1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 179 Heading to the Sea
On a trail in the northwestern section of the Apennine Mountains, an army was winding along the mountain road.

Heavy rain fell from the sky. Dark clouds covered the earth, dyeing the world leaden black.

"Ahead is our secret supply point, a den of bandits that I persuaded to surrender. The army can rest there!"

Dimarco, wearing a cloak, rode his horse towards Captain Emro and spoke loudly in his ear.

"I sent someone to inform them and prepared food and hot water in advance, as well as plenty of straw for making beds and resting!"

Emro nodded and glanced at him.

It seems that this young talent from the Gattilusio family is very extraordinary. Not only did he prepare for the army's departure before leaving the Republic of Genoa, he was also certain that Emro would agree to his bold plan.

"Are there a few more rest stops like this before we can get to the larger towns?"

As the rain got heavier, Emuro put on his hood and asked loudly.

"There aren't many large settlements in the mountains. I deliberately avoided towns when choosing my marching route. This is the last supply point, and the Port of La Spezia is right in front of us!"

"Okay! Let's speed up!"

Emro summoned a messenger, and the news quickly spread among the crowd. The exhausted soldiers thought of the hot water and soft beds not far away, and their steps became much lighter.

This was the tenth day since they evacuated the mountain fortress north of Genoa. Shortly after they left, the Genoese Parliament officially announced the cessation of resistance and let the French enter the city. The Duke of Bourbon entered the Governor's Palace and started final negotiations with several major families.

Shortly after they left, the city of Monferrato was captured by the joint forces of Savoy and France. According to the agreement, the city belonged to the Duke of Savoy in return for his troops.

At the same time, Sforza, Duke of Milan, occupied the entire Pavia area. His vanguard troops advanced to the northeast of Genoa and had a small-scale conflict with the French army. Both sides had no intention of fighting and retreated.

While Commander Emro was thinking about his own things, the army continued to advance. Lights were visible in the distance, and a camp hidden in the valley was clearly visible.

Dimarco's messenger had already explained his purpose to the bandit leader. The stew pot on the open ground was bubbling, and the aroma of the food drifted into the soldiers' noses on the wind. After a long journey, they could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"Master Dimarco, Lord Emro, I have prepared supplies according to your request and blocked this mountain road. No one will know of your arrival for the time being."

In a cave, the bandit leader Rossi laughed, bit open the cork on the wine bottle, and poured the turbid wine into three cups.

"I don't know what you promised me--"

Emro looked at the dirty cup and hesitated, but Dimarco didn't care whether it was poisonous or not and drank the wine in the cup in one gulp.

"Don't worry, I will give you a good identity. You and your men will be organized into a mercenary group. As long as our plan goes smoothly, this mercenary group will be the future city guard of the Free City of La Spezia."

Dimarco glanced at him and saw that Rossi's cheerful face had distinct Norman features, so he probably was not a native Italian.

"As for your Norman pirate origins and your criminal record of killing three knights and a baron, believe me, no one will care about these."

Rossi's smile froze on his face. He really didn't expect that this seemingly peaceful young man knew his life story so well.

"The local city council will grant you a title and hire your mercenary group as a standing army, just like Florence did with the White Mercenaries."

"Have you heard of John Hawkwood and Francesco Sforza? They came from humble backgrounds, but they also established immortal achievements through their mercenary groups and became famous in the European continent."

"Yes, yes. I feel relieved when you say that. I, Rossi, will follow Master Di Marco for the rest of my life. Just don't forget us when you become successful in the future! Hahahaha..."

Looking at Rossi's rosy face, Emro suddenly felt a sense of admiration for the young man next to him. Just a few words were enough to make the bandit leader lose his mind and start daydreaming.

"Captain Emro, I remember that your army suffered heavy losses in the battle with the French, and only one tenth of its combat effectiveness remains. Can we suppress the local forces in La Spezia with our military strength alone?"

Dimarco changed the subject and looked at Emro with a worried look on his face.

