1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 269: The Sun Never Sets Fortress

Iberia is a mountainous peninsula, with the Pyrenees and Cantabrian Mountains stretching across the north, the Sierra Morena and Penivetique Mountains suppressing the south, and the Central Mountains and Iberian Mountains in the interior dividing the peninsula into densely populated areas.

Due to the obstruction of mountains, the areas with abundant rainfall in the Iberian Peninsula are mainly located along the coast, and the vast inland areas are mostly arid and semi-arid areas. The southeastern part is home to the only large desert on the European continent, which is sparsely populated.

Since the Roman Empire, the Iberian Peninsula has begun to develop irrigation agriculture. Many water conservancy projects have been built, and farmers have diverted river water into canals to irrigate large tracts of fertile fields.

During the Arab conquest period, the Muslim expeditionary force conquered most of the Iberian Peninsula in just a few years and reached as far as France, with great force.

From then on, the Christian world began the 800-year-long war of reconquest of Iberia, also known as the "Reconquista".

Although the Muslim regime in Andalusia was a foreign invader, they created a brilliant and splendid civilization on the Iberian Peninsula. They picked up the water conservancy and irrigation projects that had gradually disappeared after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire step by step, and developed and expanded them, greatly increasing the population carrying capacity of the Iberian Peninsula and greatly expanding the living space of the peninsula's residents.

However, the glorious heyday and prosperous culture also brought hidden worries. The Muslims who entered Iberia quickly settled down, their military power gradually declined, large tracts of land were devoured, and the prosperous cities and fertile countryside became nothing more than wedding dresses for others.

By the end of the 15th century, Christian forces had recovered most of Iberia, and the only remaining Kingdom of Granada was hiding in the south, struggling to survive.

The Kingdom of Granada was separated from the North African continent by only a narrow strait. Whenever Christians from the north invaded in large numbers, Granada would send envoys to the once powerful Marin dynasty for help. With their help, it survived for several centuries.

In addition to the help of North African Muslims, Granada had another important advantage in fighting foreign enemies - mountains.

Almost all of Granada's core area is located between the Penivetik Mountains. The capital city of Granada is located on the largest basin, surrounded by mountains on three sides. It is easy to defend and difficult to attack, which caused great trouble to the Christian army marching south.

The Penivetik Mountains extend from northeast to southwest, all the way to the sea. The mountains in the southwest corner are lower, and the land here becomes the protrusion in the south of the peninsula, facing the North African continent across the sea, forming a narrow passage.

Strait of Gibraltar.

The climate near Gibraltar is relatively humid, with much higher precipitation than inland. Many streams flow from the mountains into the sea, and the coastal plains are suitable for farming.

This strait is relatively long and narrow. The pass formed by Gibraltar City and Ceuta Port is located at the easternmost part of the strait. Mediterranean fleets often use these two ports as the last resting point to the Atlantic Ocean. Their strategic location is very important.

The city of Gibraltar is located on Cape Europa, a narrow and sharp cape that looks like a sharp thorn piercing straight into the ocean to the south.

Cape Europa is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the east, the Strait of Gibraltar to the south, and the Bay of Algeciras to the west. It is surrounded by the sea on three sides and faces the Port of Ceuta to the south.

In recent decades, this cape has changed hands repeatedly between the Kingdom of Castile, the Kingdom of Granada and the Marin Dynasty. After the decline of the Marin Dynasty, Castile occupied this place for a time.

However, after the Castilian Civil War broke out, the Kingdom of Granada saw an opportunity. The central government was still in chaos, but the border lords began to provoke conflicts in the border areas, sending small forces to continuously harass Castilian settlements and fight endlessly.

At Cape Europa, two cavalry units were fighting. The scale was not large, with no more than a thousand people in total. One side held up the flag of the Crusaders and shouted God's will, while the other side waved the flag of Granada and shouted "Allahu Akbar".

It was early morning and the thick fog on the seashore had not yet dissipated. The two cavalry units were obviously unaware of each other's existence before the battle. The battle circle was very chaotic and there was no order at all.

In the battle formation, a middle-aged knight was particularly conspicuous. He was wearing a bright holy white military uniform and holding a two-handed sword. There was a sword-shaped cross painted on the uniform and a lily seal engraved on the hilt.

