1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 198: Northern Tyrant
Bakhchisarai, Crimea.

Bakhchisaray is not big, with a permanent population of only more than 5,000. In addition to the Crimean Tatars, there are also many Slavs, Goths and Caucasians living here. They have their own residential areas in the city and pay heavy taxes to the Khan in exchange for limited religious autonomy.

"Silenas, this is the capital of Haji Gray? It doesn't look very good."

In a small market, a young man dressed as an Eastern European knight complained to the elder next to him and glanced around with disdain.

"You think so highly of Haji Glei. If you can't even manage your territory properly, how can you make money to support the army?"

"Dear Sigismund, the Tatars are nomads. We cannot judge them from our perspective."

Silenus twirled his beard with a smile and patiently explained to the nobleman beside him.

"Hajji Gelai is the most outstanding Mongolian prince in recent years. He has a high prestige and can control the tribes in various places."

"They don't need military pay to fight. Once the Khan gives the order, the herdsmen on the grassland will mount their horses, grab their sabers, and rush to the designated gathering point to wait for orders."

"In return, the Khan would distribute the looted treasures and slaves to them, thereby deepening his own prestige."

"What if we lose?"

Sigismund asked curiously.

"If he loses, the Khan's prestige will be greatly reduced. When his prestige drops to a certain level, his position as Khan will be in danger."

"Our Haji Gelai Khan is a very powerful man, but he has also faced a crisis in his position. If it weren't for our assistance six years ago, he would probably have lost his position."

Silenas said calmly.

"Besides, nomadic peoples don't have any legal capital. Now that the Khan is staying in Bakhchisarai, this is the capital."

"You are too young. This time you are just out to see the world. You will understand it slowly in the future."

"Then I might as well go north and fight the Knights' lackeys."

Sigismund complained.

"Let the Poles take care of their own business. We have our own business."

Silenus waved his hand, ending this sensitive topic.

"Besides, the Knights are already on the verge of collapse. If we run over now, the Poles might think we are trying to take advantage of them."

The delegation walked on the dirt road of Bakhchisaray, and the horses' hooves hit the ground, making a thumping sound.

The people on the roadside did not pay attention to the envoys' attire. They were used to the mixed nationalities here.

"drive--"

There was a sound of horse hooves coming from the front, and a group of Tatar cavalry came galloping, raising dust all over the sky.

"Messengers from the west, please follow us. The Khan wants to see you."

The leading Tatar captain said simply, glancing at the emblems on the envoys, hiding the disdain in his eyes very well.

The descendants of Genghis Khan are born with pride. They are eagles on the prairie and have always looked down on the settled peoples who only dare to hide behind stone castles.

"Sorry to trouble you."

Silenas said amiably, following the cavalry.

The city was not big, and the group soon arrived outside a palace. The palace had a distinct nomadic style, with a barbaric and fishy smell from the inside out.

Led by the Tatar captain, the envoys walked quickly into the hall, where the high-ranking officials of Crimea were already waiting.

The leader sat high above the Khan throne, with a burly figure. Although he had a lot of white hair on his temples, his face was ruddy and his voice was like a bell.

"Guests from Lithuania, welcome to my royal tent."

Silenus bowed deeply.

"Respected Khan, thank you for your hospitality. I come to visit you on behalf of the King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania Casimir IV Jagiellon, and I am here to ask about your well-being and bring you precious gifts."

Sigismund stepped forward and handed the gift list to the eunuch standing beside him.

Haji Giray Borjigin, the eleventh-generation grandson of Genghis Khan, a member of the Golden Family, the Khan of the Jochi clan, and the actual ruler of Crimea, took the gift list from the eunuch and glanced at it.

Fur, silk, beauty, coins...

"Thank you for your kindness, but these are not what I urgently need right now."

"So what do you need now?"

Silenus pretended to be ignorant even though he knew the truth.

"I have already explained clearly what I need in the letter I sent you."

Haji Gray snorted.

"I've never been able to learn your nagging, so let's just speak frankly."

