1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 217: Advance into the Mountains
The winter of 1463 was spent in heavy snow, and as the Christmas bells rang, history entered the new year.

The early spring of 1464 was still very cold. Although it no longer snowed, the rivers and lakes were still frozen. The dim sunlight hung far away in the sky, looking pale and powerless, and people could not feel any warmth at all.

The snow in the mountains has not yet completely melted, but the forest is already much busier. Animals that have been dormant for most of the winter have gradually come out of their shelters, looking for food to fill their hungry stomachs.

For the mountain people in the Balkans who make a living by fishing and hunting, now is the time to start working. This season is when the animals are the weakest in the year and they urgently need some time to replenish and recover.

The deer walked slowly in the coniferous forest, digging up the fluffy snow piles with their hooves, bending down to nibble on the wild grass under the snow; the squirrels slowly poked their heads out of the tree holes and looked around vigilantly; the wild boars walked out of the sheltered valley, grunting, and followed the memories of the past year to where food was more abundant.

There is not much meat on the animals, as the fat accumulated last autumn has been consumed during the long winter, but their fur is beautiful and thick, and they are the main target of hunters.

At the market in Skopje, the capital of the North Macedonian Military District, the new recruits of the First Mountain Hunter Regiment of North Macedonia walked into the relatively busy market under the guidance of their superiors, lined up and stood in line.

These recruits were of varying ages, the youngest was fifteen or sixteen years old, and the oldest was nearly forty years old, with faces full of weathered looks.

They wore various leather robes, carried various hunting bows on their backs, and wore hunting knives on their waists. Some of them even had a dagger inserted diagonally on their leather boots. They had unshaven beards and messy hair, and exuded a fierce and barbaric aura from head to toe. They were incompatible with the citizens passing by the market.

Torosi Notaras paced back and forth, looked at the relatively neat queue, and nodded slightly.

"Brothers from the First North Macedonian Hunter Regiment!"

"During the previous mountain march, I deliberately avoided the main roads and chose the worst mountain roads. I led you through mountains and rivers, through the forests and snowfields in the coldest winter, and brought you from the wilderness to the civilized city."

"You guys performed very well. You persevered and didn't complain about the hardship or tiredness. No one fell behind."

"This proves that my vision is correct. You are all great!"

"I have selected all of you one by one from many remote mountain villages. You are all eagles and wild wolves in the mountains, with the will of wild beasts!"

Torosi waved his hand and the adjutant handed over a roll of documents.

"Today, your recruit training ends here. From now on, you will be qualified mountain hunters. Your names will be registered on the military district's roster and presented to the emperor's desk, with the golden and red double-headed eagle emblem printed on it."

"Congratulations."

Torosi was the first to applaud, and the honest mountain people were also overjoyed and smiled brightly.

“Some of you know my name and my story, and some of you don’t.”

"At this time, please allow me to formally introduce myself."

"I am Torosi from the Notaras family. I am a fifth-term graduate of the Royal Knight Academy. Last year, I served as the commander of the militia, responsible for supporting the Thracian front, and was awarded the title of Baron for my meritorious service."

Torosi bowed slightly.

"In the mountains, honor and status are meaningless. Chivalry and moral sentiments cannot stop ferocious beasts and enemies, nor can they stop open guns and hidden arrows."

"You just need to understand that I am your leader. I will lead you to fight in the mountains for wealth, for faith, for glory, and for the emperor and the motherland."

Torosi straightened up and looked at the hunters' cheeks flushed with excitement and the mist coming out of their mouths.

"This should be the first time for many people to enter the city. On the way into the city, I saw many people looking around and were very surprised at the prosperity of the city."

"Skopje is the capital of the North Macedonia Military District and the largest city. It is famous for its wine and fox fur, but that's all."

"I can tell you that there are many cities that are bigger and more prosperous than Skopje, such as Constantinople, Thessalonica, Carthage, Mystras..."

“Perhaps in your mind, Skopje is already a better place than the small village you lived in before.”

“But compared to those really big cities, Skopje is nothing!”

Seeing that the soldiers' curiosity had been aroused, Torosi was quite satisfied.

He has led many soldiers. He is not afraid of soldiers having desires, but he is afraid of meeting old-fashioned people who want nothing and just want to eat and wait for death.

