Since the announcement, Flavius had been inundated with requests by high-ranking soldiers and courtiers on behalf of relatives with requests to take them as his inferior commanders. These same people had tried Justinian first, only to find that such a decision did not rest with him. The fact was there had come about an occasion of disagreement that came as close to an argument any subject can have with a sovereign.
‘I do not want people who will even think to disobey me.’
‘And I am being told that I cannot reward loyal service from one of my council by giving an opportunity to his son.’
In reality, what Flavius was trying to avoid was back-stabbing correspondence being sent back to the capital, this from his inferior commanders seeking to undermine him in the search of advancement for their own careers, a commonplace in the imperial army. Every letter from such creatures was far from a report on matters as they happened and nor were they the truth: they were political statements and too often a tissue of inventions. Yet such missives could do much damage and Flavius wanted none of it, and eventually Justinian gave way.
Apart from inferior officers and the men he had already led into battle, Flavius required a secretary and that led to an interview with Procopius. Ever since Dara the man had been a constant in the Belisarius life, always seeming to be close by, full of praise for a man he saw as a brilliant general, yet with wit enough to puncture anything that smacked of vanity.
In enquiring about him Flavius had found that he was a native of Caesarea and had studied law, coming to Constantinople with a glittering reputation. He was a fine speaker and had proved at Dara an able assistant to Hermogenes, who had trusted Procopius enough to give him many of the duties that fell to the older man, tasks in which peculation would have been easy. Hermogenes was of the opinion Procopius had not mislaid as much as a solidus.
Also, the suspicion that he had been in correspondence with Justinian seemed to have been mistaken. That he wrote to someone Flavius was sure, but having mentioned Procopius to the Emperor the response, that he had no idea of whom his friend was talking about, seemed genuine, Theodora likewise, and hints to certain court officials convinced him that the aide to Hermogenes was not a familiar figure either in the palace or the offices of state. Fiscal honesty was important and as to wealth, success in North Africa would take care of that; it was the other matter that required clarification.
‘Tell me, Procopius, who did you write to from Dara? At first I thought it might be the Emperor but that I now know is not the case. But you did correspond with someone of standing.’
‘What point would there be in denying it, General? I was charged to give my views to a certain person, a powerful person, and I did so. My loyalty to that commission forbids me from naming him but I can say if you read my letters you might be brought to the blush.’
‘I need a secretary as well as an assessor, and an efficient one. You proved yourself that at Dara. But I also need utter loyalty. I know you to be the former but I wonder at the latter.’
‘What words could I use that would overcome any doubts. I will say that I am happy to serve you, and flattered as well. If I take the offer I will bind myself to you and your future to the exclusion of all else.’
Flavius was looking him right in the eye and Procopius did not blink or seek to avoid the contact. ‘Let me think on it, I will let you know in the morning.’
‘Not now?’
That got a slight smile. ‘Do you not know me yet, Procopius? I do not make instant decisions.’
It was Antonina that really fixed matters, when the subject was raised in post-coital murmurs. ‘He worships you, can you not see that, Flavius?’
‘Worships?’
‘You do not see the way he gazes upon you when you are not looking, but I do. If he is a lover of men I would say he was enamoured of you.’
‘He’s not, is he?’
That got her up on an elbow and looking down at him with shaking head. ‘Only you would be in ignorance of his desires.’
‘I have no ignorance of yours and they please me.’ That got him a poke in the ribs. ‘Is Procopius …?’ Typical of the upright Roman he could not bring himself to say the words, only to wave a wrist.
‘I would say he has a Roman name and Greek leanings. Do you not find that you come across him frequently?’
Thinking on it, Flavius could see that Antonina might be right; there was a prissy quality to Procopius, an excessive tidiness and a manner that placed great store in things being right. Recalling him at Dara there had been those endless questions, which might in the light of Antonina’s opinions appear more like attention seeking than genuine enquiry. And it was true; Procopius had seemed to be around too many times for it to be coincidence.
‘Perhaps I should fear to be alone with him.’
‘Then you will not mind that Theodora has insisted I accompany you to Africa.’
‘What!’
‘Does such a prospect alarm you?’
‘You cannot come on campaign, Antonina.’
‘Because it’s dangerous?’
‘That and the distraction of worrying about your safety.’
‘Safety? I look forward to you telling Theodora, which will be full of risk. You might have bested Justinian in the article of who you will take as officers, but she is a tougher nut than he.’
‘But do you want to accompany me?’
‘I certainly don’t want to be left here when you are gone.’
A hand cupped her breast, ‘Then Theodora can have her wish.’
‘And Procopius?’
‘Him too. What he is matters as nothing against what he can do.’
CHAPTER NINETEEN
The organisation necessary to prepare and carry an army across five hundred leagues of sea was vast and complex, made more so by the sheer number of horses required and these had to be of the right type for both fighting and carrying for, once ashore in North Africa, everything might have to be transported by hoof.
The bucellarii required heavier mounts than contingents like the Huns and Heruls. They, like the Roman cavalry who would make up the bulk of the force, required fleet ponies and not only those they already possessed. Both types required enough spares to account for losses to illness, accidents at sea, breakdown by overuse and casualties in battle. These animals also required a massive quantity of feed and grooms to care for them, adding to the burden of transport.
In numbers, if the expanded comitatus of Flavius was included — they now mustered seven numerus of three hundred men each — he was to lead an army of near seventeen thousand effectives, accompanied by all the necessary support arms to ensure against failure: armourers, carpenters, cooks, servants and sutlers.
He took from the barracks at Galatea six hundred Huns led by a chieftain called Blasas, a noted warrior said to be utterly fearless in battle, as well as Pharas and the three hundred Heruls he commanded, men who had been so effective at Dara. From Thrace came a strong contingent of Gepid foederati, one part of which Flavius gave to Solomon to command. He was no longer just his domesticus, he was now a fully committed soldier and leader. Ten thousand infantry and half that number of cavalry from the praesental army of the Emperor were marching to meet him at Methone in Thessaloniki under a general called Valerianus, the man who would be his second in command.
Transport to the North African shore required over five hundred vessels and while the transports carrying humans could be packed full of men, the same could not be applied to equines. They required special stalls to be built, with strapping that would keep them from falling in heavy seas, and they had to be exercised on the decks as often as the weather permitted.
The ships were manned by thirty thousand sailors and the provincial seaports had been combed to gather those with the necessary skills as well as the man who could command such a huge fleet, which was now crowded in two deep bays and loading stores. In addition there would be an escort of a hundred warships, single-deck galleys with fighting men at the oars to protect the transports in a sea that suffered much from piracy.