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Ulriczeit-27-Vorhexen-14-2492
A Kislevite noble mounted on a massive white-furred bear approached slowly. He wore ceremonial lamellar armor adorned with the wings of a winged hussar on his back. At his belt hung a curved scimitar, and his eyes fixed on me with a hard frown.
"Blessings of Sigmar," I said in Russian, making the sign of the twin-tailed comet, while my free hand stroked the neck of my griffon. The beast stared intently at the bear, instinct ready to lunge at it at any moment.
"Imperial General," my counterpart replied curtly, without averting his gaze.
"I hear you seek to negotiate with me. With whom do I have the honor?" I asked, keeping my calm.
"Boris Bokha, Tzar of Kislev. I want to know why our ally, the Empire, has decided to attack us."
"Ally? … Ally?" I repeated, narrowing my eyes with sarcasm. "From what I understand, an ally does not cross borders every year to steal harvests and burn villages. That is not an alliance, that is an enemy."
"Those acts were committed by…" he began.
"Don't come to me with excuses," I cut him off sharply. "We have confirmation from your own ambassador in Altdorf. Imperial firearms, handed directly to the Bokha family, turned up in the hands of the boyars who attacked Ostermark. That raid was done with Kislev's complicity, whether you admit it or not. And when we demanded a diplomatic resolution, what did we receive? More attacks."
"Those acts were carried out by rebellious boyars who still believe Imperial lands are their ancestral right to feed from. Under my rule this will no longer be tolerated. That is why I ask you to cease military actions and let the rest be resolved by diplomats," the Tzar answered firmly.
"The negotiations will be now, Tzar of Kislev," I replied coldly. "Because now you see what happens when you anger the Empire. In front of you stand sixty thousand Imperial soldiers ready to fight, an army worth millions of crowns. And the Empire is still waiting. Waiting for the heads of every boyar responsible for the attack."
My griffon let out a deep growl that rumbled across the bridge. The bear, unsettled, huffed and rose on its hind legs before settling back to the ground. Boris Bokha did not take his eyes off me.
"I have not yet had the time to conduct a proper investigation," he said more calmly.
"Ah… and this magically solves everything, doesn't it? The peasants killed themselves, the villages burned themselves," I said, my irritation plain.
"I believe this should be handled through diplomats, since I doubt you have the means to accept Kislev's conditions," the Tzar said firmly.
"You may convince the Emperor to end hostilities, Tzar, but that will not resolve my grievance with the Bokha family. I had the word of your daughter and your ambassador that none of my weapons would be used against the Empire. And look what happened: my honor dragged through the mud, my reputation ruined. You may have peace with the Emperor, but that does not mean my army will retreat. The Emperor has not spent a single coin on this force; it is entirely under my control. So let the ambassadors handle matters of state—now it is time to settle matters between us," I said, locking eyes with him.
"You accuse me of failing to control my men, yet here you do the same?" the Tzar shot back.
"Yes, only that we have a grievance against the honor of my family. So I want to hear how you intend to repair that damage… or I will find out by force," I answered harshly.
The Tzar breathed deeply, exhaling a heavy cloud of steam into the frozen air, his eyes never leaving mine.
"Kislev is willing to pay to compensate your grievance," he said at last.
"Good… I like to hear that. I want the heads of all the boyars involved in the use of my weapons during the raids on Ostermark, and I want all the expenses of my army reimbursed to me immediately," I demanded without hesitation.
"The boyars… I can try. I need a few days for that. As for the gold… I need to know how much we are speaking of. Kislev's coffers are not in the best condition, with Imperial trade cut off," the Tzar answered with evident discomfort.
"I have spent around two million crowns keeping my armies mobilized and half a million more in supplies. So I suppose five million, for the inconvenience of having to bring my grievance to the gates of Kislev, is fair," I said calmly.
My words made the Tzar's eyes widen.
"That… that is too much… I don't think it possible to sustain that level of expense personally," the Tzar stammered.
"You forget that I am lord and master of Marienburg, the largest and most prosperous market in the Empire, through which the goods of every nation in the world pass. I have gold to spare… more than enough to continue financing this campaign. I could easily raise another army of this size. So send me the gold swiftly, and I will consider my grievance settled," I replied, unconcerned.
"I understand, general, only it is impossible for Kislev to pay that sum. It would completely drain the reserves the late Tzar left for our campaigns against Chaos and the northerners. If we deplete them, Kislev's turmoil will never end," the Tzar said heavily.
"And failure to pay will mean I wait for summer, when your witches are weaker, and then I will burn Kislev to ashes… and I will consider my grievance settled," I replied icily.
"I think negotiations, for the moment, will bear no fruit. I would prefer we continue them later," the Tzar said, letting out another thick cloud of frozen breath.
"Fine… suits me. Just remember that even with peace with the Emperor, it will not mean Marienburg's ports will reopen," I answered, turning the reins and riding back toward Ostermark.
