1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 150 Spoiler

Algiers, on the southern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, on the northern foothills of the Atlas Mountains.

This port city is located on the main route of commodity trade between the East and West Mediterranean. It has a dense population, a mild and humid climate, and a strong Islamic cultural character and Mediterranean style.

The city is currently occupied by the Zayanid dynasty, which is also a local regime that broke away from the Almohad dynasty.

Compared with the Marinid Dynasty in the west and the Hafsid Dynasty in the east, the Zayanid Dynasty in Tlemcen has always been relatively weak. In the previous hundreds of years, it has been paying tribute to its powerful neighbors. The Marinid Dynasty has twice conquered the Zayanid capital of Tlemcen, and the Hafsid Dynasty also frequently invaded the border.

At the beginning of the 15th century, the two neighbors in the east and the west fell into civil strife one after another. The Zayanid Dynasty took the opportunity to break away from their control and launched a high-profile attack on the Hafsid Dynasty.

As a result, a lean camel is bigger than a horse. The Zayanid dynasty was defeated and civil war broke out.

This civil war lasted until the 15s, during which time each sultan served for no more than three years. It greatly damaged the vitality of the Zayanid dynasty and caused them to miss the best opportunity for development.

After the current Sultan Ahmed I ascended the throne, the civil war was basically settled, but the country was already in a state of mourning and desolation.

Ahmed I was a mediocre king. He had great ambitions but little talent and was too ambitious. He worked diligently but never achieved anything. He could be a king in times of peace, but not in times of chaos.

Before Ahmed I could regain control of his territory, Caliph Abu Aziz, the revivalist of the Hafsid Dynasty, invaded again and took back cities such as Bejaia and Constantine on the border between the two countries, forcing the Zayanid Dynasty to submit again.

After the rise of Christian forces in the east, Yahya, eager to change the situation, gave up his sovereignty over the Zayanid dynasty and married a Zayanid princess in exchange for temporary stability and peace.

During the Battle of Tripoli, Sultan Ahmed hesitated again and again, but finally responded to the call of the Grand Mufti and sent 2,000 reinforcements, but they suffered heavy casualties and fled in embarrassment.

Successive sultans also realized in the constant wars that the city of Tlemcen was easy to attack but difficult to defend, and gradually moved the center of rule to Algiers further east.

At this time in the royal palace of Algiers, Sultan Ahmed summoned his ministers and was holding a meeting.

"My dear ministers, the port of Sousse fell the day before yesterday. The Greek emperor looted the city and drove the refugees northward, threatening the city of Tunis."

"Not long ago, I received three letters from people who claimed to be the legitimate caliph and the sole ruler of Tunis."

Ahmed looked a little strange and ordered the eunuchs to circulate the three letters among the ministers.

"The first letter came from Yahya who was trapped in Tunis. He asked me to send reinforcements to resist the attack of Christians and drive out the Greek emperor for the sake of our in-laws and fellow Muslim brothers."

"In return, he promised to give us the lands from Bejaia to Constantina, and to make his child with my daughter his heir, and to make an everlasting alliance."

Sultan Ahmed first pointed to the letter with the seal of the Hafs family.

The handwriting on the letter was very sloppy and there were faint stains on the envelope. It was obvious that the sender's current situation was not very good.

"Humph, this Yahya is so anxious that he is losing his mind. These places are not under his control at all. He is just taking advantage of others."

After reading the letter, the ministers looked disdainful.

"The second letter came from Kairouan, and the sender was our old friend, Ebenezer."

"He seems to have reached some kind of agreement with the Grand Mufti of Kairouan and obtained the nominal position of Caliph. He asked me to marry the princess and hoped that we would send troops to Kairouan to defend the holy city."

A scornful smile appeared on Sultan Ahmed's lips.

Since when did the princesses of the Zayanid dynasty become so popular?

"Your Majesty the Sultan, if it weren't for our help, Ebenezer would not have been able to gain a foothold in Bejaia and other places. Now that he has become the nominal caliph, instead of thinking of giving back, he is thinking of getting something for nothing?"

"Can't agree."

The ministers made their suggestions one after another.

"The last one is from Suse, which was just captured."

Sultan Ahmed restrained his smile and looked solemn.

The ministers looked at the strange emblem on the cover in silence.

