1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 141: Battle Horn
Southern coast of the Mediterranean, Tripoli Corridor, Zuwara city.

This port city is located west of Tripoli and is the last gateway from Tripoli to larger cities such as Sfax, Tunis and Kairouan.

A few years earlier, Caliph Yahya had reached an agreement with the Emir of Nasirran to gain control of the city, turning it into a strong fortress against Christian invasions and garrisoning it with a standing army.

On May 1455, 5, the Christian army from the West surrounded the city of Tripoli and quickly took control of the surrounding undefended land. The vanguard headed straight for the Zuwara area and launched a small-scale attack on the city. They found that it was heavily guarded and difficult to capture in a short period of time, so they left quickly after a brief trial.

Due to concerns that the supply line would be stretched too long, the Christians did not continue their attack on the city of Zuwara. The two sides temporarily used the city as a boundary and continuously sent small groups of cavalry across the border to fight each other.

On May 1455, 5, Caliph Yahya arrived at the city of Zuwara with 25 conscripted soldiers from his own territories. He repaired fortifications, organized granaries, and preached jihad. The number of troops around the city exceeded .

In the Muslim countries of North Africa, the reputation of the Eastern Roman Emperor Isaac the "Announcing Death" was too loud. His domineering style and cruel and harsh methods made many Muslim forces hate him to the core.

Yahya recognized this and joined forces with the Sunni Ulema to launch a jihad call in the name of Allah, asking emirs and tribal shaikhs from all over the country to lead their troops to fight the powerful enemy together.

This time, under strong external pressure, the major domestic forces temporarily put aside their grudges and united together in a rare move, preparing to unite and keep the enemy out of the country.

Over the next dozen days, local forces of the Hafsid Dynasty went to the front line one after another and gathered around the city of Zuwara, preparing for a desperate fight with the Christian Crusaders.

Obviously, the Christian army on the opposite side was also well aware of this, so they deliberately slowed down the siege, began to withdraw their troops, and prepared for a decisive battle.

A military meeting is being held in the city of Zuwara.

Yahya, the current caliph of the Hafsid Dynasty, sat on a high seat, looking at the civil and military officials below, his face full of fatigue.

"Everyone, just last night, the city of Tripoli sent a third messenger asking for help, and the Christians did not stop him."

"According to him, after nearly a month of intense fighting, the city's military strength and military supplies were both in short supply. Under the enemy's siege artillery bombardment, the city walls were damaged in many places, and the morale of the defenders in the city was low."

"If we don't act quickly, the city will be destroyed in no time."

Yahya took out the letter and handed it to the attendant beside him.

The letter was circulated among the ministers. Everyone looked solemn and speechless.

"Tevildo, give us a brief introduction of the enemy forces."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Next to Yahya, his confidant Tevido stood up and saluted, reading the report in his hand.

Before this, he was ordered to go on a diplomatic mission to Bilinchi, but he was not received by the emperor at all and was imprisoned in a dungeon for a long time.

When Emperor Isaac officially declared the Crusades against the Hafsid Dynasty, Tevildo and other envoys were thrown directly onto the streets of Birinci. They wandered around for several days before they boarded a ship to Tunisia.

"According to our scouts' reports, the total number of enemy troops is around 50,000, with more than 20,000 combat soldiers."

"Among them, the Greek emperor's guards almost came out in full force, including the heavily armored Crown Lion Legion and the Third Legion equipped with new firearms."

"In addition to these two legions, the Fifth Guards Legion composed of Armenians and the Seventh Legion composed of Frenchmen are also quite powerful."

"As for the cavalry, the three thousand-man teams of the Bloody Cavalry have always been following the Greek emperor as a decisive force. The ones roaming outside are mainly tribal cavalry who converted to paganism and have average combat effectiveness."

"The Greek emperor also brought in a lot of reinforcements from Europe in the name of religious holy war, including many mercenaries from Italy and France, who have strong combat effectiveness."

"At the call of the Pope, the Knights Hospitaller who occupied Rhodes Island sent a group of 200 heavily-armored knights. They are well-equipped and should not be underestimated."

Tevildo paused, looked up at the expressions of the nobles, and continued reading.

"In the previous siege of Tripoli, the Christians mainly used the conscripted tribal militia to wear down the defenders' morale. The main enemy forces did not participate and were still strong."

"We have sufficient reason to speculate that the enemy is not eager to capture Tripoli, but wants to use the city to attract our main force and fight a decisive battle."

"Oh? If you knew this was a trap set by the enemy, why did you call us here?"

A sarcastic voice sounded among the crowd.

Hearing this voice, Yahya frowned.

"Ebeny, now is not the time to discuss this."

This man was named Ebeni. He was originally a general of the Hafsid dynasty and was deeply trusted by previous caliphs.

During the reign of Yahya's grandfather Abu Aziz, he worked hard to revitalize the country, sent troops to attack the Zayanid Dynasty that occupied Tlemcen, recaptured western cities including Constantine and Bejaia, and appointed generals to garrison them.

