1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 200 Colleoni
Ishmi Castle, Adriatic coast.

Decades ago, this castle, located north of Duratzion and west of Kruje Castle, was just a sparsely populated Albanian village where villagers made a living by fishing and growing wheat, and lived a difficult and poor life.

After the Republic of Venice occupied the west coast of Albania, it has always focused its rule on the city of Durachion, and the construction of supporting infrastructure has also been carried out around Durachion. The people of Ishmi did not get much benefit from Venice's trade activities.

Later, Skanderbeg rose to power and established his dominance in Albania through several wars. He united the fragmented Albania and formally established the Lesh Confederation.

In order to deal with the threat from Skanderbeg, the Venetian government began to systematically improve the fortifications of Venetian Albania. During this period, the village of Ishmi, located just west of Kruje Castle, experienced great development.

In more than ten years, the originally deserted village has turned into a huge castle. Albanian villagers and migrated Italians have built a village around the castle with a population of up to two thousand.

Due to strategic reasons, the main task of this castle is to guard against attacks from the east. The fortresses, arrow towers and crossbow platforms are mainly located on the east wall, followed by the north wall, while the south and west walls are the weakest.

The Venetians would never have imagined that one day, a powerful enemy would march all the way north from the coastal plains in the south, relying on absolute military superiority and advanced artillery to defeat the extremely solid city of Dyrrachium and head straight for the Castle of Ishmea.

In the spacious and luxurious hall, Venetian Mercenary Marshal Colleoni sat at the dining table, holding a knife and fork, and devouring the table full of food.

Like other northern Italian states, the Republic of Venice was very good at using mercenaries. It would often sign long-term or short-term employment contracts with some mercenary groups based on military needs and appoint famous mercenary leaders as marshals.

This military concept of relying entirely on mercenaries flourished in Italy from the 13th to the 15th century, and it certainly has its positive aspects.

Compared with conscripted peasant soldiers, mercenaries have sophisticated combat skills, rich combat experience, and are better equipped. They will not collapse at the first blow when encountering a strong enemy like most conscripted soldiers.

Compared to the more elite knights, mercenaries are larger in size, more flexible in combat, and have fewer moral concerns.

Furthermore, the mercenary leaders may be extremely greedy and ambitious, but they are definitely not mediocre. Most of them have good tactical command capabilities.

Of course, mercenaries also have many disadvantages. They are greedy for money, easily betrayal, bully the people, and do not obey orders...

Most importantly, a group of foreign mercenaries neither regards the local people as their compatriots nor has a sense of identity with the country they are loyal to. The people, the government and the mercenaries are suspicious of each other, and internal struggles and bloodshed often occur.

After the 15th century, economic development, rapid population growth and advances in metallurgical technology meant that iron armor was no longer exclusive to the nobility. The major European powers began to establish their own standing legions, and the glorious era of mercenaries was coming to an end.

During the long-term interactions, employers and mercenaries are also constantly working together to change the original employment model in order to bring about benefits and eliminate disadvantages.

Some mercenaries began to sign permanent or semi-permanent employment contracts with their employers, thus achieving an effect similar to that of a standing army. The White Mercenary Corps of the Florentine Republic and the Black Army of the Kingdom of Hungary more or less referred to this concept.

Some employers began to impose strict restrictions on the identity of mercenary leaders, requiring them to come from their own country and to swear allegiance to their country. In this way, they tried to gain as much recognition from the mercenaries as possible. Venice is a typical example.

However, the Grand Council soon discovered that this model did not change the nature of the mercenary leaders. Instead, it made it easier for them to gain a foothold in the country and rack their brains to establish their own territory and become military tyrants.

Be greedy if you should be greedy, disturb people if you should disturb people, betray if you should betray.

Of course, not all mercenaries are like this. Swiss mercenaries have always been famous for their fighting skills and loyalty. As long as the agreement is signed, they will stay by their employer's side until they die on the battlefield.

The Venetian Council had limited interest in improving the quality of mercenaries. They valued generals more and were inclined to discover a capable and battle-hardened mercenary leader, control them through a series of means, and make them fight for Venice.

Among these mercenary commanders, Colleoni was not the best at fighting, nor was he very loyal, but he was very good at playing power games, building relationships, and jumping back and forth between various employers. He acquired a lot of wealth and real estate during the years of war, and he also had good personal relationships with the officials of the Grand Council.

After the outbreak of the St. Titus Uprising, the Eastern Roman Empire launched a full-scale counterattack against the Republic of Venice. The Venetian Senate was in panic. As expected, Colleoni once again obtained the title of mercenary marshal and was ordered to form an expeditionary force to rush to Albania.

The marshal lived an extravagant life and had a chaotic and licentious private life. He stayed in Ragusa for half a month waiting for his mistress, missing the best opportunity to rescue Duratium, which led to the fall of the ruling center of Welsh Albania.

However, when facing the questioning of the Great Council, Colleoni was very arrogant. Not only did he not apologize at all, he also repeatedly threatened to resign as the governor.

Colleoni knew very well that the Venetian Senate was like a frightened bird and could not do without him at all.

