1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 219: The Great Square and the Shooting Army

The carriage stopped outside the Grand Palace. Isaac jumped out, mounted his horse, and just in time met his brother Manuel who was walking towards him.

Behind Manuel followed a small group of soldiers. They were all tall and strong, wearing iron helmets, crimson barbarian costumes, and full body chain mail. They held two-handed battle axes, carried a kite-shaped shield behind them, and had a Romfaya sword slung across their waists.

"Brother, are you back?"

Manuel saw Isaac coming hurriedly and a shy smile appeared on his face.

"Varangian Guards? How did you bring them out?"

Isaac looked at this Viking regiment with some surprise.

"Oh, my father said that he is old and no longer in charge. There are guards stationed near the palace, and no one would have any bad intentions towards him, so he divided the Varangian Guard into two parts, one for each of us."

The Varangian Guard, the most famous standing mercenary regiment of the Eastern Roman Empire, was founded by Basil II and was originally composed of Nordic Vikings and East European Rus. They were usually responsible for guarding the imperial palace and accompanying the emperor in wartime.

The Varangian Guard was a type of heavily armored infantry that made up for the Eastern Roman Empire's shortcomings in the infantry field.

At that time, the Eastern Roman military district system was gradually declining. The combat effectiveness of the peasant soldiers in the military district was poor and their fighting will was low. The importance of the Varangian Guard rose rapidly. They cooperated with the armored paladins and showed their prowess on the battlefield.

Both the Vikings and the Rus were a brave and warlike people who preferred the Danish heavy axe and were not very fond of the traditional Eastern Roman Roman sword. They fought with great force and without regard for consequences, and were synonymous with barbarism, recklessness and brutality.

The Varangian Guard was very famous in Europe at that time. Many Varangians who returned to their hometown spread interesting stories about Constantinople back to Scandinavia, which led to more and more Viking warriors willing to join the Varangian Guard. Many famous Viking chiefs served as commanders in the Varangian Guard, including the "last Viking", the legendary conqueror Harald.

The Eastern Roman Emperor once liked barbarian mercenaries very much. These foreign armed forces were not only braver and more skilled in fighting, but also less involved in domestic political struggles and would not threaten the emperor's ruling position.

During the heyday of the empire, the Varangian Guard had ample pay. Every year, some Varangians who yearned for wealth and fame would come to Constantinople to ask the emperor for a long-term meal ticket.

This military system of standing mercenaries did ensure the combat effectiveness of the Varangian Guard in the early days, but it was also because of this that the Varangian Guard was never integrated into the big family of the Eastern Roman Empire and still retained their original customs and language.

The people rejected them because they were barbaric, refused to obey the king, and were fond of drinking.

Officials hated them because they had no centripetal force towards the Roman Empire. Their oaths and loyalty were all placed on the emperor, making them the emperor's personal mercenaries.

The emperor liked them, but due to political needs, he was reluctant to localize them and deliberately excluded them from the bureaucratic system.

Later, the Eastern Roman Empire fell into crisis. The armored paladins were almost wiped out in the Battle of Manzikert, and the Varangian Guard was defeated by the Norman cavalry, who were also descendants of Vikings, in the subsequent Battle of Dyrrachium. Since then, it has never recovered and has never regained its former glory.

However, the emperors were so fond of this brave and unparalleled heavy armored infantry that they gritted their teeth and preserved the Varangian Guard even if they had to tighten their belts and disband the peasant soldiers.

Compared with the Armored Paladins, the Varangian Guard was much luckier and escaped the fate of being officially disbanded. It followed the Eastern Roman Empire to witness the Macedonian heyday founded by Basil II and the Komnenos Restoration created by Alexius the Great. It also accompanied the empire in silence until the end of its life.

After the 15th century, the Varangian Guard had become very small in number and had completely become a ceremonial guard, having lost most of its combat effectiveness. It was only responsible for maintaining stability when the emperor traveled.

Perhaps, whenever the last emperors of the Palaiologos family saw the Varangian Guards in distinctive armor around them, they would vaguely recall the glory of Basil II, and their will to fight against powerful enemies would be strengthened.

Twenty years ago, when Isaac first arrived in Constantinople, there were only more than 200 people left in Ioannis VIII's Varangian Guard. They were poorly equipped and had low combat effectiveness. They were not composed entirely of Vikings and Russians, and the soldiers were a mixed bag.

Later, after the Battle of Constantine, Constantine XI urged the reorganization of the Varangian Guard, and Isaac followed his wishes and handed over some Russians captured from the Ottoman army to him.