After Abu Aziz died suddenly in the army, the Hafsid dynasty was in turmoil. Ebani, who was stationed in Bejaia, took control of his own army and proclaimed himself Emir. He took the opportunity to break away from the central government's jurisdiction and continued to be loyal to Tunis only in name.

Later, with the rise of Christian forces in the east, the revival that Yahya had worked so hard to build came to an abrupt end. The Hafsid dynasty was trapped both internally and externally, and local emirs were ready to make moves, attacking all sides and expanding their power.

Ebenezer was a leader among them. He had always tried to expand to the southwest and threatened Constantina several times, but was stopped by Yahya's army each time.

Bejaia is located on the western border of the Hafsid Dynasty, bordering the Zayanid Dynasty. It is far away from the city of Tripoli, and it is difficult for the Christian troops to threaten here in a short period of time.

Since the Eminids occupied the city of Bejaia, they have been committed to strengthening their own authority, colluding with the Zayanid Dynasty in the west, building fortresses around the Atlas Mountains, expelling officials sent by the Hafs central government, and almost turning the area around Bejaia into an independent kingdom.

The local emirs in the west followed his example and sought greater independence and respected him.

His opinion basically represents the general view of Hafs' western forces.

"Amini, I see that you have been in contact with the Greek emperor for a long time. I'm afraid you are ready to abandon Allah, right?"

"If you want to be a traitor, just say so. Don't be secretive like the Greeks who love intrigues and schemes!"

Another powerful voice came, confronting Amini's.

This is the Emir of Sfax, Ibn, who is also from the Hafsid family. In terms of seniority, he is Yahya's cousin and uncle.

Ibn was one of the most powerful local leaders in the Hafs central government. He was originally incompatible with Yahya and had fought against him several times.

After the Battle of Kerkennah, Christians occupied the Kerkennah Islands and began a bloody plunder of the Hafs coast. The city of Sfax, which was only separated from it by a strait, was the first to bear the brunt.

After a few years, due to the lack of a naval fleet, Ibn's territory suffered from a decline in people's livelihood and population loss, and he was no longer able to fight against Yahya.

Forced by a common enemy, the two sides got closer and closer, and finally shook hands and made peace. Ibn married his daughter to Yahya, and they became father-in-law and son-in-law.

After Ibn fired the first shot, several other eastern lords bombarded Aimi, accusing him of betraying God, disrupting the morale of the army, and having evil intentions.

Yahya watched the quarrel in the audience with lifeless eyes. Such scenes had happened countless times in the past few weeks, and he, who only retained the title of Caliph, was helpless in doing anything about it.

Amini was about to argue when an old voice interrupted her.

"Anyone who has doubts about jihad can leave on their own. Neither I nor the Caliph will stop them."

"But once you leave this door, the holy city of Kairouan will be closed to you forever."

Next to Yahya, an elder in a simple religious robe spoke slowly. Although his tone was slow, it left no room for doubt.

This is the Grand Mufti of the Hafsid Dynasty, the highest spiritual leader of Sunni Islam in this country and the shadow of Allah walking on earth.

In some countries, the Grand Mufti has enormous power. In addition to religious affairs, he also has a significant say in secular affairs and can even depose and enthrone the Sultan.

The Grand Mufti of the Hafsid Dynasty is a knowledgeable elder who has been living in the holy city of Kairouan. He usually does not care about worldly affairs. This time he came out of seclusion out of necessity.

If nothing is done, the centuries of Islam's presence in North Africa will be destroyed.

It was thanks to his mediation that Yahya successfully suppressed the conflicts among local princes and assembled a large army that could be driven.

"Grand Mufti, that is not what I meant."

Amini hastily defended herself. "What I mean is that we can temporarily abandon Tripoli, which is surrounded by the Greek emperor, lure the enemy deep into our territory, use the towns along the way to wear down the enemy's morale, harass the enemy's food supply, and wait for the right time to attack with a large army and annihilate them in one fell swoop."

As soon as these words were spoken, the eastern princes of the Hafsid Dynasty could no longer sit still, their eyes were filled with anger, and they stared at Amini's face.

If looks could kill, he would have died a thousand times over.

The Grand Mufti opened his eyes and glanced at Amini with his cloudy eyes. The latter quickly lowered his head, not daring to look at him.

It has to be said that Emini is worthy of his experience in the battlefield. From a military perspective alone, the strategy he proposed is indeed somewhat feasible.

However, the military is ultimately just an extension of politics.

The city of Tripoli was the last barrier leading to the core area of ​​the Hafsid Dynasty. If the city was lost, the Christian army could move all the way northwest and turn the entire Tunisia region into a hunting ground.

At that time, not only big cities such as Gabes, Sfax, Gafsa will face enemy attacks, but even the capital Tunis and the holy city of Kairouan will directly face the Christian army.

By then, even if the plan succeeds, the prestige of the Hafsid dynasty central government and the Sunni forces will be greatly damaged and they will never recover.

"Every inch of God's land is precious and should not be abandoned lightly."

"We must defend the city of Tripoli. This is the will of Allah."

The Grand Mufti turned his head and looked at a middle-aged general standing in the corner.

In the previous fights, he had never participated, and just watched the people arguing with red faces, with a sarcastic smile on his face.