At the dining table, Colleoni grabbed a piece of grilled meat and stuffed it into his mouth. He chewed it a few times and swallowed it whole. He also stuck out his thick tongue to lick the sauce off his fingers into his mouth.

"Marshal, Grand Duke Lesh requests to see you."

Beside him, the governor's face was full of doubt. He gritted his teeth and interrupted Colleoni's meal.

Colleoni had his hand holding the fork in the air. Upon hearing this, he frowned and threw the fork onto the plate, making a clinking sound.

"Didn't I tell you not to disturb me when I'm enjoying my meal?"

Colleoni said angrily.

"Don't forget how you got this position!"

The warlord's face froze and he lowered his head.

When Venice appointed mercenary marshals, it would often also assign several nobles as military governors to exercise supervisory and advisory powers and to lead troops into battle when necessary.

However, Colleoni had connections in Venice, and several of his governors were appointed by himself, and they all came from wealthy families with whom he had good relations.

"No more eating! Report the latest situation!"

Colleoni wiped his mouth, snatched the report from the governor's hand and started reading it.

"Marshal, after the fall of Dyrrachium, the Greek army did not rush to advance. Instead, they built the city defenses while improving the supply network, waiting for the supply of troops and equipment from the country."

"The commander on the other side is called Maruna. His father was born in Rome and his mother is Venetian. He lived in Genoa in his early years and made a name for himself. He was one of the first generals to join Isaac III. He fought in many battles for nearly twenty years and was deeply trusted by the Greek emperor."

"Maruna doesn't like to do surprising things in battle. He always takes steady steps, builds strong camps, and fights stupid battles."

"In addition, since he was born a mercenary, he is very familiar with the mercenary combat mode and is keen on using diplomatic means to disintegrate the enemy from within."

The Overseer paused for a moment.

"During the previous siege of Durrazion, Maruna bribed a weak-minded mercenary captain with a huge sum of money and tricked him into opening the gate of the inner city wall."

Colleoni said nothing. As he finished reading the report, his expression gradually became serious.

"I have previously conducted a systematic study of several generals of the Greek emperor. Mikhail is irritable and lacks strategy, Ibrahim prefers unorthodox methods, and Conte was born a knight with too many restrictions. Their tactics are okay, but they are extremely lacking in strategic vision. They can be generals, but not leaders."

"Oh? So how did the Greeks achieve victory after victory?"

"The Greek emperor himself was the best commander. He was not outstanding in tactics, but his strategic vision was far ahead of everyone at the moment."

Colleoni frowned.

"It was thanks to Isaac III's coordination that the Eastern Empire was able to accurately grasp the opportunity and gain the greatest benefit at the lowest cost."

“Isaac III may be lacking in other aspects, but he is the best at employing people and knows what kind of people should be placed in what positions.”

The warlord understood a little.

"You mean..."

"Maruna was deliberately placed here by him as a sharp weapon to be used against us."

Colleoni sighed.

"If the opponent is Mikhail or Conte, I have a good hope that I can disrupt their strategic layout through various means, make loopholes in their deployment, and then divide and defeat them."

"But this Maruna has always been steady and cautious. No matter what the opponent does, he remains unmoved and concentrates on repairing his fortifications and fighting with us."

"Before, I have deliberately exposed my weaknesses many times in an attempt to lure Maruna to attack, but unfortunately he never fell into my trap and didn't even see us as his opponent."

Colleoni became angrier and pounded on the table, knocking over several plates.

"If Maruna keeps advancing steadily like this and never takes any risks, there's no chance we'll beat them."

"Greeks and Albanians are both Orthodox Christians. They are half the host here. Compared with us, the lower-class people are more willing to help the Greeks."

"As long as the Greek emperor wants, he can completely use his powerful national strength to consume us to death."

"So are we just going to wait here? Are we really going to fight them to the death?"

The warlord also had a complicated expression. "I would like to fight to the death and prepare to defend Ragusa, but the masters in the Grand Council don't think so!"

Colleoni snorted.

"We were already at a disadvantage in terms of military strength, but they still urged me to go into battle again and again. Do they really think I'm the God of War?"

"Marshal, you should be more considerate of them. The Greek pirates were already very dangerous. After the fall of the Egyptian trading post, the Republic's fiscal revenue dropped sharply. We had no choice but to impose war taxes on the mainland, and the lower-class people were very resentful."

The warlord advised.

"It's impossible to borrow money from outside. We still owe Florence money."

"In fact, we no longer have sufficient national strength to carry out a protracted war of attrition."

"Can't we sell positions? I remember a councillor's position was worth a thousand ducats."

Colleoni thought about it.

"There are also taxes. If we work harder, we can always squeeze it out."

"Those that can be sold have already been sold, and those that can be collected have already been collected. In some places, taxes have already been collected for several years."

The warlord was helpless.

"I came here this time to tell you that we can no longer afford to delay. You must find a way to defeat Maruna's army. It would be best if we could take back Durachion and regain the strategic initiative."

"You know, if the Republic collapses, you will not end up well."

Colleoni nodded, his eyes flickering.

"You just said that Castrioti wanted to see me?"

