1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 193 Cairo Treaty of Commerce
Cairo, on the Nile River.

The civil war of the Mamluk dynasty had been going on for a long time. With the interference of foreign forces, this political vortex, which was originally limited to the city of Cairo, gradually spread, and the whole of Egypt suffered from war.

Generally speaking, the Mamluk Sultan Mansur, who was in name only, was at an absolute disadvantage at the beginning. Even with the support of the Catalan and Navarre mercenaries, he was unable to turn the tide of the war. Mansur's field army suffered repeated defeats, and the city of Cairo was besieged repeatedly. In the two most serious sieges, the rebels even approached the Citadel of Saladin.

In 1457, Ashriff, who proclaimed himself Sultan of Egypt and Syria, led an army of and easily defeated the small force sent by Mansur to block him, and surrounded the city of Cairo.

At that time, the enemy was numerous and we were few, and the Catalan Mercenaries and the Navarre Mercenaries were even ready to kidnap Sultan Mansur and escape.

However, just as Ashriver was preparing to attack Saladin's castle, smallpox broke out.

For a megacity like Cairo with a population of 380,000, the impact of the plague is fatal, and the entire city will be temporarily paralyzed.

Of course, the city of Cairo has always been a high-incidence area of ​​smallpox. Many people here have the corresponding antibodies, and the number of direct deaths is relatively small. However, the fear brought by the plague caused the soldiers' resentment caused by years of fighting to burst out directly, and Ashriver was forced to withdraw his troops and sigh in despair.

The chain reaction brought about by the long civil war soon swept across Egypt. Local lords sought independence and established their own territories, jumping back and forth between Mansur and Ashref and taking advantage of the situation.

They all possess considerable military power and can disregard orders from the central government.

In 1459, Ashriver married his daughter to a black chief in Upper Egypt, from whom he received a large number of Nubian troops' assistance. He defeated Mansur's troops again in the southern suburbs of Cairo and surrounded Cairo for the second time.

However, at the critical moment of breaking the city, the Abyssinians to the south of the Nubian chief took advantage of the situation and invaded. The Nubian army ignored Ashriver's desperate pleas and insisted on withdrawing to support, and before leaving, they did not forget to loot the southern suburbs of Cairo.

After the failure of the siege, Ashriver became depressed and fell ill, and died soon after.

After Ashriver's death, his eldest son and nephew occupied Upper Egypt and the Matruh region respectively, and could no longer pose any real threat to Cairo.

In contrast, Sultan Mansur began to gradually consolidate the territory of Lower Egypt, promising benefits to various lords in exchange for their loyalty.

At the end of 1459, Mansur initially unified the entire Lower Egypt region and occupied the most fertile Nile Delta, and the situation reversed.

Just when Sultan Mansur was full of confidence and preparing to recover the lost territory, something unexpected happened.

The Catalan and Navarre mercenaries not only declined Mansur's request for troops on the grounds of insufficient military supplies, but also secretly contacted one of Mansur's cousins ​​and instigated him to oppose his cousin's rule.

In early 1460, Mansur's cousin Emmanuel left Cairo on the pretext of a pilgrimage, killed his entourage in Port Said, married the daughter of a local tyrant, and proclaimed himself the Sultan of Egypt.

Mansur was furious and demanded that the Catalan and Navarre mercenaries send troops to attack him. The two leaders claimed that they did not want to destroy family unity and refused sternly.

Mansur believed that he was extremely talented and did not need help from outsiders. He ordered his eldest son to lead a part of the army to guard the two mercenary groups, while he personally led an army of 20,000 to approach the port of Said. However, he was betrayed by his subordinates and was defeated.

After returning to Cairo, Mansur became more and more angry. He blamed the two mercenary groups for the defeat and secretly mobilized troops, preparing to get rid of them.

However, the two major mercenary groups have changed a lot in the six-year civil war. Not only have they expanded greatly in size, they have also gradually gained control of some scattered castles and several blocks in Cairo from Mansur, and have also had dealings with high-ranking officials.

Mansur is worthy of the name of a fool. His understanding of the evil of human nature is still at the infant stage. Every time he is deceived, he always reflects for a while, swears in his diary that he will never do it again, and then continues to trust others and continue to be deceived.

Among the five people who learned about the conspiracy, three reported it to the two major mercenary groups.

So, just as Mansur was enthusiastically promising glory and prosperity to the soldiers involved in the conspiracy, the two major mercenary groups joined hands to break into the Saladin Castle, slaughtered all the soldiers, and explained the pros and cons to Sultan Mansur.

