1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 118: The Dust
Principality of Sirte, Jufra Region, City of Alagheh.

The city is located southwest of Jufra Oasis and northeast of Sabha Oasis. It is a trade hub connecting the port of Sirte and the city of Sabha. It was once one of the ruling centers of the Fezzan tribal kingdom in the Jufra region.

After the establishment of the Principality of Sirte, Alagheh, as one of the three major cities in the Jufra region, played an important role in governing the border and controlling the southwest.

There are rich mineral resources near the city of Alagai, with iron ore and copper mines widely distributed, mainly surface deposits that are easy to mine, with abundant reserves and output.

In addition, the widespread saline-alkali land in the suburbs of Alaghe provided a foundation for the booming saltpeter industry. Saltpeter fields sprang up like mushrooms after a rain and became one of the main export commodities of Alaghe.

Over the past five years, this city has attracted many northern merchants to invest with its unique resource advantages. The principality government has contracted some saltpeter fields and mineral deposits to wealthy families from Surt or Bilinchi, which has enabled them to gain profits while increasing production.

Various cheap ores were dug out by miners from the deep and dark mines, loaded onto carriages or carts, and supplied to the blacksmith workshops in the city. They were hammered into pig iron and copper ingots in the forges and sent to the firearms factories. Senior technicians from Italy and Hungary would further process the metal ingots into parts for muskets and cannons, and then deliver them for assembly.

Ores, saltpeter, and firearms would be transported north via the newly built roads, loaded onto ships at the port of Sirte, and sold to more distant Europe.

The only limiting condition that prevents the city of Alagai from continuing to develop is the environment. It has a subtropical desert climate with little rainfall throughout the year, dryness and heat, and residents rely entirely on oases and wells for water.

This mining city currently has more than 8,000 residents, four-fifths of whom are local Berbers and Bedouins, and one-fifth are foreign immigrants, mostly senior craftsmen and wealthy mine owners.

On the outskirts of Alage, an army lined up in the north, looking eagerly at the road extending to the north.

At the front of the team, Count Adnan rode a short burr horse with his family crest of the Desert Wolf embroidered on his horse's coat of arms.

Beside him, his vassals and retainers rode on both sides on horseback, with different expressions, some eager, some frightened, some calm, some uneasy.

They received the imperial edict and headed north from Sabha to Alagai, where they waited and prepared to be inspected by the emperor.

The ground shook, and at the end of the road in the distance, a bright flag appeared in the dust, coming closer and closer, looming.

Horse hooves trampled the ground, yellow sand filled the sky, and under the flags, groups of cavalry appeared in people's sight. They were wearing blood-red robes and holding high the emperor's double-headed eagle flag and the blood-stained eagle flag of the Slaves Legion.

Behind them, various flags fluttered in the wind. The men under the flags were rough and bold. They were obviously cavalrymen and camel riders from various tribes.

The cavalrymen were getting closer and closer, gradually increasing in speed, and charging straight towards Adnan's team.

The horses they were riding neighed uneasily. The vassals and retainers turned pale with fear and looked at Earl Adnan with suspicion in their eyes.

They knew very well that if the opposing cavalry group really charged towards them, they would be unable to fight back and would be defeated in an instant.

The cavalry galloped across the desert, causing a gust of wind. The blowing dust blew the young man's robe, and the bright purple cloak fluttered between the blue sky and the earth.

Count Adnan waved his hand to those around him, was the first to dismount, lowered his head, and stood aside respectfully.

At the front of the cavalry group, the young noble raised his right hand and slowed down his horse. The majestic Andalusian horse snorted and trotted all the way to Count Adnan.

"My Lord, the great victory of Constantinople has spread throughout the world. Your bravery and wisdom will be praised by everyone and will be immortal forever."

Isaac did not answer, but gently stroked his mount's mane.

Adnan took the reins and led Isaac towards the welcoming crowd.

"Long live my emperor!"

The crowd knelt down and chanted newly learned slogans in broken Greek.

"No gift."

Isaac replied in Arabic.

The nobles then stood up and looked at the young emperor carefully.

Under the dark purple cloak is a silver-white armor with a double-headed eagle carved in gold. His regular facial features and pale skin show his noble birth. There is a half scrutiny in his brown eyes, and a crown stands proudly on his brown-black curly hair.

He sat upright on his horse, basking in the glow of the scorching sun, like a god in the sky, making it impossible to look directly at him.

"Adnan, are these your vassals and subordinates?"

"Yes."

"They were all Roman people, servants of the emperor, and followers of Jesus Christ."

Adnan said.

"In this case, you should be rewarded."

Isaac waved his hand, and immediately his personal soldiers brought forward several large boxes.

When the box was opened, various exquisite gold and silver ornaments were revealed, sparkling brightly under the sunlight.

Earrings, bracelets, rings, necklaces...

"This is a gift from the Queen, for your wives."

