Date: Fri, 10 Nov 2006 14:13:58 +0100
From: A.K. <andrej@andrejkoymasky.com>
Subject: The Vanished Empire 7/8 (Historical)

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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.

-----------------------------

SEVENTH - THE NEW IMPERIAL SYSTEM

7.1 - Yude Emperor. New reforms.

Emperor Waka summoned Yude and asked him if he was ready to ascend the
throne - he was feeling old and tired, and would like to retire
somewhere. Yude asked him if the crown council wouldn't raise
objections, but Waka reassured him, "The empire needs a man like you -
accept the crown, I pray you."

In the end Yude accepted.

The council was united and this time, as there were no more pretenders
to oppose him, and because of Waka's persuasion, th decision of the old
emperor was accepted. Waka abdicated and retired to the Sword castle.
Yude was crowned emperor by the ancient imperial aristocracy, gathered
for that occasion. Feasts were held for an entire month. The new emperor
received the allegiance of the court nobles, of the military nobles, of
the various parts of the population, as well as of the colonized
barbarians and of the allied pirates.

Yude had greater changes in mind. First he named Ario Great General and
Kimi regent. Then, reviving an old forgotten law, he abolished all the
nobility titles, leaving to all the aristocrats, as a sweetener, only
the title of "nobleman", but with the clause that the title was not
hereditary. If their sons aspired to the title of nobleman they had to
deserve it, climbing to the top ranks of the empire.

Then, leaving them the roles they had, he moved all the nobles who held
office in the state, that is the regional governors and the provincial
prefects. All the governors who were not of noble origin received the
title of nobleman, as well as all the generals and the head magistrates
of the regional divisions.

But he made the biggest change in 1505, when he felt secure on the
throne. He decided that the old crown council had to be replaced by two
bodies - the privy council, formed by the great general, the regent, the
chief of the administration and the high magistrate; and a plenary
council, composed of all the regional regents, regional army commanders
and head magistrates of each region. The plenary council had to propose
draft statutes to the emperor which, with his signature, became law.

And last he established the Great Law, which could be changed only by
the plenary council with a 75% agreement and not by the emporer. In this
law, besides some basic principles such as no office could be
hereditary, the prohibition of any private army, it was established that
the emperor would name eleven great electors. These, at the death of the
emperor would choose the new emperor from amongst themselves with a
secret vote. The new emperor would be elected with a majority of seven
votes of the eleven electors. If nobody reached the required number of
votes or in the event of a ballot between the two receiving the most
votes, the two contenders could not participate and the required
majority was then five out of nine.

The pirates island was the only one that didn't accept these changes, so
Yude sent all of the imperial fleet which crushed the pirate fleet. Then
landing on Rone, it was reduced to obedience. The pirates chief tried to
escape to the north, where there was one of the pirates bases, but his
ship was intercepted and the fugitives bought back as prisoners. Thus
Rone became an ordinary region of the empire like all the others.

Then, in 1506, Yude ordered an expedition against the territory between
the two colonies - this land was ruled by a barbarian kingdom that had
unified all the tribes of the long and ramified valley of that
territory. The valley was rich in metals, especially gold. The barbarian
king, although he unified all that territory, hadn't organized an
unified army. Therefore the imperial army first seized a lateral valley
then, attacking both from the sea and from three mountain passes, after
a set of furious battles seized the entire territory. Once the
barbarians were subdued, the territory was divided into regions, annexed
to the empire and several new towns were founded, leaving to the
barbarians the free choice to remain in their villages or to go to live
in the new towns. Each village was granted a stretch of land
proportional to the number of its inhabitants and all the rest was
allotted to settlers.

All the eastern part of the barbarian north was now annexed to the
empire. In the western part there was a plateau bordering the empire to
the south and the new territories to the east. Then to the north, in the
hands of pirates there were two wide valleys merging into a deep forked
bay and then two more territories which were in the hands of the
barbarians.