"In Constantinople, the capital of the empire, merchant ships were constantly arriving in the Golden Horn, people were thronging in the great commercial district, luxury houses were lined up along the coastal avenue, and the bells of the Hagia Sophia rang throughout the city."

“If you don’t have extremely good luck, you may never leave the mountains in your life, you may never come to Skopje in your life, and you will only have a vague fantasy about Constantinople.”

"However, the moment you joined the Mountain Hunter Corps, your fate changed quietly. The emperor treated the soldiers favorably and rewarded those who had made contributions."

"The empire is in a stage of rapid growth, wars are frequent, there is no shortage of battles to fight, no shortage of achievements to make. This is your best opportunity!"

"Now, there is an opportunity for us to make achievements. If you make achievements, you can change your life, the fate of your family and even the village."

"But this mission is arduous and as risky as going into a brown bear's cave with bare hands."

"What do you think? Are you scared?"

Torosi yelled.

"Afraid? We have been through countless bear caves and wolf dens since we were little. If we are afraid, why would we be hunters or hunting soldiers?"

A middle-aged soldier responded loudly.

"That's right! The money you gave me when you recruited soldiers is enough to support my mother in her old age. I have no children, so what is there to be afraid of?"

"The emperor values ​​us, so what if we sell our lives to him!"

A half-grown child blushed.

"Very good. I, Torosi, am very lucky to be able to lead soldiers like you!"

Torossi nodded slightly and turned to the blushing boy.

"But, since you are so young, don't say anything like that, I don't want to hear that nonsense!"

"Being a soldier of the emperor is the happiest thing. If you don't have a woman, the emperor will find one for you. Slavic women, Berber women, as many as you want! When you have children in the future, their names will be registered, and it will be much easier for you to join the army when you grow up!"

Everyone burst into laughter. Torosi waved his hand and the soldiers threw the money bags on the carriage to the ground, deliberately making a pleasant jingling sound.

"Okay, without further ado, this is your first paycheck. I brought you to the market so that you can experience the prosperity of a big city and relax before you go to war!"

The display of the hunting corps attracted many onlookers. When the crowd saw the shining gold and silver, there was an immediate commotion, and several greedy eyes were fixed on the purses.

"Don't worry about the people in the city looking down on you. I tell you, North Macedonia is a military region, the territory of soldiers! Even the most cunning merchants, no matter how arrogant the nobles, have to behave themselves when they come here!"

"If anyone dares to bully you, just send someone to tell me and I will bring people to raid his house immediately!"

After saying this, Torosi glared fiercely at the crowd of onlookers.

When the street thugs saw the family emblem on Torosi's chest, they shrank their heads, muttered, and walked away.

Everyone in North Macedonia knows that the Notaras family has extremely violent personalities. They cannot tolerate any injustice and will resort to violence if they disagree with someone.

They are representatives of the old Roman aristocracy. They are extremely loyal to the empire and the emperor, and have no interest in greedy businessmen. However, they are brave and good at fighting, and can suppress the unruly mountain people and control the complex situation in the border areas. Therefore, they are trusted by the emperor.

"The salary will be distributed in small teams. Each team leader should come up to receive it. No fighting is allowed!"

"Gather at the parade grounds at dawn tomorrow. If anyone is late, don't blame me for turning my back on you!"

"Everyone disperse!"

Torosi said a few words, mounted his horse, and headed towards the family mansion.

The hunters still maintained basic order. Each team leader took his team's purse and led the dancing soldiers into the crowd.

In order to better stimulate the soldiers' fighting power, most members of a hunting squad come from the same mountain village and are familiar with each other. Not only do they cooperate better, but they also stick together because of their hometown sentiments, and can often burst out amazing energy on the battlefield.

When one person dies in battle, the whole family becomes jealous, and their fighting spirit is aroused.

All members of the First Hunting Team are from Pushgoti Village. The team leader is an old hunter who lives alone and has been living in the mountains for many years. Half of his left ear was shot off by a smuggler, his left eye was blinded by a mad stag, and his ring finger and little finger on his right hand are missing, which are said to have been bitten off by a wild wolf. There is an ugly scar on his face, and he looks very fierce.

