1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 145 The Holy City of Kairouan

North Africa is a magical land and Tunisia is a magical city.

This city, located at the northernmost tip of the African continent and in the central Mediterranean, is separated from the Apennine Peninsula in southern Europe by only the short Tunis Strait. The two together are like a guillotine, dividing the entire Mediterranean world into two halves.

Affected by a variety of natural factors, from the northernmost tip of Africa to the south, from the subtropical Mediterranean climate near Tunis, to the subtropical grassland climate near Gafsa, to the tropical continental desert climate further south, it covers humid areas, semi-arid areas and arid areas, spanning agricultural areas and nomadic areas. The annual precipitation has dropped sharply from nearly 1000 mm to less than 100 mm. The climate is complex and changeable, with distinct dry and wet areas.

Taking Tunis city as the boundary, to the west it is mostly semi-humid dry land, and to the east it is mostly semi-arid grassland and desert. Except for the Cyrenaica region which is relatively humid due to the barrier of the Green Mountains, the rest of the place is mostly desert. Only the narrow Mediterranean climate zone is retained in the coastal plains, which is suitable for the development of animal husbandry and dryland agriculture.

From Cyrenaica further east, the Mediterranean climate along the coast disappears. The vast area from the Green Mountains to the Sinai Desert has a subtropical steppe desert climate. The annual precipitation in most areas, including Cairo, does not exceed 50 mm, and the climate is extremely dry.

Of course, the arid climate cannot be directly equated with the barrenness of the land. The fertile Nile Delta is also an important grain-producing area that can support a large population.

If the Mesopotamian Valley is the birthplace of Middle Eastern civilization, and the Yellow River and the Yangtze River are the mother rivers of the Chinese nation, then for the Berbers in the Maghreb region, the Atlas Mountains are well-deserved holy mountains.

The Atlas Mountains stretch from Agadir on the Atlantic coast in the west to Tunis on the southern coast of the Mediterranean in the east, running across the entire Maghreb region and forming the dividing line between the Mediterranean world and the Sahara Desert.

It is precisely because of the barrier of the Atlas Mountains that the warm and humid air currents from the Mediterranean can form rainfall on the northern slope of the mountains, converge into several rivers, and wash out valleys and plains between the mountains.

It is precisely because of the barrier of the Atlas Mountains that the tropical air currents from the Sahara Desert cannot break through the towering mountains and are blocked at the southern foothills, thus freeing the Maghreb region from the trouble of extreme dryness.

This is also the reason why there is such a huge climate difference between the east and west of Tunisia.

In the valley between the easternmost section of the Atlas Mountains and the Zourud River lies a holy city. This city, hidden under the shade of date palms and the shadows of mosques, is mainly built of white marble. It is mysterious, noble, awe-inspiring and inviolable.

This is Kairouan, the ancient capital of the Muslim dynasty in North Africa and the religious center of the Maghreb region.

In the hearts of the Berbers who believe in Sunni Islam, Kairouan is the fourth holiest city after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem. They believe that going to Kairouan for Hajj seven times is equivalent to going to Mecca once for Hajj, and both can express the most sincere respect to the gods they serve and bring glory to themselves and their families.

The city of Kairouan has a very long history. It was once the capital of the Aghlabid Dynasty. There are dozens of mosques of various sizes in the city. Among them, the Grand Mosque of Kairouan is the most famous. It is one of the largest mosques in the world and attracts many Muslims to visit.

During major Sunni festivals, believers will travel thousands of miles to the Holy City of Kairu, and under the leadership of the Grand Mufti and ulema at all levels, they will hold grand ceremonies, prostrate themselves on the ground and worship Allah to show their piety.

After the establishment of the Hafsid Dynasty, Tunis was made its capital. The shift of the political center did not shake the religious status of Kairouan. In the hearts of Berber Muslims, this city is still extremely sacred and is an extremely special existence.

With the chaos and decline of Jerusalem in the past two hundred years, Kairouan's religious status in the hearts of believers has become increasingly important, and it is even showing signs of replacing Jerusalem.

In recent years, the Christian forces in the East have become increasingly powerful. The Greek emperor is like a god of death wielding a scythe, eyeing the Islamic territories in North Africa, ready to uproot them at any time.

Bad news came one after another. The Grand Mufti, who lived in the Grand Mosque of Kairouan all year round, finally could not sit still anymore and began to call for a jihad to protect the people of God from being violated and to drive the brutal pagans out of their homes.

The Grand Mufti still overestimated the strength of the Hafsid Dynasty. The army that he had gathered with great effort was directly defeated in Tripoli. Prince Ibn was killed on the spot, and Caliph Yahya fled back to Tunis in a hurry with his remnants.