Yude summoned Meta and Khnis and asked them to choose twenty thousand
soldiers and with them to try again their experiment which brought the
peaceful annexion of their region. Khnis accepted with enthusiasm.
First, they went back to their territory and from amongst their men
chose the volunteers they judged most fitting to their aim. Thus they
gathered about three thousand men and left with them. The volunteers
then toured all the imperial army bases, and all villages and towns as
recruiting agents, to gather the twenty thousand volunteers. When they
were all assembled, they had to undergo strenuous drills, during which
three thousand less fit men were sent back to their places. In 1506 Meta
and Khnis were ready to try the new experiment.

The volunteers were divided into three groups, each having as leader two
of the most skilled amongst the veterans; then as soon as the thaw had
set in, they climbed up onto the plateau through the three mountain
passes bordering the imperial territories. The plan was to repeat, with
suitable changes, the pattern of the first infiltration that happeed
fourteen years previously in the Porls territory.

Unlike that first time, they had not to go back and forth for provisions
and communications - three times each year, at first spring, half summer
and end of fall, the army brought them supplies and news from the other
two columns.

The contacts with the barbarians, in two cases, were similar to what
they hoped for, but in the third there was, on the contrary, a furious
attack, though easily driven back. The barbarians of the plateau spoke a
language different from that of Khnis, moreover they had local variants.
Anyway, even if calling themselves by different names, they formed an
assembly of communities clearly separated but with a quite homogeneous
culture. The armed clashes ceased soon enough, when Khnis informed the
barbarians that his men, besides the three first installations
controlling the passes, would build their lodgings and settle only in
the lands that the various villages would concede to them.

At mid summer the barbarians held a general meeting in the central
plain, where there was a kind of temple. During that gathering they
exchanged goods, held the coming-of-age ceremony, and arranged
marriages, rigidly exogamous. Moreover the champions of the various
villages met in elaborate, ritual duels regulated by strict rules,
thanks to which it was decided which village would be considered the
head of the whole community for one year. This was really just an
honorific post, in fact each village, which ruled a fixed territory,
enjoyed full and total autonomy.

Somethingt that made Meta and Khnis curious was that amongst the
barbarian youths premarital sex betwen boys and girls was forbidden, on
penalty of death, and that marriage never happened before they reached
twenty years of age. This resulted in the fact that homosexual sex
before the marriage was not only something normal, but also encouraged
by adults. But this had as another result that also after the marriage,
some of these realtionships continued, even though in a more dicreet
way. There was even a proverb saying: your wife for your children, your
friend for relaxation, both for pleasure. This also happened because sex
during the women's menstruation and during pregnancy was also strictly
forbidden.

Therefore the soldiers desiring it easily started to have sex with the
youths of the villages. This was one of the reasons why contact between
the two cultures was established more easily than they had thought. The
soldiers quite soon learned that when a married man said to a friend,
"You know, my wife is taboo these days" it was a clear invitation to
have sex. But they also learned, to their expense, that the only way to
say "no" without offense to the other, was to answer, "I've got a very
jealous friend, insufferable". Any other answer was taken as an offence
that could also lead to a duel.

What amused the soldiers was that, even though everybody knew that they
were not married, no barbarian seemed surprised when hearing them say,
"You know, my wife is taboo in these days". These words were in fact
highly ritualized. As it happened with the Porls, several boys who
didn't intend to marry because they preferred sex between men, asked to
be enrolled as soldiers.

But these barbarians seemed totally refractory about becoming part of
the empire. They didn't really have enemies, and  the pirates, from whom
they were separated by the northern mountains, didn't seem interested in
their territory.

Khnis proposed to organize tours of the young barbarians in the empire.
Meanwhile the acculturation work was carried on - the soldiers were
learning the local language and teaching them that of the empire, also
they were teaching new techniques and learning theirs.

Between 1507 and 1510, Yude sent more expeditions and finally all the
barbarian north, including the double valley of the pirates, was
conquered and annexed to the empire. Only the plateau, at Meta's
request, was still considered a free and independent territory. Anyway,
the empire territory was now more than doubled, thus giving new
resources and land to the population who could settle in the wide,
sparsely populated northern territories.