Constantine XI was very happy and put 100% enthusiasm into training his Varangian Guard. He also recruited some idle Russian mercenaries from Lithuania. After ten years of development, the army gradually expanded to the current 800 people.

Perhaps in the old emperor's mind, the Eastern Roman Empire reorganized by Isaac was mixed with too many elements of the new era, which made him feel a little uncomfortable.

What he longed for most was still the prosperous era created by Justinian the Great and Basil II, rather than a dynasty dominated by the military, pirates, merchants and explorers.

"Brother, your Varangian Guard is in the barracks. Do you want to go and take a look?"

Manuel whispered as he saw Isaac was lost in thought.

"No hurry, are you ready to take them to the training ground now?"

Isaac asked.

"Yes, although I am still young, you always say that loyalty should be cultivated from an early age."

"I have learned their language and can take them through some queue training. I can talk to them and try to gain their trust."

Manuel said seriously.

"That's right. Father spent ten years training them. They have a natural affinity for you. If you guide them, they will definitely be a loyal army."

"Age is not a problem. Ambition is not a problem. King Harald of the Barbarians also led the tribe at the age of 11 and fought everywhere. As long as you have the ability, they will be convinced."

Isaac encouraged.

"Oh, I have something for you."

Isaac took a richly decorated musket from the servant and handed it to Manuel.

"This is the latest decorative musket manufactured by the Constantinople Arsenal. It is well-made and worth a lot of money."

"This is the best one. The main body is made of Damascus steel, and the gun body and stock are pink ivory from New Thrace. It is engraved with eagle emblems and olive spikes, also made by Italian masters."

"Originally, this musket was given to me as a souvenir by the head of the arsenal. Since you have great ambitions, I will give it to you as a gift."

Manuel was surprised and happy. He quickly took the rifle and a smile from the heart broke out on his face.

"Thank you, brother. I will work hard!"

Taking the musket, Manuel looked up at Isaac.

"Brother, I heard that many valuable weapons have their own names. What is the name of your musket?"

"Not yet, would you like to pick one yourself?"

"Since it has an eagle emblem and an olive spike, how about calling it Royal Olive?"

"What a nice name! I didn't expect you to have artistic talent."

Isaac smiled and touched Manuel's little head.

"What are you going to do with this Varangian Guard? Do you want to train it into a strong army that can go to the battlefield, or do you still treat it as a toy and a ceremonial guard?"

"Of course I have to go to the battlefield."

Manuel replied immediately.

"The Constantinople Arsenal has recently developed a heavy musket. I will send 100 of them to your barracks in a few days. These Varangians are strong and fit, so they are perfect for this. You can try them."

"Okay, I've heard of the Constantinople Arsenal for a long time, and I want to see their latest weapons."

"And one more thing,"

Isaac thought for a moment and spoke slowly.

"Have some nobles from Serbia come to you or your mother recently and ask you to help them get justice?"

When Manuel heard this, he became anxious and quickly defended himself.

"Brother, some people did come to see me, but I can assure you that my mother and I did not agree to any of their conditions. Even the meeting was conducted in front of my father. There was absolutely no private communication!"

"I'm not blaming you."

Isaac looked at the cold sweat on Manuel's face and was slightly amused.

"You are ten years old this year. Monarchs of this age are the favorites of the powerful ministers. It would be strange if they didn't come to see you."

"The situation in Serbia is already very chaotic. Since the death of the former Grand Duke Lazar Brankovic, this chaotic situation has deepened again. Princes are fighting for the throne, nobles are splitting up, and the people are displaced."

"Before his death, Grand Duke Lazar ignored the oath he made to Grand Duke Durard in order to preserve his family's status. He did not pass the title of Grand Duke to his younger brother, George Brankovich, but instead divided the territory among his three sons."

"Of course, George was furious and he gathered a group of nobles who sided with him and proclaimed himself the Grand Duke of Serbia."

"That is why the civil war in Serbia has been on and off, and the situation is chaotic."

Seeing Manuel remained silent, Isaac sighed.

"Of course, you can't blame your uncle and cousins ​​for all these things. The Serbian nobles have been forming cliques and factions for a long time. Many disputes were planted as early as the period of hegemony between the Ottoman Empire and Hungary. Division and civil war are almost inevitable in history."

"If a monarch without prestige wants to maintain his position, he can only act as a spokesperson for major forces."

"I will never do this again. I want to be a good monarch."

Manuel said firmly.

"Then go and recruit your own team. Later you can officially claim the title of Grand Duke of Serbia, make more contacts with the nobles of Serbia, recruit refugees, and build an army."