"Indeed, this is a big problem. The soldiers under my command have long since stopped wanting to fight. If we force them to fight a tough battle, they will definitely mutiny!"

Emro suddenly understood and sighed in annoyance.

"This is not going to be easy. How about we turn west and board the Emperor's ship to go home?"

DiMarco frowned.

Seeing this, Rossi panicked and quickly swallowed the wine in his mouth.

"My two lords, you have walked along the mountain road for such a long time, how can it be in vain?"

"If we go back in disgrace like this, His Majesty the Emperor will not be satisfied!"

"Then what do you say we should do? The 1,800 remnants brought by Captain Emro and the 400 mercenaries I organized, even with your 200 heroes, are not enough to form an overwhelming advantage over the city of La Spezia!"

DiMarco put down his glass regretfully.

"My previous plan was abrupt. I'm really sorry."

"But I won't let you work in vain. How about a hundred ducats?"

As he spoke, Dimarco prepared to take out his wallet.

"Hey!"

Rossi hurriedly stopped Dimarco's hand.

"To be honest, the two hundred men in this valley are not all my troops. Another three hundred have gone into the mountains to hunt."

Rossi rubbed his hands nervously.
"I have some connections with several nearby strongholds. If I can convince them to work together, I can bring a total of 1,000 troops to the two adults, and they will all obey your command. What do you think?"

"Okay! Thank you, Baron Rossi!"

DiMarco smiled innocently.

Long before entering the mountain village, he sent people to count the number of tents and stew pots, from which he discovered the trick.

He didn't want to care about Rossi's thoughts of preserving his strength, nor did he care how many of these one thousand people were refugee peasants who had never been to the battlefield. The war was urgent, and the more strength, the more hope.

After completely tying the bandit leader to the chariot, the three men spread out the map and began to discuss the plan.

"Even with the help of Baron Rossi, our strength is still a little weak. We don't have any heavy weapons for siege. We must not storm the city by force."

DiMarco analyzed the current situation by candlelight.

"If we can't completely destroy the city council's willingness to resist in a short period of time, they will most likely ask for protection from external forces."

"The Republic of Lucca and even the Republic of Florence are likely to accept their request and take the opportunity to take over this port."

"So, we must use surprise attacks!"

The two nodded repeatedly.

"The port of La Spezia is protected by mountains and the Gulf of Spezia, surrounded by the sea to the southeast and the naval port of the Genoese fleet to the south."

"Because the interests of the city council and the Republic of Genoa are not completely consistent, the area near the naval port is guarded by Genoese sailors, which is the weak point of the city defense."

"One of my friends is the captain of the city defense squad outside the naval port, guarding the important passage leading to the naval port from the mountain road."

Dimarco drew a curve on the map, running from the valley straight to the Genoa naval port.

"Our plan is to use the military pressure of the Eastern Empire's Mediterranean Fleet to force the garrison in the port to move to the vicinity of the dock, and then take the opportunity to seize the port, break into the southern part of La Spezia, and go straight to the city council."

"Our top priority is the residences of the major wealthy families in the city. As long as we control them, La Spezia will be ours."

"I already have people in the city council. As long as we create a fait accompli, the nobles will easily reach a compromise."

"So, while we rest here, we must also contact His Majesty the Emperor, reveal our plan to him, and request his naval support."

"I hope you can help me with this matter, Captain Emro."

Dimarco looked at Emro.

"Of course, my boys have been looking forward to going home."

DiMarco turned back to Rossi.

"Count Rossi, when we attack the naval port, I hope you can lead your troops into the northern city of La Spezia and stabilize the situation in the city."

"Okay, okay, leave it to me!"

Rossi was overjoyed.

Master Dimarco is truly an honest man, as he went to take over the unprofitable naval port himself, but left the most prosperous main urban area to them!

"Then it's settled. This matter concerns the future of all of us. Please remember to keep it a secret from your subordinates and don't let any news leak out."

"Especially you, Count Rossi."