Then, the soldiers carried out a dozen wooden boxes, each of which contained a finely carved sword with the coat of arms of the Palaiologos family engraved on it.

"This is my gift to my warriors."

The soldiers distributed swords and gold and silver ornaments to every nobleman. These tribal leaders from the desert looked at the glittering ornaments and the exquisite swords and marveled at them.

It's not that they haven't seen gold and swords before, but in the desert, such exquisite works of art are indeed scarce.

"Long live my emperor!"

This time, the voice was louder, and the slight perfunctory and doubtful tone disappeared.

"I heard that before this, some people intended to rebel and tried to coerce Earl Adnan."

Isaac spoke slowly, but it shocked all the nobles present.

"Fortunately, the rebels were promptly destroyed by Count Adnan, and their plan was aborted."

"I believe that everyone present here is a loyal citizen of the empire and a devout believer in Jesus. You must not have participated in this turmoil."

Isaac looked around the crowd, his eyes wandering over the faces of each noble person. Wherever he looked, many people lowered their heads with red faces.

"Everything in the past is a prologue."

"The matter has passed. Earl Adnan handled it very well. I don't want to dwell on it any further."

"As for how to proceed in the future, I believe you should be clear about it."

The nobles hurriedly and loudly swore their loyalty to Rome and the emperor, vying with each other and showing extraordinary enthusiasm.

Then, the archon, tribune and judge of Alagai went out of the city to welcome the arrival of His Majesty the Emperor. The army camped outside the city. Isaac took Adnan into the city lord's palace, and the nobles traveled around under the arrangement of the archon.

“Try this, good stuff from Oman.”

Isaac ordered people to grind the coffee beans and brew them. Soon, two cups of steaming coffee were placed on the table in the study.

Coffee is a good thing. Isaac has sent the Colonial Secretary, Earl William, to select suitable places in Africa for trial planting. If successful, it will be another highly profitable industry.

"Plant-based drinks? I haven't tried them in a long time."

Adnan sniffed the aroma of the coffee skillfully, a hint of nostalgia flashing in his eyes.

“I tried it a few times when I was studying abroad in Baghdad.”

Seeing that Isaac was a little surprised, Adnan explained.

“It’s a great city.”

"That's true, but unfortunately, I didn't get to see her at her most beautiful and prosperous."

In 1258, the Mongolian army captured Baghdad and destroyed the ancient city.

“What is the situation in Sabha now?”

The two were silent for a moment, and Isaac broke the deadlock. "Some residents who were unwilling to convert fled to the desert further away. Rebellion is still common. The Bedouin merchants in the south are suspicious of us, and the number of camel caravans coming and going has decreased significantly."

"With your ability, it won't be difficult to restore it."

"It is inseparable from your Majesty's guidance and help."

Isaac looked into Adnan's eyes. They were all smart people and there was no need to explain too clearly.

"Adnan listens."

"At your command!"

"Kneel down."

Isaac drew the sword from his waist and pointed the tip of the sword at the ground.

Adnan knelt on one knee and allowed Isaac to place the sword on his shoulder.

"Because of your merits, I hereby confer upon you the title of Marquis of Sabha, and grant you the vast territory from Sabha to Ugu."

"In return, you will pay taxes in your spare time and follow me into battle in times of war."

"Never betray!"

The ceremony was completed, Isaac took back the sword, and Adnan stood up, quietly waiting for Isaac's next words.

With such a huge benefit being given up, there must be additional conditions.

"To ensure the safety of the trans-Saharan trade route, a Slaves team of 1,000 will be stationed around the city of Sabha. You need to allocate oases and water sources to them."

"That's no problem. After the fall of Feizan, a lot of places have been vacated and no one has occupied them yet."

Marquis Adnan agreed.

"To ensure that the Gospel of Christ is spread widely throughout this land, the Order of Saint Simon needs several castles in which to establish chapters."

"It's impossible."

"To ensure the normal operation of the Trans-Sahara trade route, I need to form a large camel caravan of our own. The Cyrenaica United Chamber of Commerce is responsible for this. I hope you can connect with them."

Adnan nodded.

Isaac thought for a moment.

"I heard that you studied law in Baghdad?"

"Yes."

Adnan was a little confused.

"I am planning to reorganize the central administrative organs, and I hope you can serve as the chief justice of the kingdom."

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere began to become tense again.

For Adnan, this is a very difficult choice.

If he accepts the appointment, he will become a hot figure in the entire royal government, his power will be greatly enhanced, and there will be too many additional benefits.

However, this would put him under the constant surveillance of the emperor and far away from his own territory, and this feeling of uneasiness would be fatal.

If he refused to accept it, it would be clear that he wanted to split the country and establish his own regime. Although it would not cause any problems for the time being, in the long run, he would definitely suffer crazy attacks from the emperor, both overt and covert.

Adnan had a relatively clear idea of ​​what his own emperor was like.

The final result was that he was forced to rebel, and then died in hatred under the emperor's blockade and siege.

