Read Online The Pillars of Hercules by David Constantine - Free Book Online Page B

Philip had alloted his son went as far as possible. But once Alexander had defeated the Great King’s army and stormed into the Persian heartland, Harpalus’ task became order-of-magnitude more complex. Now he oversaw a vast mobile bureaucracy dedicated to processing the revenue of the richest Athenian province and virtually all the Persian satrapies—not to mention moving the Persian gold reserves out of Babylonia and back to… wherever Philip and Alexander decided. They were arguing about it. They were arguing about everything. Which was why Alexander had been recalled to Pella, the Macedonian capital—summoned to attend upon his father with all the speed he could muster. In response, Alexander had divided his army, leaving part of it in Egypt under Craterus, while the rest of it returned to Macedonia.
    Though it would take some weeks to get there. Alexander and his entourage were well out in front of it now—they’d made camp at Tyre last night and were due to move out this morning. To the dismay of some of his advisers, Alexander was following his father’s instructions to the letter—he was making utmost speed, and if that meant letting the army play catch up, so be it.
    “It’s a mistake,” said Eumenes.
    “Of course,” replied Harpalus. “Tyre would have paid tribute without him needing to storm it. When I think of all the men we lost—”
    “I’m not talking about Tyre,” said Eumenes. “I’m talking about Alexander’s… compulsion to go and face his father directly. Without the army.”
    Harpalus nodded. “My sources back in Macedonia tell me that Philip wasn’t expecting that. That he was worried he’d be facing civil war. I’m almost surprised he’s not getting one. His son’s forces outnumber his by almost two to one.”
    Eumenes shrugged. “Philip controls the crossing to Europe.”
    “You think that would stop Alexander?” asked Harpalus.
    “No. If he had to, he’d just march around the entire Black Sea. But the only winners from a civil war right now would be the Athenians, and Alexander knows it.”
    “So he’s putting his head straight into the lion’s den.”
    “And taking quite a risk.” Eumenes’ tone was somber. “Can you imagine how angry Philip must be by this point? His son strikes Egypt without sanction—”
    “—and succeeds—”
    “—and no matter what the sycophants around Alexander say, that’ll have made the old man even angrier. Philip’s an invalid, trapped in his palace back at Pella, dreaming of his past glory. He was the one who started the war with Persia—and now he’s had to watch his son conquer the entire empire—”
    “Which no one ever expected—”
    “No one except him! Zeus almighty, it’s crazy to look back on it all. You remember; everyone figured a best case scenario was liberating the Greek towns of Asia Minor, maybe even set up a defensive line in Anatolia. And then next thing, we’re sacking Babylon! We’ve reached Afghanistan! And Alexander’s still not satisfied! He wants to continue! Whereupon his father says come back, we need to have a little chat! So he turns around, but does he return? No, he hits Egypt instead and ignites a war with the queen of the seas. And so…”
    “Here we are,” said Harpalus.
    “Here we are,” repeated Eumenes, his agitation draining as quickly as it had filled him. He looked out across the battlements at the tide lapping against the beach. Now that dawn was starting to light the ocean, he could see the tops of masts and siege-engines protruding above the water’s surface—victims of the withering fire that had poured down from the city’s walls during the final assault. Eumenes looked back at Harpalus. “So what did you want to talk about?”
    “You know what.”
    “If Alexander found us meeting like this, he’d say it was a conspiracy.”
    “He thinks everything is these days. He’s convinced that there’s a spy among his inner council.”
    Harpalus’ eyes widened. “A