1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 268: Sufi Ascetic

It was early morning, and the early winter sun was hanging in the sky, casting its warm rays on the lush farmland.

In the farmlands, many Muslim farmers wearing headscarves are working hard, pulling oxen and horses to plow the soil, making adequate preparations for future sowing.

This is a Berber village east of Algiers, located on the North African continent on the southern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It has fertile land and a relatively mild climate, making it a very good farming area.

The distance between Algiers and Carthage is not far. Between the two big cities are medium-sized cities including Bejaia, Setif, Constantine, Annaba, etc. It has always been a densely populated area in North Africa, with hundreds of thousands of Berber and Arab Muslims living there.

In the previous hundred years, this densely populated area nominally belonged to the Zayanid Dynasty of Tlemcen, but it had always been the focus of contention and endless fighting between the two superpowers, the Marinid Dynasty and the Hafsid Dynasty.

The Zayanid Dynasty was the weakest of the three major Berber dynasties in North Africa. It either served as a vassal of the Marinid Dynasty or paid taxes to the Hafsid Dynasty. After finally finding the right opportunity to become independent, it launched an attack on the Hafsid Dynasty, but was defeated and fled in disarray.

Although the other two dynasties all declined in the 15th century, they at least had their prosperous times. The Hafsid Dynasty defeated the Crusaders of King Louis IX of France, and the Marin Dynasty also invaded Iberia for a time and fought back and forth with Castile.

However, the Zayanid dynasty has always been very poor. Not only is it extremely backward in military strength and political system, but it is also far behind the two major powers in religion and culture.

However, all this is meaningless. The era of the North African Berbers is about to end. The Hafsid Dynasty in the east has been destroyed for many years, and the Zayanid Dynasty in the center has also lost cities and territories. Facing Albert's massive attack, they have no ability to resist and have retreated to the capital, Tlemcen, to survive.

As for the most powerful Marin Dynasty, after more than a decade of civil war, the central authority has disappeared. The Watas family, a branch of the Marin family, is plotting unification, but still faces great difficulties.

On the dirt road next to the village, two middle-aged men were riding burqa horses slowly. One of them was wearing traditional Sunni robes, and the other was wearing armor and carrying a sword.

It was obvious that this was a Sunni mullah and his guard.

The mullah's name is Sayyid, a Moroccan whose ancestral home is in Anfa on the Atlantic coast. He is a famous Islamic scholar in the area.

However, since the Portuguese occupied Anfa and renamed it Casablanca, Said lost his hometown and wandered in North Africa with a few followers, preaching and calling on Muslims to unite and fight against the invasion of Christians.

Over the years, he had visited the courts of many Muslim monarchs and was invited by many big businessmen to preach to them, but not many people responded to his call for jihad, which made him discouraged for a time.

Later, Sayyid finally had an epiphany. He finally discovered that both the nobles and the merchants were the most snobbish people. Without any actual benefits, they would not make selfless contributions to the cause of Allah.

So he began to turn his attention to the lower classes of people, left the magnificent palace and luxurious mansions, and went into the vast countryside, preaching his jihad call and revenge theory to ordinary farmers, encouraging them to take up swords and fight for Allah.

Initially, he did resonate with many people and achieved some results, but those untrained peasants had poor combat effectiveness and almost no equipment, and eventually they fell under the butcher knife of the army.

Sayyid was an indomitable man. He was not worn down by successive failures and continued to fight for his ambitions.

Sayid looked around at the vast farmland and pastures in the distance, his brows furrowed and his expression somewhat bleak.

"Mura, what happened? Are there any enemies?"

The tall and strong guard immediately became alert, his strong right hand already pressing on his sword.

Sayyid did not answer directly, but pointed to the fields and livestock.

"Did you find it?"

"What did you find?"

The guard was stunned, somewhat puzzled.

"The number of draft horses has dropped dramatically since our last visit, with oxen taking their place."

Sayyid looked at the cattle working in the fields.

"Moreover, farmers had almost no iron farm tools, only wooden and stone ones."

Sayid narrowed his eyes and looked at the grassland in the distance.

In the distance, goats and sheep were grazing on grass and bushes at the foot of the mountain. Several shepherd boys gathered together to chase and play, and a sheepdog lay on the side.

"I have seen both types of sheep, Boer goats and Merino sheep. The former produces a lot of meat, and the latter produces a lot of wool. They are both good economic livestock."

Sayid pursed his lips.

"Isn't that great?"

The guard smiled innocently.

