1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 192 Catching a turtle in a urn
Balkan Peninsula, Ohlone Military Region, Ohlone City.

With the dim light of morning, soldiers from the 1st Infantry Regiment of the Aulon Military Region Border Guard entered the fishing village, which was now reduced to ruins.

The fishing village had just been looted, and the people had received the news in advance and fled inland for refuge. The Venetian pirates came back empty-handed and burned the deserted village to the ground.

The villagers returned home and picked through the ruins, looking for usable items.

The cries of women and children could be heard one after another, and the men squatted in front of the door of their burnt house, pounding the ground weakly.

The village elders stood high above the ruins, organizing the villagers to gather resources and rebuild their hometown.

Vittorio, the commander of the 1st Border Guard Regiment of the Aulon Military Region, rode his horse to the elder.

The elder looked at the black bear emblem on Vittorio's chest, smiled bitterly and bowed.

"My lord, you are too late. This place has been destroyed."

"Sorry, it's too far away and the Venetians are coming too fast. There's nothing we can do."

Vittorio dismounted and waved, and the adjutant behind him handed him a document and a purse.

"By order of Count Maruna, the commander of the Eastern Roman Empire's Aulon Military District, the village of Kawaya is exempted from two quarters of taxes. This is the tax you paid a few days ago. Now I will return it to you so that you can rebuild your home."

"Thank you."

The elder quickly knelt on one knee and took the purse from Vittorio.

For the villagers who lost their homes, this is certainly a drop in the bucket, but it is better than nothing.

"In addition, according to the decree issued by His Excellency Maurice, the Chief Administrative Officer of the Military Region, all villagers who lost their homes in the looting of the Venetians can go to the City of Aulon and Emperor Isaac's Castle to participate in the construction of livelihood projects and join the Aulon Military Region Border Guard. The personnel department will give them preferential treatment."

This is the latest policy of the central government of the empire. It adopts the aid method of "work-for-relief" for villagers who have suffered from natural disasters and man-made disasters. It can not only make full use of the idle labor force, but also prevent them from going to extremes.

"There are still many vacant positions in Aulon. The naval shipyard needs to be rebuilt, the border guards are expanding, and the Catalan and Navarre mercenaries fighting in Egypt are also recruiting. The strong young men in the village can go and try."

A year ago, the Invincible Fleet of the Republic of Venice attacked the Aulonian Military District. The Venetian mercenary Marshal Colleoni entered the city of Aulon and approached Emperor Isaac's Castle.

Later, the Venetian Armada was defeated in the Battle of Malta, and Colleoni was forced to withdraw his troops. Before leaving, he looted the area around the city of Auron.

Against this background, the hatred of the people in the Aulon Military District towards the Venetians reached its peak, their willingness to join the army increased, and the released border guard positions were quickly snatched up.

The Albanian mountain people have always been famous for their bravery and fighting skills. They are a good source of soldiers, and many mercenary groups also come here to recruit mercenaries.

"Thank you, sir. We will consider it."

The elder thought about it.

"My Lord, do you want to stay and eat? We took away the food and valuables before the Venetians arrived, and we still have plenty of food."

Vittorio knew that the elder wanted to exchange the abundant food for some cash.

These disaster-stricken villages often attracted many "scavengers". Unscrupulous businessmen would buy up land and food at extremely low prices, and even lure farmers who had lost their land into slavery, causing a large number of farmers to go bankrupt and flee.

The border guards are different. They have their own estates and subsidies from the emperor. Although they cannot compare with the central army, they can still live a very comfortable life.

Moreover, the Aulon Military District has one seat each in the Estates General and the City Council. They are not under the control of the military district. If the border guards oppress the countryside and cause public resentment, the parliamentarians can convey the news directly to the emperor.

The current political environment is relatively clear, the emperor's prestige is at its peak, and no one dares to directly offend his majesty.

"Okay, we are different from other armies. We will pay for our meals."

"We trust you."

The elder said with a smile, and told the villagers to bury the pot and cook.

"Sir, I haven't had time to ask your name yet."