DiMarco smiled.

"Of course, of course! I, old Rossi, keep my mouth shut!"

The bandit leader patted his chest.

"Then let us raise our glasses together to toast the emperor and our prosperity and wealth!"

The three of them raised their glasses together.

Dimarco was a little drunk, and with a surge of pride in his heart, he smashed the cup to the ground. "In five days, we will officially carry out our operation!"

"The name of the operation is, Run to the Sea!"

……

In the Carthaginian court, the feasting was over, leaving only the mess of cups and plates. The maids filed in and cleaned up the leftovers on the table.

In the garden not far away, Isaac and Leonor, who had just finished a banquet, walked side by side on the path, letting the moonlight shine on their shoulders.

"Is Salonika asleep?"

"Ah."

Leonor gave Isaac a reproachful look.

"It's all your fault. You pushed her too hard during the day and insisted on teaching her to read."

"I remember that you didn't pay this much attention to the education of Justinian and Alexios?"

"Of course. As the eldest princess of the empire, she naturally needs to learn more about literature and art."

Isaac stroked his beard.

Nonsense, he was still expecting his daughter to write a biography for him.

"At today's banquet, Justinian performed well and played well with the generals' children. Fidel and Giovanni also liked this child very much."

"Send someone to find my stablemaster tomorrow and ask him to bring the Andalusian colt to Justinian as a reward for his recent excellent performance."

This banquet was mainly centered around the victory of the Battle of Malta. The attendees were mainly naval generals, most of whom were a bunch of illiterate people, and their children were much the same.

It seems that his eldest son has grown up and knows how to deal with naval officers in an appropriate manner, and does not show off his noble status.

Unlike the army, which is dominated by aristocratic forces, the navy's officers and soldiers come from diverse backgrounds, ranging from fishermen to pirates, and they respect the strong rather than bloodline.

When Justinian is older, Isaac will arrange for him to spend some time at sea so that he can gain a deeper understanding of the sailors' lifestyle and interests and better capture their hearts.

Of Isaac's two sons, Justinian was more like a maturing politician. He had gradually figured out the correct way to deal with various groups of people and knew how to gain the trust and loyalty of his subordinates.

Alexius still loved martial arts as always. He held his sword all day and followed his instructor to the training ground to hone his skills.

"So, are you going to let Justinian come back with me to Portugal to attend the funeral?"

Leonor stopped.

"He has told me many times that he wants to go to Iberia again."

Just recently, Prince Henry, the last member of the "illustrious generation" of the House of Aves of the Kingdom of Portugal, passed away. He devoted his life to exploring West Africa and achieved considerable success.

Prince Henry, the "Sea Knight", represents the Portuguese Kingdom's spirit of daring to take risks and explore the unknown. After his death, the power of the "West African Faction" in Portugal was greatly damaged, and the land nobles who advocated the development of North Africa controlled the government.

After the death of Prince Henry, under the influence of the land nobles, Alfonso V gradually shifted his attention from West Africa to North Africa and Iberia, and began to intervene in the internal affairs of the Marin Dynasty and the Kingdom of Castile.

Marrying his sister Joana to Henry IV the Incompetent was a crucial step.

"Why not let him go? North Africa and the Balkans are both very peaceful right now. The war in Italy will not affect the prosperity and development of the territory. There shouldn't be any problem if he takes a few months to go to Iberia."

Leonor suggested.

"Besides, Uncle Enrique was very kind to Justinian when he was alive. He gave him a portion of the huge fortune he left behind."

"This child is very loyal and righteous. I think he is very sad about the death of such a kind elder."

"Okay, then allow him to go, but he must bring enough guards to deal with emergencies."

Isaac finally relented.

"Also, Archduke Thomas' wife is pregnant again. She wrote to me to complain that Constantina's population is displaced, everything is in ruins, and the conditions are very poor. Archduke Thomas is busy with the war, and the Berber herdsmen in the mountains have besieged the city several times. She lives in fear all day, fearing that the baby in her belly will miscarry."