"What's good? Everyone has started raising sheep instead of camels or horses. How will we fight in the future? Riding goats?"

Sayyid sighed.

"I have met merchants from the east before. They said that many herdsmen under the rule of the Eastern Empire have given up training war horses and camels and have switched to raising economic livestock such as goats, sheep, and dairy cows."

"During the harvest season, the Chamber of Commerce of coastal cities would come to the pastoral areas and buy wool and leather from the herders at high prices. They would then process these raw materials into clothes, tapestries and felt in the city and sell them to the herders at even higher prices."

"Do you remember the Carthaginian merchant we met last time? He made a lot of money by collecting wool. I heard that he is also collecting sheep bones recently. I don't know why."

"The point is that the lives of the herdsmen are actually better than before, and no one is dissatisfied with this. Those traitors who converted to Christianity regard their emperor as a messenger of God, spreading love and happiness."

Sayid snorted contemptuously.

"Wherever the emperor's army went, merchants would flood in. His favorite thing to do was to turn a place that could have been self-sufficient and had independent production capabilities into a single industrial base, thereby softening the local people's will to resist through economic means."

"If this continues for so many years, our descendants might even forget how to ride horses and fight in battles."

"It's okay, I can ride a horse and fight, I will protect you!"

The guard laughed.

"As we traveled, farmlands were intact, but village artisans were coerced and induced to move into cities. Pastures were intact, but camels and horses on them were bought and replaced with sheep and goats."

Sayid gritted his teeth.

"The most hateful thing is that they collapsed all the mines in remote areas, destroyed the roads and bridges leading to the mines, and set fire to the nearby mountains to burn all the plants. When the rainy season comes, a mudslide will destroy everything."

"They had no iron tools, no horses or camels, no craftsmen, and even relied on merchants for food. They had no ability to fight for a long time."

Sayyid felt very uncomfortable. He had a lot of resentment in his heart and had no way to vent it, which turned into a deep feeling of powerlessness.

"Abel from the Western Border Region is a reckless man. These methods are definitely not his idea."

"The emperor of the Eastern Empire is truly a devil."

Said exclaimed.

"You mean to sue the deceased Isaac?"

The guard thought for a moment.

"Some people say that he is the messenger sent by Allah. It is because we have committed too many sins that Allah is no longer merciful, so he is sent to punish us."

"What nonsense! These are the lies spread deliberately by those weak and vulnerable Kairouan apostates!"

Sayid yelled angrily.

"Those Kairouan scholars take money from the Greeks and spread these pessimistic theories all day long, with the purpose of building momentum for the Greek emperor's rule!"

"Look at what has become of Kairu's All Saints City! The common people are pessimistic and disgusted with the world, while the upper-class scholars are enjoying wealth and glory, and have long forgotten their responsibilities!"

Seeing that the guard had no reaction, Sayyid knew that it was useless to say this to him, so he sighed and turned his eyes away.

"Let's go into the village. No matter how difficult it is, we can't give up."

The horse's hooves tapped the ground steadily. Several children recognized Sayyid and after hesitating for a moment, they gathered around him.

Sayid greeted the children with a smile and patted an older child on the shoulder.

"Amel, aren't you going to graze today?"

"Now we are all herding sheep, so we don't need so many people."

Amer seemed to be chewing something and answered incoherently.

"How many villages like yours are there? Don't people raise horses and camels anymore?"

Sayid was silent for a while and then asked.

"There are more villages along the coast. The emperor's merchants buy horses and camels at high prices and then sell the sheep to us."

Amer said.

"These sheep are very good! They give birth to many lambs, produce a lot of meat, and their wool is also very valuable. Everyone is rushing to buy them."

"You have been wandering from village to village, haven't you seen it yourself?"

Sayid nodded, speechless.

"What are you eating?"

Sayid forced a smile and changed the subject.

"Here, this."

Amer took out some white dried fruits from his pocket.

"The emperor's envoy gave it to us when he passed by our village. It is said to be kola nuts from West Africa, and it is coated with a thin layer of powdered sugar."

“We call it ‘Roman candy’, it’s delicious.”

Sayyid was immediately enraged. He knocked the Roman candy that Amer handed to him to the ground and grabbed his hand.

"Both of your brothers were killed by Christians. How can you still eat Christian food with a clear conscience?"

Amer broke free, stepped back, and glared at Sayyid.

"My mother said that my two brothers were bewitched by you and lost their lives on the battlefield. She also told me not to speak a word to you ever again!"

"Why are they all dead, but you are still alive!"