By the fire, the elder handed Vittorio a glass of wine and pointed curiously at the black bear emblem embroidered on his chest.

"My name is Vittorio. I am the younger brother of Count Maruna, the commander of the military district. I studied at the Royal Knights Academy before and came here last year to serve as the commander of the First Border Defense Regiment."

Vittorio took the wine and drank it all.

"To be honest, I am leading the team to several villages in the north mainly to survey the terrain."

"The military district is planning to build a new fortress on the northern coastal plain as a supply transit point for the army. Your village is one of the alternatives."

Upon hearing this, the elder's face became even more attentive, but at the same time he was a little worried.

"Are you ready for war?"

"That won't bother you."

"But you should be able to guess that we will not let the Venetians do whatever they want and we will definitely take some action."

"But...isn't the north the territory of Grand Duke Lesh?"

The elder was a little confused.

"By the way, speaking of this, there is something else I want to ask you."

Vittorio shifted his gaze from the distant mountains to the nearby ones.

"There are mostly Albanians in the village, right?"

"Yes, three hundred and fifty-three Albanians, fifteen Serbs, thirty-five Greeks, and more than thirty Berber slaves."

"But we are all Romans now."

The elder said quickly.

"So what do you think of His Excellency Giorgio Castrioti?"

"If only he were not a Catholic."

The elder thought for a moment and sighed.

Vittorio smiled but said nothing.

As the Eastern Roman Empire expanded in the Balkan Peninsula, the surrounding small powers became nervous. They did hate the tyrannical Ottomans, but they did not necessarily like the Eastern Roman Empire that drove away the Ottomans.

Skanderbeg, who occupied Albania, was one of them.

This rare and famous general fought for half his life, and what he had always pursued was the national liberation and independence of Albania, hoping to free this troubled nation from the interference of foreign powers.

Therefore, after the Eastern Roman Empire recovered the Balkans, cracks began to appear in the good relations between the two countries. Skanderbeg repeatedly asked the Eastern Roman Empire to return the "leased" city of Ohlone, but was always refused.

Not long ago, the Republic of Venice invaded the Aulonian Military District. The commander of the military district, Maruna, asked Skanderbeg for help, but was rejected on the spot. Not only that, Skanderbeg also tried to occupy the city of Aulonian after the Venetians withdrew. However, the news leaked due to internal reasons and the plan failed.

According to information from insiders, Skanderbeg repeatedly declared that no matter how powerful Venice was, it was ultimately a trading republic that would only occupy coastal ports and could not threaten the Albanians' core territories.

In his view, as long as the Eastern Empire continued to develop, the Albanian Alliance, with its sparse population and numerous internal conflicts, would have no chance of survival.

The fact is just as he said. Since the establishment of the Ohlon Military District, the Eastern Roman Empire has never stopped its infiltration into Albania and has been specifically trying to sow discord.

The Albanian Union was ultimately a loose confederation with many factions within it, and it was controlled almost entirely by Skanderbeg's personal prestige.

However, in addition to his advancing age, Skanderbeg had a fatal weakness.

He is a Catholic.

Except for Skanderbeg and some of his loyal subordinates, all other Albanian people and nobles were Orthodox Christians.

Therefore, with the encouragement of the Eastern Empire, a large number of Orthodox monks began to enter the Albanian mountainous areas, advocating religious confrontation, sowing discord, and calling on the people to move south to avoid "religious oppression."

Skanderbeg had no way to deal with this tactic.

Drive away? The monks would not walk into Skanderbeg's direct jurisdiction openly, but would hide in the mountainous villages to preach.

Arrest? On religious issues, the people would not side with the Catholic nobles.

Convert back to Orthodoxy? Skanderbeg was baptized by the Vatican himself. If he abandoned it, all his efforts in the first half of his life in the Catholic world would be gone. He would also most likely be harassed by the Patriarch of Constantinople.

Therefore, in order to maintain the current independence, he must ask for support from Italy, and the more he does so, the deeper the religious division in Albania will be. In the final analysis, Skanderbeg's base is too small to achieve true national independence. As long as he dies, the loose alliance will collapse.

