1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 195: Broken Albania
Zakros port, eastern Crete.

Zakros is one of the oldest cities on Crete and was once the administrative center of the ancient Minoan civilization in eastern Crete.

Later, due to the development of Mediterranean trade routes and the rise of agricultural plantations, several large cities in the north of Crete developed rapidly, but the Port of Zakros failed to catch up with this round of dividends and has been lukewarm ever since.

Despite this, the port of Zakros is still the largest port in eastern Crete, with a population of several thousand, mainly engaged in agriculture, animal husbandry and marine fisheries.

"March 1462, 3. Clear, calm."

On a country road outside Zakros, a Venetian cavalry was conducting its daily coastal patrol.

The cavalry captain put his fingers into his mouth, placed them in the air, and felt the direction of the sea breeze.

After the outbreak of the St. Titus Uprising, the war between the Eastern Roman Empire and the Republic of Venice entered a white-hot stage. The Eastern Empire relied on its strong national strength to attack everywhere, while Venice was helpless and unable to cope with the situation.

The Egyptian trading post was attacked, Dyrrachium was besieged, the Balkan army was assembled, Corfu and Naxos were in danger...

In previous wars, the Republic of Venice had lost many minor ports, and the trade network in the eastern Mediterranean had become very weak. Every existing island was vital and had to be defended.

The Republic of Venice also launched retaliatory attacks on the coastal villages and towns of the Eastern Roman Empire many times, but the other side completely ignored it and responded with blood for blood and injury for injury.

Two days ago, a large fleet of the Eastern Empire appeared outside the port of Horasfa in the southwest. Fortunately, the Venetian government received the news in advance and increased the defense force of the port of Horasfa, which thwarted the landing plan of the Eastern Empire.

Despite this, the Eastern Empire fleet still lingered in the waters south of Horasfa Port, launching small-scale landing battles outside the port from time to time, looking like it would never give up.

In desperation, the Venetian government had to withdraw garrisons from other towns and march to Horasa to stop the Eastern Empire's attack.

When these troops passed Mount Igis, they were fiercely blocked by the rebels of St. Titus. The rebels' offensive at the cost of casualties also confirmed the speculation of the Venetian high-level officials, making them more certain that the Eastern Empire would definitely choose the port of Horasfa as the landing site.

"Captain, when will our fleet arrive?"

A Venetian cavalryman looked at his captain.

"According to the news I received, the guys in the Great Council are now panicking. They are afraid that after the Greek emperor takes over the ports on the east coast of the Adriatic, he will lead his fleet directly to Venice."

"So, these gentlemen will definitely not send all their fleets to support us."

The captain sneered.

"They knew that if Corfu and Dyrrachium were lost, they would be trapped in the Adriatic Sea."

"But it's hard to stop the attack of the Eastern Empire just by relying on ourselves, right?"

"Crete is surrounded by the sea and is very close to Morea and Cyrenaica. As long as the Eastern Empire is patient and willing to fight a protracted war, we will eventually be unable to hold on."

"The Eastern Empire also has many enemies. There is news that the Grand Council has clearly realized that Venice's comprehensive national strength has been completely crushed by the Eastern Empire. If they want to stop their further development, they can only seek help from neighboring countries."

The captain sighed.

"We are relatively lucky here. Several ports in the south, west and north have been attacked by pirates from the Eastern Empire. If it weren't for the foresight of the nobles who built watertight defense facilities, Crete would have been beaten to a pulp long ago."

The captain looked again at the calm sea and the golden beach illuminated by the sun.

"Don't get involved in things that shouldn't be your business. I'm lucky that you weren't asked to go to war."

"Other places are in chaos, but we are still God's back garden."

"Yes, if it weren't for this, our commander wouldn't have dared to go to Gandia City to celebrate his wife's birthday."

One team member said this exaggeratedly, causing a burst of laughter.

The sound of horse hooves rang out again, and the cavalry disappeared at the end of the road. The sun still shone on the beach, and the sea breeze gently blew on the sea.

……

However, on the sea not far from the port of Zakros, a fleet with a double-headed eagle flag flying high was moving slowly.