The Grand Mufti himself returned to Kairouan under the escort of Ebenezer, freeing himself from the humiliation of the Christians.

With the successive fall of Tripoli, Medenine, Gabes and other cities, the city of Kairouan, deep in the interior of the Hafsid Dynasty, was no longer safe. It was directly exposed to the enemy's attack and was facing attacks from the Crusaders at any time.

The influx of refugees and the occasional appearance of Christian advance teams made the entire city panic. Many devout believers responded to the call of the Ulema and took up arms to defend the holy city. Some people regarded Emperor Isaac as God's punishment for their disloyalty and waited for the judgment of fate in a daze.

The Grand Mufti convened a meeting of representatives from all walks of life in the city, decided to fight to the death, and called on citizens to join the army and fight for Allah to the end.

Relying on his accumulated prestige, the Grand Mufti quickly sorted out the basic affairs of the city, registered the number of troops, armor and weapons, food and livestock, and appointed someone to be responsible for their management.

He sent people to gather the defeated troops nearby and reorganized them into battle order. At the same time, he repaired the city walls, ditches and canals, ready to deal with the attacks of the pagans at any time.

He also made a promise to Emini, expressing his willingness to support him in taking control of Tunis and replacing the Hafsid family as the ruler of the entire Maghreb.

In return, Amini will lead his troops to stay in Kairouan and participate in the defense of the city.

After the catastrophic defeat in Tripoli, the central government of the Hafsid dynasty and the eastern princes suffered heavy losses. On the contrary, the Aimi tribe, who abandoned their compatriots when they saw the situation was not favorable, preserved their strength relatively intact and was a force that could not be ignored.

The Grand Mufti was of course well aware of this, but due to the situation, he had to bury his disgust and dissatisfaction deep in his heart, pretending to be kind and begging Amini to keep the troops.

The news that the holy city of Kairouan was threatened spread quickly among Berber Muslims. Many strong men rushed from the rear and joined the defense of the city with the determination to die.

In just a few months, the number of defenders in Kairouan has exceeded 10,000 and is still increasing rapidly.

"What a strong city!"

On a hill south of Kairouan, Marquis Mikhail and several generals were scouting the enemy situation under the protection of their personal soldiers.

It was evening, and the afterglow of the setting sun cast on the distant city, dyeing the holy city pink. It looked magnificent, like a spotless work of art.

"The walls of Kairouan were first built 600 years ago and have been reinforced many times over the past 600 years. Due to its special religious significance, it has not suffered much from war. The rulers have attached great importance to the defense of the city and have never spared any money."

"There are a large number of defenders in the city. Inspired by the religious atmosphere, their fighting spirit is strong. Without the support of artillery, it will be difficult for us to break through."

The speaker was Lierde, commander of the Seventh Corps of the Guards and an old subordinate of Emperor Isaac. He had joined the emperor's army as early as 1445 along with Count Conti and had participated in countless wars of all sizes.

A few years ago, he won the heart of a young lady from a branch of the Palaiologos family at a ball in Constantinople, and was baptized as an Orthodox Christian in Hagia Sophia, with the emperor himself serving as their witness.

After Count Conti was ordered to form the Knights of Saint Simon, Liarde, who was then the deputy commander, was successfully promoted to commander of the army by virtue of his marriage relationship. In the recent Battle of Tripoli, he led the newly reorganized Seventh Corps of the Guards and made considerable achievements, and was awarded the title of baron.

"Hmph, although Kairouan has a large number of defenders, they just suffered a great defeat and have no fighting spirit. In addition, the defenders come from a variety of sources and it is impossible for them to work together in a short period of time. It is not as difficult to defeat them as you say."

"If the colleagues of the Seventh Legion do not want to fight, just stay in the rear. We in the Third Legion are not cowards!" "Why, the iron army that held Soult under Count Conti and won the praise of the Prime Minister has become a group of sheep in your army?"

Commander Daniel of the Third Legion immediately took over the conversation and spoke rudely to Liard.

Liard simply turned his head away and ignored it.

As the size of the Eastern Roman Empire's army expanded, factional struggles were naturally inevitable. The largest faction was the "Old Guards" who claimed to be of orthodox Roman descent. They were secretly led by Marquis Mikhail and had always looked down on the Purple Guards and several new guards formed by foreigners, believing that they were the emperor's most solid shield.

Although Marquis Mikhail, as the top military figure, had never participated in these factional struggles, His Majesty the Emperor was still wary of this and expanded the Purple Guards into three legions. He also formed the Fourth Legion of the Guards, which was mainly composed of Berbers, and the Fifth Legion of the Guards, which was mainly composed of Armenians, as a disguised warning and constraint.

"My Lord Marquis, I suggest writing to His Majesty as soon as possible, asking him to transfer the Spartan heavy artillery company to carry out a concentrated bombardment on Kairouan City."

