The Strategos Page 11

The king was getting more and more irate with Ptolemy. His strategos seemed to oppose every idea that Alexander had. He was very tempted to remove him and replace him with a strategos who he could work with but Ptolemy still had his supporters and he had grown more powerful since he had married the king’s mother, Eurydice.

  Later in the year fresh tidings of Pausanius arrived, saying that he was now trying to raise an army in Thrace, but by then Alexander was occupied dealing with trouble on his other borders. Thrace was more stable now as the three sons of Chales had reached an agreement to divide Thrace between them, so Pausanius should have become the priority.

  However, Alexander was busy negotiating a treaty with Epirus, the kingdom to the west of Macedonia and to the south of Illyria. His aim was twofold: to dissuade Illyria from encroaching on either kingdom in the future and to gain a potential ally against Thessaly, which lay to the east of Epirus and to the south of Macedonian territory.

  Whilst Epaminondas, the great Theban boeotarch, was occupied in the Peloponnese starting to dismantle the power of Sparta, another boeotarch, Pelopidas, was busy extending Theban influence throughout Thessaly. Boeotia was ruled by seven boeotarchs, who held political as well as military power. Pelopidas was in the office of the chief magistrate of the city of Meliboea, which he had appropriated, pouring over papers when the sentry standing guard outside the office knocked and entered.

  ‘Boeotarch, there is a messenger here from Macedon.’

  Pelopidas had almost expected an approach from Alexander. He knew that the Macedonian king was nervous about the growth of Theban power on his southern border and he assumed that he wanted to talk to him about it; perhaps to propose a treaty whereby both respected the border. He was therefore surprised to find that the message was from Ptolemy. He read the scroll twice then held the corner of it in the flame of the lamp on his desk. Once it was alight he threw it onto the beaten earthen floor of his tent to finish burning.

  ‘Very well. Tell your master that I’ll meet him at the place he suggested at Noon in two days’ time.’

  For a while he wondered if he was being foolish; he could well be walking into a trap. He tried to console himself with the thought that it was unlikely. If he was killed in an ambush it would mean war between Thebes and Macedon and he was certain that wasn’t Ptolemy’s plan.

  ‘What do you hope to gain from this?’

  Pelopidas remained seated on his horse with a thousand Theban cavalrymen at his back despite the fact that Ptolemy had dismounted and was waiting for Pelopidas to do the same. Seeing that Theban showed no intention of doing so, he shrugged and remounted his own horse. He felt foolish and no doubt that was Pelopidas’ intention. The Macedonian looked nervously around him and they rode out of earshot before he answered.

  ‘I expect that Alexander will be discredited so that his assassination wouldn’t arouse too much of an outcry. As the husband of Perdiccas’ mother, I will take over as regent as the boy is only fourteen. I will then enter into a treaty of alliance with Thebes.’

  Pelopidas was surprised that Ptolemy was being so candid with him. But then, he told himself, I am hardly likely to warn Alexander, am I?

  In the summer of 369 BC Alexander invaded Thessaly and captured the leading city in the north of the region, Larissa. He had no intention of trying to conquer the whole country, just the city state of Larissa so that he had a buffer between the growing power of Thebes and his kingdom. When the city surrendered Alexander had agreed not to impose a Macedonian garrison on it, but Philip persuaded him that this was foolish. There was nothing to prevent Larissa from revolting and joining Thebes unless Macedon held it by force.

  The one mistake that Alexander made was to leave the choice of the garrison to Ptolemy. The chiliarch left in command was the latter’s cousin and Alexander had hardly crossed the border back into Macedon before he betrayed him and surrendered the newly won city to Pelopidas. Not only had the Theban negated Alexander’s strategy, he had won northern Thessaly without shedding one drop of Theban blood.

  Alexander was furious and ordered Ptolemy’s arrest. However, the strategos was warned and he fled before he could be apprehended. Making for his own city of Aleros, he started to recruit an army. It looked as if all of Amyntas’ and Alexander’s hard work to re-unite the country was about to be undone.

  -o0o-

  ‘What does Ptolemy hope to gain by this?’ Parmenion was puzzled by the recent turn of events.