Marquis Mikhail, the Minister of the Army of the Eastern Roman Empire, stood on the observation deck, quietly looking at the port in the distance.

This landing plan was formulated by the emperor himself, and several months of preliminary preparation were made for it, with the aim of interfering with the intelligence of the Venetian army and confusing the public.

First, the emperor summoned several trusted ministers and naval and land officers and revealed the plan to attack Khorasan to them. After getting drunk, Fidel and Mikhail pretended to "accidentally" release the news, making it known to everyone.

Secondly, the emperor told the rebels on Crete the news, using informants among them to continue misleading the Venetian government's decision.

The last and most crucial step was that after leaving the naval and land forces, they did go directly to the port of Horasfa and continued to exert pressure, further deepening the suspicion of the Venetians.

Furthermore, due to the dispersion of the Venetian fleet, the Mediterranean fleet and subordinate pirates were able to continuously harass the ports along the coast of Crete, making it difficult for them to determine the main direction of attack.

However, apart from Isaac himself, only Fidel and Mikhail knew the real action plan. All the ministers including the prime minister and all the soldiers including the Saint Titus rebels knew nothing about it.

"Marquis, ahead is the port of Zakros, a medium-sized port located in the eastern part of Crete. To the northeast of the port is the Karpathos Islands occupied by the Knights Hospitaller of St. John."

"According to intelligence, since Zakros is the Cretan port farthest from North Africa and the Balkans, it has never been attacked by the fleet and has a small number of garrisons. The commander recently left the station and went to Heraklion to celebrate his wife's birthday."

"Our main fleet is still patrolling outside the port of Horasfa, and the few ships that Venice has in Crete are distributed in several ports in the north. There are no Venetian warships here, and even few merchant ships."

Marquis Mikhail nodded, unable to hide the smile on his face.

It seems that the several "idle tricks" of the Eastern Roman Empire before landing on Crete have worked. Maruna's northern expedition and the unusual movements of the Balkan Peninsula army successfully caused panic in the Venetian Council. They had to withdraw the large fleet sent to Crete to defend their nearby ports.

If Crete was lost, Venice would still have a chance to take it back. However, if the Eastern Empire gained a foothold on the eastern coast of the Adriatic, they would really only be able to retreat to the northwest corner of the Adriatic Sea and would never have any hope of breaking out of the Mediterranean.

Therefore, this action was both a conspiracy and an open plot. After all, after several defeats, the Venetians no longer had sufficient national strength to defend this island far in the south of the eastern Mediterranean, and could only watch it being attacked by its old enemy.

Crete was too far away from Venice and too close to the Eastern Roman Empire. The Eastern Empire's naval fleet could always circle around the island of Crete, looking for possible defense loopholes.

The island of Crete is now like a rabbit that accidentally fell into a wolf's den and can only tremble in fear under the watchful eyes of the wolves.

If Horasfa Port doesn't work, then try Zakros Port. If Zakros Port doesn't work, then try something else.

The previous strategic conspiracy was only to minimize casualties and facilitate subsequent actions.

Marquis Mikhail laughed as he looked at the peaceful and tranquil little harbor and the few fishing boats on the nearby sea.

"Your Majesty has ordered that all soldiers obey my command and march forward to Zakros Harbor!"

"This time, we have to capture this port and lay a solid combat base for subsequent reinforcements."

"In the name of God and the Emperor, liberate our compatriots!"

……

On March 1462, 3, after long planning, the landing troops of the Eastern Roman Empire finally showed their fangs and officially implemented the landing plan, code-named "Operation Overlord".

Marquis Mikhail did not attack the nearby southern ports as the Venetian government had expected. Instead, he led his troops to launch a surprise attack on the weakly defended port of Zakros. With the cooperation of the local people, he defeated a small group of enemy troops, and then gradually liberated the surrounding villages and towns, waiting for the rest of the army to gather.

Three days later, all the Cretan troops of the Eastern Roman Empire had landed at the port of Zakros, totaling more than 15,000 people, claiming to be an army of 50,000.

A week later, the Cretan army attacked separately and occupied the cities of Sitia and Ierapetra, encouraging local people to resist Venetian rule. The number of troops increased instead of decreasing.