The plateau ended at the coast, with a wide waterfall in the shape of a
crescent, that was followed by a set of five more falls, making a
marvellous landscape at that point. The barbarians considered their
territory to be only the part ending at the first fall, and the set of
the following falls down to the sea, not being inhabited, was considered
to be a no-man's-land. The last fall, ending in the sea, was easily
reacheable from the former territory of the pirates.

When emperor Yude heard of the beauty and magnificence of that place,
decided to visit it. He was deeply touched by the scenery and decided to
have a mansion built there, to rest in from the cares of state. The
building was completed in 1511 and was inaugurated with wonderful
festivals.

Meanwhile Yude had named the eleven great electors of the emperor -
Buga, Ario, Kimi, Meta, Khnis, and six more chosen from among the best
high officials of the state - Kuole, Fit, Nami, Nerz, Bare and Nyoo. So,
also the imperial commission ceased to be hereditary and the election of
the most worthy man was granted as his successor. At the same time,
because the new emperor was elected from amongst the men chosen by the
former emperor, some continuity was ensured for  the projects started by
the emperor before he died or decided to abdicate.

**************************

7.2 - Nyoo's story. The Plateau.

Nyoo was the youngest of the great electors. He was a young man coming
from a small village in the hinterland of Usaer, an former sailor who
distinguished himself with a set of heroic deeds during the conquest of
the barbarians' territories, so that he traced a shining career in the
army, showing, besides heroism, strategic ability, organization skill
and a sense of responsibility.

When he had been pointed out to the emperor, Yude wanted to meet him and
was particularly impressed by his personality. Therefore he chose him as
the last of the great electors, as he was sure that such a brilliant
young man could well be one of them. What struck Yude was the expression
of fear he noticed in the young man's eyes when he told him that the
empire needed his services... Anyway the youth, after some insistence
from Yude, ended by accepting his new role.

What Yude didn't suspect, was that Nyoo was nobody less than Funan. He
had grown up sound and strong, now he was a young man bursting with
health, totally different from the shy and frail fifteen year old Funan.
Nyoo, in fact, lived for three years with his soldier, growing up and
becoming strong. With him he left for the war, but in one of the first
battles, his man was killed.

It had been true that the death of his lover on one hand had deeply
grieved him, but on the other hand made him mature faster - he had
nobody to support him so had to care for himself. He devoted himself to
the war with all his energies, putting in it all his body, soul and
intelligence. When he was twenty-three years old, he was already a
division chief, had one thousand men under his orders, and distinguished
himself during the war against the pirates.

While he was advancing along the valley to chase the last pirates, they
made several of them prisoner. Among them he noticed a seventeen years
old boy named Freyr. The boy was of an incredible beauty and Nyoo, who
in recent years had passed from one light adventure to another, told
himself he had to seduce the young prisoner.

He had him brought into his tent and, once they were alone, started to
question him. So he came to know that he had been kidnapped by the
pirates on the shores of the great northern continent when he was just
five years old. He was then brought there as a slave by one of the
pirates. He lived in his house, and when he was ten years old he was
raped by one of the pirate's sons, a boy fifteen year old, who took
advantage of him for three years, also bringing some friends to "amuse"
themselves with the boy-slave.

But when he was thirteen, one of these friends, a nineteen year old
youth, asked Freyr's master to sell him. So he bought Freyr, took him to
his home and made him his lover. The new master was terribly jealous of
him, so that he wanted him always at his side, or locked him in when
they couldn't be together. However, he treated Freyr fairly and when
they fled, pursued by the imperial army, he took Freyr with him. Then
they were captured, and were now prisoners.

Nyoo asked him if he was in love with his master. The boy answered no;
he was grateful to his master for treating him well and he hadn't any
problems making love with him, but he was not in love - he was just his
slave. Nyoo asked him if, having the choice, he would prefer to have sex
with a woman. The boy answered that he never tried that, but then added
that he was interested in trying it either.

Then Nyoo told him that he liked him very much and asked Freyr if he
wanted to become his lover. The boy answered that he was just a slave, a
prisoner, therefore he could do as he pleased with him. Nyoo, as the boy
wasn't really a pirate but their slave, freed him, telling him that he
was free to go wherever he liked. Freyr answered he didn't know where to
go, what to do - he had no family, no friends, house or means...