"A few days ago, I led a group to conduct an observation. Although their city walls are often repaired and reinforced, they are extremely old. When they were first built, they were not designed to withstand artillery attacks. They can't withstand a few rounds."

Seeing that Liard turned his head away, Daniel decided not to bore Mikhail any more and continued to give his advice.

"It's good to know how to observe in advance."

Mikhail first nodded, expressing his approval of Daniel's behavior.

"However, according to the instructions given to me by His Majesty, we do not need to launch a strong attack on Kairouan for the time being. We just need to maintain pressure and prevent the enemy from being distracted."

"Think about it, if you were a Saracen, when Tunisia, the home of the Hafs family, and Kairouan, the holy city of Sunnis, were attacked at the same time, which one would you prefer to support?"

Daniel said nothing, but he already had the answer in his heart.

For an ordinary Muslim, the holy city of Kairouan is of course far more important than Tunis. No city in the whole of North Africa can compare to it.

"You mean, Your Majesty wants to use Kairouan as a bait to attract more Jihadists to come to support, leaving Tunis and other big cities empty of troops, thus reducing the pressure of the attack?"

Liard suddenly understood and asked immediately.

"But if more and more of them gather, will it put pressure on us?"

Daniel was still full of doubts.

"Of course it's possible, but we are not pushovers. We will not sit idly by and watch them gather their troops."

"Can……"

"Okay, we should go back. Let's get a good night's sleep today. We will set up our formation tomorrow morning and send a few vassal troops to consume them first."

Mikhail interrupted Daniel's question and rode away.

He was the one who promoted Daniel, so he naturally knew what was in the mind of this brave and warlike young man.

If Sparta's heavy artillery could be brought in and a large army could be assembled for a strong attack, pressure could be put on the Saracens. After the city was captured, the last remaining force of the Hafsid dynasty would disappear into thin air.

However, as the Empire's Military Minister and the Emperor's most trusted senior minister, he is no longer a simple soldier and cannot always look at things from the perspective of a commander.

The religious significance of Kairouan is so special that in the face of pagan invasion, the soldiers and civilians in the city will surely defend the city desperately. Even if they are able to successfully capture the city in the end, the originally beautiful and magnificent holy city will be reduced to ruins.

By then, there will be really no room for maneuver for both sides.

He had no idea how his Majesty the Emperor would deal with the large number of Saracens in the new territory, but as his teacher, having gone through so many ups and downs together for so many years, Mikhail knew Isaac very well.

After losing the halo of a jihadist and a devout believer in the eyes of outsiders, he is just a pure profit-seeker, nothing more.

Mikhail didn't know what the Emperor wanted, but in any case, it would not be a desolate land and a rebellious people.

As the sun sets, everyone returns. The city of Kairouan behind them bids farewell to the last ray of cloud and sinks into the darkness of the night.

……

In the autumn of 1455, the Christian coalition forces divided into three groups in Gabes and targeted Gafsa, Kairouan and Sfax respectively, conquering cities and territories in the heart of the Hafsid dynasty.

Under the command of Marquis Mikhail, the Northern Army launched several feint attacks on the city of Kairouan, forcing more jihadists to abandon cities such as Tunis, Sousse and Sfax and gather around Kairouan to confront the Northern Army.

The Western Army's offensive suffered a setback. At the panic invitation of the local garrison in Gafsa, the State of Djerid, entrenched in the south of the salt marsh, marched north in the name of jihad, occupied the city in the valley, and took advantage of the time difference to set up an ambush, almost wiping out the Western Army led by Ferdinand.

The Western Route Army, having suffered a loss, retreated to the east, took a short rest, and planned further moves.

The eastern army led by Isaac achieved fruitful results. Since the eastern princes suffered the greatest losses in the Battle of Tripoli, they did not even encounter any decent resistance along the way.

When they arrived at the city of Sfax, several of Prince Ibn's good sons were still fighting for power in the city. They even tried to exchange nominal submission for Isaac's withdrawal, but he flatly refused.

On October 1455, 10, a coup d'état took place in Sfax. Makusoum Hafs, who had been silent before, claimed that he was the master of Sfax. With the help of merchants in the city, he quickly took control of the dock area. The Knights of Saint Simon and pirate organizations, who had been waiting for a long time, boarded the port and gradually took control of the entire city from east to west.

Under attack from all sides, the soldiers lost their last hope. Several Hafsid princes finally faced reality, acknowledged Makusum's sovereignty, packed up their belongings and fled with his permission.

On the morning of October 1455, 10, as the sun rose, Isaac appeared on the empty streets of Sfax on his tall horse and accepted the surrender of Makusum.

(End of this chapter)