For several days we simply watched one another from afar, locked in a war of stares, doing little more than waiting as the snow worsened each day. Time was on our side: Kislev's harvests were still poor, and now they could no longer raid Ostermark. With spring's arrival, sooner or later I would have to draw my sword… and I would not sheathe it again without blood being spilled.
Meanwhile, an Imperial envoy arrived riding hard into Ostermark: the Emperor's ambassador, sent to negotiate a peace treaty with the Tzar.
"So then, Prince of Marienburg, what do you hope to gain from this treaty of peace?" asked the ambassador nervously, wiping his frost-covered brow with a frozen handkerchief.
"Let them pay me back what I spent on this campaign. And let those damned boyars who shoved my warnings where the sun doesn't shine have their heads properly cut off," I said as I paced inside my tent, watching my griffon slowly devour a freshly slaughtered cow.
"Yes, prince… but the amount of gold you're asking for is too much. That sum could buy the loyalty of entire armies of mercenaries. It's not something that can be secured easily," said the ambassador, turning pale as the griffon tore chunks of meat with a wet crunch.
"I spent around two million outfitting this army and on the construction materials for the fortresses. And nearly half a million more in supplies to maintain it these past months. It's a fair compensation for all I invested," I replied, fixing my eyes on him.
"Yes, but… but… that would leave Kislev very weak," the ambassador murmured, almost trembling.
"Then let them finally focus on defending the north instead of looting the Empire. Remind them there is no more trade with Marienburg: their merchants are banned from my ports, and anyone who tries to deal with them will be too," I answered as I dropped into a chair and stroked the feathers of my griffon, still stained with fresh blood.
"It's difficult… difficult…" the ambassador said, lowering his voice.
"Then make them pay in installments. Let them send gold every month, but I want the full amount of what I spent. Demand they hand over someone from their family as a hostage, whatever it takes. I cannot let this grievance go unsettled," I said harshly.
"You shouldn't… worry about what the nobles of—" the ambassador began, but I cut him off, raising my voice.
"I care more for the ground beneath my boots than for what the nobles of Altdorf think. My Dawi friends are what matters to me. And I will not let my grievance go unpaid. A promise was broken, and that is paid with gold… or with blood," I replied, my voice rising until the echo carried beyond the tent.
"Ah… right… the noble Dawi . That complicates things. But I think I'll be able to find a solution, something to close this matter. My question is… do you want to participate directly in the negotiation?" asked the ambassador, almost hoping I would say no.
"No. I might end up trading blows with that Tzar. Just seeing him in front of me already made me want to split his skull. And I doubt I could kill him before all his ice witches leapt at me. I've no interest in playing his game," I replied, folding my arms.
"I see…" he said with relief. "It's a real shame you don't want to take part in these negotiations. Your prestige as a commander could certainly make them consider your demands. But I understand you don't wish to be part of this embassy," he added in a diplomatic tone.
"Get out already… I know you don't want me to come anyway," I answered as I began eating some soup, still hot despite the cold.
"I'll try to secure something that will be a fair treaty," said the ambassador before leaving.
The ambassador departed, leaving me alone with my soup.
"Ummm… this turned out well," I muttered as I kept savoring it slowly.
I waited for several hours, watching from afar the campaign tent pitched near the river, where guards from both sides glared at each other while the negotiations dragged on.
The ambassador returned by nightfall, but he brought no final news. He told me no agreement had been reached, and the talks would continue the next day.
The next day it was the same story again: long discussions, no resolution.
Finally, on the third day there seemed to be luck. The ambassador returned escorted by my guards, looking pleased, and behind him several Kislevites were dragged in bound, shoved toward our side.
"Well then… what was finally agreed?" I asked with a smile, eyeing the scrolls the ambassador carried under his arm, protecting them like treasures.
"Well, well… we have what the Emperor wanted, and what you wanted too. All these are the culprits still alive, the ones who used Imperial weapons against the Empire. On that point we have an absolute victory. They will be executed in Altdorf," said the ambassador.
"I want some of them executed in Bechafen and in the villages of Ostermark. They have more right than anyone to see these bastards beheaded. I want them hanging from the ruins of the villages they burned, as a reminder. Let them stay there a few days… then Morr will claim them," I answered coldly.
"Oh… well… the Emperor… yes, of course. Consider it done, general. We'll hand over half of the prisoners so you can execute them at your discretion," the ambassador replied, swallowing hard.
"Excellent… they will pay dearly for their audacity," I said with a dark smile.
"Yes… I'm glad you're satisfied with that part of the negotiation," the ambassador replied, starting to sweat.
"Yes… and now… how much gold are they going to pay me?" I asked suspiciously, noticing his face change as he avoided meeting my eyes.
"Ah, yes… your new father-in-law wants to meet you and discuss that," the ambassador blurted, before spinning on his heel and trying to flee in a hurry.
"My what!?" I shouted as I watched him run, scroll still tucked under his arm.
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If there are spelling mistakes, please let me know.
Leave a comment; support is always appreciated.
I remind you to leave your ideas or what you would like to see.
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