"are you willing?"

"It's my pleasure."

Adnan sighed helplessly in his heart and forced a smile.

……

In July 1453, Isaac led his army back to the North African continent, landed in the city of Misrata, and met his beloved wife, young son, and Slavice soldiers.

Justinian was almost two years old and could already stumble along the ground and sometimes utter a few simple words.

Leonor and Isaac hadn't seen each other for two years, and the short separation made them feel like a new marriage, so they naturally talked about their feelings on the wedding night.

The news of the victory in the Battle of Constantinople had spread throughout the known world. The soldiers fighting outside the city of Misrata warmly welcomed Isaac and his victorious comrades, and cheers and shouts resounded throughout the sky.

Seeing Isaac leading his army back, the Hafsid army that had been staying in the city of Melfa knew that they were no match for him, so they looted the city and headed west with the stolen gold, silver and slaves.

In the war against the Hafsid dynasty, Hamza, the former Count of Malfa, was forced to change his faith back to Sunni Islam under the pressure of military power and after obtaining the guarantee of the Ulema, he surrendered to the Hafsid dynasty and abandoned his second son who was held as a hostage in Birinci.

When the Hafsid dynasty left the city of Malfa, they ordered Hamza to gather the army to resist the possible counterattack of the Christians and continue their futile struggle.

Hamza's repeated conversions and the withdrawal of the Hafsid dynasty caused him to completely lose the support of all classes. He was tied to Isaac's feet by the merchants in the city and was executed.

On July 7, the city of Melfa, which had few people left, opened the city and surrendered. Isaac incorporated it into the Misrata region as a directly-administered area, with officials sent by the central government.

After resolving the issues in the west, Isaac asked Leonor and Justinian to take the soldiers withdrawn from Constantinople back to Birinci for rest and recuperation, while he himself led the Slaves Legion and the various tribal forces that had responded to the call to patrol the territory in the south, crack down on the restless tribal shekhs, and strengthen control over the directly affiliated territories.

In addition, another important purpose of Isaac's journey south was the trans-Sahara trade route that passed through the city of Sabha.

This trade route originally started from Tunis, went south through Tripoli, and continued south from Melfa into the Sahara Desert to Lake Chad in north-central Africa.

While the form of the Fezzan tribal kingdom remained unchanged, the Hafsid dynasty, as the upstream trading route, reaped huge profits from this trade route every year, and several large camel caravans were specifically responsible for trade in the Sahara Desert.

After Isaac occupied the areas of Sirte and Jufra, the trade profits here began to decrease due to the impact of war, but they were still considerable.

What he had to do now was to turn this huge trade route into his own use, causing Tunisia's finances to begin to shrink significantly, thereby indirectly weakening the military power of the Hafsid dynasty.

In addition to land taxes, the Hafsid dynasty had two main sources of finance, namely, the Central Mediterranean trade with European countries and the trans-Sahara trade with Central African countries.

As early as several years ago, Isaac had already begun to make plans to annihilate all the naval forces of the Hafsid Dynasty, occupy the Kerkennah Islands, bring in the forces of the Knights of Saint Simon and Christian pirates, constantly attack merchant ships, often loot coastal villages, and block the Hafsid Dynasty's maritime trade.

This time, Isaac made a series of arrangements to cut off the Hafsid dynasty's land-based financial sources.

The Hafsid Dynasty, which had lost its trade profits, was nothing more than a large agricultural and pastoral country, even though it still occupied important cities such as Tunis and Sfax.

Moreover, a sharp drop in fiscal revenue will bring about a series of serious consequences. Whether it is disarmament, reduction of administrative agencies or land reform, it will cause instability in the country.

At this time, Isaac's opportunity came.

On July 1453, 7, Isaac, who had just finished his tour, led his army back to Bilinch, holding his chest high to accept the crazy praise and admiration from the people in the capital of the kingdom.

During the years that Isaac was away, Bilinchi had been developing step by step, gradually recovering from the low point caused by the mass exodus of local residents, returning to the world stage, and gaining the status she deserved, or even more.

On that day, a grand carnival was held in the city of Bilinchi. The parade lasted from morning to evening, and the crowd was like a sea of ​​joy, one wave after another.

Isaac and Leonor awarded medals, land and gold coins to soldiers who had made meritorious contributions.

In this war, Mikhail, who was in charge of the overall situation in North Africa, was awarded the title of Marquis for his meritorious service, Corps Commander Ibrahim was awarded the title of Earl, and all the others were rewarded.

That night, Isaac finally returned to the Black Castle after an absence of more than two years. He fell on the soft big bed, but the sleepiness that should have come over him was slow to come.

The Battle of Constantinople was over, and I turned into a butterfly, flapping my wings, making the world unrecognizable and no longer familiar.

The revolution has not yet succeeded and the challenges remain severe.

No matter what, he will continue to flap his wings and stir up the dust.

(End of this chapter)