Apparently he was from the Order of Santiago, one of the most active military forces in the Iberian Reconquest.

Although the middle-aged knight had gray hair on his temples, he was still brave and good at fighting. He swung his sword left and right, and the turbaned Muslims fell beside him one by one.

"Woo——"

A long horn sounded, and from the distant hills, another cavalry came charging over. They also wore turbans, and their swords and armor all had distinct Islamic characteristics.

"Our reinforcements have arrived! The Castilians are about to be defeated!"

The Muslim commander in the army was overjoyed and raised his scimitar high.

The Granada soldiers cheered and began to semi-encircle the Castilian army.

"Knight Bedlo, the enemy's reinforcements have arrived, what should we do!"

Another cavalryman wearing the holy white uniform chopped down a man and shouted at the middle-aged knight.

His equipment and uniform were inferior to those of a knight, and his horse was not even covered with a horsecloth. He was a squire of the Knights of Santiago.

"Alberto, don't rush!"

Bedloe yelled.

"Gather the cavalry, we retreat to the west!"

"Knight Bedloe, why don't you go south? After we go around the Pillars of Hercules, we will enter the protected area of ​​Gibraltar Town!"

Alberto rode his horse quickly and rushed to Bedro's side.

"Idiot! We went to Gibraltar to monitor that damned Moorish town master. Now there are so many Moorish troops here, and they are also heading to Gibraltar. Don't you understand the situation?"

Bedro slapped Alberto on the helmet.

"The Moor has deserted us and has changed his allegiance!"

"Asshole! I have always believed that the Moors are untrustworthy. Those lords, for their own benefit, want to give them such a large degree of autonomy!"

Alberto figured out the reason and gnashed his teeth in anger.

"All those turban-wearing pigs should be killed!"

Bedro ignored him, raised his sword and shouted loudly.

"Gather together! Gather together! Don't get stuck in the battle circle!"

Some of the cavalry heard the commander's call and began to surround him, while others were already deeply trapped in the enemy's formation and could not retreat even if they wanted to.

"There's no other choice. We retreat westward!"

Watching the soldiers fall one by one under the Muslims' scimitars, Bedro's heart was bleeding. He gritted his teeth and prepared to evacuate.

"My lord, this is not good!"

Alberto pointed to the Muslim reinforcements rushing over.

"They've blocked the road to the west and are driving us toward the sea!"

The Muslim reinforcements noticed Bedlo's intention and divided into two columns to surround the Christians.

Bedro was completely desperate. Enemies surrounded him from the east, west and north. The south was unobstructed, but it was still a dead end.

The Granada army had eliminated the Christian soldiers trapped in the battle circle, and calmly reorganized its formation and pressed forward step by step.

The noose gradually tightened, and Bedlo's two hundred remaining soldiers gradually retreated towards the coast.

"There is no way out, Lord Bedlo, what should we do?"

Alberto asked anxiously.

"Why don't we have reinforcements?"

"Could it be that the royal family and the nobles still want to weaken our strength? Granada has not yet perished!"

Bedro ignored him, remained silent for a moment, put the blood-stained sword to his lips and kissed it gently.

"I will lead the knights in a final charge. If I die, you will surrender with the rest of the people."

Bedro said.

"I borrowed some of these cavalry from the Earl. I am not qualified to let them die for me."

"As for you soldiers, you can surrender if you want."

"It is not shameful to surrender. The Earl will redeem you."

"Sir, then you——"

Alberto looked at Bedro eagerly.

"I am the Knight of Santiago."

Without looking at him, Bedloe began to bless the sword.

As the encirclement tightened and the fog shrouded the area, the Christians could hear the Moors' increasingly arrogant laughter.

The Muslim army slowed down, slowly stood outside the range of arrows, and looked at the Christians from a distance.

"Surrender! We will give you the treatment you deserve!"

A Moor spoke loudly in Spanish with a local accent.

The people gathered on the shore looked at each other and then at Bedlo.

Bedro said nothing and rode forward.

"Is Gibraltar rebelling again?"

"What do you think, Chevalier Bedloe?"

The Moor smiled contemptuously.

"Seville is no longer loyal to your King Enrique IV. How much control can he still have over the south?"

"It seems that you are really no longer capable. All the elite troops were sent to fight the civil war, and you were sent here as a reckless and reckless man."

The Moor's laughter was piercing.