Haji Gray stood up and put the gift list aside.

"The Greeks in Constantinople are too arrogant and don't take me seriously at all. I am going to teach them a lesson."

"You mean, we are going to take action against Theodore in the south?"

Haji Gray shook his head.

"Not only them, but also the nasty Genoese."

"I plan to take advantage of the instability of the country when the new emperor Theodore ascends the throne to completely defeat them, and take care of the Genoese as well."

"The Greeks have already extended their hands to Crimea. Isaac III is really a capable man. He brought a fleet here and created two more governorates out of thin air."

Haji Gray sneered.

"I have to fight this battle to punish the Christians for their inconsistency and to cut off the Greeks' murderous hand that is reaching out to the steppes!"

"Descendants of the Gray Wolf and the White Deer, descendants of Genghis Khan, will not accept provocation or threats!"

When the Tatar nobles heard this, their blood boiled, they raised their sabers and cheered wildly.

Silenus smiled and bowed again.

"In that case, I will wait for good news from the Khan."

Hearing this, a Tatar noble kicked the small table in front of him away and walked up to the Khan.

"Great Khan, I have long said that Christians cannot be trusted. They do not consider us friends at all!"

"Haydar, shut up!"

Haji Glei looked at his eldest son Haidar with disappointment.

"Father Khan, I..."

"Get out! It's not your turn to speak here!"

Haidar kicked the wooden table further away and stormed out of the palace.

This farce immediately caused the atmosphere to become silent, and several Tatar nobles glanced at the Khan with dissatisfaction and turned away.

Haji Gray looked at the few people coldly and sighed in his heart.

He was already old and could hardly ride a horse or fight his enemies. His sons were fighting for power and each of them had won over a group of nobles, just waiting for him to take his last breath.

The strong is the king, this is the rule of the grassland. Haji Gelai is not prepared to change it, nor can he change it.

However, he must eliminate the biggest hidden danger for the Khanate at the last moment of his life, otherwise he will not be able to sleep or eat.

"Silenas, I hope you can help us in our war."

Haji Glei broke the silence and looked at the Lithuanian envoy with a friendly expression.

“Our previous cooperation was very pleasant and achieved satisfactory results. I hope it will be the same this time.”

"What do you want?"

Silenas simply stopped hiding.

"Mercenary, gunsmith, engineer."

Haji Glay said simply.

"You can have mercenaries, but you have to recruit them yourself. If you can't recruit them, we can't do anything about it."

Silenus thought about it.

"It's not impossible to negotiate with the gunsmiths and engineers, but the old rules still apply. You have to offer something in exchange, otherwise His Majesty will not be able to convince the nobles in the country."

"After we capture Mangup, we will give you one third of the captured treasures and slaves."

Silenas shook his head regretfully.

"That won't do, Khan."

"You can't treat us like the people of the grassland. The nobles in the country won't buy it."

"Besides, we are risking becoming an enemy of Isaac III to help you, so you have to show some sincerity."

"Gold, silver, do you want it?"

"That depends on how much you give."

Haji Gray frowned and thought about it.

"In Latin merchant currency... one thousand ducats, okay?"

"Too few. Add another thousand high-quality war horses."

Silenas suggested.

"Five hundred at most. This is my bottom line."

"If you don't want to, I will ask the Ottomans to send the gunsmith directly."

Haji Glei waved his hand and sat back on the throne.

Silenas smiled. This price was far beyond the target given to him by Casimir IV.

Before leaving, the king called him to his side and expressed his concern about the rapid rise of the Greek emperor, hoping that by offering help to Haji Ghrai he would be able to interrupt his outstretched hand towards the steppe.

The Mongols today are no longer the same as they used to be. Once their monarch dies, they will immediately fall into endless civil strife and it is difficult for them to pose any threat to Lithuania.

In addition, Lithuania can take advantage of the situation and support its own representatives, thereby indirectly achieving control over the grassland.

But the Eastern Empire was different. Once they had established their foothold on the grassland, they would never go back.