The old hunter is nearly 40 years old. He has a high seniority in Pushgoti Village and is very warm to the villagers. No one remembers his name, but the villagers, young and old, including the elders, always respectfully call him "Sixth Uncle" when they see him. Over time, he got used to it.

"Uncle Six, where are we going now?"

Several young hunters from Pushgoti village followed Uncle Six closely, instinctively wary of the densely populated big city.

"Don't worry about military supplies. Let's go buy some seeds, ironware, candles and clothes and send them to the village. This is also the task Hemet assigned to us."

Uncle Six turned around, looked at the young men, and forced a stiff smile on his scarred face.

Hemit is the name of the elder. In the whole village, only Uncle Six dares to call him that, and the teenagers are used to it.

Entering the market, the hunters found a shop selling these daily necessities. With the help of their hunting bows and ferocious looks, they quickly took over the shop. Each hunter carried a bag on his shoulder, and with the fierce look in his eyes and the leather robes on his body, he looked like bandits who had wandered into the mountains.

"There are three solidus and four dinars left. Where would you like to go?"

Uncle Six counted the coins and looked at the young hunters who were looking around.

"How about going to church? I've heard from the priest that the sermons and debates in big cities are very exciting."

A young boy suggested.

"Alan, we finally got into the city, and Commander Torosi has allowed us to relax, so don't spoil our fun!"

A middle-aged hunter, who obviously had no interest in the complicated religious ceremony, patted Alan on the shoulder.

"The kids haven't touched a woman yet, right? Uncle Six, how about we take them to taste the forbidden fruit?"

"The women in the city are definitely more tender than the widows in the village."

The middle-aged hunter laughed and pointed to a brothel at the corner of the street to Uncle Six.

"No, the priest said it's a sin and Jesus Christ wouldn't be pleased!"

Alan protested immediately.

"Hey! Alan, you must have become stupid from studying with the priest. Don't keep doing this!"

"but--"

"That's enough! We have to gather at dawn tomorrow and fight. Women are not allowed to be touched."

Uncle Six interrupted their quarrel.

"Let's go to the pub and have some wine to warm ourselves up, something good to eat, and then have a good night's sleep."

"When we win the battle, there will be plenty of women!"

Uncle Six waved his hand and led his team to find a tavern with decent decoration, and sat down in a secluded corner.

"Eight beers and two shots of liquor, the stronger the better!"

Uncle Six took out a few coins and threw them on the counter. After a while, the fat proprietress came over with some wine.

"Strong liquor is now the exclusive property of the emperor, and the price has increased."

Uncle Six was stunned and then asked about the price.

"How much has it increased?"

The proprietress's eyebrows turned.

"Ten drachmas are still owed."

Uncle Six muttered and was about to take out the money, but Alan slammed the table and stood up.

"Nonsense! I've read the Emperor's decree on strong liquor. This is the lowest quality liquor and it's not that expensive!"

"You're either scamming us or you're a liquor smuggler!"

"Kid, be careful with your words, this is not your little mountain village!"

The proprietress's face turned pale and blue, and soon she put on a cowardly look.

"If you don't want to pay, get out! Your smell is ruining the mood of other guests!"

The guards in the store immediately picked up their weapons, surrounded Alan, and stared at him.

"Don't think you can do whatever you want just because you have more people. Our store is protected by someone. Go ask the neighbors, who dares to cause trouble here?"

"Pay the money and get out!"

The hunters behind him looked at Uncle Six and were about to draw their swords, but he waved his hand to stop them. Uncle Six picked up the liquor and drank it all, stood up, took out a badge from his pocket, and slapped it on the wooden table.

"Recognize this?"

The emblem is very exquisite, with crossed hunting knives on top and the outline of a hill below the knives.

The proprietress was about to sneer, but was pulled aside by the guard beside her. In just a few words, the proprietress's expression changed several times.

"Captain, this is all our fault. In fact, the price of liquor has not increased. It is more important that you enjoy your drinks..."

"I have quite a few young girls here, all of them are top-notch beauties..."

The proprietress forced a stiff smile.

"No need, we'll leave now."

After drinking, Uncle Six took the hunters and left, leaving everyone in the hotel in a mess in the cold wind.

"Uncle Six, why don't we teach that old woman a lesson?"

"Let's find another pub. After all, we are outsiders. If we want to get promoted in the future, we should avoid causing trouble to our superiors."