  ‘Evidently he is in league with Thebes or he wouldn’t have arranged for the surrender of Larissa to Pelopidas. Now that the Thebans have invaded our western provinces, I would image that they intent to install him as a puppet king, in which case the lives of Alexander, Perdiccas and myself are in danger.’

  ‘What are you going to do?’

  ‘I’m going to see Pelopidas and see if we can come to some agreement which cuts the ground from under that bastard Ptolemy’s feet. Go and warn the Companions to be ready to leave first thing tomorrow.’

  ‘Do you …’

  He was about to ask the prince if he thought that was wise but the boy turned to him, his face a mask of steely determination. He changed tack.

  ‘Does your brother know what you intend?’

  ‘No, he would only forbid me. Much as I hate to admit it, we are going to have to reach a compromise with Ptolemy as well as with Thebes. The problem is Alexander hates our step-father so much he is blind to what is in Macedon’s best interest. We need to play along with Pelopidas whilst we build up Macedon’s strength.’

  ‘You see us being in a position to challenge the might of Thebes eventually?’

  ‘One day, yes. But we need a multi-pronged approach. We need to ally ourselves with others, mainly Athens, of course, who are increasingly nervous of Thebes, but also with Chalkidike. We need to stir up trouble in Thrace and Illyria to keep them off our backs and we need to build up a strong professional army.’

  ‘Yes, I understand. But every one of those strategies is going to cost money and the Macedonian treasury is nearly bankrupt, yet again.’

  ‘Athens needs a great number of trees for its ship building programme and there is a lot of gold and silver in the mines near your home city. The trees can be cut now but capturing Amphipolis is going to take a great deal of cunning.’

  Parmenion nearly retorted that he was now a loyal Macedonian, not an Amphipolitan but he held his tongue. He had finally convinced himself to cut any ties with the city of his birth but Philip obviously still regarded him as a mercenary. That aside, he was impressed with the clarity of Philip’s thinking, especially as he was not yet fourteen. Not for the first time, Parmenion wished that the prince was the king, but Alexander was still a young man and, even if he died by some mischance, the feeble Perdiccas was next in line. Of course, the Macedonian Assembly might decide to pass over him in favour of Philip, but it would be another five years before he could rule without a regent. By that time Thebes might have a stranglehold on Macedon, as well as the rest of Greece.

  ‘I understand that you’ve come here without the knowledge of your brother. What then is the point of our meeting, prince? You are not even the heir to the throne.’

  Pelopidas’ question brought Parmenion’s attention back to the meeting. It wasn’t a promising start to the negotiations between Philip and the Theban. They sat in the room in the governor’s house in Mieza, a Macedonian city near the Thessalian border which the Thebans had recently captured.

  ‘Alexander is somewhat blinded by his hatred of Ptolemy, but if I can present him with a fair deal I’m confident that he will accept it.’

  ‘And what would you consider to be a fair deal?’

  ‘A pardon for Ptolemy on condition that he resigns his position as strategos, a treaty of friendship between Thebes and Macedon and, of course, recovery of this city and the other Macedonian territory you’ve occupied,’ Philip replied without hesitation.

  ‘I can see why you would propose such terms, but I can’t see the advantage
to Thebes I’m afraid.’

  ‘You are fighting on two fronts. There is Thessalian opposition to your conquest of their country and you are facing war with Macedon in the north, just as soon as Ptolemy is disposed of. Meanwhile your senior Boeotarch, Epaminondas, is struggling to finish off the Spartans whilst looking over his shoulder in case the Athenians turn their evident hostility to the growth of Theban power into open war. He needs your men in the south so this treaty is vital to you.’

  ‘You are well informed, Prince Philip. Let me consider what you have said; we’ll meet again tomorrow.’

  Philip was a little taken aback by his abrupt dismissal but he felt satisfied that the Theban Boeotarch was at least considering his proposal.