The complete success of Operation Overlord completely spread the flames of war from the ocean to the land, destroying the Cretan defenders' wishful thinking of keeping the enemy out.

After the fall of Ierapetra, Marquis Mikhail formulated the strategic policy of "first south and then north", leaving part of the army to guard the liberated areas, while he personally led the army westward along the southern coast, preparing to liberate the entire southern Crete in one fell swoop.

……

Kruje Castle, Albania, Balkans.

This sturdy fortress located on a steep mountain is the family castle of the Castrioti family. Built against the mountain, it is extremely strong and once blocked the attack of the 100,000-strong army of Ottoman Sultan Murad II.

However, although the Albanian League, led by the famous General Skanderbeg, defeated the repeated invasions of the Ottoman army, the protracted war brought severe disaster to the entire Albania.

The Ottoman army relied on its numerical advantage to trap the Albanian army in castles, and then sent small groups of light cavalry to break up the Albanian gathering points, looting everything they could and burning everything they could not.

It was precisely because of this that Albania's already small population became even smaller, which resulted in Skanderbeg having fewer and fewer soldiers, and even defensive battles became increasingly difficult.

After the Battle of Belgrade and the Battle of Adrianople, the Ottoman forces gradually withdrew from the Balkan Peninsula, and the Eastern Roman Empire made a comeback and regained lost territory.

During this period, Skanderbeg had planned to fish in troubled waters, but his army was too small and financially tight. Before he could prepare, the army holding the double-headed eagle had already reached him.

Not only did Marquis Mikhail assign several towns and villages occupied by Albania to the Eastern Roman Empire, he also rudely drove back the officials sent by Skanderbeg without giving any explanation. Skanderbeg wrote many letters to ask for an explanation, but received only one reply.

Since ancient times.

After this incident, Skanderbeg became increasingly uneasy about the expansion of the Eastern Roman Empire, and cracks began to appear in the good relationship between the two sides.

Skanderbeg knew very well that Isaac III of the Eastern Empire had always regarded the recovery of his homeland as his ultimate goal and was committed to recovering all the land that the Eastern Empire had ever lost.

Unfortunately, Albania has also been an integral part of the Eastern Roman Empire since ancient times.

So Skanderbeg began to seek outside help.

At first, he planned to form an alliance with the Principality of Serbia and the Principality of Epirus, but as a result, one of the nobles became autocratic and marginalized the monarch, while the other directly paid tribute to the Eastern Empire.

Having received no response, Skanderbeg turned his attention to the Italian region across the water. After failing to seek help from the Pope, he turned to his old rival Venice.

The Republic of Venice and the Eastern Roman Empire were incompatible. The Republic of Venice was Albania's best ally and the only external force that could protect them from being annexed by the Eastern Empire.

So, not long ago, when Venice attacked the Aulonian Military District, Skanderbeg not only directly rejected Maruna's request for help, but also provided some supplies to the Venetian army.

The disastrous defeat in the Battle of Malta forced Venice to evacuate Aulon. Skanderbeg seized the opportunity and reached an agreement with the mercenary marshal Colleoni to prepare to take over Aulon.

Unfortunately, problems arose within the Albanian alliance. Not only did they procrastinate on sending troops, but they also leaked the situation to the army stationed in Emperor Isaac's Castle, causing the plan to fail.

In Skanderbeg's view, the Venetians were the best and only choice to preserve Albania's independence.

The sky was gray. In the study of Kruye Castle, George Castrioti Skanderbeg, then 57 years old, sat by the fireplace. The firelight shone on his old face, sometimes bright and sometimes dim, and his expression was also changeable.

He has worked hard for the country for 19 years, facing countless dangers and escaping danger countless times. The complicated state affairs and heavy pressure have grayed his once black hair, bent his once strong back, weakened his once strong arms, and turned an ambitious young man into an old man who has to handle a crisis alone.

The only thing that has not changed is the firm belief.

"Uncle, it's almost dawn, didn't you get any rest last night?"

Hamsa Castrioti walked into the study, put a handful of firewood into the stove, looked up and stared at his uncle.

"The Tobias family has completely turned to the Eastern Empire, right?"