What worried Casimir IV the most was that there were a large number of Orthodox Christians and Orthodox nobles in the southeast of Lithuania. They all had a good impression of the famous "Holy Warrior" Isaac and were unwilling to make enemies with him.

"How about it? Do you agree?"

Silenas came back to his senses and nodded.

"Then we have an agreement!"

……

Eastern Roman Empire, Crimea Governorate, Mangup.

On the city wall, the new governor of Crimea, Prince Theodore Alexander, stood on the wall and looked at the Tatar cavalry below with concern.

The Tatars were few in number, but very arrogant. They were sure that Theodore's soldiers would not dare to come out of the city to fight, so they dragged the Orthodox Christians they captured outside the city back and forth, dragging them to death.

In recent months, Tatar tribes from the Crimean steppes have repeatedly attacked towns and villages in the governorate, and many villages without walled protection have been looted.

"Prince, should we..."

One general couldn't bear it any longer, so he turned his face away in pain and looked at Alexander.

"This...we..."

Alexander hesitated and blushed.

"I mean, should we report this to Princess Charlotte and see if she has any good ideas?"

A flash of disappointment crossed the general's face.

"Charlotte just gave birth, and that's not good."

Alexander hesitated.

"That's it, but it's time for you to send an envoy to Constantinople to ask for reinforcements. Haji Glei is plotting something big this time, and it will be hard for us to defend it on our own."

"Don't worry about that. They've already been sent."

Alexander nodded quickly.

The general looked at Alexander with a complicated expression.

"The old prince has passed away, and the new prince has been born. This is supposed to be a good thing, but who would have thought that—"

"What did you think of?"

The two turned around and saw the heroic female knight, fully armed, standing in front of them.

Behind Charlotte stood a small group of serious soldiers, wearing light armor, wearing swords on their waists, and holding the latest muskets in their hands. "Charlotte, why are you here? Are you feeling better?"

Alexander quickly ran forward and held Charlotte's hand.

Just a few days ago, the old Prince Manuel passed away, and on the same day, Charlotte gave birth to a son.

The birth of a prince was certainly a good thing, but there was a big conflict between Charlotte and Theodore's old ministers over the naming of the child.

Several old ministers hoped to still name the child Manuel to commemorate the old prince who had made great contributions to the principality.

However, Charlotte was very strong and insisted on naming her child Peter to commemorate Peter I, the most talented king of the Lusignan family.

This also involves the power struggle in the principality in recent years. Because Alexander was too gentle and did not like fighting, Charlotte quickly relied on her own soldiers to seize the military power of the Crimean Governorate and kicked out several old ministers of the previous dynasty.

Not only that, Charlotte also modified the family crest of the Gavras family, adding the Jerusalem Cross of the Lusignan family next to the double-headed black eagle, and modified the family language.

In this regard, several old ministers dared to be angry but not speak out.

In terms of background, Gavras is far inferior to Lusignan. In the Christian world, even without territory, the crown of Jerusalem still has a respected status and lofty position.

In terms of talent, Charlotte received a royal education. In her early years, she traveled around with a sword, was knowledgeable, and skilled in martial arts, and her reputation spread far and wide across Europe.

In terms of power, Charlotte grew up in the Eastern Roman court, had close relations with the emperor and the prince, and had a strong backstage.

In the end, with Alexander's mediation, the old ministers compromised and agreed to Charlotte's unauthorized request to name the child Peter.

Not only that, Charlotte also made her cousin Justinian the godfather of Peter the Younger, further moving closer to Constantinople.

Charlotte reluctantly pushed her husband's hand away, walked to the edge of the city wall, and looked at the Tatar cavalry showing off their might below.

In her opinion, Alexander was reasonable, considerate, and dedicated in handling government affairs. He was good in every way except that he was too gentle and not tough enough.

But this is also a good thing. It is precisely because of her husband's decentralization that she has the opportunity to take charge of military affairs and display her talents.

After Charlotte gained a foothold in Mangup, she immediately began to clean up the land nobles, gathered them together, and expressed her willingness to pay some money to redeem their land and let them settle in Constantinople.