"You are my brother, the prince of the Eastern Empire. You are three-quarters Serbian and can speak the most authentic Serbian language. They will not reject you."

"Your grandmother and mother are both great nobles in Serbia. Their families can be used as foreign aid."

"Not all members of the Branković family are in league with the separatist forces. The Dragash family has been dealing with us for a long time."

Isaac said.

"You...you really allow me to form my own team? Will the minister agree?"

Manuel was somewhat happy, but still had some concerns.

"What are you afraid of? I still have this power."

Isaac waved his hand.

"Once this war is over, I will officially enthrone you as the Grand Duke of Serbia and be ready to march into Serbia at any time. I won't say that I will completely destroy them, but I will at least leave them a place to stay."

"Okay, I'll wait. I'll train my troops well!"

Manuel's eyes sparkled.

"The empire's diplomatic situation in the Balkan Peninsula is still not very good. We will have to fight a few wars with Hungary and Wallachia sooner or later. If you can gain a foothold in Serbia as soon as possible, my pressure will be relieved."

Manuel nodded heavily.

Isaac smiled and patted his shoulder, then he squeezed his legs together and rode away.

Arriving at the Grand Palace, Isaac handed his horse to a servant and walked towards the artificial lake in the garden.

By the artificial lake, Constantine XI, Foreign Minister Sphrangis and Prime Minister Isurto were fishing together. The three of them stared at the lake intently, motionless.

Isaac glanced at the wooden barrels containing the fish. They were empty. Not a single fish was caught.

"Ahem, Father, I have something to talk to you about."

"Don't make any noise. Can't you see we are fishing?"

"You scared all my fish away!"

Constantine XI turned his head and raised his eyebrows.

"Haha, Your Majesty, let's focus on state affairs. I'm afraid we can't catch this fish anymore."

Isurte put down his fishing rod with a smile, stood up and stretched his muscles.

"Isurte, I called you here to help with government affairs, not to go fishing!"

Isaac snorted in dissatisfaction.

"How dare we? We have finished all the government affairs, so we just came here to have a small gathering."

"Sfrangis and I have recently found several talented people for you. They are quite talented in handling government affairs. We will introduce them to you when we have time."

"What about North Africa? Is it also entrusted to your group of wise men to help manage it?"

Isaac was skeptical.

"Yes, in fact, the administrative system you have established in North Africa is already quite complete. With your prestige and the presence of Prince Alexios, no one dares to break the rules."

Isurt slowly put away his fishing rod and took off his hat.

"If you are willing to expand the administrative structure a little, we officials will be able to do our job better."

"Where is the money? There are not enough talents. There will be another war soon. After defeating the Ottomans, I will start to establish an education system and train administrative talents."

Isaac sighed softly.

"You still have to bear more responsibility now."

"Speaking of which, among the talents we just mentioned to recommend, there is one who is willing to take on multiple roles and only receive one salary."

Sfrangis on the side also said with a smile.

"Oh? There is such a good thing?"

Isaac was interested. "That's Basilius, your royal tutor."

Sfrangis said.

"He is the son of an old friend of mine. He traveled around Europe in his early years. He is both civil and military, and is extremely loyal to the empire."

"When we left Carthage, the former consul of Carthage had just passed away. No one wanted to take up this position, so he volunteered."

"The written report has been submitted to you. Have you not read it yet?"

"I've been busy with so many things these days that I really haven't watched it."

Isaac groaned.

"He does have some talent. If he wants to be the Archon, you might as well let him take over temporarily. But I have to say that the child's education cannot be abandoned!"

In fact, in the eyes of the Eastern Roman officials, the archons of the two cities of Constantinople and Carthage were not ideal positions. Isaac was in charge of too many things and had to do everything himself, leaving them little room to perform.

Well done, it's the emperor's credit.

If something goes wrong, expect to be punished.

As a result, the consuls of the two capitals could only serve as clerks for the emperor or prince, and there was no way they could engage in corruption or abuse of power. Even the tribunes of a lower rank had more actual power than them.

"I know he's always wanted to climb the ladder, which is not a bad thing, but Alexios doesn't like to be in charge of things. All government affairs must be handed over to Leonor for review and then to my desk. Do you understand?"

"Don't worry, we all know the rules."

Isaac nodded and waved his hand, and the servant handed over the mushkot rifle.

Loading, setting up the pole, igniting, launching, all done in one go.

After the thick smoke cleared, several people looked at Isaac in shock.

"Your Majesty, if you have anything on your mind, please tell us. This..."

Iseult said very carefully.

"No, no, no, it's not me, it's the gun."

