Separatists Hold Ulor's Advisor for Ransom in Helmarie Province, Ulor Dismisses Army Officers

Date:
Oron 15, Salgan 5, Adonsik 40, Vylor Cledman VI
(15th Day of the 5th Month, 40th year of the reign of Emperor Cledman VI)

Separatist rebels from one of the Trond tribes captured Gurok, the advisor to Ulor Esinie of Salan Helmarie and held the advisor for ransom. Ironically, Gurok was captured while delivering a 15,000 baylo ransom for a lower ranking provincial employee who was also being held for ransom. The lower ranking employee had been sent to spy on Trond separatists, but was instead captured by them.

Ulor Esinie has declared an emergency and used his emergency powers to call out all five phalanxes of the Imperial Army garrison in Helmarie province. The troops searched the whole province for the missing advisor with no luck. Ulor Esinie has also taken the extremely unusual and legally questionable step of removing from office all the senior officers of the garrison for incompetence and corruption. Appointment and removal of Imperial Army officers is normally done by senior army officers, the Lord Chancellor or the Emperor, not by the Ulor of a province.

Ulor Esinie alleges that while the garrison commanders reported their units as being at nearly full strength (1,000 men for each of the five phalanxes) when they were called upon to assemble for inspection, all five phalanxes could only muster a little over 3,000 men instead of the 5,000 they claimed to have. Ulor Esinie alleged that the commanders had been fraudulently pocketing the pay for nearly 2,000 soldiers who didn't exist.

It has been subsequently reported that the army was unable to locate the advisor, Gurok and the Ulor had to pay an additional ransom of 10,000 baylo to secure his release. The separatists have not been captured and got away with 25,000 baylo, a vast fortune.

Gurikan Falan (Captain General) Trenyva at the Imperial Army fortress at Trayavix, who has command over the garrison in Helmarie objected strongly and called upon the Emperor to remove Ulor Esinie from his post for interfering in internal army matters. Captain General Trenyva has already issued orders to reinstate the dismissed officers, but this order has been countermanded by the Lord Chancellor.

Lord Chancellor Rubanya Cledman praised Ulor Esinie's actions as necessary to cope with the emergency and also an example the army should follow for how to put a stop to rampant corruption. The Lord Chancellor accused the Imperial Army officer corps of routinely pocketing vast amounts of money for "ghost soldiers" who don't really exist and used the opportunity to again call for creation of an ombudsman and a staff of inspectors, funded by the proposed dog tax, to root out corruption.

Field Marshall Krulmuk, commander of the Imperial Army, said that not only did a majority of the Imperial Council disapprove of Esinie's actions, but that Krulmuk had already bypassed the Imperial Council and directly urged the Emperor to dismiss Esinie as Ulor of Helmarie Province.


Here is more information on the Stavuk Vyloresh (Imperial Council)
http://nationsandempires1.blogspot.com/2006/11/imperial-council.html

Here is more information on Helmarie province:
http://nationsandempires2.blogspot.com/2006/11/salan-helmarie.html