Nyoo proposed him to enroll as a soldier and the boy accepted. Then Nyoo
dismissed him, wishing him good luck.

Freyr looked at him amazed and asked, "But... didn't you say you wanted
me to be yours?"

"You are now a free man, I cannot have any right over you. Go in peace."

The boy thanked him and went to join the ten-hut to which he had been
assigned.

Nyoo, after that, saw him often. He looked at him with growing desire,
also because Freyr, gradually, found his smile again, and so Nyoo was
fascinated by him more and more, but never said that to the boy. Until a
day, about four months later, when he was told that one of the soldiers
requested audience. As he had some free time, he said to allow the
soldier in - it was Freyr. When they were alone, the boy told him he was
really happy he became a soldier, that he got many friends, he felt very
good, and that he owed all that to him, therefore he wanted to thank him
wholeheartedly.

Then, without any hesitation, asked him, "Are you no longer interested
in making love with me?"

Nyoo smiled, "Of course I would like that, and even more than before."

Then the boy said, "I would like trying it with you... You are possibly
different..."

Nyoo stood up and went to embrace him. Freyr pushed himself against his
body and Nyoo felt that he was already aroused. He kissed him and the
boy returned the kiss with passion. He brought him to his bed, they each
undressed the other, the boy admired the athletic and virile body of the
young man and, with clear passion and desire, plunged into sucking his
beautiful member, so vigorously erect. Nyoo had never had such a hot and
passionate companion, so thirsty for love. The strength of Freyr's
desire overwhelmed him, inflamed him and when the boy, without a word,
offered himself to Nyoo, he took him with genuine enthusiasm. The boy
smiled radiantly, caressed Nyoo's body, moved in time with his
thrusting, moaning with pleasure and whispering "Yes... yes..."

When, finally sated, they lay in an embrace, panting, gently caressing
each other, the boy kissed him on the mouth and said in a murmur, "With
you it has been wonderful."

"Freyr, do you want to be mine?"

"I'm already yours - let me stay with you."

"Do you want to be my lover."

"I want that."

"Good. Then dress and go and fetch your belongings - you will move here,
with me."

"Thank you." The boy happily answered.

Nyoo was conquered by the bursting sensuality of his boy, and Freyr was
fascinated by the sweet virility of his man, and felt totally seduced by
him.

When the campaign against the pirates was won and all their territory
subjugated, Nyoo was made a general and for the first time he met the
emperor. He was afraid to be recognized, but it seemed that nobody
connected the young general with Funan. But then, when the emperor
summoned him to his presence and told him that the empire needed men
like him, and proposed him to become a great elector, Nyoo was seized by
a moment of panic - amongst the great electors there were some who knew
him... Then he thought that in reality Yude also knew him, but didn't
recognize him... therefore, even though still somewhat worried, he
accepted. When he met the other great electors and seemed that nobody
had recognized him, Nyoo calmed down totally.

Nobody knew his real origins; everybody really believed he was just a
young soldier of Usaer territory, as he said he was brought there by his
parents when he was a small child. When somebody asked from where his
parent were, he recalled a couple of farmers of his village who had a
son about his same age, coming from Rosti island, therefore he said he
was born there and everybody believed him.

But one day, during a party at the imperial palace, he saw his mother.
He felt the impulse to go and embrace her, but he knew he could not do
so, therefore he tried to avoid meeting her. And when the lady, thinking
she recognized her son, went near him and in a whisper asked him if he
was Funan, the young man, plucking up his courage, answered that she was
wrong, that his name was Nyoo... The lady was perplexed, but believed
him. Nyoo felt a sharp pain - but he renounced being Funan eight years
before and didn't want to get mixed up with the palace troubles again,
at any cost. Nobody knew his true identity, not even his beloved Freyr.
He now was Nyoo, full stop.

Being now a great elector, at the death of the emperor he could even be
elected as the new emperor - he hoped it wouldn't happen and decided
that, anyway, he would refuse. He liked being in the army very much, he
was happy with his Freyr, he didn't want anything else.