"Okay, that's it, we still have to move forward."

Vittorio stood up and began to gather the soldiers.

"The Empire's army has assembled at Emperor Isaac's Castle. We will take revenge on the Venetians."

……

Emperor Isaac's Castle in the western part of the Auron Military District.

After a simple lunch, Military District Chief Maruna held a meeting at the dining table.

Participants included Prince Leonardo Tocco of Epirus who came to support, Liarde, commander of the 7th Legion of the Guards, Messing, commander of the 3rd Legion of the Purple Guards, Dilin, captain of the Armored Paladins, Afif, captain of the Slaves Thousand, Urban, captain of the Spartan heavy artillery company, and most of the generals of the Aulonian and Ioannina border guards.

This time, more than 20,000 soldiers including the Central Army, Border Guards, Slaves Corps, vassal soldiers, armored holy cavalry and artillery units gathered in Emperor Isaac's Castle, filling this small mountain fortress to the brim.

This army is fully organized, with infantry, artillery, light cavalry, heavy cavalry, and everything else.

"My dear colleagues, I believe you have all received His Majesty's orders. I will be the commander-in-chief of this operation, and Prince Leonardo and Mr. Liard will serve as deputy commanders-in-chief."

"No matter which military system you come from, no matter if you are the emperor's personal guards or the garrisons of the military district, once you are on the battlefield, you must obey the orders of the headquarters. His Majesty has granted me the privilege of executing first and reporting later. Anyone who disobeys will be punished by military law!"

Maruna glanced at Knight Commander Dilin and Captain Afif, and they both said yes.

Maruna waved his hand, and his bodyguards unfolded a giant map of the Adriatic Sea. Different political forces were marked with different colors on the map.

“The Adriatic Sea is very long and narrow, with Italy to the west, the Balkans to the east, the Holy Roman Empire to the north, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south through the Strait of Otranto.”

"The forces in the western part of the Adriatic Sea are a mixed bag. The Kingdom of Naples, the Republic of Ancona, the Papal Territory, and the Duchy of Ferrara, none of them will be a threat to us for the time being."

"And the eastern part is the territory of the Venetians."

Maruna placed his finger on the black dot representing the city of Ohlone, extending northward.

On the long coastline of the west coast of the Balkan Peninsula, the light blue representing Venice covers almost all the good ports and islands, while the brown representing Hungary and the United Kingdom of Croatia is huddled between the blockades of the island chains.

On the coastline of the Republic of Venice, there is a lighter-colored massif.

"This is the Republic of Ragusa, a trading city-state centered on the city of Ragusa. It is an important gateway connecting the Balkans and Italian trade routes."

"Ragusa currently maintains a nominally independent status, but is deeply influenced by the Republic of Venice. The two were originally in a competitive relationship. In order to deal with Venice's trade monopoly, Ragusa successively surrendered to Serbia, Hungary and the Ottoman Empire in exchange for the support of the land powers."

"Not long ago, the Ottoman Empire was defeated, leaving a large power vacuum in the Balkans. But coincidentally, Hungary, Serbia and Bosnia were all in serious civil strife, and the Kingdom of Bosnia was on the verge of disintegration."

“Thus, the Republic of Ragusa lost the protection of the Balkan powers and its independence was in jeopardy.”

"About five years ago, Venice took advantage of this opportunity and used its overwhelming military strength to force the Ragusa Council to sign an agreement with them. Although it was an alliance, Ragusa had actually become a vassal state of Venice that retained considerable autonomy."

"It is precisely because of these connected ports that the Venetian fleet can be invincible in the Adriatic Sea."

"With these good ports, the Venetian fleet can easily obtain supplies, replenishment and repairs. Their power can also expand all the way to the Mediterranean. Even your Majesty's fleet dare not enter the depths of the Adriatic Sea."

"If we want to truly crush Venice, we have to blockade them within the Adriatic Sea."

"Our goal is to go north along the eastern coastline of the Adriatic Sea, eliminate their fortresses and strongholds along the coast, and occupy their ports."