After this incident, Sultan Mansur's prestige further declined. The two major mercenary groups and the officials who reported to them were given many privileges. Mansur's ambitions were gradually eroded after repeated failures.

From then on, Egypt was divided into four parts. The Matrouh region belonged to Ashref's nephew Mas'ud, the largest Upper Egypt was occupied by Ashref's eldest son Arafat, and the richest Lower Egypt was divided into two parts, with the Nile River as the boundary. The west of the Nile, including Cairo, belonged to Mansur, and the east belonged to Emmanuel.

There are still a large number of local forces in these four territories. They have no interest in expansion and are only willing to unite and accept the monarch's deployment when defending their territories.

Of course, the Mamluks’ comprehensive national strength is too strong and their population is too large, and they still have a terrifying scale of more than 10 million.

Among the four separatist forces in the Egyptian region, even the weakest one, Matruh Emir Mas'ud, could barely muster an army of 40,000 after his best efforts.

Arafat, the Sultan of Upper Egypt with the largest territory, was the most powerful. Although he had lost the channel to purchase white slaves from the Black Sea, he soon began to use a large number of Nubian slave soldiers. He married the daughters of three black chiefs at one time and obtained sufficient troops from them.

Mansur, who occupied most of Lower Egypt and the capital Cairo, had the largest population under his jurisdiction. However, due to the interruption of the white slave trade in the Black Sea, his most elite Royal Mamluks could not be reinforced, and their numbers began to decline rapidly, so they had to rely on mercenaries from Europe.

It’s not that several monarchs didn’t think about peace talks, but as soon as they started negotiations, their military leaders would tacitly invade each other’s borders, preventing the negotiations from continuing.

The Catalan mercenary group "happened" to find a military food storage point in Upper Egypt the day before, and the Nubian mercenaries were able to pass through a series of defense zones the next day and come to the city of Cairo unhindered to loot it.

In this way, the civil war lasted for several more years with on and off occasions.

In the city of Cairo, in a heavily guarded fortress in the western part of the city, Alberto, the leader of the Catalan Mercenary Group, was waiting for his guests.

"Nelio, long time no see, how are you doing?"

Alberto took out a bottle of fine Bordeaux and poured them both glasses.

"Don't give me that, Alberto. We just met yesterday."

Nerio sat down and said unhappily.

"When I came in, I ran into Mansur's vizier. Did he come to see you again?"

"Yes, as usual, advising me to betray the emperor and officially move the headquarters to Cairo."

Alberto shook his head in disdain.

Since the plan to wipe out the two major mercenary groups completely failed, Mansur and several high-ranking officials of the Mamluks changed their thinking and tried to win over the mercenary groups and "localize" them.

To be honest, the two mercenary leaders had thought about this before, but they quickly dismissed the idea.

The biggest difficulty in localization lies in the manpower.

Although the two major mercenary groups today still retain the old names of Catalonia and Navarre, there are almost no real Spaniards among their members.

Due to historical reasons, the Catalan Mercenary Corps was mainly composed of Neapolitan mercenaries and Greek mercenaries, with Orthodox Christians accounting for three quarters of the total number, and the top generals had long been baptized by the Patriarch of Constantinople.

The Navarre Mercenaries were more Orthodox, having severed ties with Western Europe decades ago. Their members were mainly from Attica and Morea, and there were also a considerable number of Albanian mercenaries.

In addition, the two major mercenary groups also recruited some Coptic servants in Egypt, but they were very weak in both physical fitness and fighting will, and could only undertake some logistical and combat support work.

The sources of soldiers for the two major mercenary groups are firmly controlled by the emperor. If they dare to betray, even if the members have no objection, it will be difficult for them to obtain mercenary reinforcements from Europe. They can only recruit a large number of local people, and eventually completely lose their combat effectiveness and independence.

"The emperor has been prepared for this. I heard that Nathan and Lupo have both been awarded the title of baron and own several territories in North Africa and the Balkans. Their families are all in Carthage, and their sons are studying at the Royal Knights Academy. Is that true?"

"Yes, especially Nathan. He is a direct descendant of the emperor and once burned Galata with His Majesty. If I dare to say I will establish myself as an emperor, he will probably be the first to vote against me."

Alberto took a sip of his wine.

"I am old and childless. My only sister married the second son of Butler Andre. I really don't want to be in charge of future affairs."

"The emperor has made you and me earls, and all taxes from the territory are sent to us without a cent missing. There are also large rewards every Christmas. I don't want to cause any trouble."

Alberto looked at Nerio.

"Don't worry. Even if His Majesty marches into Egypt one day, the large population and complex political environment here will force him to use us. He will not do something as stupid as Mansur who crossed the river and burned the bridge."