  Pelopidas chewed his lip as he paced up and down the room lost in thought. What Philip had said was quite correct. Ten years ago Thebes had revolted against Spartan rule and had formed the Boeotian League, becoming the dominant city state in the league. Epaminondas had defeated Sparta in battle twice and, after the Helot revolt, had invaded the Peloponnese, a large province of Greece which had been long dominated by the Spartans. Athens and Thebes were now vying for supremacy in the Hellenic world. Matters were made more perilous for the Thebans because Attica, the region around Athens, and Boeotia shared a border. With Epaminondas engaged far to the west and Pelopidas in Thessaly to the north, that border was vulnerable.

  ‘I have considered what you said yesterday and, provided that Alexander agrees to the terms you have outlined, I will present it to the Theban Assembly for ratification.’

  He had expected Philip to display some sign of triumph at that but the boy’s face remained impassive. Slightly put out, the Theban Boeotarch continued with a scowl.

  ‘However, we will need evidence of your good faith and Macedon will therefore provide thirty ephebes to serve in the household of Epaminondas for the next three years. The thirty is to include you, Philip. Those are my terms and they are non-negotiable.’

  At first Philip grew angry and was about to reject Pelopidas’ demands. He had only recently been freed as a hostage in Illyria; he had no desire to give up his liberty again, and for most of the time until he reached his majority. However, before he could respond, Parmenion laid a hand on his arm and whispered in his ear that he would like to speak to him privately.

  ‘Consider, Philip, Epaminondas is the foremost military leader of the age. Ten years ago Thebes was a Spartan satellite and now, thanks to the genius of Epaminondas, it is challenging Athens to be the dominant city state in Greece. Just think what you might learn from him as his pupil.’

  Philip paced up and down for a few minutes. ‘I don’t suppose there is much option in any case. At least with Thebes and Thessaly neutralised, my brother will be able to deal with Ptolemy and then Pausanius.

  Alexander was grateful that at least one of his problems had been solved and readily agreed to the treaty drawn up between his youngest brother and Thrace. Parmenion didn’t accompany Philip into exile. This time there was no question of the prince having his own Companions; he was just another ephebe being trained in Epaminondas’ household. Parmenion returned to Pella with a heavy heart. He liked Philip and admired him. However, he didn’t have time to brood over Philip’s fate as Alexander sent for him the day after he’d arrived.

  ‘Parmenion, I need to reach a compromise with Ptolemy and my mother so that I can concentrate on eliminating the threat from Pausanius once and for all. I want you to go to Alorus and reach an agreement with them. They can live in peace in Macedon but neither of them will be given any formal position in my government; they will remain as private citizens. In return, I’ll drop the charges of treason against my wretched step-father. Don’t go beyond the terms I’ve outlined without coming back to me. Alorus isn’t that far so you can be there by nightfall if you hurry.’

  Parmenion was feeling saddle-sore after his ride back from Larissa so he didn’t relish getting back in the saddle quite so quickly, but he had little choice. Taking Orestes and an escort of a hundred cavalry, more for show than anything else, he left at mid-morning and arrived at Ptolemy’s home city just as dusk was falling.

  He was weary, sore and in a foul mood so, when the watch refused him entry because the gates had been closed for the night, he lost his temper.

  ‘I’m Parmenion, the envoy of King Alexander; now stop pissing me about and go and tell Ptolemy that I’m here or I’ll have your guts for a new sword belt.’

  He sat there quietly fuming for twenty minutes until the lochus in command of the city watch appeared on top of the wall beside the gate. He was in an equally foul mood, having been dragged from the arms of a hetaera that he had paid a lot of money to spend the night with.

  ‘Who in Hades name are you to come demanding entrance at this time of night?’

  ‘Parmenion, epihipparchia in command of the Companions of Philip of Macedon. I’m here to see Ptolemy as the envoy of King Alexander; now open up and let us in.’

  ‘Philip’s a prisoner in Thebes the last I heard and, in any case, Ptolemy has declared his allegiance to King Pausanius. Now sod off so I can get back to my bed.’

  ‘I need to hear that from Ptolemy’s own lips before I report back to Alexander. If what you say is true, Ptolemy is a traitor and the next time you see me I will be with the Macedonian army at my back. Think carefully before you condemn your city to be sacked and everyone in it to be raped and slaughtered.’