"Only in this way can your Majesty's fleet reach the core area of ​​Venice, or even the city of Venice."

After Maruna finished speaking, all the generals were shocked. They did not expect that the emperor's plan was so bold that he actually tried to completely lock down the Republic of Venice through a series of means.

"What are the specific guidelines?"

Leonardo asked.

"The first and most important step is to eliminate all Venetian strongholds in Albania, including the ruling center of Venetian Albania."

Maruna drew a circle on the map.

Durachion.

"As early as the establishment of the Aulon Military Region, His Majesty ordered me to infiltrate the Albanian region and win over the lords of the Albanian Alliance in the name of brothers. So far, considerable progress has been made."

"These hidden pieces will play an important role in our advance into Albania."

"My Lord, will Castrioti obstruct our plan?"

Messing, the commander of the Third Army of the Purple Guard, asked.

"Of course. The Castrioti family will not sit idly by. Grand Duke Castrioti knows very well that only when two tigers fight each other can they have the opportunity to have the best of both worlds."

"If we drive out the Venetians, we can gradually erode Albania's territory, which is something the old duke never wants to see."

"Is it possible to persuade him to stay put, or even to join us?"

Maruna shook his head slowly.

"Not long ago, His Majesty summoned me to Bilinchi and talked about Grand Duke Castrioti in detail, and told me to pay attention to this person."

"According to your majesty, he is a true hero. Not only is he brilliant in military affairs, but he has always taken national independence as his mission. For this goal, he can give up everything, including personal honor and disgrace and the rise and fall of his family."

"If it were someone else, Your Majesty could have easily promised them high positions and generous salaries, and recognized the Castrioti family as the hereditary Grand Duke of Albania in exchange for their submission."

"You know, this officially recognized hereditary status is what the Castrioti family needs most right now."

"But not Giorgio Castrioti."

"Ottoman Sultan Murad II has tried many times, but he rejected it on the spot every time. Your Majesty has also tried it before, but the reply always focuses on the city of Oron."

Maruna spread his hands helplessly.

“You have to admit that there is a kind of people whose will is extremely firm and will not be distorted by power and status.”

"That's why he is the biggest obstacle to our advance into Durachion City."

"Fortunately, compared to the Ottomans, we have two natural advantages, namely terrain and religion."

Seeing the complicated expressions of the generals, Maruna spoke quickly.

"From a topographical point of view, the Ottomans had to face steep mountains from east to west, while we had to face coastal plains from south to north."

"From a religious point of view, when the Ottomans attacked Albania, the Orthodox people, the Orthodox nobles and the clergy would unite closely around Castrioti because they were waging a holy war to defend their faith."

"But we are different. We are waging a just war of liberation in the name of the Orthodox Emperor, with the goal of saving them from the oppression of heresy."

"Besides, according to your majesty's orders, we will not enter the Albanian mountains for the time being. We only need a passage to the core area of ​​Venice."

"Therefore, we must start from within the Albanian alliance and make Castrioti unable to take care of himself."

"If we really run into Castrioti's troops, don't be afraid. They will never be our opponents on the plains!"

"What are you afraid of? We have been fighting with your majesty for sixteen years. We have survived all the most critical times. We have won and lost, but we have never been afraid!"

Liard snorted.

"Of course, I say this so that you can be mentally prepared. His Majesty's diplomats have already started their activities. You just need to fight with all your heart."

"The emperor has a big plan this time. He is ready to completely defeat Venice. We are just one step in this big game."

Maruna looked serious.

"I'll give you a week. After a week, the entire army will march out, and our target will be Lazion!"

At the end of 1461, the Eastern Roman Empire's Balkan territories began large-scale military mobilization, and troops, civilians, food, and weapons and equipment were continuously gathered in the Ohlone Military District.

On January 1462, 1, the Eastern Roman Empire assembled 10 soldiers and civilians in the Aulonian Military District, claiming to be an army of . Under the leadership of Count Maruna, they crossed the northern border of the Aulonian Military District and marched northward in a mighty force.

(End of this chapter)