"Marching into Egypt is easier said than done."

Nerio sighed.

"Don't think they are having a good time fighting now. If someone really wants to do something bad, the lords of various places will be able to mobilize tens of thousands of troops to protect themselves in a matter of minutes."

"Without an army of 100,000, don't even think about marching into Egypt."

"Without an army of 200,000, don't even think about bringing Egypt under your direct jurisdiction."

"Okay, enough small talk, let's get down to business."

Alberto pulled a letter from his pocket. On it was a flying double-headed eagle.

"I'm sure you've heard that Crete has revolted and the Emperor and the Venetians are at war again."

"A month ago, Nathan went to Billinge and received instructions from the emperor to bring back this letter."

Nerio opened the letter and read it several times.

"Your Majesty means that this war against the Venetians is all-round and aims to completely destroy Venice's hegemony over the Eastern Mediterranean."

"It is well known that the Venetians are middlemen who have been monopolizing the purchase of Eastern goods through a large number of merchant ships."

"They had numerous ports and trading posts on the eastern and southeastern coasts of the Mediterranean. Caravans from the inland sold their goods to the trading posts, which were then concentrated and shipped back to the Italian peninsula."

"Due to the vast sea, your Majesty's fleet cannot completely cut off the Venetians' shipping routes, and the pirates may not strictly implement your Majesty's unlimited attack order." "Therefore, there is only one way to completely cut off Venice's financial resources."

Alberto spread out the map, which was densely marked with the trade centers of the Republic of Venice in Egypt and the Levant.

"Attack their trading post and wipe them out!"

Nerio put down the letter and understood.

"What are you going to do?"

"The power of Venetian merchants is mainly located in big cities and large coastal ports. Cairo, Alexandria, Port Said, and Port Damietta are all our targets of attack."

"Cairo and Alexandria are both controlled by Mansur, while Damietta and Said belong to his cousin Emmanuel."

"I understand. Leave Emmanuel to me."

Nerio nodded.

Two years ago, with the support of two major mercenary groups, Emmanuel established his own regime east of the Nile River, with Port Said as its main base.

In order to suppress local forces, Emmanuel, like his cousin, chose to introduce mercenary groups as external aid. The Navarre Mercenary Group had its own branches in Port Damietta and Port Said.

The Catalan mercenaries mainly operated in the port of Alexandria, owning three castles, several manors and many serfs outside the port.

"We will work together to clear Cairo City, and we will divide the work in other ports."

Alberto introduced the previous layout to Nerio again.

"Nathan is in Alexandria now, and Lupo is negotiating with some local bosses in Cairo."

"The ports of Damietta and Said are in your hands. Please be careful and try to kill them with one strike."

"I see."

"But even if we kill first and ask for permission later and drive the Venetian merchants out of Egypt, will the Mamluks unite to fight against us because of the reduction in trade profits?"

Nerio was a little worried.

"Don't worry. After we complete our mission, His Majesty will send diplomats and merchants to Cairo to buy the hoarded goods at the same or even higher prices. They won't suffer any loss."

"In the past few hundred years, Venetian merchants have always relied on their powerful navy to monopolize trade and keep commodity prices very low. Many Mamluk merchants are dissatisfied with them."

"As long as we fill the pockets of businessmen and officials, they will not become our enemies in their short-sightedness."

Alberto finished his drink and stood up.

"As for the Levant region, we cannot reach there for the time being. Your Majesty has his own plans."

……

Alexandria, southern coast of the Mediterranean.

This famous port was once the seat of the Patriarchate of Alexandria of the Eastern Church and was once the most prosperous city in the entire Egyptian region.

After the Arab invasion, Egypt fell rapidly, and the political status of Alexandria was squeezed by Cairo, but it still had a large population and prosperous trade.

One hundred years ago, Peter I, the most famous king of the Kingdom of Cyprus and the most talented descendant of the Lusignan family, was ambitious and gathered an army of more than 10,000 people with extremely superb diplomatic skills. He then used perfect strategic deception to launch a sneak attack on the almost undefended port of Alexandria, burning, killing and looting there, and this historic city was almost destroyed.

In the following hundred years, Alexandria began a slow revival. Venetian merchants came here, established trading posts and expatriate communities, collected precious goods, and shipped them to Italy.

It was late at night. The desert night was peaceful and quiet, the sky was very clear, the moon was bright and the stars were shining.

The expatriate district in Venice is still bustling with lights and wine. This is the most prosperous area in the entire port of Alexandria, where goods and wealth are gathered. There is an atmosphere of luxury and debauchery from beginning to end.

