONTINUES IN CHAPTER 5
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