"A few years ago you laughed at us for killing each other, but I didn't expect you guys are almost the same, haha..."

After laughing, the Moor's voice turned cold.

"Last warning, surrender or die!"

Bedro took a deep breath, his eyes red, and pulled down his armor.

"The Knights of Santiago will never surrender!"

"You won't surrender? Why? All the troops stationed nearby have been withdrawn by Henry IV. Is there anyone who will come to rescue you?"

"I see you too—"

boom--

A roar came from the distant sea, and a heavy lead bullet pierced through the thick fog, hitting the low hill in the distance heavily, splashing up fluffy mud.

The Moorish commander narrowed his eyes and looked towards the sea.

"Boat?"

"The Castilians don't have many ships in the south?"

the Moor murmured.

boom--

Another cannon shot was heard, and the fire illuminated the fog, revealing a hint of purple-red.

A huge fleet broke out of the thick fog, with the double-headed eagle flag fluttering on the sails.

The leading ship was huge, with mighty and ferocious cannons on the bow and a line of blood-red Greek words carved on the hull.

Cairo's Sun!
"That's Leviathan from the Eastern Empire! I've seen her!"

Bedro burst into laughter with delight.

"She was the one who brought the princess back to Bilbao last time!"

The warships of the Eastern Roman Empire were lined up on the sea, with their black broadside guns facing the Muslims.

"Let's go to the beach! Don't let them get hurt by mistake!"

Bedro shouted and rushed towards the sea with the remaining troops.

Just when the Granada army was at a loss, the Eastern Roman naval guns opened fire, and dozens of shells streaked across the sky and hit the ground.

In order to avoid accidental injuries, the naval guns were very careful. Among dozens of shells, only two hit the end of the Muslim army. The heavy lead bullets rolled far away, bringing up a pool of blood.

However, two lead bullets were enough to cause panic among the Muslim soldiers. They had no way to deal with the warships, while the other side had weapons that were deadly enough.

Immediately afterwards, a lifeboat was lowered from the warship and the soldiers rowed the wooden boats towards the coast.

The Moorish commander looked at the majestic fleet and gnashed his teeth in hatred.

Looking behind me again, I heard wailing and panic.

"There's no other way. Let's go and retreat out of the range of the ship's guns!"

The Moor shouted orders and turned his horse around.

"Aga, aren't we going to Gibraltar?"

The guard beside him asked in a low voice.

"How can we get there? Gibraltar doesn't even have a proper city wall. The Greeks are coming in such a strong force, they are probably heading for that place!"

The Moor turned his head, looked deeply at the proud double-headed eagle flag, and pursed his lips tightly.

"Retreat! Report to Emir!"

……

In the huge meeting hall of the Cairo Star, Isaac saw Bedro covered in blood.

Bedlo saw Isaac and bowed.

"Thank you for your help, respected emperor."

"Please take a seat and have a glass of wine."

Isaac nodded slightly and poured amber wine for them both.

Bedro did not refuse, took the glass and drank it all.

"Santiago Knight is indeed worthy of his reputation. He has the martial arts to defeat a hundred people alone, and the determination to face death head-on."

Isaac looked at Bedlo's muscles and praised him.

The Knights of Santiago, a famous Spanish knight organization, nominally pledged allegiance to the Pope of Rome, just like the three major knight organizations. They had played a great role in the Reconquista, and many famous generals had served as members of the Knights. Of course, when the Reconquista was coming to an end, the monarchs and nobles were very wary of these military organizations that had a large number of armed forces and occupied a large amount of land, and began to deliberately take back their power.

Finally, after the Reconquista was completely over, their era as an independent military organization also ended. All the land was taken back by the royal family, and all the military forces were also controlled by the royal family.

"Your Majesty, I am only the leader of a sub-group. I am not one of the Thirteen Knights yet, so I cannot be considered brave."

After drinking the wine, Bedro's face became much redder. He looked at Isaac and sighed.

"what happened?"

Isaac asked.

"I really didn't expect that the famous Emperor Isaac was so young and had achieved such great achievements before the age of 40."

Bedloe sighed.

"When I was this age, I was still a sergeant and couldn't even see the king."

Isaac smiled but said nothing.

He is now thirty-seven years old. He has been busy for more than twenty years. The marks of time are all over his body. He is no longer the young man he used to be.