On a tall building in the city, Nathan, deputy leader of the Catalan Mercenary Corps and head of the Alexandria branch, looked at the brightly lit Venetian expatriate district with a sarcastic smile on his face.

"Are you all ready?"

In the shadows, several mercenary team leaders claimed to be the ones with greedy smiles on their faces.

"Your Majesty has ordered that all Venetian trading posts in Egypt be eliminated, and all the wealth obtained will belong to the mercenary group."

"There are merchants from other Italian city-states in the colony, except for the Free City of La Spezia. Clear them all out. Don't be afraid of anything happening."

"If anything goes wrong, the emperor will take responsibility for you."

"Then thank you Your Majesty!"

Several captains were overjoyed.

"If their merchant ships can be surrendered, they will be surrendered. If they cannot be surrendered, they will be burned."

As he was speaking, a mercenary came hurriedly reporting.

"Captain, we've received a letter from Cairo. We can start now!"

"Okay, gather the troops!"

Nathan came to the stable, led out his mount, and climbed on it.

The mercenaries had been waiting for a long time, rubbing their hands, ready for a big fight.

"For the emperor, for wealth, and for yourselves!"

"Follow me and kill all the enemies!"

Nathan whipped the horse hard and rode away.

Behind him, the mercenaries were riding war horses, dressed in black, with a desire for wealth in their hearts bursting out, and their faces were ferocious.

The cavalry turned into a whirlwind and rushed straight towards the Venetian colony.

……

On February 1462, 2, Nathan, deputy commander of the Catalan Mercenary Corps, assembled troops in Alexandria and led 1 mercenaries and retainers to raid the Venetian colony in Alexandria. He easily defeated the guards of the colony and trapped the Venetian officials in a brothel.

Two thousand soldiers rushed into the overseas Chinese area, burning, killing, looting, burning down trading posts, occupying warehouses, and dividing up property.

The mercenaries quickly occupied the most important docks, and several merchant ships that refused to surrender were set on fire and sank into the sea along with their loads of Indian spices.

At the same time, in Cairo, Damietta Port and Said Port, the Venetian trading stations were also attacked by the two major mercenary groups. The mercenaries rudely rejected the Venetian merchants' proposal to buy safety with money and insisted on robbing all their wealth.

Not only that, under the instigation of Alberto, the leader of the Catalan mercenaries, Chief of Military Affairs Lupo, who was born a pirate, led a large number of thugs from the streets of Cairo, stormed into the Venetian Embassy, ​​and slaughtered the entire family of the Venetian ambassador.

The actions of the two major mercenary groups soon caused a chain reaction, and many bandits and local lords also joined in the division of Venice's property.

In just one week, the trading posts that the Republic of Venice had operated in Egypt for hundreds of years were reduced to ruins one after another, and the trade network was paralyzed.

On March 1462, 3, a large merchant fleet with a double-headed eagle flag flying high arrived at the Port of Alexandria under the escort of the fleet. It bought up all the accumulated goods from the Mamluk merchants at a higher price and established the first trading post of the Eastern Roman Empire in Egypt on the site of the former Venetian colony.

On March 3, Foreign Minister Sfrangis entered Cairo under the escort of two major mercenary groups and met with Sultan Mansur, hoping to sign a mutually beneficial trade agreement.

After a week of verbal battle, Mansur finally gave in under coercion and inducement, and the two sides signed the Cairo Treaty of Commerce.

The treaty stipulated that the Egyptian government allowed merchants from the Eastern Roman Empire to come to Egypt to do business and allowed them to inherit trading posts that originally belonged to the Republic of Venice.

In return, the Eastern Roman merchants would add 20 percent to the original Venetian purchase price to pay for the military expenses of the two major mercenary groups and the welfare wages of the Mamluk officials.

At this point, the Venetian Republic's trade monopoly in Egypt officially collapsed. Of course, local lords still maintained many contacts with Venetian merchants, but as Eastern Roman merchants raised prices, profit-seeking people would naturally abandon them, and the Venetian Republic's trade territory in Egypt would gradually shrink.

According to the highest instructions of the Central Trade Bureau of the Eastern Roman Empire, all merchants who went to Egypt to do business could enjoy preferential tax policies to make up for the losses caused by raising prices.

What? You want to raise the price too? Then come on.

I can make no money, I can lose money, but as long as I lose a lot of money, my plan is successful.

On March 3, the Eastern Roman merchant fleet returned. Within half a month, they sold all the sugar, slaves, textiles, glass and ironware on board, loaded with pepper, frankincense and myrrh from the East, and sailed along the coastline to Birinci.

Since then, the Eastern Empire finally obtained its first giant product dumping ground and went further and further on the road of colonial economy.

(End of this chapter)