Amer yelled and ran away with the children.

Sayyid's face turned pale and he stopped the guard who was about to draw his sword.

"Let's go, these are all children, let's go directly to the village elders."

Sayyid and his guards walked into the village, where many peasant women lined up in a long line, carrying baskets filled with meat and vegetables.

"Maura, what are you doing?"

The guard asked doubtfully.

"Waiting to use the knives, the Greeks bought up most of the iron tools at high prices, leaving only a few in a village, and everyone shared them."

Sayid whispered.

When the peasant women saw Sayyid, they stopped chatting, looked at him in silence, and bowed gently.

Sayid smiled and returned the greeting, quickening his pace.

"Mullah, these villages are changing so fast. When we came here the first few times, they were very welcoming."

The guard said indignantly.

Sayyid remained silent and went straight to the elder's house.

A meeting seemed to be taking place in the house, and Sayid heard a lot of familiar voices.

The elder's servant was guarding the door, and when he saw Sayyid, he ran in to deliver the message.

After a while, the noise in the house stopped abruptly, and the servant came out and invited Sayyid in.

In silence, Sayyid walked into the meeting room and looked around. There were fewer familiar and friendly faces than in previous times.

They all participated in several jihads organized by Sayyid, but none of them came back alive. They either died on the battlefield or were captured and taken to plantations.

When the brave and unyielding were killed or wounded, only the weak were left.

Sayid mustered up his courage and looked towards the elder.

"Several traitors of the Zayanid dynasty have surrendered to the Greek emperor and will be crowned by the Greeks soon."

"After this, the Western Border Region will be divided into two parts. The coastal areas will be directly under the jurisdiction of the border region government, and the inland areas and mountains will be distributed to the emirs who are loyal to the emperor."

"That is to say, a large number of Islamic villages, including this one, will be directly oppressed by the Greeks. They also brought in a lot of Italians, French and Spanish from Europe, and gave them a new name, the Latin Romans."

Seeing that the elder had no reaction, Sayyid continued speaking.

"I know that the population in this area has dropped sharply in recent years, and there is a lot of vacant land. Those poor farmers attracted by the so-called Homestead Law have not yet intervened in your lives."

"But there will definitely be more and more immigrants in the future, and the Greek emperor will become more and more unscrupulous."

“We must resist as soon as possible and drive the invaders out of our homes.”

Sayid stared at the elder's weathered face.

"This is our place, and we can make the Greeks lose more than they gain through continued harassment and riots, so that they will withdraw from the Muslim lands."

"The Greek emperors have committed so many sins and killed so many devout believers. We should rebel."

"How to resist?"

A middle-aged man asked.

"Even the nobles are unwilling to resist. We are just peasants. What can we use to resist? Just rely on your empty words?"

Sayyid suppressed his anger and looked at the man. "I have negotiated with several tribal sheikhs in the mountains, and they are willing to take up the banner of Allah."

"They have some weapons, horses and camels. With our help, they can definitely cause a lot of trouble for the Greeks!"

"Don't say such things again in the future."

The elder looked at Sayid and spoke slowly.

"After what happened last time, we will never trust the barbarians in the mountains again. They are looting everywhere in the name of jihad and do not regard us as brothers at all."

"Elder, I can guarantee that what happened last time was completely a—"

"Needless to say, we have been farmers for generations, and we are not the same kind of people as them."

The elder extended his hand and interrupted Sayid.

"Back then, this group of people were driven to the mountains by our ancestors. They have come down from the mountains to rob from time to time over the past few hundred years. It is difficult for them to change their nature. This is absolutely impossible."

After hearing this, Sayid smiled bitterly.

"Mullah, when you came to the village a few times before, all of us gave you the utmost welcome. Many young people followed you to join the rebel army. I also spared no effort to support you and handed over my two sons and a son-in-law to you."

A trace of sadness flashed across the elder's cloudy eyes.

"However, you did not allow them to return home in glory, nor did you protect our land. They all died on the battlefield and could not return home."

“It’s not that we didn’t resist, but every time we resisted, we were not rewarded with glory and peace, but death and pain.”

"The emperor owns some of the most profitable shipping routes in the world and the most powerful military force in Europe. He has enough time and money to gradually wear down our strength. By the end, we will have nothing left."

The elder sighed.

"I still have one last child, and I will never let him go to the battlefield again."

"We are farmers, not soldiers, and we don't want to fight anymore."

Sayid looked around and saw that everyone was nodding frequently, and the light in his eyes dimmed.