  At this the members of the watch got agitated and Parmenion saw them surrounding with their lochagos and evidently pleading with him. A few minutes later the gates swung open and Parmenion and his escort rode into Alorus.

  The lochagos was impatient to return to his high class whore but he grudgingly gave orders for the escort to be accommodated and sent a phylearch with Parmenion and Orestes to escort them to Ptolemy’s house. The latter was hosting a dinner party and, like his lochagos, wasn’t best pleased to be called away to be told that Parmenion had arrived. He was even less pleased when he found out that the commander of the city watch had left it to a lowly phylearch to escort Parmenion to his house. He would sort him out later, but now he had to decide what to do about Parmenion’s unexpected arrival.

  He was tempted to tell his chamberlain to give him a room for the night and see him in the morning, but his curiosity was piqued and he decided to see him straight away. He only needed to find out what the man wanted and then he could think about it overnight; if he left it until the morning he wouldn’t have the excuse of the lateness of the hour to prevaricate, if he needed to.

  Parmenion and Orestes had been left kicking their heels in the vestibule and were surprised when the chamberlain came back and promptly escorted them to Ptolemy’s study. Both men were tired and dusty from the journey and unprepared for the meeting, which suited Ptolemy.

  ‘Well, what does Alexander want?’

  ‘Firstly, can I ask you whether what your lochagos told us is correct: that you have renounced your allegiance to Alexander, turned traitor and now support the upstart Pausanius?’

  Ptolemy turned an interesting shade of puce and vowed silently to have the lochagos reduced to the ranks for his incompetence. Whilst he was still thinking how to respond, the door opened and Eurydice swept into the room.

  ‘Ptolemy, it’s very rude of you to desert our guests like that. Oh! It’s you, what do you want?’

  She glared at Parmenion. She regarded her youngest son as precocious, mainly because, even as a young boy, she hadn’t been able to control him as she had the others. She blamed this partly on Parmenion’s influence.

  ‘Good evening, kyria. Your son, the king, has sent me to persuade your husband to confirm his allegiance to him and to resolve any differences there may between them before it’s too late.’

  Eurydice bridled at being called kyria, which meant lady, instead of basilissa. She still thought of herself as royal.

  ‘Of course my husband is loyal to my son!’ she snapped. ‘Whatever made you think otherwi
se? They have fallen out but, as soon as Alexander restores Ptolemy to his former position as his strategos, I’m sure we’ll all be able to put the past behind us.’

  ‘You say Ptolemy is loyal but he betrayed Alexander by surrendering Larissa to Thebes and then started to recruit men to his side. Are these the actions of a loyal subject?’

  ‘Stop talking about me as if I’m not here!’ Ptolemy glared at both Parmenion and his wife. He turned to the former. ‘Are you here to resolve matters or rake over the past?’

  ‘To see if I can reconcile you and Alexander, but that entails acknowledging your past errors of judgement and swearing never to repeat them.’

  ‘You don’t sound as if you’re trying to negotiate; you appear to be dictating terms.’

  Parmenion sighed and rubbed his hand over his eyes.

  ‘Forgive me, Ptolemy. I have ridden from Larissa to Pella and then to here without rest and with little food. I fear I am irritable and not in the best of humours. Can I suggest that we continue this discussion tomorrow?’

  ‘Yes, but first tell me what terms Alexander is offering. I can then think about what is acceptable and what is not overnight.’

  ‘He is willing to pardon you for your treachery provided you agree to retire to your estates and not to engage in politics again. The same applies to Queen Eurydice.’

  ‘Never! I demand to be restored to my rightful position as strategos and then I might think about it.’

  ‘Then I fear that there is little point in us meeting again tomorrow. Alexander bade me tell you that the terms are non-negotiable. Either you agree to become a private citizen and retire to your estates or he will besiege Alorus and have you executed as soon as the city falls; your choice.’

  -o0o-

  ‘What are we to do? I’m not yet ready for a military confrontation with your son but I’m not prepared to retire into obscurity either.’

  Ptolemy and Eurydice were alone in their chamber later that night.