"The Moors of Gibraltar have revolted."

Bedlo said suddenly.

"I know."

Isaac nodded.

"Your target is that cape, right?"

Bedro looked at Isaac.

"Yes."

Isaac did not hide it.

Bedro opened his mouth but said nothing.

"I wish you success, Your Majesty."

Bedro sighed.

"Thank you, I will."

Isaac stood up and Bedro also walked to the deck.

"Knight Bedloe."

When Bedlo was halfway there, Isaac called him.

"I once heard someone say that without prey, a hound loses its value and will be suspected by its owner because of its own strength. What do you think about this?"

Isaac looked at him and smiled.

"Your Majesty, I will repay you for saving my life someday. There is no need to say anything else."

Bedro paused, without looking back, and walked straight to the deck.

After Bedro left, Conte came in.

"Your Majesty, the water here is deep and the shore is flat, so let's land here."

"Okay, you'll be in charge of the arrangements."

Isaac nodded.

"Gibraltar doesn't even have a complete city wall. It has a small population and limited military strength. I will have the fleet assist you when the time comes."

"Gibraltar is surrounded by the sea on three sides, so our naval advantage can be maximized."

"Your Majesty, it is not difficult to capture Gibraltar. How do you plan to deal with this small place?"

Conte asked.

"After we occupy Gibraltar, will we still march on Granada?"

Isaac said nothing, pulled Conti up and came to the deck.

Morning fog at the seaside often indicates a sunny day. The sun has risen, the thick fog has dissipated, and the surrounding scenery is in full view.

"That is Cape Europa, and the town of Gibraltar is located on the cape."

Isaac pointed to the bulge of the continent.

"Decades ago, when Gibraltar was under the rule of the Marin dynasty, they built fortresses and fortresses here to guard against sneak attacks by the Castilians."

"However, as the Marin dynasty continued to decline, the Granadans took over here again. They fought endlessly with the Castilians here, and most of the fortresses and strongholds were destroyed. Since neither side had occupied the city for a long time, new fortresses and strongholds were not built. Even the city walls were destroyed by the Castilian army in the last war to prevent the local Muslim lords from occupying the land and becoming kings."

"At present, the area around Gibraltar is still mostly Muslim, which is one of the reasons why Castile cannot directly take control of it."

"However, Cape Europa is actually very suitable for building a permanent fortress. As long as our navy is strong enough, it will be difficult for foreign enemies to break in."

Isaac pointed to the huge rock on the promontory.

"see it?"

"That's the Rock of Gibraltar, the legendary Pillars of Hercules, blocking the road to the northeast of Cape Europa. The existence of such a huge hill on an already narrow piece of land makes Gibraltar easy to defend but difficult to attack."

"What we need to do is to quickly capture the town of Gibraltar, and then build a magnificent fortress at the land connection in the north to completely separate the cape from the mainland."

"We should not act rashly before we finish building the fortress. We should stay in Gibraltar and try to turn the entire cape into a large naval port and fortress."

Isaac smiled.

"The terrain here is narrow and the army cannot be deployed. As long as we can firmly grasp the control of the sea, Granada will not be able to capture it even if it sends out 30,000 troops."

Isaac knew very well that the occupied area he planned today was exactly the historical British Gibraltar. It only occupied a very small piece of land, but it made the entire Mediterranean world very uncomfortable.

This place is easy to defend but difficult to attack. In the original time and space, Napoleon's Franco-Spanish coalition spent a lot of time and effort, and gained the advantage on land, but still failed to drive away the few defenders of the British Empire. In the end, they could only hold their anger and acknowledge their rule here.

"Once we have established a firm foothold here, it will be difficult for outsiders to drive us away. We can use this as a base to gradually expand northwards, and even deeply participate in the Castilian Civil War."

Isaac said.

"I understand, Your Majesty. I will let the soldiers serve as laborers and strive to complete the fortress as soon as possible."

Conte grinned and laughed.

"Then go ahead. I will stay in Gibraltar for a while to observe Iberia's movements."

Isaac narrowed his eyes and stared at the mountains to the north.

"We will stay in Gibraltar until next spring, and celebrate the Nativity and Baptism of the Lord here. I have prepared gifts for the soldiers, so remember to distribute them on time and don't let them feel disappointed."