"So what are you going to do? Submit to the Greeks and be thrown onto a plantation by slave traders?"

"No, the emperor has issued a decree and will sign a protection agreement with us. As long as we pay taxes to him and provide soldiers, he will protect us from foreign invasion."

The elder took out a document.

"From now on, Muslims in the Western Frontier Region do not have to convert. We can live our own lives, make pilgrimages to Mecca, and go to mosques to pray as permitted by law."

"The emperor also said that from now on, the empire's civilians will be prohibited from intentionally desecrating mosques, and a non-interference policy will be adopted. We should do our own work and he will not interfere in our lives at will."

"What? You are conquered by the status of a second-class citizen? Paying double taxes and providing soldiers, you call it not interfering with your normal life?"

Said scoffed.

"Mullah, you should know that even under the rule of the Zayanid family, we have been at war all the time. The emirs have imposed heavy taxes and forced conscription of men. We have lived a very difficult life."

"According to the Prophet's instructions, Muslim monarchs should not impose such taxes on their brothers and should not force them to go to the battlefield, but they have obviously forgotten this long ago."

Upon hearing this, Sayyid was speechless for a moment.

"Can you live a good life under the rule of the Greek emperor?"

The elder smiled.

"Mullah, the emperor's taxes on Christians have always been very low. Even if we pay double, it will still be lower than before."

"Moreover, under the emperor's management, there will be no more wars here, and we farmers will be able to live a better life."

"The emperor treats farmers well. We are not warriors or tribesmen, so we will not cause him much trouble. If we hand over our iron tools and sell our horses and camels, he will be able to give us the autonomy we deserve with confidence."

Sayyid laughed heartily, his face full of sadness.

"Have you ever thought about why these things happen?"

"They will give you freedom, bring you a peaceful life, and guarantee your most basic right to survival."

"But this is not because they have a change of heart, nor because they have become good people, but simply because we have been here before and have resisted before!"

"If everyone stops resisting, sooner or later the Greeks will become even more aggressive."

"You can continue like this and continue to be obedient subjects, but when they raise their butcher knives again, you will be powerless to fight back and will only become lambs to be slaughtered!"

"So what do you think we should do? Continue to resist? Continue to send more children to die? Until in the end, only the old, weak, women and children are left in the village?"

The elder staggered to his feet, his beard trembling.

"The Emperor's army is so powerful. Over the years, the Ottomans, Mamluks, Hafsids... so many forces that are a hundred times stronger than us have all lost. How can we win?"

“Perhaps it is true, as those Sufi murids say, that we have committed sins and need to atone for them.”

The elder sighed heavily.

Sayid closed his eyes in pain and shook his head.

Over the past twenty years, the Muslim world has suffered wave after wave of severe blows and has been repeatedly defeated and at a disadvantage in the face of large-scale encirclement and suppression by Christians.

Under such circumstances, a strong sense of pessimism permeated the Muslim world along the Mediterranean coast, and Sufi groups of all sizes emerged, calling on Muslims to get closer to Allah and atone for their sins through asceticism.

Among them, the Kairouan sect, which was the first to pledge allegiance to the empire, has completely abandoned its secular status and transformed itself into a Sufi sect with a strong mystical color. It calls on believers to become ascetics, not to care about worldly matters, not to get married, and to practice abstinence.

There are many types of Sufi sects, some of which are Sunni, some are Shia, and their specific methods of practice are also different.

Today, the reorganized Kairouan Order fully adheres to the earliest Sufi principles, mixed with a lot of pessimism.

"What? You also want to obey the call of those people in Kairouan and send one male from every household to become an ascetic? To atone for your sins?"

Said asked.

"Yes, the emperor built a monastery for the ascetics in Kairouan. Part of the taxes paid by our Muslim community will be provided to the ascetics of the Kairouan sect."

The elder said.

"The Emperor has sailed to Algiers, and these orders were recently sent down."

"Really? That's really fast."

Said said casually.

"Is there anything else I don't know?"

"There is another rule that the emperor prohibits unregistered Islamic scholars from spreading rebellious ideas among the people."

The elder spoke word by word.

"If anyone is found to be protecting these scholars, they will be reduced to slavery."

Sayyid's eyes narrowed and he was about to open his mouth when a wooden spear was already pressed against his back.

Behind him, the strong guard was grabbed by three men and his scimitar was taken away.

"Mullah, the emperor will not kill you. You will be sent by the cavalry of the Western Legion to the Ascetic Order in the Holy City of Kairu, where you will seek the guidance of Allah."