"Yes, he gathered troops at Cruye Castle not long ago, but not many responded. In the end, there were only about 3,000 people. When they heard that they would fight alongside us, many of them ran away."

The warlord reported truthfully.

"Go call him over. We should have a good talk. Maybe we can gain something different from this."

……

"Your Majesty, the war situation is urgent and military affairs are exhausting, so I will keep my words short."

In the study, Isaac was reading a letter from Albania.

The letter was written by Maruna, the commander-in-chief of the Albanian Front. Although he had converted to Orthodoxy long ago and could speak Greek, he could not write in Greek. He used Latin that was full of errors and omissions, which was very recognizable.

"It has been more than a month since Durachion fell. During this month, I have been stockpiling military supplies, waiting for reinforcements, repairing fortifications, restoring morale, and accumulating strength. I have not sent out troops without authorization."

"The current situation in Albania is very complicated. The city lords in the plains have pledged allegiance to the empire, but the lords in the mountains are still fickle and are still dreaming of sitting on the mountain and watching the tigers fight."

"I plan to hold my breath for now and focus on winning them over, or at least prevent them from siding with Castrioti."

Isaac nodded, agreeing with him.

"According to reliable intelligence, the fusion of Colleoni and Castrioti is inevitable. They are currently stationed in several fortresses north of Durazzion, trying to block my advance northward."

"Although Corleone is greedy, he is also a very powerful general. He has a high prestige among the mercenaries and is not that easy to deal with."

"In my previous letter, I have informed you of my strategic policy in detail. I will continue to follow my own path and will not be disturbed by the actions of the Venetians."

Isaac continued to read the letter. The rest of the content was about the replenishment of military supplies and troops as well as the rewards for meritorious soldiers. Isaac naturally agreed.

At present, the Eastern Roman Empire has four battlefields at the same time, namely Thrace, Crimea, Crete and Albania. The former two adopt a defensive strategy, while the latter two adopt an offensive strategy.

The battlefields of Crete and Albania were both plunged into brutal and protracted wars. Money was spent like water, and even Isaac, who was usually calm, became a little impatient.

But he also knew very well that Maruna's approach was very correct. To deal with a cunning mercenary leader like Colleoni, he had to proceed steadily and not let the other party find any chance at all.

Colleoni is quite famous in history. He is a very special general with outstanding military talent, strong command ability, and a love of using unexpected tactics and unconventional means.

But he was also very greedy. After his death, he left behind 230,000 ducats in cash alone. Together with real estate, his total wealth was probably close to one million.

Colleoni was a Venetian and was somewhat loyal to the Republic, but compared to illusory sentiments, he cared more about gold and silver and knew where his interests came from.

What is certain is that Corleone will not fight to the last man for the Republic. What will be lost is not the mercenaries, but his own political capital.

If he lost his army, he would have no good ending.

Thinking of this, Isaac began to write back to Maruna, agreeing to his request in full and even adding some Berber servants.

If we fight, we fight. If we fight, we fight. Who’s afraid of who?

Isaac hesitated for a moment, rang the bell, and called the captain of the guards, Yelugubai.

"Your Majesty, what is it?"

"You take my son Alexios and son-in-law Carlo to the Balkans, first land in Morea, and then go to the front by land. Don't go through the Adriatic Sea. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Take the imperial edict, the sword, and the money, and go to the front to reward the troops. You can also reward the local lords and commend the meritorious officials."

Isaac pointed to the coronation documents that had been prepared on the desk.

"I plan to expand the Auron Military District into the Albanian Military District, and move the capital from Auron to Duratzion. The local lords will remain intact, and I will only ask them to provide soldiers and food."

"I see."

Yeer Gubai nodded.

"Alexius will be in charge of the canonization ceremony on my behalf, and Carlo will also be able to meet his brother."

"I know he doesn't like doing these things, but Justinian and I can't leave. Since he was born in the Purple Chamber, he must take on this responsibility. You can teach him more on the way."

"Of course."

Isaac thought about it again.

"By the way, I remember that Maruna has a younger brother named Vittorio. He performed well in the previous war and should be specially rewarded. Let's make him a baron and choose a castle in Albania as his territory."

"There are also the necessary extra supplies, dried dates and sugar cubes for the soldiers, and coffee for the officers. You must check them when you get there. No one is allowed to deduct them!"

"Yes!"

"Fighting on the front line is so hard, we can't let the soldiers feel discouraged."

Isaac waved his hand, and Yergubai bowed and retreated.

The winter of 1462 passed quietly in the flames of war. The war between Venice and Eastern Rome had been going on for nearly two years. Not only did it not stop, but it showed signs of gradually expanding.

Venice is unwilling to fall, and is using the national strength accumulated over a hundred years to fight the Eastern Empire head-on. Even if it means emptying its pockets or forcing the people to rebel, it must maintain its absolute authority in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Without the trade of the Eastern Mediterranean, Venice became nothing and could only die slowly in the Adriatic Trench.

Amid the heavy snow, the bells of Hagia Sophia rang, indicating that the winter of 1462 had passed and the spring of 1463 had quietly arrived.

(End of this chapter)