Isaac didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and placed the Mushkot rifle on the wooden table for the others to observe.

"This is the latest heavy matchlock gun developed by the Constantinople Arsenal, called the Mushkot Matchlock Gun."

"The structure of this musket is already very complete, which means that we already have the ability to establish a musket corps."

"How are you going to build a musketeer corps?"

Constantine XI stroked the cold gun.

"I have already tried to establish a corps with spear phalanx as the main body, namely the Third Corps of the Guards."

"It turns out that the performance of the Third Guards Legion was indeed good. It had an advantage over the Venetian mercenary riders and Turkish cavalry."

"This time, I plan to attack from two directions and promote muskets in the Eastern Roman army."

Isaac waved his hand and expressed his thoughts.

"First, the Second, Third, and Fourth Legions of the Guards will all be expanded to 2,000 men, and equipped with Mushkot muskets and standard spears."

"Each legion is divided into two cohorts, each of which includes 600 spearmen and 400 musketeers, excluding strategic support personnel."

"These legions have the ability to handle small-scale battles on their own. If necessary, they can also form a large square formation of 6,000 people to deal with the mass charge of the enemy cavalry."

Isaac thought about it for a moment and decided to increase the proportion of spearmen.

The early Spanish squares also included sword and shield soldiers and halberd soldiers, but history has proven that this is an almost useless organization and can be completely abandoned.

Later, with the advancement of firearms, an improved version of the Spanish phalanx appeared, in which musketeers accounted for three-quarters of the troops.

With Isaac's current musket technology, he does not have this ability for the time being.

"The Mushkot matchlock musket is powerful but has a slow firing rate, so musketeers need to adopt a multi-line tactic. The front row will retreat to reload after firing a round, while the back row will move forward to fire, and so on."

"In addition to muskets, musketeers also carry a Banmen axe, which is used as a support for firing the musket and also has certain melee capabilities."

"However, in order to provide protection for the musketeers, spearmen are necessary. A spear formation with five-meter-long spears can give the cavalrymen a hard time."

"This large phalanx infantry can effectively counter the cavalry favored by the Bulgarians and Ottomans. Even the Janissaries, who also use muskets, are no match for the large phalanx."

The Mushkot heavy matchlock musket was the best musket in the world at that time, with an effective range far greater than that of the Janissary musket.

Moreover, only one-tenth of the Janissary Guards were equipped with muskets, and their firepower was certainly inferior to that of Isaac's large phalanx.

"However, we cannot completely abandon cavalry just because infantry tactics have improved. The large square formation still needs to be coordinated with various light and heavy cavalry to exert its maximum combat effectiveness."

"The biggest disadvantage of the large square formation is that it moves slowly. It is difficult to effectively fight back against long-range projectiles."

Isaac remembered that a century ago, the effective range of the English longbow could reach 240 meters if equipped with special lightweight arrows, the crossbow could reach 400 meters, while the Mushkot musket could only reach a maximum of 200 meters.

"When the enemy tried to consume the large square formation with long-range weapons such as bows and crossbows, the cavalry came in handy."

After this conversation, the three of them fell into deep thought, building a model of the large square formation in their minds.

“It sounds good, but the specific effect depends on the actual situation.”

Isurt commented.

"Well, that's right. I also plan to start the transformation of the three legions immediately and strive to form a certain combat effectiveness before the war."

"Your Majesty, you have told us about these military affairs, but we are unable to offer any valuable suggestions."

Sfrangis laughed.

"The Grand Phalanx does not need your intervention, but this second point is closely related to government agencies. You must implement it as soon as possible."

Isaac looked at Iseult with a serious expression.

"Second, I plan to establish a Roman archery army, also with mushkote muskets and banmen axes as the main weapons."

"Your Majesty, I admit that you are good at making money, but we already have a lot of troops. After the establishment of the Grand Phalanx, the Central Army alone has exceeded 30,000 troops, and with the Border Guards and the Slaves Corps, it is approaching 100,000."

Isurt frowned when he saw that Isaac wanted to expand his army.

"Your annual military expenditure exceeds half of your total revenue. If you continue to expand your military like this, your finances will collapse sooner or later."

"No, you don't understand me."

Isaac shook his head and smiled.

"In my conception, the Archery Army does not need to be recruited. It can be directly reorganized from the city guards, police teams, and fire brigades of major cities. It will be under the jurisdiction of the city's tribune. It will participate in the city's defense and also be in charge of public security and firefighting."

"We will increase their wages on the original basis, directly recruit them in wartime, and issue temporary war allowances."