The coat of arms was not complicated. Just like the first letter, the ministers recognized the white star and crescent on a yellow background of the Hafsid dynasty at a glance.

However, in the upper left corner of the yellow background with white stars and moon, there is a golden and red Palaiologos cross and four-beta family emblem, symbolizing subordination and vassalage.

"Not long ago, the Greek emperor, the infamous Isaac the Accuser, found a descendant of the Hafs family named Makusum from somewhere and supported him as a puppet to fight against Yahya in Tunis."

"This letter basically represents the emperor's intention."

“His demands were simple, to sever ties with Yahya and Emini and stop all assistance to them, while recognizing Makusum as the leader of the Hafs family.”

“He also invited us to the area around Bejaia and Constantine, recognizing our special interests west of Tunisia.”

Sultan Ahmed looked at the lifeless court and felt irritated for no reason.

"Are you all dumb? Are you so afraid of the Greek emperor?"

After waiting for a long time, the chief intelligence officer came forward and said.

"Your Majesty, as far as I know, Emperor Isaac has promised all the lands west of Tunis to the European nobles who followed him to the war, including Bejaia, Constantina, and even our Algiers and Tlemcen."

"In addition, Emir Mzab and Sultan Tugurt also told us that Emperor Isaac established the Southern Border Region after destroying the Jared Sultanate, and has extended his hand to our backyard from the side."

"So I guess he probably never thought about coexisting peacefully with us, but just tried to stir up a dispute between us and Ebenezer in this way and destroy the defense system that the holy city of Kairouan had worked so hard to build."

"Even the extremely powerful Ottoman Sultan and Mamluk Sultan suffered great losses at his hands. Our strength is not enough to make them fear us."

The chief of intelligence was quite capable and he interpreted the political signals behind the letter clearly in just a few words.

"But, Steward, Isaac has already promised us these lands in the letter. As an emperor, does he really not care about his reputation at all?"

A young general asked with a frown.

"Look again, when did the Greek emperor make a promise?"

The general looked carefully and immediately understood the trick.

"It was Makusum, not Emperor Isaac, who asked us to break off relations with Yahya and Ebenni and promised us land."

The Intelligence Chief explained.

"According to my understanding, Emperor Isaac is extremely cunning and possessive. He will definitely not hand over Tunis and the surrounding rich land to others, let alone a descendant of the Hafs family."

"This Makusum is the spokesperson he promoted. He used his identity to undermine the resistance of the local forces, and issued orders in his name to carry out some bad things that cannot be done openly, such as massacres and burning cities."

"When this puppet has lost its usefulness, Emperor Isaac will kick him away and take over Tunis himself." After a moment of silence, Ahmed spoke slowly.

"Well, my dear ministers, now that you have read all three letters, what do you think we should do?"

"Your Majesty, I think we should take this opportunity to lead our army eastward and take control of Bejaia and other cities."

Ahmed looked up and saw that the person who spoke was his relative Oghuz, the lord of Bouvira.

His territory is adjacent to the city of Bejaia, and he has long coveted the city. He has always opposed the Zayanid central government's support for Ebeny and others.

"Give your opinion."

“First, our original intention in supporting Ebeny and others was to weaken the Hafsid dynasty’s control over the west and use Bejaia and other places as a buffer zone between the two countries.”

"Now, it is uncertain whether the Hafsid dynasty can continue to exist. Ebenezer has been blinded by the reputation and has not led his army back yet. He can no longer protect us from the east."

"Then our friendly relationship with him has completely lost its meaning."

Ahmed nodded frequently and waved for him to continue.

"Secondly, the Christian army is marching through the heartland of the Hafsid Dynasty. The two cities of Tunis and Kairouan are almost like floating duckweed without roots. It is only a matter of time before they fall. It is meaningless for us to go and help them now."

"There is a huge gap between our strength and that of the Christians, and they don't want to let us go. So, we must quickly prepare for the subsequent war."

"On the one hand, we should strengthen our strength and narrow the gap. On the other hand, we can only temporarily maintain a defensive position and try to keep the enemy out of the country."

"Bejaia is surrounded by fertile land, mountains and rivers, and has a well-developed defense system. It can be used as a long-term garrison fortress to consume the strength of Christians in a tug-of-war."

"In recent months, refugees have been coming from the west and passing through my territory. After much deliberation, I think we can place them around Bejaia and select the best and strongest among them to form an army to fight against the Christians."