"Yes, not long ago, the Lord of Broya from the Tobias family opened the city gates and let Maruna's army in."

"He openly declared you a heretic and called on all Albanians to unite and overthrow the rule of heresy."

Hamsa thought about it and decided to tell Skanderbeg the truth.

"After the surrender of Divyaka City, the road to Durachion City was open without any obstacles."

"A week ago, Maruna led an army of 30,000 to besiege Duratium, approaching the center of Venetian rule in Albania without losing a single soldier."

Hamsa looked at his uncle's face.

"The vanguard is the Albanian vassal soldiers led by Lord Broya."

"Bastard!"

Skanderbeg roared and slammed the table, his chest heaving with anger.

"What did the Greek emperor give him?"

"Isaac III named him a baron, and Divyaka became the territory of the Tobias family, hereditary."

"The Greek emperor also directly appointed Broya's illegitimate son as his heir, guaranteeing the Tobias family's position in Divyaka with absolute authority, thus solving Broya's urgent needs."

Skanderbeg recovered his breath and stared at the fire.

"I sent you to send letters to the city lords in the mountains, asking them to come to Kroye Castle to discuss state affairs. How many have arrived now?"

Hamsa was silent and said nothing.

"When you get to a few, tell the truth!"

"Only three."

"The others said that if you were going to attack the Ottomans or the Venetians, they would not hesitate, but they said they would never attack an Orthodox emperor for a Catholic monarch."

"They believe that Emperor Isaac's writings clearly stated that he had no intention of occupying the lands of the Albanian League, but only wanted to eliminate the Venetians on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea."

Hamsa pulled a document from his pocket and handed it to Skanderbeg.

"A letter to the brothers of the Orthodox Church."

Skanderbeg recited softly, his expression gloomy.

"Yes, Emperor Isaac degraded you as a swindler who collaborated with the Venetian colonists and glorified himself as a holy warrior who saved his Orthodox brothers."

"The key point is that because his reputation is so great and he has indeed done a lot for Orthodoxy, many ignorant people have really been bewitched."

Hamsa whispered.

"The people are illiterate, but the Greek emperor has already made preparations. He has sent a large number of monks with documents to various villages, reading the documents to them and instigating them to rebel against your rule."

Skanderbeg stopped talking and looked at the document quietly. When he read to the end, his chest heaved violently again and he read out loud in anger.

"Your monarch may be unwilling to expel the Venetian colonists from your land out of personal feelings or selfish interests, and may even be willing to make peace with them."

"But I am an Orthodox emperor. I have an mortal enemy with the Venetian colonists and will never work with them."

"I have no choice but to march forward this time. I will spare no expense, even if it is not understood by the world, and I will definitely rescue the Orthodox brothers from the iron hoofs of the Latin colonists, no matter how bumpy and thorny the road ahead is!"

"Look at Albania today, who owns the world?"

Hiss!

Skanderbeg finally exploded and tore the document to pieces.

Hamsa stood aside, his eyes full of confusion and anxiety.

After a while, Skanderbeg slumped weakly in his chair and smiled at himself.

"It turns out that in their minds, I did so much just for my own selfish gain."

"Uncle, they have always respected you, but a few of them were deceived by your words..."

Skanderbeg waved his hand, the pain and hesitation in his eyes disappeared, and he became the determined commander again.

"Hamsa, how many soldiers do we have left?"

"Including the city lord who is willing to swear allegiance to us, there will be no more than 5,000 people."

Skanderbeg nodded.

"If Duratium falls, Albania will be surrounded on three sides by the Eastern Empire. Those nobles only care about their own interests and don't care about the future of the Albanians at all."

"Everyone has their own aspirations. If they don't want to come, then let them be!"

He looked at his closest nephew and most loyal subordinate.

"Hamsa, you stay here to prevent any accidents. Also, take good care of my son. He is still too young and doesn't understand anything."

"Uncle, you..."

Hamsa hesitated to speak.

Skanderbeg picked up his sword, which he had not used for many years, from the sword rack beside him and put on a cloak embroidered with a black eagle on a red background.

"Gather the troops and bring me my armor!"

(End of this chapter)