Of course, the nobles were willing to settle in Constantinople, but they were very reluctant to hand over their land honestly, and several minor military conflicts broke out between the two sides over this issue.

This power struggle eventually ended with a compromise between the two sides. The nobles with a better attitude could retain some land, but had to pay taxes and provide soldiers.

As for the most tough group of nobles, they are now reclaiming wasteland in New Thrace.

Charlotte sold the gathered land to farmers and vigorously promoted the three-field rotation system that combined agriculture and animal husbandry, which increased the grain output of the governor's district year by year.

With the help of these riches, Charlotte was able to continue to expand the size of the army and change the conservative strategy of the principality in the past. Not only did she directly cut off the annual tribute from Bakhchisaray, she also personally led the cavalry to take the initiative to attack on the prairie, and successively recovered four villages occupied by the Tatars and rescued more than 300 Gothic people.

Considering that the old walls of Mangup could no longer withstand the new type of warfare, Charlotte invited a group of engineers from the Imperial Engineering Department to make some improvements to the existing walls. They built several protruding castles outside the walls and installed cannons and heavy crossbows on the castles.

With Charlotte's continuous efforts, the people got land, the soldiers got military merit, the Chancellor of the Exchequer saw a surplus in the accounts for the first time, and her prestige among the people grew.

"Bring me my bow!"

Charlotte shouted loudly, and the soldiers quickly brought a strong bow.

Charlotte pulled the bowstring to its full length, raised her hand and released it. A warhorse let out a sharp whine, and the rider was thrown far away and fell heavily to the ground, without a sound.

The soldiers cheered and their morale boosted.

Charlotte put down her bow, turned around, and found her husband.

"Alexander, please evacuate the nearby villagers back into the city. I'm afraid we are in big trouble."

"How about...we talk to them? See if we can..."

Alexander asked tentatively.

"Forget about that idea. Haji Gray is old now. Given his character, he would never leave hidden dangers to his useless sons."

Charlotte's eyes flickered as she gave a quick order.

"First, send an envoy to Batu Sarai to make up for the tribute owed in previous years and see if they are willing to take back their pastures while Haji Gelai's army is heading south."

Alexander nodded quickly.

"Second, inform His Excellency Bartholomew of the Azov Governorate that Haji Glei has big plans this time, and I'm afraid his target is not just us."

"Third, I——"

"Request reinforcements from Constantinople? I've already done that."

Charlotte sighed.

"I'm afraid they can't spare any reinforcements."

"The war with Venice has tied up most of my uncle's troops. Mahmoud in the north has also repeatedly violated our borders. It is difficult for them to spare troops to support us."

Seeing that her husband was feeling a little down, Charlotte patted him on the shoulder.

"The Venetians are about to collapse. This is their final madness. After this period, the emperor will take revenge on the Tatars."

"Hadji Glei won't live long. When he dies, all of Crimea will be ours."

Alexander nodded vigorously.

A soldier came running over and handed Alexander a letter.

"Your Highnesses, the Emperor's fleet is coming!"

……

In the city of Mangup, Justinian rode on a tall horse, humming a little tune happily and waving to the crowd with a smile.

Mangup is not big. Alexander and Charlotte were waiting under the city wall and bowed to Justinian who had arrived.

"Your Highness, it is a great honor—"

"Oh, alright, alright, no need to be polite."

Justinian interrupted Alexander's pleasantries with a smile.

"We are all brothers, why are we being so polite?"

"Look at Charlotte. She can't even open her mouth."

"What are you here for?"

Charlotte gave Justinian an unpleasant look.

"I came to see my godson, and to see you guys."

Justinian moved closer and tapped on Charlotte's armor.

"Say it nicely!"

"I, Justinian Palaiologos, am here on the orders of the Emperor to come to the assistance of the Crimean Governorate and help you through this difficult time!"

Justinian said seriously.

"Only you?"

"I alone can scare away a million strong armies."

