1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 129 Sforza
In the northern part of the Apennine Peninsula, on the banks of the Po River, is the city of Milan.

This city, located on the Po River Plain, is large in scale, has a large population, prosperous commerce, and a strong literary and artistic atmosphere.

In the northwest of the city lies a magnificent castle, which is square in shape, surrounded by walls, towers and heavily guarded.

Above the castle, a flag fluttered in the wind.

The emblem of the flag is mainly composed of two elements, a black eagle on a yellow background and a blue siren.

Both the Black Eagle and the Siren wear crowns on their heads, symbolizing supreme authority.

This is the coat of arms of the Sforza family.

The story of the Sforza family's rise is quite legendary. The family's first leader, Muzio Sforza, started out as a mercenary leader, rose to fame in the frequent wars in Italy, and established a great reputation under the flag of a black eagle on a yellow background.

The current head of the family, Francesco Sforza, is Muzio's illegitimate son. He also started out as a mercenary captain and fought for the Kingdom of Naples, His Holiness the Pope, and the Duke of Milan. He was brave and capable.

In 1432, Sforza married Bianca, daughter of Visconti, Duke of Milan, and gained the claim to the Duchy of Milan.

After the Visconti family of Milan died out, Sforza overthrew the newly established Ambrosian Republic with the claim of his wife, wore the crown of the Duke of Milan, added the siren of the Visconti family to his coat of arms, and officially started the Sforza family's rule in Milan.

At this point, after the Visconti family, the city of Milan welcomed its second military tyrant.

In addition to the most famous Francesco, several other members of the Sforza family also followed suit and took control of Italian city-states such as Pesaro and Santa Fiora through coups.

It can be said that the chaotic situation of endless wars in Italy in the late Middle Ages created the Sforza family, enabling it to acquire huge wealth and fame in a very short period of time, which in the past might have required traditional land nobles to accumulate for hundreds of years.

Sforza was born a mercenary, but he was not vulgar but talented. After he ascended the highest throne in Milan, he encouraged production, encouraged farming, attracted refugees, built water conservancy projects, funded the Renaissance, and restored the prosperity of Milan.

He established a very efficient tax system, which gradually filled the dry treasury and also filled his ambitions.

At that time, Venice was still the most powerful country in northern Italy, with its tentacles extending from the coast to the inland. Sforza was alone and was unable to cope with it.

Sforza thought of his old friend, the actual ruler of Florence, Cosimo from the Medici family, another famous tyrant.

Due to changes in the international situation, Florence quickly tore up its alliance with Venice and instead signed an alliance with Milan against the overbearing Republic of Venice.

At the same time, the Venetians also extended an olive branch to the Palaiolo family, which ruled Monferrato and Parma, and the two sides became closer and closer.

As a result, the Italian War broke out again. Northern Italy, which had just been stable for a few years, was once again in turmoil, and the people once again lived a precarious life.

After nearly three years of war, neither side had made much progress. At the beginning, Venice relied on its strong financial resources to attack from all sides, while Monferrato focused on defense. Sforza was in a state of panic and was in a state of panic.

The Medici family quickly responded by providing Sforza with a low-interest loan and sending the Florentine Guard to join the war.

This Florentine Guard also had a once prestigious name, the White Mercenaries.

Sforza was worthy of being a famous general at the time and an expert in using mercenaries. He quickly reversed the situation and fought several beautiful comeback battles.

At this point in the battle, all parties involved have begun to show signs of fatigue and lack of successors.

At present, Sforza is taking his army to rest in the city of Milan to restore morale.

In the Sforza Castle in Milan, Francesco Sforza sat at the dining table, concentrating on the food on his plate. The knife and fork flew in his hairy hands, and the mountain of cooked beef on the plate disappeared at a speed visible to the naked eye.

His butler stood by, reading the documents in his hand.

"On February 1454, 2, the year of the Lord's incarnation, Emperor Isaac of Constantinople led his army to the port of Chalcis, with cannons roaring and the army advancing by land and sea."

"The morale of the defenders in the city was low, they were suspicious of each other and had lost all confidence."

"That night, Doge Garibiele opened the city and surrendered, and the Venetian rule in Euboea collapsed."

"On March 1454, 3, the port of Argos surrendered, and the power of the Republic of Venice withdrew from the Morea Peninsula."

"On the same day, an uprising broke out on the island of Kythera, where Venetian officials were killed and the leader of the rebel army declared his allegiance to the Greek emperor."

"Then, the Knights Hospitaller crossed the Strait of Karpathos, landed on the island of Karpathos, and soon took over the entire archipelago."