The elder said.

Sayyid looked at everyone, then at the elders, his eyes filled with dejection.

"I really didn't expect that you could forget such deep hatred so easily."

Sayid murmured.

"Maura, we just want to live."

The elder turned his head away.

“I remember you once said that when Muslims face threats to their lives, they can do anything to protect themselves, even eating dirty pork.”

"Now, we are also facing life threats, and we can only compromise with the emperor."

"The emperor has money, soldiers, and fleets. Their weapons and equipment have crushed the weak soldiers of the Zayanid family who are busy fighting among themselves. We have no way to resist."

"We are farmers, we live off the land, we can't hide in the mountains."

Sayid smiled bitterly and shook his head, staring at the elder.

"Elder, the Greek emperor is just an ordinary man with powerful means. While he is alive, he may be unstoppable and dominate his generation, but he will eventually grow old, and his successors will not be able to have such talent."

"If he dies, the huge empire he built will surely fall apart. By then, I hope you will no longer be as weak and vulnerable as you are today."

"Mullah, the emperor is still young. We won't live to see that day."

The elder sighed.

"Actually, there is something I have always wanted to say to you."

"Go ahead."

Sayid raised his head and smiled at the elder.

The elder took a deep breath and looked into Sayid's eyes.

"Revenge is a luxury for people like us. We cannot afford it."

……

The city of Algiers, on the southern coast of the Mediterranean.

Isaac stood by the window, looking quietly at the busy port in the distance through the window.

In the port, all the main warships of the Western Mediterranean Fleet of the Eastern Roman Empire are anchored here. On the densely packed warships, the double-headed eagle flags are fluttering.

In the military camp near the dock, the 5,000-strong army that arrived in Algiers by ship a week ago was making intensive preparations. Teams of soldiers marched toward the dock, singing war songs, with fluttering flags and bright armor.

The door opened, and Abel bent down and squeezed into the study.

"Your Majesty, the Western Border has been basically pacified. The young men of the Zayanid family are really too bad. It has become a habit for them to bow down to foreign powers."

Abel chuckled.

"Of course, we still haven't occupied the entire core area of ​​Zayanid. Major cities such as Tlemcen, Oran, and Muaskar are still in the hands of the Berbers and have not pledged allegiance to us."

"Those big cities are densely populated and backed by the Marin Dynasty, so they are not easy to attack. I plan to spend five years to stabilize the direct jurisdiction from Algiers to Bejaia City, and then plan to move westward."

Isaac nodded slightly, raised his glass, and poured mellow wine for the two of them.

"Don't worry. We are already making rapid progress in the west. Eating too much at once will actually be bad for digestion."

"As for the Western Border, we will divide it into two parts according to the method I have set for you. All inland areas will be handed over to the Emirs who obey us, and we will only occupy the major coastal cities."

"I will also gradually fortify and fortify the coastal cities in the next few years to prevent the Berbers from counterattacking."

Abel took the wine and drank it all.

"Your Majesty, are you really prepared to give those Saracens such a large degree of autonomy?"

"Yes, the Saracens in the coastal areas are mainly engaged in farming. Compared with the nomadic tribes, these people are naturally obedient. I don't ask them to assimilate, just don't cause us trouble."

Isaac groaned.

"The population here is too large. I can't extend the African system here. I can only do it slowly."

"Take away their iron tools and horses, destroy their independent production capacity, soften their resistance, and use economic means to control them."

"Later, I will introduce some cash crops here and completely turn it into our economic colony."

"The most important thing is the Saracen scholars. You must not allow these people to move freely among the people."

Isaac warned.

"Yes, I understand."

Abel nodded heavily.

"We also need to speed up the process of bringing in refugees. If we can have one-tenth of the Christians here as our base, our rule will be basically stable, and we won't be able to stop them from rebelling."

Isaac said, placing the glass back on the table.

"I will soon be heading on an expedition to Gibraltar. I will strive to build an unparalleled fortress in the shortest possible time. By then, the army, fleet, workers and supplies will be transported from Algiers. You must provide security."

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. My quartermaster Alan is the best person to do this kind of thing. I will ask him to cooperate with you."

Abel laughed.

Isaac patted his shoulder, opened the door, and took the purple cloak handed to him by the guard.

At the end of 1468, more than ships and more than soldiers of the Eastern Roman Empire gathered at the port of Algiers on the coast of North Africa and sailed westward, heading for Gibraltar.

(End of this chapter)