"They had lost everything and hated the Greek emperor and his puppet caliph so much that they fought desperately."

"As long as the plan can be realized, we will be able to solve the defense problem around the capital and deal with the attacks of Christians without losing ourselves. Most importantly, the reputation of you and the Zayanid family will spread all over the world again."

"So good!"

Sultan Ahmed imagined the scene after the plan was realized in his mind, stood up excitedly, and the worry in his eyes disappeared.

Seeing their monarch so forgetful, the prime minister and the chief intelligence officer frowned.

You can think of it, but couldn't Isaac, the accuser known for his cunning, think of it?

"Your Majesty, this plan——"

"No need to say more!"

Ahmed waved it off.

"Ogus, since you have it all planned out, you will lead the army to the east. I believe you will not let me down."

"Their will to resist should not be strong. Take Yahya's letter with you and try to resolve the issue peacefully!"

"Thank you, Sultan!"

Oghuz was overjoyed and knelt down to express his gratitude, then was helped up by Ahmed.

Seeing the emperor and his ministers being so harmonious and full of confidence, several important officials looked at each other in silence and could only sigh.

On April 1456, 4, Oghuz, who was named the Emir of Bejaia, led his army on an expedition to the east, under the banner of supporting the jihad, and tried to take control of several cities west of Tunisia.

The plan went surprisingly smoothly. Cities such as Bejaia and Constantina belonged to the Zayanid Dynasty decades ago. Local forces were already deeply connected with it, and they were extremely fearful of the invasion of Christians. So they chose to accept the protection of the Zayanid Dynasty reluctantly.

In the city of Bejaia, Ebenezer's eldest son flatly refused the kind advice of local nobles and merchants and was stabbed to death on the spot. The youngest son in the family heard the news and fled to the south under the protection of some loyal ministers.

The situation in the other cities was similar. Most of the local forces were eager to find a backer who could provide protection and did not put up much resistance.

Within a month, the Oghuz Emir led his army through the towns and villages from Bejaia to Annaba, filling the political vacuum caused by the decline of the Hafsid Dynasty. Wherever he went, he was invincible.

On May 5, the Oghuz vanguard approached the city of Annaba, where they were finally resisted by the Hafsid army. They did not attempt to attack by force and led their troops back.

One battle report after another was delivered to Sultan Ahmed in the court of Algiers, which made him extremely proud but also a little doubtful.

The fruits of victory came so easily that it was hard to believe.

In the palace, Sultan Ahmed said so.

On May 1456, 5, Isaac, who had captured the port of Sousse, led his army northward, successively defeated several waves of jihadists who came to block his way, passed the northeast cape, drove the refugees and defeated soldiers northward, and headed straight for the city of Tunis.

"Your Majesty, ahead is the city of Ben Arus, the last fortress outside Tunis..."

Isaac rode his horse up a hill and looked at the city in the distance.

Makusum beside him kept talking about the story of the city, half bent over with a flattering look on his face.

"This place was originally built by the Carthaginians, and there are still many relics of the ancient Roman Empire in the forest..."

Isaac glanced at him, and Makusum immediately shut his mouth and walked aside obediently.

After pacifying the Sultanate of Jared, Isaac led his troops north, raiding all the way from the coastal grasslands, and has been fighting until today.

As the latitude increases, the climate becomes more pleasant, the grass and water become more abundant, and the spirits of the soldiers and horses become higher and higher.

The population here is dense, so there is no need to worry about supplies. The army marched triumphantly all the way along the avenues left over from the ancient Roman period, looking at the ruins of ancient cities and dilapidated temples that appeared from time to time on the roadside. Distant songs seemed to echo in the air.

"Set up camp and let the forces in the city come to meet the new Caliph and see what their plans are."

Isaac waved his hand and ordered the messenger to ride away on horseback. The army soon stopped, set up camp in batches, and started cooking.

The city of Tunis was right before his eyes, and Isaac couldn't help feeling a little excited.

Near the city of Ben Arus, the remains of the ancient city of Carthage can be seen everywhere. The former residences of kings, princes and priests have now become caves for snakes, rats, foxes and rabbits.

But Tunis is different.

U-shaped harbor, Grand Theater, Pantheon, Grand Baths...

Hannibal vowed to march north here, and Belisarius established his career here.

Tunisia, here I come!
(End of this chapter)