In 1512, in the old territories of the empire there were several risings
stirred up by the old aristocracy, on the pretext of the taxation
system. The army put down the riots easily and without too much
bloodshed. Many noblemen were put in prison. In any case, Yude wanted a
revision of the revenue system, as he understood that the grounds for
the discontent were a real problem. Therefore some amendments were
carried out, to make the system fairer.

>From the northern territories metals and gold were coming, and this
increased the welfare of the population, The specialization of the
regions and provinces according to the local natural resources, made
both the agriculture and the crafts industry more flourishing, further
increasing the population's welfare and making the various parts of the
empire more strongly mutually dependent. Yude was satisfied and thought
that it was time to start a new educational system.

First of all he searched in the empire the wisest and most cultivated
men in the various disciplines, techniques and practices. Among them
there were several former-monks. He gathered them all together and
founded the "Imperial Center for Education". He asked these men to draft
a program of instruction in four great sections - the basic education
from six to eleven years, the normal education, from twelve to sixteen,
the middle education, from seventeen to twenty, and the higher education
from twenty-one to twenty-four years of age.

Meanwhile, in 1513 he started the program for building the four kinds of
school - a High School in each region, including the new northern
regions, a Middle School in each province, a Normal and a Basic School
in each village and city borough. In the same time the future teachers
were studying in the Imperial Center for Education.

In 1514 all over the empire 2327 schools of the varous kinds were
opened, where about twenty thousand teachers were assigned. Both the
building of new schools and the preparation of new teachers were
continuing at a fast pace. In that year, Yude also founded a Central
Institute for Arts and Sciences Research. The capital was becoming the
cultural and artistic center of the empire - the best talents were
spontaneously flowing there, also because Yude, also in 1514, gathered
all the books from all the castles of the empire and put them in the new
"Imperial Library", that had also annexed a center with copyists, to
make copies and distribute them to the various regions requesting them.

The seats of these new institutions were modern and very beautiful
buildings made regardless of expense, designed by the best architects of
the empire, situated in woods, and built on the southern outskirts of
the capital that was so enlarged.

All that created new works, new occupations, new wealth. Yude was
satisfied - he was transforming the empire into a prosperous, rich and
peaceful entity. The times of bloody battles seemed far away.
Agriculture too was improving, commerce was thriving, arts were
flourishing and the new revenue system allowed more and more important
investments for the welfare of all the empire.

In 1515 the independent territory on the plateau asked the emperor to
open schools in its territory too - Yude willingly accepted, as this
would accelerate and facilitate the future joining of the plateau to the
empire.

Khnis succeeded in persuading the free tribes of the plateau to form a
federation with a central body with very moderate powers, but that was
the sketch of a real unity. The new generations, educated in the schools
that had the same programs, and granted scholarships in the empire for
the best students, would naturally push society towards a growing unity
and gradually organize in a way similar to that of the empire.

**************************

7.3 - Buga, emperor. The continent.

On the eighteenth day of the fifth month of 1516, emperor Yude,
seventy-three years of age, passed away serenely while sleeping.
Splendid funerals where held and at the center of the new part of the
capital city his mausoleum was built, standing in the middle of the new
buildings he made. His passing was grieved over by a multitude; people
from all over the empire participated in his funeral and it was
calculated that about seven million people, from the most humble
citizens to the most important officers of the state, paid homage to his
catafalque.

In the sixth month, the great electors gathered. At the first vote, Buga
received eight votes of the eleven so he was proclaimed emperor. The
sumptuous ceremony of his accession to the throne was held on the
eighteenth day of the same month. Once he was elected the new emperor,
the other ten great electors handed their resignations to Buga. He
intended to confirm all of them, but Meta, Ario and Kimi, now of an old
age, asked him not to choose them again. Therefore Buga confirmed the
other seven and named four new great electors.

The succession happened without changes in the imperial politics, as
Buga had participated in Yude's projects for years. Buga boosted the
northern provinces, building great roads and new ports, and the great
Yuder port in the bay of pirates, with an adjoining shipyard.

