1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 104 Besieged on all sides
Black Castle, Bilinchi, the capital of the Kingdom of Cyrenaica.

For unknown reasons, the weather in the year 1453 when the Lord became flesh was exceptionally cold, and the sky was always gloomy and gray, like a gray and black curtain that blocked out the glory of God.

In the garden, Prince Justinian, who was almost two years old, walked unsteadily on the ground, stumbling as he ran towards his mother.

Queen Leonor picked up her son and smiled.

Since the siege of Constantinople, Leonor and Justinian have served as regents, presiding over the military and political affairs of the North African territories.

After Queen Leonor truly began to exercise her power as queen and took control of the political situation in Cyrenaica and Soult, she discovered that this position was not easy to hold.

The endless troubles and disputes, the open and covert struggles in the court, and the vague contempt and hostility made Leonor, who had just turned 19, a little exhausted.

In the first few months after Isaac left, thanks to the efforts of several regents, the affairs of the territory ran basically normally without any mistakes.

However, the city of Constantinople was soon surrounded by the Ottoman army, and communication between the two sides became less and less until it was completely cut off.

On Easter Day in 1453, the last ship from the north arrived at the port of Birinci and conveyed the situation in Constantinople to Cyrenaica. Queen Leonor, like the other soldiers' wives, received a letter from her husband.

From then on, there was no more communication between Birinci and Constantinople, and the only news came from Latin merchant ships that were allowed to sail freely on the Sea of ​​Marmara.

Merchants from Latin countries took advantage of the Ottoman army's assembly to provide them with military supplies and provisions, and took the opportunity to make a profit.

Looking at their flushed faces, Leonor felt extremely disgusted with the businessmen for the first time.

In their words, the Ottoman army was assisted by God, with unparalleled cannons. The defenders of Constantinople were drastically reduced in numbers and morale was low, and it seemed that the city was about to be captured.

Leonor was of course aware of her husband's ability and knew that the situation was not that bad, but she still couldn't help feeling anxious.

The Battle of Constantinople had been going on for a long time since the construction of the Cutthroat Fortress, but the situation had not developed in a good direction.

The Western European Crusades, which were originally regarded as a great hope by everyone, failed to be organized. The various countries were indifferent to the Pope's call and were unwilling to lend a helping hand to Constantinople.

Several kings and dukes in Europe were busy fighting for hegemony and were unwilling to waste their national strength on Constantinople. Without their leadership, the other monarchs were also powerless.

Leonor once wrote to her brother and uncle, hoping that they would send troops to support Constantinople, but she did not get the answer she wanted.

The two men's replies were surprisingly consistent, expressing pessimism about the future of Constantinople and advising Leonor to make plans early.

In the letter, they said that they were unable to support Constantinople for various reasons, but if necessary, they could send troops to help Leonor stabilize the situation in Cyrenaica and protect the descendants of the Avis dynasty.

Make plans early?

The fate of Isaac and Constantine is uncertain, so are they both starting to prepare to fight for the inheritance?

The smart Leonor of course knew what they were thinking and directly rejected their kindness.

Since she came to power, she has increasingly felt how hard the territory was to come by. Every inch of Cyrenaica and Surt carries Isaac's nearly ten years of hard work and is soaked in the blood of countless soldiers.

Ten years ago, he had nothing, and his country was on the verge of collapse.

In ten years, he started from scratch and created a piece of land for the Romans to thrive and multiply.

Ten years later, he crossed the sea with a sword and fought against powerful enemies.

Leonor held the scepter in her hand and suddenly felt it was as heavy as a mountain.

As a noble princess, she is able to gain insight into worldly affairs at aristocratic banquets, to subtly cultivate a close relationship with her husband through communication with other noble ladies, and to soothe and calm troubled people's hearts.

However, she does not possess the ability to manage a large territory and can never replace Isaac in keeping the territory running.

The situation in the territory was now unprecedentedly critical. She was a little at a loss for a moment, and coupled with pressure from all sides, she was restless for several days.

"Well, Justinian, we are going to meet with your father's ministers."

Leonor calmed down, forced a smile, and took Justinian's hand while he was watching ants on the grass.

Leonor held Justinian's hand, and the mother and son walked into the meeting hall of the Black Castle together and sat on the throne.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness Justinian and Queen Leonor."

Prime Minister Isult led the ministers to salute the two and then began to report on their work.

Leonor noticed that Trade Minister Andre seemed to be missing from the crowd, and her eyes moved around, as if she was thinking about something.

"Just last night, we received a request for help from the Knight of Conti. The Governorate of Saint Simon is under attack by the Hafs Dynasty."

"Yahya is incapable of launching a large-scale landing operation and keeps sending small groups of troops to harass the archipelago, tying up our ships and troops on the front battlefield."