Uncle Six was about to go to the next pub, but found Alan staying there alone and refusing to leave.

"Alan, what's wrong?"

"Uncle Six, I still want to go to the church."

Uncle Six raised his eyebrows but did not object.

"Then go ahead, and remember to come back early. We should be in the tavern over there."

Alan thanked him quietly and disappeared into the dusky street.

"I really don't understand him. Is it so interesting to listen to a priest preaching?"

The middle-aged hunter watched Alan leave alone and complained to himself.

"Since he learned to read and write from the priest, this kid has rarely even gone hunting. I'm afraid he won't even care about his parents in the future and will concentrate on serving God."

"You are Alan's uncle. He wants to climb up the ladder, but you are always so sarcastic. What kind of person is that!"

Uncle Six scolded.

"He's my sister's only child. When she came out, she told me to bring him back safely."

"If he was tricked into working as a servant in a monastery, how would I explain this to my sister?"

Uncle Six shook his head slightly.

"I think this child will have a great future. Given his personality, he won't be content to stay in a monastery all his life."

"What he learned from the priest was mainly language and writing, which are necessary qualities for reaching the upper class."

"Besides, listening to others debate will not make the priests look up to him. He probably wants to learn the way the upper class speak by listening in, so as to improve himself."

"We come from such humble backgrounds, how could he squeeze into the upper class?"

The middle-aged hunter remained skeptical.

"Who said it? There are many opportunities these days."

Uncle Six grabbed the middle-aged hunter and pointed in the direction Alan left.

"Go follow him and don't let anything happen to him."

"Ah? I—"

"Go!"

……

It was dawn and the red sun was about to rise. After a night's rest, the hunters came to the parade ground in Skopje and lined up.

There was a sound of horse hooves, and under the escort of a line of cavalry, Torosi came to the parade ground and dismounted.

There was a middle-aged general beside Torosi, also wrapped in a robe and wearing iron armor underneath.

The two of them stood together, and from a distance, their eyebrows and eyes were surprisingly similar.

"My name is Avilon Notaras, the military governor of North Macedonia and the commander-in-chief of the border guards."

Avilon briefly introduced himself.

"I heard Torossi praising you yesterday, but I didn't quite believe it. When we met today, I found that what he said was true."

He has led troops for ten years, has seen all kinds of soldiers, and has his own set of criteria for judgment.

Some soldiers stand in the neatest formations, have good discipline and high morals, but they are completely unable to fight on the battlefield. When they encounter the enemy, their legs go weak and they can't even swing their swords.

Some soldiers may seem free and undisciplined, but they are fierce in nature. If they are well guided and see more blood, they will become a strong army.

"I won't say much. I trust your fighting spirit, but your equipment is too poor and needs to be replaced."

Avilon pointed to a dozen baskets piled nearby.

"A good strong bow and crossbow, a high-quality hunting knife, and tight leather armor."

"These things are all good products produced by the Constantinople Arsenal. I begged His Majesty for a long time before I got them. You must make good use of them."

Avilon picked up a strong bow and gently plucked the bowstring.

"Given the harsh environment, I also ordered a lot of cotton armor. This is an improved version made by the Carthaginian textile factory. It is better than the cotton armor used by the Crusaders a few centuries ago."

Avilon held up another piece of cotton armor and showed it to the hunters.

"This type of armor only has iron plates installed at the vital parts, and the rest is filled with specially tanned cotton. It takes into account both flexibility and cold-resistance needs. It is lighter and warmer than the leather robes you often wear."

"And this one, it's also a little gadget that came out recently."

Avilon picked up a vertical clay pot with one hand. There was an opening on the pottery pot, which was sealed with a wooden stopper and connected to a soaked cotton strip.

Avilon asked for a torch, lit the cotton strip, and threw it onto the open ground. The clay pot shattered and flames instantly ignited.

"It contains the strongest liquor, and some accelerants, so it will catch fire at once."

Seeing the hunters' eyes widen, Avilon explained.

"Think about it. If you run into a Bulgarian army while scouting in the mountains, and throw this thing into the crowd, the enemy will be caught off guard and lose their composure immediately."