On 1518 Meta also passed away. He was buried in the plain of the
plateau, and the emperor asked the federation of the tribes for
permission to participate in the funeral rites. He was welcomed with
great honor by the chiefs of the federation. His good character and his
warm personality impressed the federation's chiefs very much and when
the emperor invited them to visit him at the capital, they willingly
accepted.

This marked the start of more and closer relations betwen the empire and
the free territory of the plateau. The federation's chiefs very much
appreciated it when Buga offered them the free circulation of the people
of the plateau in the imperial territories, without asking for a
hostage.

In 1520 Buga, in a great ceremony, declared Gano, Usae and Yude "fathers
of the empire" and a big monument in their honour was built in front of
the Sword castle. The castle itself was transformed in a center for
historical studies and a museum of the Empire history.

In 1521 the last schools that were still open in the asylums, were
closed, as the new educational system was fully operating. Therefore the
asylums were reorganized and restructured as hospital centers. Buga also
transformed the Pike castle in a center for medical and hygiene studies.
Buga's idea was to gradually transform all the castles into centers for
research and arts - nowadays the empire no longer had internal wars, it
possessed a centralized, united and efficient army, therefore the
castles had no further reason to exist as means of defence. Only the
castles that were along the coast were entrusted to the army, because if
one day a danger should arise, it would come only from overseas, from
the great, far continent.

Meanwhile Nyoo was still under the illusion that nobody had recognized
him, but in reality both Ario and Kimi were almost certain he was Funan.
Ario carried out some researches and discovered that in fact the boy,
when he changed his name, assumed that of Nyoo. This fact, and even more
the fact that now the sole throne pretender was a great elector, upset
him. Therefore, together with Kimi, he once invited all the great
electors to his villa on Tuna, the small island between Fago and Chicha.
During the party, he invited Nyoo to follow him in his private office.
Here Ario and Kimi, who was already waiting there, as soon as Nyoo
entered, prostrated themselves at his feet. The young man looked at them
worriedly and asked them what were they doing. Ario said, "You are
Funan, the sole legitimate inheritor of the throne. We are your loyal
servants."

Nyoo denied it, but when Ario told him they would call his mother to
confirm his true identity, he admitted the truth. "But Funan doesn't
exist any more. The legitimate emperor sits on the throne. I pray you,
forget who I was."

Ario and Kimi insisted, but Nyoo was unyelding. Then Ario told him, "At
the death of the present emperor, we can try to arrange so that you will
be elected, so giving the throne back to your family."

"I pray you! Even if I am elected, I will renounce. I'm fine as I am;
the fact that I was born into the former imperial family is just an
accident, absolutely devoid of any importance. The present empire and
emperor have all my loyalty. And there is no sense in restablishing the
hereditary system. Pray, forget forever who I was. Don't tell anybody,
or else you will force me to flee and disappear once again."

Nyoo didn't know that these words had saved his life; in fact, if he
showed the least intention to get the throne back, Ario had decided to
kill him on the spot. So, Nyoo could quietly go back to his life, after
making the two men swear they would never disclose his old identity to
anybody.

At times, now that the empire had freed its waters from the pirates'
hordes, some big merchant ships were starting to arrive from the
continent. Buga understood that he had to build a strong nation, so that
the merchants, going back to their lands, wouldn't talk of the empire as
a land easy to conquer.

The foreign merchants were carrying interesting machines and new
products, but more than willingly, also bought the agricultural and
crafts products of the empire. Some groups of scholars from the empire,
being curious about the continent, organized a journey there, coming
back one or two years later, with plenty of news, ideas and proposals.

In 1521, with the merchants' ships, a richly decked out ship came as
well - it carried a delegation from one of the kings of a coastal nation
who asked to form an alliance. Buga received them with all the honors,
had them visit several parts of the empire, and told them he intended to
have good relationships with all the other nations but that he didn't
see the use, at least for the moment, of a privileged relationship. He
proposed the exchange of permanent representatives anyway, and when they
left he sent rich presents to their king through them.