Justinian began to talk nonsense again, casually judging the soldiers behind Charlotte.

"Not bad, it's obvious that he emerged from a sea of ​​blood and corpses."

"Before I got married, my uncle allowed me to recruit veterans from the Guards. I established this unit with fifty veterans as the foundation."

"Have you picked a name? How about I give you a few? Take a look..."

Charlotte came back to her senses and realized that she had been led astray by Justinian again. She pulled him over and stared into his eyes seriously.

"Honestly, what are you doing here?"

"I have been cursed by the devil recently. I am always inattentive in class. My teacher said he can't teach me and suggested that my father send me to travel more and see the world."

"Yes, it must be because my father has committed too many murders, which has caused the gods to be angry..."

Justinian said in distress.

"He sent you here just like that? Did you know that there was going to be a war soon?"

"It's okay. I have a fleet with me. At worst, we three brothers can run away together..."

Charlotte punched Justinian on the shoulder.

"Isn't your father afraid that you will be attacked by the Venetians at sea?"

Justinian rubbed his shoulders and pouted in dissatisfaction.

"My mother gave birth to a younger brother some time ago and named him Basil."

"My father said that he doesn't want to care about me now. I'm not the heir anyway. My second and third brothers are better than me."

"Listen to what they are saying!"

"Then why don't you behave yourself!"

"I'm here right now."

Justinian put on a smiling face.

"I also brought 500 soldiers and three ships. They are all mine and have nothing to do with my father!"

"Oh?"

Alexander became interested.

"Where did you get it?"

"My great uncle Prince Henry left me a lot of money and several estates. I sold the estates, brought a few good friends with me, hired retired veterans of the Guards, recruited some brave men, and bought three warships from the Carthaginian shipyard at a friendly price."

Justinian put his hands on his hips, obviously very proud.

"I'm selling everything I have to support you, you must remember this!"

"sure!"

Alexander was delighted and nodded quickly.

"Haha, just wait and see. Under the prestige of this prince, even if you are a descendant of Genghis Khan, what does it matter? If you know what's best for you, you can still keep a -"

"Your uncle asked you to come here to mediate the conflict between us and Bartholomew so that we can join forces to fight the enemy, right?"

Charlotte quickly understood Isaac's intention.

"No, no, no, he simply thinks I'm annoying."

"Okay, take your people down to rest first. We still have to continue patrolling the city wall."

Charlotte waved and led Alexander towards the city wall.

"Hey, hey, hey, what do you think I should name my army? How about calling it the Justinian Invincible Guard?"

Justinian waved his hands and shouted.

Charlotte and Alexander climbed up the city wall and suddenly burst into laughter, laughing very happily.

"Charlotte, why do I feel that this prince is a little... a little..."

Alexander pondered his words.

"Somewhat silly?"

Charlotte smiled at her husband.

"This child went through the most difficult times when he was young, received the best education, and his parents were both talented people. Do you think he would really be a fool?"

"Then he..."

"He is not stupid at all. He is very smart and thoughtful."

"Did you notice that he was parading around like this, showing contempt for the enemy in front of the soldiers, and he brought a fleet and an army with him, which greatly boosted the morale of the soldiers and the people."

Alexander turned around and looked down at the city. Justinian was walking towards the military camp with several Theodore generals. They were arm in arm, drinking wine that they got from nowhere, talking and laughing, as if they were good friends who had not seen each other for many years.

"This child doesn't like literature, nor is he very good at martial arts, but he is good at understanding people's hearts and knows how to gain their trust and favor."

"Just now, he was clearly following His Majesty's orders to come to the rescue, but he took all the credit for himself by fooling around, and even inadvertently made you and me owe him a favor."

Charlotte sighed.

"Anyway, I don't have his ability."

Alexander came back to his senses and nodded.

"Then what do we do now?"

"Justinian will probably seek out Bartholomew to discuss how to fight the enemy."

Charlotte regained her seriousness.

"We can't put our hopes on others, gather the army, and prepare for war!"

(End of this chapter)