"The Nasirlan of Tripoli still prevents the central Hafsid army from entering the city, but allows them to use the roads south of Tripoli, thus directly threatening the greater Misrata region."

"Due to his previous extraordinary actions, Count Hamza of Malfa has been excommunicated by the Sunni Ulema and is now under siege by the Hafsid army. He sent us a third letter asking for help last night."

Leonor nodded and looked at Military Minister Mikhail.

"Count, how do you think we should respond?"

"Your Majesty, due to Tripoli's double-dealing, the city of Melfa must be rescued. If we lose this city, Misrata and even Surt may be plundered by Hafs's cavalry. We cannot afford this consequence."

Mikhail stepped forward and spoke in a loud voice.

"Where are the sources of troops?"

"Before he left, His Majesty ordered the Dobruja people to form a legion of 800 men. You can summon Guhes and order him to lead the troops to aid Melefa and resolve the urgent situation first."

"Besides, it is time for you to summon the subordinate tribes and the Slaves Legion. These people only obey His Majesty the Emperor. You must obtain their service and ensure their loyalty before the situation becomes more critical."

"I will."

Queen Leonor pursed her lips and tried to straighten her back.

"Prime Minister, go on, what are the moves of the Mamluk dynasty?"

"The situation in the east is not optimistic either. The Mamluk dynasty is approaching the Tobruk Military District and confronting our garrison troops at the Tobruk Fortress Group, but it has not launched a large-scale attack."

"I suspect that they are likely to give up this tough nut to crack for the time being and turn to other means to tie up our forces."

Isurt closed the document, his eyes filled with worry.

"Other ways? Like?"

"For example, they spread rumors that Constantinople had fallen and that Emperor Isaac had died in battle, stirring up public sentiment."

"At the same time, they may also take advantage of our lack of military strength to seize the island of Cyprus."

Leonor stroked her forehead and spoke slowly.

"What is the current situation of the subordinate tribes and local chiefs in various places?"

"The Emperor still has some power, so they haven't shown any abnormalities for now. But as time goes by, if we don't receive any information from Constantinople for a long time, it's hard to say whether they will still be loyal to the kingdom."

During the years of conquering North Africa, Isurt had seen the tribesmen surrender and rebel again, and rebel and surrender again, and had a deep understanding of the character of this group of people.

The barbarians fear power but not virtue. Over the years, they have been defeated by Isaac many times. Most of those who dared to resist have been buried, and the rest did not dare to challenge him at all, so they submitted to him.

If Isaac had been able to stay in Cyrenaica and Surt and maintain his power, these tribal forces would never have had the heart to rebel.

If this kind of power can be maintained for a dozen years, their awe of Isaac will gradually be transferred to his descendants and the Palaiologos family, so that they can gain a group of die-hard supporters and pass on the legacy to their descendants.

In fact, Isaac has been working towards this goal all along.

Since the siege of Constantinople, all the best soldiers and generals have been withdrawn, and the Muslim forces in the East and the West have jointly launched an attack on the kingdom. The large army is approaching, which has greatly increased the pressure on defense.

Mikhail had to transfer his main forces to the border to deal with possible large-scale attacks by Muslims, and the military forces in the interior would inevitably be relatively scarce, which was exactly what the Mamluks and Hafsid dynasties wanted.

After nearly seven years of assimilation and migration, there are basically no tribal forces left in the core areas of the Grand Duchy of Soult and the Kingdom of Cyrenaica. The remaining large tribes were driven to the oases on the border to serve as outer barriers to the core areas.

If they take advantage of the opportunity to launch an attack, the core areas of the territory will face a direct attack, and the central government will not have many troops available to suppress the rebellion.

Leonor and the ministers all knew that loyalty could not stand the test, and the best way to ensure loyalty was to never give them the opportunity to rebel.

But now, the predicament of Constantinople and the relentless pressure from Muslim forces have brought a great opportunity to them.

"Our top priority is to get in touch with Constantinople as soon as possible to calm the frightened hearts of the soldiers and civilians." Prime Minister Isurte ended his speech and waited for Leonor's decision.

Leonor was a little confused for a moment, not knowing what would happen next.

It turned out that the one who kept the entire territory running smoothly was not the ministers, nor the army, nor her, but their emperor.

Having lost Isaac's territory, it was like losing one's soul, and one stumbled forward simply by inertia.

Suddenly, she felt a cool touch on her hand. Leonor looked down and saw little Justinian tilting his head, staring at his mother intently, with a hint of concern in his eyes.

Leonor smiled at Justinian, took a deep breath, and stood up.

"Send my order to summon all vassals, subordinate tribes, and the Slaves Legion, and ask them to go to the Black Castle and report to the Regent Justinian."

"Order Colonial Secretary William to quickly send a new batch of profits to Billinge to be used as military funds."

"Order the militias and city guards in various places to recuperate and prepare for battle."