Now the connecting route with the continent was opened. After centuries,
the time was almost over when relationships with the continent were
prevented by the strength of the pirates. When Buga gathered the
delegation to send to the continent to the king of Kokren, he asked Nyoo
to lead it. The man asked him for permission to have his Freyr with him,
both because he didn't want to be separated from him and also because
the boy was born on the continent. Buga allowed that and also nominated
Freyr as Nyoo's counsellor.

When they reached Sull, the Kokren capital, the delegation was received
with all the honors, and accommodated in a luxury villa. When Freyr
heard the local speech, he started to remember and in a few days was
able to understand and to speak his old language fairly well. King Brayd
threw a big party for the delegation, then wanted to talk in private
with Nyoo who took Freyr with him. The king proposed a military alliance
with the empire, for two reasons - to carry on the suppression of the
last pirates and to have support against his bordering kingdoms. But
Nyoo was there only to ask for authorization to have access to the
culture and techniques of Kokren. They discussed several points, then
Nyoo, leaving to the villa the others members of the delgation, went
back to the court with Freyr to confer with Buga.

After several trips, a partial agreement between the two nations was
reached - full collaboration to chase the pirates, regular commercial
and cultural exchanges with the opening of a store-house in their
respective lands and of a center for studies, but not a real military
alliance yet.

Nyoo and Freyr were now spending three months in Kokren and three in the
empire capital. Once, Nyoo asked Freyr if he desired to settle forever
in the land of his birth. The boy answered that the the only desire he
had was to live wherever Nyoo was, and the man was deeply elated by this
answer.

In 1524 another delegation came from another kingdom - from Chakh.
Everything happened like the first time and it was decided to exchange
representatives with this kingdom too, which bordered Kokren. Buga asked
Nyoo to go and open the new representation seat in the king Fuirl's land
and also to establish a good relationship with him. The two bordering
kingdoms, even though they were not at war, didn't have good relations,
but Nyoo skillfully managed to keep the empire out of the problems
existing between the two nations.

Meanwhile, news from travelers and merchants continued to flow to the
court, giving a clearer picture of the situation on the continent, at
least for the part facing the empire's main island. Year after year new
delegations were also arriving, more relationships were forged. Each
time Buga was sending Nyoo to smooth the way for these relationships, as
he seemed to have an inborn skill for diplomacy.

In 1530 Buga asked Nyoo to remain at the capital to coordinate all their
delegations abroad and to maintain the contacts with the foreign
delegations that were at the capital. Nyoo accepted. He had also to
coordinate the combined action of the imperial fleet for the hunt of
pirates, and negotiate, once one of the pirates islands was conquered,
to which nation this had to belong. The foreign powers claimed that the
island had to belong to the nation that conquered it, but Nyoo didn't
agree, he claimed they had to be given to the nearest nation, in fact he
was afraid that one of the continental nations could push its zone of
influence too near to the empire.

This spat gave way to a long quarrel that risked freezing the
international relationships, but mainly with Chakh. This time too, Nyoo
showed all his skill - the problem was solved, after extended
negotiations, deciding that the island had to be given to the nearest
kingdom. However, if it was freed by different nation, that nation could
claim compensation, from the nation to which the island was assigned,
for all the lives and ships lost in conquering it.

Nyoo really had this solution in mind from the beginning, thus he asked
Buga to authorize the immediate departure of all the imperial fleet,
which was now really strong, to attack the pirates islands, starting
with the ones more distant from the empire. The fleet, which was ready
for a long time, immediately left the ports and conquered the first
island that was in Burrer territory. The losses were small and Burrer
willingly redeemed them. Then the fleet assailed the three islands
between Chakh and the empire, seizing them without too much difficulty,
and to Chakh Buga gave the two islands belonging to its territory, after
payement of two thirds of the damages.

Meanwhile the pirates who could escape from the conquered islands, were
gathering in the remaining three islands, of which one belonged to
Kokren and two to the empire. Nyoo ordered the attack on only the island
near Kokren, which was was easily conquered, and Kokren redeemed it
paying by the damages. Now it remained to storm just the last two
islands, which were literally swarming with pirates and their ships.

