1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 127 Ferdinand

Chalcis, Venetian Doge's Palace.

Several hundred years ago, this was the administrative center of the Eastern Roman Empire's Greek military district on the island of Euboea, spreading the emperor's orders to the people everywhere.

Decades ago, this was the palace of the three principalities of Negroponte. Latin colonists who came from afar occupied this place, bullied the Greek Orthodox Christians, took away their gold, silver and treasures, and left them with endless pain.

And now, the Golden Lion flag of St. Mark of the Noble Republic of Venice is fluttering in the sun above the Doge's Palace.

The magnificent Governor's Palace is the tallest building in the entire city, overlooking this bustling port city.

From the top terrace, you can see the entire city, from the narrow strait in the west to the low hills in the east.

After Garibuele was appointed Governor of Negroponte, he quickly fell in love with the mansion. In his spare time, he would always go up to the terrace, hold a glass of locally produced wine, and look out at the bustling port and the sparkling sea.

But now, he obviously didn't have the leisure time.

"As you may already know, just last night, the Catalan Mercenaries rebelled and raided our sailors' barracks. Nearly a thousand people died in the chaos."

In the main hall of the Governor's Palace, Gabriele sat on a high seat, looking at the people below.

On his left stood several mercenary leaders, led by Patrick.

On his right stood several senior commanders and captains of the Venetian fleet. Most of them were nobles from various wealthy oligarchs and usually did not live with lower-level sailors, so they escaped the disaster.

At the door of the meeting hall, Negroponte's administrative staff and local powerful people were also allowed to sit in and discuss a countermeasure.

After the news of the attack on the sailors' barracks was officially acknowledged by Garibiele, whispers began to spread in the council chamber.

The mercenaries had different expressions, some were worried, while others were gloating.

The businessmen were whispering to each other, frowning.

The captains lowered their heads and remained silent.

"Commander Boniface, what is the current situation of the fleet?"

Gabriel looked at the squadron commander, expressionless.

Although he still appeared easy-going on the surface, he had cursed this ferocious-faced commander a thousand times in his heart.

According to him, these sailors should remain vigilant and ready for battle at all times. It would be best if they could live on the fleet all the time, but at worst they should squeeze into the naval port.

However, the fleet commander from the Barbarigo family was obviously unwilling to follow his advice and insisted on letting his boys "relax."

Gabriel had also led a fleet before, so he was certainly aware of the sailors' personalities. He also knew that it was inappropriate to keep them in the cabin for a long time. In addition, since there was no actual superior-subordinate relationship, it was not good to force them too much.

As a result, Commander Boniface began to let himself go as soon as he landed, living directly in the city and drinking and having fun all day long.

On the night of the incident, Gabriel was pulled out of bed and was busy all the time, but he could not find Boniface.

As a result, Boniface ran to a farm in the south to visit a prostitute, but was awakened in the middle of the night by Catalan mercenaries who were robbing along the way. He hid in a toilet and heard their conversation, only then did he realize that he had gotten into big trouble.

"Governor, we can still gather more than 200 sailors, plus the rowing slaves, so we can barely set sail."

Boniface knew he was in the wrong, wiped the sweat from his face and spoke in a low voice.

"Can we barely sail?"

"And what about fighting?"

"What about the blockade of the Channel?"

Gabriel squeezed out these words from between his teeth, suppressing his anger.

"Your Excellency Governor, as far as I know, the Greek emperor's fleet is currently docked in Bilinchi, and has occasional small-scale conflicts with our fleet in Crete. There is no sign of it moving north."

"The Cretan fleet is very powerful. Breaking through the blockade is not an easy task."

"We should take this opportunity to replenish our sailors as quickly as possible and strive to restore our combat effectiveness before the war comes."

Boniface continued.

"How do you think we should restore the fleet's strength?"

Gabriel's expression lightened up a little.

The commander calmed down and thought for a moment.

“First, recruit local fishermen, using coercion or bribery.”

"Second, ask local powerful merchants to transfer sailors from private merchant ships to fill the vacancies in the fleet."

"Third, send a letter to Crete and Naxos, asking for their support."

Boniface looked up at Garibuele.

"Very good! I'll do as you say!"

Gabriel agreed immediately.

"According to what you said, the Greek emperor's fleet will not be able to reach Negroponte in a short time, so the task of replenishing the sailors will be left to you!"

"This time, I must make amends!"

"In addition, I will report your fault to the government and leave it to the Grand Council for arbitration."