Sforza was a little surprised. He put down his knife and fork, swallowed the food in his mouth, and wiped his mouth with a napkin.

"The Knights Hospitaller joined the war? What does His Holiness think?"

"His Holiness the Pope will soon officially grant the Karpathos Islands to the Knights as their territory."

The butler thought for a moment and continued.

"I heard that the Knights Hospitaller also tried to gain jurisdiction over the Naxos Islands, but was rejected by His Majesty Nicholas."

"I guess he doesn't want to over-irritate the Venetians."

Sforza nodded and continued to work, mumbling incoherently.

“How did the Venetians cope?”

"The Venetians convened a great council overnight, and Doge Foscari was strongly attacked."

"It is said that the Ten-Man Group is preparing to force him to resign."

"That's not it! I don't care about the infighting among the Venetians."

Sforza interrupted impatiently.

"What actions have their fleet taken?"

"The Venetians urgently transferred the Dalmatian squadron to Crete and began to attack everywhere."

"The Eastern Roman Empire fleet, the Genoese squadron, the Hospitaller fleet, and the Aragonese fleet stationed in Bilinci surrounded Crete from four directions. Small-scale naval battles occurred from time to time, and each side suffered losses."

"All parties have their concerns and obviously do not want to fight a decisive battle at sea."

The butler finished reading the report and stood quietly aside.

"Haha, I didn't expect that there would be such a day in Venice!"

Sforza laughed loudly and stabbed the meat on the plate with his knife, looking quite happy.

"Now, I'm afraid everyone is waiting to see what Venice will do next."

"I'm afraid there won't be any action."

Sforza's eyes flickered.

"On paper, their naval power still has an advantage, but compared to land warfare, naval warfare has more uncertainties, and they don't have a 100 percent chance of winning."

"For the Venetians now, fighting a decisive naval battle in the eastern Mediterranean is tantamount to gambling on the fate of the country. If they really fail, not only will it be difficult to recover the lost colonies, but even the remaining Crete, Corfu and Naxos Islands will be lost."

"By then, the Eastern Mediterranean will become a hunting ground for the Eastern Roman Empire and the Knights Hospitaller, and the commercial routes on which the Venetians depend for their survival will be cut off, and they will really be finished."

"Will the Greek emperor then gather his fleet and fight a decisive battle with the Venetians?"

"Shut up!"

Sforza stared.

"Don't call me the Greek emperor anymore. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

The butler lowered his head, pursed his lips, and complained in his heart.

Damn it, when you were unable to capture the city of Monferrato, you kept calling him the Greek emperor and cursing the ancestors of the Palaiologos family.

"The Eastern Roman Empire's fleet itself is limited in strength, and it can only compete with Venice with the help of its war allies. Aragon, Genoa, and the Knights Hospitaller do not have a unified attitude towards the Republic of Venice, so they are likely to give up."

"Furthermore, Crete was ruled by the Venetians for two hundred years and was managed as a core area. The local population was large, the city defenses were strong, the sugar plantations were lucrative, and there was frequent trade."

"For Venice, all the other colonies combined are not as important as Crete. It is their lifeblood." "At that moment, Venice will put aside all grudges, unite from top to bottom, and fight the invading enemy to the death."

"Just imagine how terrifying Venice would be if it put aside its internal struggles and united as one."

Sforza's eyes were deep.

The Venetian Republic is a very special country, perhaps even they themselves don't really understand it.

However, Venice's two century-old enemies knew her inside out.

This country is brought together by interests and dispersed by interests. As long as the interests remain, the cohesion will not be lost.

Perhaps, one day, when the prosperity of eastern Mediterranean trade is no longer there, Venice will truly come to an end.

"In this war, Venice lost a lot of colonies, but as long as Crete was not lost, the trade benefits of the Eastern Mediterranean could still flow to Venice."

"The Eastern Roman Emperor must be fully aware of this, but due to the country's strength, he can do nothing about it for the time being."

"So, in my opinion, the two sides are likely to negotiate peace and stop fighting and go home."

Sforza concluded.

"So, how should we respond?"

Sforza laughed.

"No rush. Let the troops on the front line move around as needed to put pressure on our old rivals, and wait for the governor and the emperor's envoys to arrive."

The footsteps of the attendants were heard.

"Your Highness the Duke!"

"explain."

"The envoys from Constantinople and Monferrato have come together to request an audience with you."

Sforza looked at the butler.

"You go to the reception first, I'll be there soon."

The servants and the butler saluted and left, and Sforza quickly finished the leftovers on the plate, licking even the meat scraps and sauce into his mouth.

