She nodded at Eon. "So far as I am concerned, crushing the rebellion in Yemen is part of the war against Malwa. My own army is therefore at your disposal, for that purpose."
One of the officers-Gabra, commander of the Damawa regiment-began to protest. "This is an internal affair. I am not sure that using foreign troops wouldn't make the problem worse. The Halen regiment has stayed neutral, this far. If we use-"
Ousanas interrupted him. "Be damned to all that! Abreha and his rebels are using foreign troops, aren't they? According to our spy"-he glanced to a corner of the room, where the man recently arrived from Sana was standing-"Abreha is surrounded by half a dozen Malwa agents, everywhere he goes. He is publicly boasting that Malwa military units will soon be arriving in Yemen."
The hunter slapped the floor. "And most of his forcesnow are not Axumite! Abreha's regiment and the Falha-put together-are less than two thousand men." His eyes swept the room, scanning the row of regimental commanders seated before the negusa nagast. "On their own, they would stand no chance. So-according to our spy-most of Abreha's forces consist of Arabs. Bedouin tribesmen from the interior."
Again, he looked in the corner. The regimental commanders twisted their heads, following his gaze. Seeing all eyes upon him, the spy stepped forward a few paces.
"Most of them," the man stated. "Some of the Arabs of the towns have declared for Abreha. But most of his support comes from the bedouin."
Garmat levered himself up. "What about the Quraysh?" he asked.
The spy made a fluttering motion with his hand. "So far, Mecca has remained loyal. That could change, of course-willchange, soon enoughif the rebellion is not crushed."
Hearing this news, several of the commanders grunted. The sounds were inarticulate, but full of import.
Antonina understood the meaning. The great Arab tribes centered in Mecca and the other towns of western Arabia-among which the Quraysh were dominant-were traders, not bedouin. It was they, not the nomads of the interior, who chafed most under Ethiopian rule. The bedouin of the interior did not really care who ruled fertile Yemen. Those nomads who had given their allegiance to Abreha would have done so for immediate bribes-and the hope of possible loot, if Abreha set out to conquer Ethiopia.
But the commercial interests of the tribes in Mecca often clashed with those of Axum. Axum's control of the great trading route which passed through the Red Sea rested on its navy's ability to suppress piracy. The Quraysh, on the other hand,depended on piracy. It was not that they themselves were pirates-although the accusation was often made-so much as the simple fact that no one used their more expensive camel caravans unless the sea route was infested by pirates.
For years now, since Axum under King Kaleb had conquered southern Arabia and clamped the iron grip of its navy on the Red Sea, the traders of Mecca had suffered greatly. By all logic, it should have been they-not bedouin nomads-who were flocking to Abreha's banner. The fact that they weren't "They've always been smart," said Garmat, now sitting erect. For the first time since the session began, the old adviser's face was animated and eager. He seemed like the Garmat of old, and Antonina was not the only one in the room who felt their spirits rise.
"Mecca is the key," said Garmat emphatically. "Mecca and Yathrib, and the whole of the Hijaz. I have said this before, and I will say it now again: control of Yemen depends on our control of the western coast."
Garmat stuck out his thumb. "We will always have the allegiance of the Arab townsmen of Yemen. Most of them, at least. Those people are farmers. They want stability and order, and no power in this region can provide it as well as Axum. True, they chafe a bit, because we are foreign. But not much, because Ethiopians are notvery foreign, and-" He made a quick little flip of his hands, indicating himself. A small laugh rose in the chamber. Garmat was the product of a liaison between an Arab woman and an Ethiopian trader.
The adviser grinned. "I am by no means the only half-breed in Arabia-or in Axum." The assembled commanders grinned back. From their appearance, at least two of them had obvious Arab ancestry. Antonina, knowing of the long and intimate contact between Ethiopia and Arabia, suspected that most Axumites had Arabs perched in their family trees. Whole flocks of Arabs, more often than not.
Garmat continued. "The towns of Yemen will support us, given a choice. The bedouin mean nothing. They will bow to whoever has the power, and will not rebel so long as their customs are not meddled with." He shrugged. "Of course, their allegiance is casual. If there is unrest, they will look to take advantage. But so long as Axum is firmly in control of Yemen-and the Hijaz, the western coast-the bedouin will tend to their own affairs."
He leaned forward, looking intently at Eon.
"I said this to your father, and I will say it to you.Mecca is the key. Weld the Hijaz to Ethiopian rule, and you will hold all of southern Arabia in a solid grip. But so long as the Quraysh are discontent, your rule is based on sand."
For a moment, his eyes closed. "I was never quite able to convince Kaleb. He did not disagree, exactly, but-" The eyes reopened. "He was never willing to pay the price."
Garmat's tone hardened. "The price must be paid. Now."
A murmur of protest began to rise from the military officers. Garmat eyed them stonily.
Antonina hesitated. She agreed with Garmat, but was unsure if she was in position to intervene in what was a delicate matter for Ethiopians.
Her hesitation was made moot, almost at once.
"What is your advice, Ousanas?" asked Eon.
The former dawazz spoke forcefully. "Pay the price. Immediatelyand in full. I agree completely with Garmat."
The murmur of protest was swelling. Ousanas fixed the assembled regimental commanders with his eyes. If the gaze of Garmat was stony, his was that of a basilisk.
"These sounds of protest you hear, King of Kings," said Ousanas, indicating the officers with an accusing finger, "are the sounds of petty greed. Nothing more."
The officers-most of them, at least; not Wahsi-glared at Ousanas. The former dawazz glared back. And made instantly clear, whatever his official status was now, that a former slave was not hesitant to clash with army commanders.
"Stupid boys," he sneered, "coveting their stupid little marbles, and unwilling to share them with the other boys on the playground."
Antonina took a deep breath. She understood what lay beneath this quarrel. She had been well-briefed by her own excellent advisers, one of whom-the Armenian cataphract Ashot-was very familiar with Ethiopia and the complexities of Red Sea trade and politics.
Unlike Rome, Axum made no distinction between its army and its navy. Each of the regiments had its own fleet of ships, which were manned by its soldiers. For all that they were highland-born-and-bred, Ethiopia's soldiers were as much seamen as they were infantry. Seamenand traders. Whenever the navy was not at war, or not on patrol, the regiments' ships carried trade goods.And took a percentage of the profits from civilian ships, on the grounds that their suppression of piracy was all that enabled civilian merchants to prosper.
Ethiopia's army, in short, had an immediate and vested interest in maintaining the supremacy of seaborne trade in the Red Sea-which was precisely the condition that squeezed the camel caravans of the Quraysh and the other trading tribes of Mecca and the Hijaz.
Antonina realized that she was holding her breath. This quarrel had the potential to erupt into a bitter brawl which could be disastrous for her plans. Belisarius' strategy depended on the support of a strong-and united-Axum.
When Eon spoke, his voice was low. Like a lion, growling at cubs.
"You-will-obey-me."
Startled by the majesty in that voice, the eyes of the officers left Ousanas and settled on the negusa nagast.