In an instant, countless hostile eyes were focused on Boniface, making him feel very uncomfortable.

There is no doubt that the businessmen behind him must have cursed him in their hearts, and perhaps even the Barbarigo family.

The cunning Gabriel would definitely not take on this thankless job and pass the hot potato to himself.

“As you wish.”

Boniface gritted his teeth, agreed, glanced at Garibiele, and then turned and left.

Looking at Boniface's departing back and his cold eyes before leaving, Garibuele knew that the Barbarigo family, known for their narrow-mindedness and revenge, would definitely not let it go.

He also knew that restoring the fleet's combat effectiveness was not as easy as Boniface said.

Not to mention the issue of loyalty, technical arms such as gunners and sailors cannot be found locally and require a long time to train.

If it were in Italy, this would not be a problem at all, as it not only has a large population but also a strong seafaring atmosphere.

The Greek region was not a prosperous place during the rule of the Eastern Roman Empire, not to mention the years of war.

As the governor of Negroponte, he knew that the rebellion of the Catalan mercenaries would have far more impact than that.

The merchant class was in a state of panic, the remaining foreign mercenaries were worried about gains and losses, and the lower-class Greek Orthodox Christians were gaining confidence.

It can be said that the Greek emperor's move hit his weak spot.

In other words, the Republic of Venice's army model that relied too much on mercenaries and its colonial system based on exploitation and oppression were inherently full of loopholes.

A strong feeling of depression turned into violence and rushed into his heart.

"What about Antonello?"

"Tied him up with the rest of the rebels. I will execute him in public this evening."

There was a murderous tone in Gabriel's voice.

……

Cyrenaica, Billinge, Black Castle.

In the hall, Queen Leonor and Prince Justinian sat on the large throne, quietly waiting for guests.

"Leonor, long time no see!"

A loud voice came.

The young man impatiently stopped the attendant's call and walked into the hall with a smile on his face.

This was a nobleman of about thirty years old, dressed in gorgeous clothes, with his hair and beard meticulously groomed, and an air of nobility emanated from his every move.

He has a handsome face, a face as sharp as a knife, pure black eyes, wide whites with distinct bloodshot veins, and he looks quite warm when he smiles, but appears cold and vicious when he is angry.

He was wearing a well-fitting and expensive suit, with a gorgeous and complicated family crest on his chest: a blue background with irises, red and yellow stripes, and a Jerusalem cross.

"It's nice to meet you, dear cousin."

"I'm pregnant, so I can't come to meet you."

Leonor also smiled.

The noble waved his hands and didn't care.

Ferdinando Trastamara, son of King Afonso V of Aragon and the Two Sicilies, nephew of King Juan II of Navarre, member of the House of Trastamara, Duke of Calabria.

"This must be little Justinian. I didn't expect he's grown so big already."

Ferdinand clapped his hands, and immediately a servant presented him with an ancient sword.

He drew out his sword, showing its dark red blade and jet-black hilt.

"This was once a relic of a Knight Templar, a trophy he obtained during his campaign in the Holy Land. It is said to have come from a warrior who served under Saladin."

"This is for you. May you be as brave as the two previous owners of this sword."

Ferdinand carelessly put away the sword, waved it in front of Justinian, and put it aside.

"Thank you, my dear Ferdinand."

"However, as a mother, I would rather my son live in peace and health for the rest of his life."

Leonor laughed and motioned to the maid beside her to take the sword.

Although this sword is very valuable, the endings of its previous two owners were obviously not very good.

It seems that my cousin is still the same and is not willing to guess what others are thinking.

Then another maid brought a long box and presented it to Ferdinand.

"Your 30th birthday is coming up soon. Unfortunately, I am pregnant and Isaac is tied up, so we cannot go to your court."

“This is our gift.”

Ferdinand opened the box and a gilded cane came into view.

"Leonor, of all my cousins, you are the only one who treats me better."

Ferdinand sighed, and a hint of sincerity appeared in his harsh eyes.

As the only son of one of the most powerful monarchs in Europe, Ferdinand should have enjoyed the best treatment and the respect of everyone, but he was subjected to all kinds of explicit and implicit criticism and discussion in the past, present, and perhaps in the future.

Because he is an illegitimate child.

For some unknown reason, his father, the King of Aragon and the Two Sicilies, the famous Afonso V the Magnanimous, could not produce any legitimate heirs, and Ferdinand was the only descendant of his bloodline left in the world.