"I know you don't want the local forces in the Balkans to become too powerful, but you can't drive even your closest uncle to a remote area, right?"

Leonor complained.

"Although I pushed for the trip to Constantina, it was ultimately Uncle Thomas's own suggestion."

"The succession to the throne of the Eastern Empire has always been a big problem. It is better for these royal relatives to stay away from the political center of Constantinople."

Isaac walked slowly.

"I've read her letter, too. Although she complained, she knew in her heart that the change of title was a done deal, and I couldn't take it back."

"I think her main purpose is actually to ask me for material reinforcements, so as to improve Constantina's environment and relieve her husband's troubles."

"How about this, I will send the latest batch of Circassian slaves and Slavic slaves to Constantina to engage in agricultural production there and increase the proportion of Orthodox Christians."

"In addition, I will sell the armor and weapons made in the Constantinople Arsenal to Grand Duke Thomas at a low price. Let him exchange them for Berber slaves."

"As for Archduke Thomas' wife, I will send a skilled doctor from the Narcissus Medical College to take care of her during pregnancy and deliver the fetus. There shouldn't be any major problems."

"Constantina was once the palace of Emperor Constantine the Great, so the conditions there aren't that bad. As long as we manage it carefully, it should be much better than Achaia."

Isaac said as he sat down on the grass, stroked the soft green grass, and sighed with contentment.

"I worry about everything and never know when it will end."

"I really hope Justinian and Alexios can grow up quickly and lighten my burden."

Leonor also rolled up her skirt, sat next to Isaac, and rested her head on his shoulder.

"The Balkan purge has finally come to an end. The landlords and nobles hiding in the mountains will eventually have to kneel down and surrender to me."

Isaac gently smelled the lavender scent on his wife and looked at the bright full moon.

"I heard there's quite a stir. There are several people with the last name of Palaiologos and Cantacuzenus. How are you going to deal with them?"

Leonor asked.

"What else can I do?"

Isaac snorted.

"Give them two choices: either to colonize the Atlas Mountains or to colonize South Africa."

"If they choose the former, they can keep a quarter of their property in the Balkans, and the Imperial Reclamation Office will provide them with cheap Orthodox slaves and military supplies, so that they can go to the mountains to squeeze the living space of the Berbers."

"The occupied land belongs to them. I will confer the corresponding titles and formulate the corresponding feudal agreements."

"If it's the latter, all their property in the Balkans can be cashed in and used to rent ships and buy slaves and supplies."

"They will establish farms and pastures around the New Thracian colony, or they can explore unknown areas on their own."

"Are there really any nobles willing to go to that place of exile in South Africa?"

Leonor was a little confused.

“When I was little, I often heard Uncle Enrique say that sub-Saharan Africa was a barbaric land.”

Isaac smiled.

"South Africa is different. The environment there is very similar to Europe. There is no scorching heat or virulent diseases. The local indigenous people don't even use stone tools very often."

"Just wait and see, when we get older, South Africa will become the second home of the Roma people."

"Among the nobles who were convicted of crimes, three with the surname of Palaiolo went to South Africa. I did not blame them too much and even provided them with considerable help."

Isaac recalled the official documents he had dealt with a few days ago.

"One of the young men, Limnios, has already established a small port called St. Augustine and a wooden castle north of the New Thracian colony. He has also subdued two Khoisan tribes and has basically established a foothold."

"I created him Earl of St. Austin and gave him eight hundred ducats to encourage the exploration and colonization of South Africa."

The moon was rising higher and higher, and it was getting late.

"Go back to the palace and rest. We are still young and have much to do."

Isaac put on a playful look.

Leonor rolled her eyes at Isaac, but still let him hold her hand.

"Don't you have to negotiate with Sforza's envoy tomorrow?"

"Never mind! Throw it to Sfrangis!"

"Sfrancis went to Aragon a few days ago."

"Then throw it to the Prime Minister!"

(End of this chapter)