He came from the Zayanid dynasty and was ordered to lead two thousand cavalry to support the Hafsid dynasty and participate in the holy war of Allah.

It was under the persuasion of the Zayanid Dynasty that the western princes such as Aimi finally gave up their plan of standing idly by and brought their troops to reinforce.

"Do you agree with this?"

"The voice of God must be obeyed."

General Zayanid lowered his head and spoke firmly.

Honestly speaking, the Zayanid dynasty was not unified in its attitude towards the Hafsid dynasty. The last civil war had greatly damaged the vitality of the country. Many people believed that they should remain neutral and even took the opportunity to march east and take a bite.

Under the persuasion of knowledgeable people, Ahmed I, who emerged victorious from the civil war, wisely chose to join the war and fight against the powerful enemy.

The lips and teeth are interdependent, this has been the case since ancient times.

The Grand Mufti nodded with satisfaction, stood up, and slowly straightened his hunched body, surprisingly he was so tall.

"Since the Greek emperor wants to fight, let us show him that Allah's Jihad warriors are no weaker than their Crusaders!"

Seeing this, Yahya also stood up.

"In that case, we will send a declaration of war to the Greek emperor and choose a day for the decisive battle!"

An army formed with religious sentiment and personal prestige cannot last long. A decisive battle will benefit both sides.

Yahya raised his scepter and scimitar, his face solemn.

"For Allah!"

The people in the audience had different expressions, but the situation was such that they had to express their opinions whether they wanted to or not.

"For Allah!"

Kneel down slowly.

……

On July 1455, 7, the emperor went out to war.

Isaac sat upright on his horse, with fluttering military flags in the air and brave knights beside him. On the city of Tripoli behind him, the remaining soldiers and civilians looked worriedly at the endless army and prayed silently in their hearts.

After dozens of days of siege, the city of Tripoli was already in ruins and the army had lost its morale. As long as Isaac was willing, he could send out a few elite guards corps to capture it at any time.

However, Isaac tried his best this time not just for the city of Tripoli.

In order to preserve morale and manpower, Isaac temporarily gave up the attack, left a small number of troops to watch the city, and led the main army westward to the battlefield of the decisive battle.

The first attack is powerful, the second is weak, and the third is exhausted. We must take advantage of our own morale at its high point and defeat the enemy's reinforcements in one fell swoop.

It is already summer and the temperature is getting hotter day by day. If we continue to delay, not only will the logistical pressure increase dramatically, but plague will also come knocking.

According to Isaac's idea, the siege of Tripoli should have been launched several months ago, and the date of the decisive battle should be moved forward to before the summer if possible.

However, not long ago, Pope Nicholas V and Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller Rustic died of illness one after another, and Isaac had to postpone the schedule and wait for the two forces to get back on track.

Isaac looked at the well-equipped and heavily armored Knights Hospitaller in front of him, thoughtfully.

Prior to this, due to the needs of the Battle of Constantinople, its own military strength was clearly biased towards defense and was slightly weak in offense, so it had to rely on external forces.

After all, the borrowed troops cannot be controlled as one would expect. After this war is over, the establishment of heavy cavalry must be put back on the agenda.

The army marched on the muddy yellow semi-arid grassland, and the horses' hooves stepped on the dry grass leaves, making rustling sounds.

The North African coast is an endless stretch of dry plains with no trees and even very few hills, so all conspiracies and schemes have nowhere to hide.

Then let's do as the other party wishes and have a fair fight.

Isaac's army moved very slowly, trying to conserve the strength of the soldiers and horses as much as possible, and did not arrive at the designated battlefield until sunset.

The flag of the Hafsid dynasty appeared on the distant horizon, with the sound of horse hooves and dust filling the sky.

Isaac looked carefully and saw that the enemy troops had also come out in full force, with their numbers almost equal to his own.

Both sides noticed each other, slowed down, stood their ground, and separated into east and west.

Both the enemy and our side adopted a relatively conservative formation, with the left, center, and right armies flanking each other, and cavalry on the periphery conducting reconnaissance and attacks.

The clear sky is cloudless, the setting sun is dim, the full moon is rising, and the bright Milky Way hangs on the horizon.

There was a cool breeze in the evening sky, but it couldn't cool the soldiers' burning hearts.

Isaac looked at the fluttering military flags and the magnificent army formation, and his heart couldn't help but be excited.

I wonder if it was the same situation when the great consul Belisarius led his army to recapture North Africa and fought a decisive battle with the Vandals?
Positioned in the center of the army, Isaac could see the banner of the Hafsid dynasty from afar. Neither monarch had any intention of negotiating before the war.

The contradiction is too deep to be easily resolved with simple words.

With fire and lead, iron and blood.

"Blow the horn."

The majestic horn echoed in the desolate land, and the roar of the warriors spread across the vast sky and earth.

The cavalry charged, the archers drew their bows and drew their arrows, and the infantry phalanx raised their shields and moved forward.

For the monarch they are loyal to, for the gods in their hearts, for glory, land and gold.

The decisive battle begins.

(End of this chapter)