Because of this incident, Ferdinand gained the attention and love of his father. His identity was made public, and he was trained to be a qualified nobleman and master of law, and was named Duke of Calabria.

It was also because of this incident that most people questioned his background, believing that he was not the biological son of Afonso V, although the old king himself always believed this.

Whenever his cousins ​​looked at him strangely, Ferdinand felt uncomfortable and depressed from the bottom of his heart.

If he were a legitimate heir, he would inherit upon his father's death a vast territory stretching from Aragon to Naples, covering the entire western Mediterranean.

But now, even though his father had sensed that his time was running out and had tried hard to secure his rights, there was no way he could inherit all the territory.

It was already certain that all the territories on the Iberian Peninsula, the Majorca Islands and Sicily would belong to his uncle, Juan II of Navarre.

In exchange, his uncle would support Ferdinand's succession to the Kingdom of Naples, which would require the approval of the church.

Moreover, there were many claimants to the Kingdom of Naples and numerous factions in the country. King Afonso V was getting old, his deterrent power was beginning to decline, and his mind was becoming active again.

Therefore, Ferdinand had a bad relationship with most of his cousins, and several of his cousins ​​even ridiculed his ancestry in public.

"My uncle is very good to me, and you are his son."

Leonor said with a smile, but she felt a little disdainful in her heart.

This prince of unknown identity is very sensitive about his bloodline, even a little extreme.

His childhood experiences made him withdrawn and perverse. He would become extremely angry over the slightest disrespect, but he also had a pure heart and repaid kindness with kindness.

"Let's not talk about this anymore. My father has already agreed to your proposal and sent me here with the fleet."

Ferdinand shook his head hard to put the distracting thoughts behind him.

"It can be seen that uncle really loves you."

Long before the Morea War broke out, Isaac discussed with Leonor and sent envoys to Naples to meet with Afonso V and seek his support.

Although Afonso V was also very dissatisfied with Venice's domineering behavior, he was old and frail after all and was unwilling to get involved in this muddy water.

There was no choice but for Isaac to continue to raise the stakes in an attempt to impress the king of the western Mediterranean.

However, the elderly Afonso V seemed to want nothing and had little interest in the enclave in the eastern Mediterranean.

In the end, Leonor took a different approach and proposed sharing the West African gold trade with the outside world and putting it directly under Ferdinand's name.

Isaac thought it over and decided to accept Leonor's advice.

As Queen's Harbour prospered, many gold diggers came from Europe to join in this feast of colonial plunder.

Just like Portugal in history, Isaac's local administrative agencies were becoming increasingly overwhelmed, smuggling crimes became the norm, and by following the clues and tracing back to the source, he could always find the presence of the European powers.

Gold and silk are fascinating, and treasures are tempting. But Isaac now does not have enough capital to monopolize this fertile land.

If they continue to hold on to the golden basin and wait for the great powers to finish what they are doing, I am afraid that the next step will be to attack the Eastern Roman Empire.

Therefore, Isaac decided to open the gold trade in Queen's Port and its surrounding areas to several countries with which he had good relations, to form an alliance to share the pressure and deal with the threat from latecomers.

In Isaac's plan, Portugal, Aragon, Genoa, and even Monferrato could join the alliance.

In this way, they will become vested interests and will naturally exclude up-and-coming powers such as Castile and France, and will also be able to play a certain role in curbing them.

This time, the old king was finally moved and agreed to Isaac's request.

Leonor estimated that her uncle, one of the most powerful monarchs in Europe, did not really need the gold from West Africa and Isaac's kindness.

But his illegitimate child was clearly in need.

"What should we do?"

Ferdinand was silent for a moment, then asked.

"That is none of my business. Prince Mikhail will tell you about their plans."

"He will hold a dinner tonight, and all the commanders who participated in the war will attend."

Leonor was a little tired and held out her hand to Ferdinand.

Ferdinand gave her a false kiss and left.

"Leonor."

When he reached the door, Ferdinand suddenly turned around and looked at the queen who was about to return to the palace.

"what's up?"

"This time, in addition to the fleet sent by my father, I also brought all my own ships and a guard."

Ferdinand said, staring into Leonor's blue eyes, as if seeking an answer.

“We will remember.”

Leonor opened her red lips slightly, her eyes flashing, as if thinking about something.

Ferdinand nodded, waved his hand, made a face at Justinian who was staring at him intently, and disappeared at the end of the stairs.

(End of this chapter)