The imperial fleet surrounded the two islands, which were divided by
just a narrow strait, making a total blockade. The pirates who succeeded
in fleeing from the other islands were not only the most lucky, but
above all the ones who had the best and more manoeuvrable ships. That's
why Nyoo had decided that the two islands, which were a very good
refuge, were to be attacked the last - he had it in mind to conquer the
pirates fleet as undamaged as possible, as well to take the largest
number of pirates prisoner, and to disperse them as settlers in the wide
northern provinces.

To achieve this, he had put right what he called his "secret weapon". He
had asked to all the population of the empire to catch thousands of
poisonous snakes alive, to be put in clay amphoras, closed with a strong
cloth. The bite of these snakes was not deadly but caused a strong
fever. His plan was to throw the amphoras from his ships onto the
pirates ships. Then the amphoras, shattering on the decks, would free
the snakes which would attack the pirates giving them much trouble.

But these snakes had a deadly enemy in a species of big wild cat that
ate them, therefore Nyoo also had several hundred of these cats in cages
on the imperial ships. Once a pirate ship surrendered and before
boarding it, they would free some cats then, when they felt reasonably
safe, they would seize the ship with all the pirates.

There was also a minimal risk for the imperial sailors who had to board
the ships, but the game was worth the candle,  because the virulent
fever would only last a couple of months and then disappeared without
consequences apart from some further period of weakness. The snake bite
could be deadly only for children or very weak people, but this was
surely not the case with soldiers.

Thus the imperial fleet reinforced the blockade, gradually approaching
the pirates ships. These were preparing for the traditional boarding of
the imperial ships as was their custom. But as soon as the imperial
ships were within throwing distance, a shower of amphoras hit the pirate
ships then the imperial ships rapidly sailed away. The effect was almost
immediate - they saw the pirates running crazily trying to catch the
snakes, then several of them were diving into the sea. When they saw the
pirates ship drifting, no longer steered, they understood thet the
snakes had completed their task.

They rescued the pirates who jumped into the sea and took them prisoner.
Waiting until the snakes ended their job on the drifting ships, they
approached them again and threw the cages with the wild cats onto the
decks. They then waited for those to finish their duty too before
boarding the ships, easily taking prisoner all the remaining pirates
weakened by the violent fever. Thus Nyoo sent all the pirates ships with
the prisoners well bound, to the port of Yuder.

Now the islands had practically no more naval protection. Therefore they
attacked the few remaining ships, and then landed. As much as the
pirates were sure to win at the start of the clash, they were now
disheartened and surrendered in groups, fighting less and less. All were
made prisoners, including women and children, and carried in groups to
the various ports of the empire.

Then on the two islands, now practically unhabited, the families of
settlers, to whom the land was assigned, started to disembark. But
before that, carefully searching the two islands, Nyoo found the pirates
hidden treasures - a quantity of gold so huge as to more than abundantly
pay the cost of all the operations, which had kept the imperial fleet
engaged for seven months.

When Nyoo went back to the capital, the emperor bestowed on him a true
triumph - the empire, thanks to him, had acquired three more large
islands, several dozen good ships, an immense treasure, besides great
prestige face to the continental nations. But above all, the pirates had
been totally swept away from the sea dividing the empire from the
continent.

Moreover the three islands constituted a very good outpost in case the
relationship with one of the continent nations should deteriorate. The
empire didn't have expansionist aims, but wanted fixed and safe borders
which it now had.

The relations with the continent continued to strengthen the progress of
the sciences and techiques of the empire, which was becoming even
stronger. The introduction of the construction technique of large
chariots and the introduction of draught horses, also improved the road
connections. Also the techique of perforation of  rocks, learned on the
continent, allowed them to dig road tunnels facilitating the connections
through the mountains that ran the length of the nation.

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CONTINUES IN CHAPTER 8

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In my home page I've put some more of my stories. If someone wants to
read them, the URL is

http://andrejkoymasky.com

If you want to send me feed-back, or desire to help revising my English
translations, so that I can put on-line more of my  stories in English
please e-mail at

andrej@andrejkoymasky.com

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