1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 125 Spartan Heavy Artillery

Negroponte, Chalcis port.

Gabriele Foscari and his personal soldiers were inspecting the defense of the port area.

As early as the Crusades, in order to prevent enemies on the Attica Peninsula from crossing the narrow Eurips Strait and posing a direct threat to the political center of Euboea, the lords here began to gradually build a defense system for the Port of Chalcis, committed to turning it into a large commercial port with a strong military flavor.

The military port, commercial port and fishing port are separated from each other, with lookout towers and towers staring at the sea, and crossbows and cannons aimed at the shore.

There were granaries half hidden underground, three-layer earth and stone walls, armories filled with all kinds of military supplies, and endless military camps and sailor barracks.

"Your Excellency, Governor, we have stored enough food to last for half a year, we have sufficient weapons, our artillery is in good condition, and our soldiers are highly motivated."

The harbormaster followed Garibuele, looking attentive and chattering on about his own achievements.

Garibuele glanced at him.

"We have deployed three mercenaries and two militia groups near the port, totaling more than 1,800 people. They are all our direct subordinates, and their loyalty is absolutely guaranteed."

"The Greek emperor across from us is an expert at using fire attacks. We must be extremely careful and take fire prevention measures. We cannot be careless at all!"

Garibuele issued a stern warning.

"The port of Coroni has already fallen, and the port of Modon will probably be captured soon. The Greek emperor will definitely be targeting us next."

From the moment the first cannonball from the Eastern Roman Empire hit the walls of the port of Coroni, the Republic of Venice and the Eastern Roman Empire were already at war.

"Don't worry, we will pay close attention and patrol day and night."

The Harbor Master hastened to give assurances.

"Which general is in charge of the port area's military affairs now?"

"Patrick Nanney."

"Nanni?"

"He is the descendant of that Gattameghata."

Gabriel nodded, his expression softening a little.

After the 15th century, various mercenary groups began to dominate Italian wars, and famous mercenary generals emerged in large numbers.

As one of the overlords of northern Italy, the Republic of Venice made extensive use of mercenaries in wars. In order to make the command system more convenient and efficient, the Senate would often appoint an experienced mercenary leader as marshal to oversee the battle situation.

Erasmus Nanni, nicknamed Gattamegata, is one of the more famous ones. He was the former mercenary marshal of the Republic of Venice.

Unlike his predecessors and successors, he, nicknamed "The Fox", was known for his maturity and steadiness, his dull personality, his loyalty to Venice and his loyalty to the cause.

This was very rare in Italy at the time.

"Are the country's military affairs still led by Colleoni?"

"Yes, and he is the only one who can deal with Sforza on the battlefield."

The Harbor Master said.

"But I don't like him."

"Almost everyone, like you, prefers the late Lord Gattameghata."

Gabriel snorted.

"In my opinion, these mercenary leaders are the most restless factors in northern Italy. They crave war, oppose peace, have a special liking for chaos and violence, and would like to usurp the throne whenever they have the chance."

"Old Visconti, Sforza, Colleoni, and even Marshal Carmagnola, who was beheaded for treason, are all birds of a feather."

The harbormaster wisely kept his mouth shut. He didn't dare to interfere in the affairs of these big shots.

After complaining to himself for a while, Gabriele waved his hand disinterestedly, ending this dangerous topic.

"By the way, what about the Catalan mercenary group from Aegina?"

"Don't worry, we have placed them outside the port area, away from important facilities such as the military port, granary and armory. The captain Antonello has cooperated with our arrangement very well and sworn to never reconcile with the Greek emperor."

"I also gave him the command of the remnants of the Navarre Mercenary Group that followed the Duke of Athens to seek refuge."

"Very good. After all, they are outsiders and cannot be easily trusted."

Gabriel nodded with satisfaction.

……

"Captain, the secret letter from His Majesty just arrived this morning."

In a basement in the Catalan Mercenary Corps' base in the south of Chalcis Port, Captain Nathan handed Alberto a roll of folded parchment.

Obviously, the Venetian authorities were very cautious. All important defense areas were guarded by their own people. Foreign mercenary groups like the Catalan Mercenaries were excluded and assigned to various places on the island.

Everyone estimated that if the Venetians had not been short of troops, they would not have resorted to such a desperate measure.

Alberto unfolded the parchment and read ten lines at a glance.

After reading the letter, Alberto burned the parchment in the candle flame and opened the map of Euboea.

"how?"

"Yesterday evening, Modong Port was breached and the local garrison surrendered to Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty has moved the army to the eastern coast of Attica overnight, preparing to cross the sea and attack the city."

When talking about the progress of the war, a smile finally appeared on Alberto's weathered face.

As important commercial ports of the Republic of Venice on the Morea Peninsula, the defense systems of Modon and Koroni were not bad. Despite the severe shortage of local garrisons, they were still able to hold out for more than a month under the attack of the Eastern Roman army.

If it were not for the Italian War, the Eastern Roman Empire would probably have found it difficult to quickly capture these two ports, let alone the well-defended Negroponte.

"What does your majesty want us to do?"

Lupo asked eagerly.

"His Majesty said that he would set up artillery positions west of Chalcis, across the Eurips Strait, to bombard the port and disrupt the enemy."

"Governor Garibile is a very capable man. The defense of Chalcis is absolutely impervious. If we storm it, there will be heavy casualties."

"Using this method, we force the enemy to take countermeasures, thereby finding gaps in their defense and creating opportunities for us to strike."

Alberto told the two of them the news in the letter truthfully.