"That's it. Prime Minister Isurt and Military Minister Mikhail will stay."

Leonor looked a little tired and waved to the ministers.

After everyone left, only the mother and son and two regents were left in the palace, and it felt a bit deserted for a while.

"Prime Minister, where is Butler Andre?"

The Prime Minister turned his head slightly and looked at the Military Minister Mikhail, obviously anticipating possible questions.

"Your Majesty, there is a problem with our trade in the Western Mediterranean. Steward Andre is going to handle it."

Leonor frowned, her blue eyes fixed on Iseult.

She hadn't received any information about this matter.

"Why didn't Butler Andre inform me?"

"Her Majesty the Queen is very busy, so the three of us can discuss this matter together."

Iseult raised her head generously and met Leonor's gaze without any concern.

“Something’s wrong with Portugal?”

Isurt agreed.

"Some nobles in the Kingdom of Portugal are trying to win over our trading company, trying to take advantage of our inability to get our hands on it."

"Furthermore, some Portuguese captains are not satisfied with the remuneration we have agreed on before and are demanding a salary increase, otherwise they will stop protecting the trade routes."

Leonor gently folded her hands, closed her eyes tiredly, and her nostrils trembled slightly.

"Does my brother know about these things?"

"That is unknown."

"I see."

Leonor nodded and motioned for the two to leave.

When they reached the door, Leonor called them again.

"From the moment I got married, I was no longer the eldest princess of the Kingdom of Portugal, but the empress of the Roman Empire, the mother of the Roman prince, and your mistress."

Isurte turned his head and saw that Leonor's eyes suddenly became sharp.

"There is no more chance."

“We always believe that you will make the right choice.”

Isurte and Mikhail bowed and left. In the empty palace, little Justinian stood on tiptoe and clumsily wiped his mother's wet eyes.

……

North of Constantinople, in the southern part of the Golden Horn, at the port of Prosfilion, a large transport fleet is setting sail.

On the Archon, Isaac was wearing armor and holding a sword, with a solemn expression, letting the sea breeze from the north blow his purple cloak into a flutter.

Next to him, the already small deck was filled with soldiers who had crossed the sea to join the war.

The situation was critical. Isaac ordered all the soldiers to gather at the port, fill up all the available ships, and make sure to send the troops to the northern city of Galata in the shortest time possible.

Looking to the north, thick smoke began to rise from the city of Galata. The sound of Ottoman artillery came from both the west and the north. The citizens of Constantinople were in panic, but they could do nothing but go to churches and pray for God's salvation.

In the city of Galata, Genoa's flag of St. George with a red cross on a white background was still flying high in the black smoke, declaring the final sovereignty.

More than 10,000 troops led by Zagan Pasha have begun to attack the north gate of Galata and are engaged in a bloody battle with the city guards led by the mayor of Leinster.

On the sea surface to the east, another fleet was on full alert, blocking the entrance to the Golden Horn and preventing the Ottoman fleet from entering the last port of the Eastern Roman Empire.

Thousands of ships are racing against each other, dozens of double-headed eagle flags are flying in the Golden Horn, and there are dozens of soldiers under each flag.

"Are you scared?"

Isaac asked several Armenian soldiers nearby in unfamiliar Armenian.

After wearing the crown of Armenia, Isaac took time out to learn Armenian from a priest of the Apostolic Church in order to win more support from Armenians, and now his skills came in handy.

The Armenian soldiers were all very young and had shy smiles on their faces.

"I heard from the brothers of the First Guards that you have never been defeated in battle."

A brave soldier said.

"What's so scary about following you?"

Looking at the young soldier's innocent smile, Isaac felt mixed emotions and patted him on the shoulder.

"Where do you live?"

"Derna City."

"miss home?"

They were silent for a while and then nodded.

"think."

"I will take you home."

"After this holy war is over, I will let you return to Derna with all your glory, to receive the embrace of your family, the blessing of the priest, and the flowers of the girls."

"I will take you home, whether it is Derna, or Cilicia and the Caucasus."

“One day, the Armenian Cross will fly again in Yerevan.”

"Before that, you have to trust me."

Isaac looked at the soldiers and the Armenian crosses painted on their bodies with bright eyes, looking at their excited expressions.

On April 1453, 4, Zagan Pasha instigated civil unrest in Galata City, trying to take the opportunity to capture it and march into the Golden Horn.

After a hard battle, the Galata guards began to retreat, the north gate was breached, and their situation was precarious.

At the same time, Isaac led the Fifth Legion of the Guards, the Second Legion of the Purple Guards and part of the militia to cross the Golden Horn against the north wind and successfully landed on the south bank of Galata.

So, on this small piece of land, the crescent flag of the Ottoman Empire and the double-headed eagle flag of the Eastern Roman Empire, one from the north and one from the south, advanced rapidly towards the city.

Head-on collision.

(End of this chapter)