"Based on the different organization of the shooting corps in each city, we divide the shooting corps into the capital corps and the citizen corps."

"The capital army is only stationed in Constantinople and Carthage, each with 1,500 men, fully equipped."

"The rest of the towns have set up citizen armies. The number of shooting troops in each town is also different, ranging from about 200 to 1,000."

"However, the officers of each citizen army were trained according to the number of 1,000 people, and the command framework was set up, resulting in many "incomplete regiments"."

"During wartime, we can temporarily recruit more soldiers to quickly fill the quota and send them to the battlefield."

After these words were spoken, the three of them fell silent.

This was the military reform that Isaac was going to implement in the Eastern Roman Empire, with the aim of establishing the prototype of the modern mobilization system.

"That's a good idea, but how do you plan to ensure the combat effectiveness of the shooting army?"

Isurt asked.

Isaac walked to the table, patted the mushkot rifle, and looked at the three people.

"What do you think is the biggest advantage of a musket compared to other weapons?"

"Powerful?"

Sfrangis said.

“No, it’s cheap and easy to use.”

Isaac shook his head.

"A set of infantry armor costs three to four times as much as a musket. The price of a steel crossbow is almost the same as that of a musket, but crossbow arrows are extremely expensive, much more expensive than lead bullets."

"After switching to muskets, military spending increased slightly in the short term, but combat effectiveness increased exponentially."

"An average young man can easily master the basics of musket firing after a week of training, and can barely reach the standard after half a month of training and can be directly sent to the battlefield."

"They don't need to learn complex tactics like the phalanx. They just need to know how to use muskets and have a certain level of close combat ability."

"I don't plan to equip them with iron armor. At most, I will equip them with leather armor and cotton armor."

"In a war, a small number of elite troops are indispensable, but a large number of miscellaneous troops that can be used can lead us to the final victory!"

"You mean, use them as cannon fodder?"

Constantine XI snorted coldly and turned his head away.

"That's not the case. The Ottomans and Bulgarians have not yet invented a military tactic that can effectively curb the musketeers, so their casualty rate will not be too high."

Isaac said with a wry smile.

"We can also stuff a large number of West African black slaves into the shooting army. They have been domesticated by tribal chiefs since childhood and their wildness has been worn away. They have no self-thoughts and can only obey blindly. They are the best cannon fodder."

"As for loyalty, I will let veterans and military children serve as officers of the Shooting Army. The Empire treats military families with kindness and is never stingy. With them, I can guarantee the loyalty of the Shooting Army for a hundred years."

Isaac raised his head and stared at Constantine XI.

As for a hundred years later, with the solidification of classes and corruption among military personnel, the Roman Archer Corps will certainly face many problems like the Tsarist Russian Archer Corps in the original time and space. Whether they will be eliminated or reformed will all depend on the wisdom of future generations.

Isaac couldn't care less.

"It's up to you. I don't know where you got this idea from."

Constantine XI nodded, officially finalizing the formation of the phalanx and the firing corps.

"Then it's settled. The reforms of the Grand Phalanx and the Firing Corps will be implemented immediately. The Grand Phalanx is expected to be completed before the war, while the Firing Corps will be gradually expanded over two to three years."

"We sold all the weapons we replaced to the Mamluks and Congolese, and used the money to make mushkot matchlocks."

"The Constantinople Arsenal will continue to expand, and I am also planning to build the Carthage Arsenal and the Thessalonica Arsenal, all in the city's industrial zone."

Isaac rested his chin on his hand and thought.

"The Constantinople Arsenal had a complete system, producing everything from muskets and cannons to armor and swords."

"The Carthaginian Arsenal was closer to the Atlas Mountain mines and saltpeter fields, and was responsible for the casting of firearms, the production of gunpowder, and the making of lead bullets."

"The Thessalonica Arsenal is responsible for assisting the Constantinople Arsenal, jointly accepting orders, and participating in equipment manufacturing."

Isurte took notes, looking painful.

"Your Majesty, if you invest this money in livelihood projects, the people will surely pray for you day and night, and even wish you good health when they drink."

"When I defeat the Bulgarians and the Ottomans, everyone will be proud of themselves."

Isaac laughed.

Having solved the big problem that was bothering him, he was in a very good mood.

"Don't worry about not having money. Da Gama's fleet hasn't returned for so long. If nothing unexpected happens, they must have made a major discovery."

"I have a hunch about that."

Isaac looked toward the north and took a deep breath of the air that smelled of nitrate.

The economy is good, the people are healthy, the industry is prosperous, and the military is advanced.

This spring is such a beautiful season.

(End of this chapter)