"full!"

He burped with satisfaction, raised the red wine on the table and drank it all in one gulp.

……

In the Governor's Palace in Chalcis, a banquet is being held.

Isaac sat high up in the main seat, raised a glass of wine and drank slowly, looking at the cheerful faces of the generals and staff.

Just yesterday evening, the envoy of the Republic of Venice knocked on Isaac's door for the third time.

Unlike the previous two times, they finally took off their initial mask of cowardice, stopped making empty threats, and began to bargain over peace terms.

After the liberation of Euboea, the generals had different views on the war situation and argued endlessly about whether to fight or make peace.

But soon, Venetian reinforcements arrived at the Candia naval port, and the fleet attacked in all directions, baring its fangs and claws like a trapped beast, demonstrating their determination to defend Crete to the death.

Then, envoys from Aragon and the Pope came to Chalcis and advised Isaac to stop, making his attitude clear.

After much deliberation, Isaac decided to accept their advice and make peace with Venice.

In the original time and space, even though the Ottoman Empire’s naval strength was insufficient, it had already taken over the Aegean islands long ago. However, it was helpless against Crete, suffered heavy casualties, and gained nothing.

It was not until Venice completely declined that the Ottoman Empire was able to take this pearl of the Mediterranean by relying on its powerful national strength.

For Isaac, relying on his legitimate identity as the Eastern Roman emperor, the resistance to attacking Crete would certainly be much smaller than that of the Ottoman Empire, but it would still be full of difficulties and it would be difficult to capture it in a short period of time.

At this point, the war should be over.

"Captain Alberto."

Isaac raised his glass and stood up.

"His Majesty!"

"You should be credited with the first victory in capturing Euboea."

"I can't bear it."

Despite this, Alberto still looked happy.

"If you have courage and wisdom, you can take on great responsibilities."

"Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty!"

After the war, Isaac made arrangements for his new territory.

The Athens Region was officially established, which was composed of the Thebes Administrative Region, the Athens Administrative Region and the Euboea Administrative Region, with Athens as its capital.

Based on the remnants of the former Principality of Athens and local rebel forces, Isaac established the Sixth Legion of the Guards, also known as the Athenian Legion. The legion's emblem was the symbol of the city of Athens, the blue owl.

This legion will be stationed in the Athens region as a first-line force to defend against Ottoman invasion.

The population of the Attica Peninsula was displaced, and that of Euboea was only slightly better. Together, they could barely hold on and could not afford to support a second standing or semi-standing legion.

After the surrender of Chalcis, the squadron stationed in the naval port attempted to sink its ships under the order of Commander Boniface. By the time Isaac arrived on horseback, some of the ships had already sunk to the bottom of the sea.

Isaac was so angry that he ordered all captains to surrender to him and prohibited the sinking of ships without permission. Anyone who disobeyed the order would be executed immediately.

The squadron commander, Boniface, refused to surrender and begged for his freedom.

Isaac suppressed his murderous intent, agreed to his request, and after receiving a large ransom, released him and the rest of the Venetian nobles.

He is just a mediocre person who has climbed to a high position by relying on his family's influence. He is more useful alive than dead.

As for the captured Venetian mercenaries, Isaac did not make things difficult for them and gave them three choices according to tradition.

Either accept the transformation, join the Catalan Mercenaries or the Navarre Mercenaries, and pledge allegiance to Isaac.

Either pay the money and leave, and neither of you owes anyone anything.

If they couldn't even afford the money, they would be reduced to slaves and sold in the market.

Isaac fulfilled his promise and handed over the island of Aegina to the Catalan mercenary group as its jurisdiction, gave them a generous reward, and allowed them to recruit mercenaries on their own to supplement their forces.

As a constraint, Isaac re-supported the Navarre Mercenary Group and made Kythera Island its jurisdiction.

Kythera Island is located in the southeast of the Morea Peninsula. It has a small population and produces murex shells, which are used as purple dye.

Alberto of the Catalan Mercenaries and Nerio of the Navarre Mercenaries both signed a long-term contract with Isaac, and both captains were made barons and pledged allegiance to Isaac.

Currently, the Catalan Mercenary Corps has 700 mercenaries, while the Navarre Mercenary Corps has only 300.

Isaac had other great uses for these semi-independent military forces.

On March 1454, 3, Duke Sforza of Milan called on all parties to cease fire and discuss peace, and convened a peace conference in Lodi in northern Italy.

On March 3, the Eastern Roman Empire delegation sailed westward under the protection of the fleet.

(End of this chapter)