"At this time, the sniper team in the Jager Regiment can draw their strong bows and shoot the Bulgarian officers in a targeted manner, thus completely paralyzing them."

"Strong liquor is not cheap. This kind of stuff cannot be mass-produced for the time being. I only have so much of it. Please use it sparingly and don't drink it secretly."

Avilon smiled.

"Captain Avilon, if we seize the enemy's store of strong liquor during the battle, can we make this weapon ourselves?"

Alan asked loudly in the crowd.

Avilon looked at this quick-witted boy with some surprise, then shook his head.

"I have tried it. I can also use ordinary strong liquor to cause combustion, but the effect is very poor. Your Majesty must have added a lot of other ingredients when making this weapon. The strong liquor must have been specially processed."

"As for what the ingredients are and how they are specially processed, these are military secrets, and I don't know either."

Avilon threw up his hands helplessly.

"What is the name of this weapon?"

Alan asked again.

“Constantine cocktail.”

"Cocktail? What is this?"

"It's the latest thing from Constantinople. It's made by mixing various kinds of wine, juice and egg white, and inserting a beautiful chicken feather in the cup. The price has immediately increased several times."

"The cocktail trend was started by the emperor, and many dignitaries love to drink it."

Next, Avilon talked about the use of some military supplies, such as meat floss, crossbows, hunting dogs, falcons and mules.

"Okay, that's all the equipment. Torosi, you can tell everyone about the specific tasks."

Torosi stepped forward and saluted, facing his own hunter.

"According to the orders from their superiors, two Jager Regiments from the North Macedonia Military District and one Jager Regiment from the Kardzhali Military District will infiltrate Bulgaria in small teams, draw detailed maps along the way, scout strategic locations, observe enemy movements, snipe Bulgarian officers, and attack granaries and supply teams."

"Our goal is simple. Through a series of means, we will attract the main force of the enemy to return to defend and pin them down in the mountains in the southwest of Bulgaria."

"In this way, the emperor's army can march north along the eastern plains and attack Huanglong directly."

"If they don't return to defend, we will continue to harass the township and stir up discontent."

Torossi's expression was very serious.

"The Bulgarians have always focused their defense on the southeastern coastal plains, knowing that we cannot attack from the southwestern mountains."

"We want to break the Bulgarians' illusions and make them waver back and forth and be at a loss."

Several hunter captains looked at each other, and the highly respected Uncle Six stepped forward.

"Sir, we don't understand what you are saying. Why don't you just tell us where we should march to?"

"Open your marching map. It has detailed markings on it."

Torossi also unfolded a map.

"Our target is the Rhodope Mountains, which stretch across southern Bulgaria, mainly the Rila Mountains."

The hunters were all illiterate and could hardly understand even the maps, but when they heard the specific place names, they still had some impression.

"finish watching?"

The hunters nodded and put away the map.

"Sir, please give the order!"

"Very good, immediately organize your equipment, pack up your luggage, and feed the livestock."

"Speed ​​is of the essence in war. We will set out immediately after lunch today, heading for Lila Mountain."

Torosi jumped on his horse, drew the scimitar from his waist, and pointed it towards the east.

"I will personally lead this military operation. Codename: Advance into the Mountains!"

……

In the spring of 1464, two mountain chariot regiments of the Northern Macedonian Military District of the Eastern Roman Empire began to infiltrate the eastern mountainous areas in an organized manner. They would first enter the middle section of the Rhodope Mountains, bypass the densely populated river valleys, and advance step by step towards the Rila Mountains from south to north under the cover of the mountains.

Rila Mountain is located at the westernmost end of the Rhodope Mountains. It is the highest mountain in the Balkan Peninsula. The mountain is high and the environment is harsh in winter. It is sparsely populated. There is the famous Rila Monastery on the mountain, where many hermits serve their gods devoutly.

Surrounded by the Rila Mountains in the south and the Laoshan Mountains in the north, they together form a basin with abundant water and grass.

This basin is the essence of Bulgaria, with a large population, developed agriculture and animal husbandry, and rich mineral resources.

There is a beautiful city in the basin. During the rule of the Eastern Roman Empire, a church was built in the city and named after a beautiful and wise woman. Over time, people forgot the original name of the city and began to use the cathedral to refer to the city.

Sofia, the heart of Bulgaria.

(End of this chapter)