"That is to say, His Majesty has not made any arrangements for our actions?"

Nathan asked.

Alberto nodded.

"Your Majesty doesn't seem to be placing all his hopes on us. Even without our help, he must have other plans."

After the words were spoken, the three of them fell silent, exchanging glances cautiously. "Then we..."

“We have to do the best we can.”

Alberto's eyes flickered.

"Although His Majesty did not say it explicitly, the benefits we gain after the war are definitely linked to the contributions we made in this war."

"If we can achieve great merit in this war, we will not only receive the reward His Majesty promised us, but there will definitely be other benefits as well."

"Everyone knows that your Majesty is not a stingy nobleman, but a generous monarch who rewards meritorious service without asking for anything else."

"on the contrary……"

Alberto stopped and stared at the two people opposite him.

The flickering candlelight made their eyes appear red.

They were all smart people and certainly understood what Alberto meant.

On the contrary, if they do nothing or make very little contribution, His Majesty will certainly be extremely disappointed, and the status of the entire Catalan Mercenary Corps will decline in his heart.

Even if the emperor temporarily agreed to the previous agreement and gave them Aegina Island as their base, he would definitely use some shady tricks overtly or covertly, or even directly wipe them out.

"We can't turn back. We must fight this battle well and show our effectiveness!"

Alberto squeezed out these words from between his teeth.

"Captain, Governor Gabriele doesn't trust us at all. We can't get close to strategic locations such as military ports and granaries. How can we cooperate with His Majesty's offensive?"

Lupo asked.

"Lupo, you should stay in the port area with a few good men as usual and observe the situation secretly."

"Nathan, go to the southern part of Negroponte, find this merchant according to this address, take my handwritten letter, and buy all the items in the letter."

Alberto took out a sweat-stained letter from his pocket, which was obviously prepared long ago.

"When we were still in Athens, he was our business partner. He specialized in smuggling trade and had many connections."

"Remember, after you get the stuff, find a way to shut him up and don't leave him alive."

Nathan took the letter and nodded heavily.

"What do you do?"

"As for me, I will continue to contact the middle and lower-level mercenaries and undermine our dear Captain Anthony Lo."

"I will also make corresponding arrangements for the Navarra Mercenary Group, so you don't have to worry."

……

Boom——Long——

A stone bullet emitted black smoke, drew a long trail in the sky, flew across the strait which was only a hundred meters wide, and crashed into the distant port.

Unfortunately, the stone bullet did not hit any valuable target and landed on an open space with a loud noise.

However, the giant stone bombs falling from the sky still succeeded in causing panic among the port defenders. The sailors hurriedly dropped their work and looked for a sturdy shelter.

The enemy's military quality was quite good. Commanders soon appeared and ordered the soldiers to occupy fortifications, and artillery and crossbows were also aimed at the shore.

This is the artillery position of the Eastern Roman Empire army in the eastern part of the Attica Peninsula.

The position is located on a hill, overlooking the port of Chalcis below.

"Urban, adjust your position. We will abandon the attack on the port and directly bomb the inner city of Chalcis!"

"Yes!"

After the Battle of Constantinople, Isaac collected some of the huge cannons destroyed by the Ottomans on the battlefield, and ordered Urban to use them as a model to manufacture a batch of giant cannons of similar caliber in Mystras as a secret weapon for the Morea War.

Compared with the Ottoman royal heavy artillery, this batch of huge cannons combined some of Urban's own ideas and some ideas brought by Isaac from later generations, and had better performance.

Since the first batch of cannons were cast near the Spartan ruins in Mystras, these strategic weapons were named "Spartan Heavy Artillery" by Isaac.

Unfortunately, due to lack of funds, the first batch of Spartan heavy artillery consisted of only three pieces.

Based on these three Spartan heavy artillery, supplemented by small and medium-sized artillery and various types of catapults, Isaac established three artillery companies, with supporting engineering companies and craftsman groups, completely modeled after the Ottoman Empire.

After all, when it comes to the use of artillery, the Ottoman Empire is indeed far ahead.

Due to transportation difficulties, after the Morea War began, Isaac directly ordered Urban to send the Spartan heavy artillery company to the east coast of the Attica Peninsula, and did not participate in the siege of the twin ports of Modon and Koroni.

boom--

A Spartan heavy artillery company paused, and another round of artillery fire rang out, shaking iron and copper and spewing fire and lead.

The shells crossed the channel, crossed the port, and fell straight into the center of the densely packed city, blasting a Romanesque spire building into pieces.

Isaac looked at the collapsed buildings in the distance and felt a sense of relief in his heart.

Their own artillery positions were located on high ground, making it easy to blast heavy stone shells into the city, while the enemy's artillery found it difficult to retaliate effectively.

This is the advantage of the attacker.

After a round of bombardment stopped, the craftsmen hurriedly soaked the hot gun barrel with hot oil to prevent it from direct contact with the cold January wind and allow it to cool down slowly.

"Your Majesty, an urgent message from Mystras."

The attendant Yergubai hurried over and handed three letters to Isaac.

The letters were made of different materials and sizes, and had three different coats of arms painted on the covers.

Red St. George's Cross on a white background.

An octagonal cross in white on a red background.

Crown and shield with red and yellow stripes.

Isaac took the letter, knowing what was going on, and did not open it.

"Your Majesty, what should we do next?"

Urban leaned over and asked.

"Wait for the artillery to cool down and continue bombarding, day and night."

Isaac turned his head and looked at the Golden Lion Flag of St. Mark flying over the port of Chalcis.

All is ready except for the opportunity.