"Understood. I'll make all the arrangements."

Conte bowed and walked away.

The fleet started moving slowly, the gunners got busy, and the soldiers from various groups landed by boat and lined up on the beach.

"Start the war!"

……

On December 1468, 12, the Eastern Roman Empire's naval and land forces arrived at Gibraltar and completed the landing outside Cape Europa.

At noon that day, a cluster of warships and thousands of soldiers completed the siege of Cape Europa and began to attack the city.

Since the town of Gibraltar was built by the sea and was a rare deep-water port, the warships of the Eastern Roman Empire could get very close and launch artillery fire face to face.

After an afternoon of heavy bombing, the simple city walls of Gibraltar were completely destroyed. The 5,000-strong army outside the city pressed into the city with an absolute advantage in force and captured the city with a population of less than 3,000 in one fell swoop.

That night, Isaac walked into the ruined town of Gibraltar and declared his absolute authority.

The next day, subsequent ships arrived, bringing with them a large number of engineers, craftsmen and slaves, and construction of the naval port and fortress began at the same time.

The design drawings of this fortress complex were drawn up by engineers a long time ago, and all of them were built with the most advanced technology available, including a wide moat, brick and stone walls, connected mountain bastions, and dozens of large and small artillery and crossbow batteries, which maximized the defense capability.

The fortress complex is built on the mountain, isolating Cape Europa from the entire European continent. In addition to ground buildings, the fortress also utilizes the mazes and caves left by the Neanderthals in the Rock of Gibraltar to form a complex and complete permanent military fortress.

Once this fortress complex was built, no one could easily drive away the Eastern Roman Empire, and no one could stop the Eastern Roman Empire's desire for the ocean.

Isaac single-handedly formulated the entire Gibraltar plan, coordinated the drawing of the entire fortress complex, and gave it a majestic and domineering name.

The Sun Never Sets Fortress.

……

In the Grand Palace of Constantinople, Justinian walked slowly, his brows slightly furrowed, his mind uneasy, and his expression very complicated.

The sound of laughter came from the nursery in front, and warm light shone through the window onto the corridor.

Thinking of his wife and children, Justinian's mouth curled up involuntarily. He straightened his gorgeous clothes and pushed open the door.

"You're back?"

Isabella was teasing little Constantine, and when she saw her husband return, she smiled warmly.

"There are so many things to do today that I came back late."

Justinian complained.

"I never had to deal with so many chores on the prairie. It's really annoying. I don't know how my father managed to survive."

"I've been home for more than three months, and I haven't taken you out to play."

Justinian leaned over and kissed the baby's face.

"You are the co-emperor, and these are what you should do."

Isabella leaned on Justinian's shoulder, staring at him with her amber eyes.

"What's going on today? Maybe I can give you some advice."

"Good news. Several Circassian tribal chiefs came to Constantinople to pay me a visit. They walked around Constantinople and were so shocked. You can hardly imagine how they looked like their eyes popped out of their heads."

Justinian chuckled.

"A few months ago, they were still very self-important on the grassland and talked to me about a lot of conditions."

"If I had known earlier, I would have brought them directly to Constantinople for negotiations, so that they could see the prosperity of Constantinople and the prosperity of the empire, and also let them recognize their own position."

Isabella nodded, her eyes softening.

"Father hasn't come back yet? Epiphany is coming up soon. Are you going to host this time?"

"I guess so. Gibraltar was taken without much effort, but it will take a long time to build a fortress. It should take at least a few months."

Justinian smiled bitterly and shook his head.

"Justinian."

Isabella looked straight at Justinian.

"what happened?"

"You are hiding something from me."

Isabella said slowly.

Justinian was silent for a moment and shook his head.

"Actually, I have a secret I want to tell you too. How about we swap?"

Isabella suddenly smiled.

"Oh? Then you go first."

Justinian became interested.

Isabella took Justinian's hand and placed it on her belly.

"I am pregnant."

Justinian's eyes narrowed, his face full of smiles, and he immediately leaned his head on his wife's belly, listening to the beating of the new life.

"It's only been three months, what can you tell?"

Isabella pushed Justinian's head away unhappily and stared at him.

"These days, people inside and outside the palace seem to be hiding something. My mother has been staying with me all day, telling me to take good care of the baby and not letting me go out casually."

"I'm not an ordinary noble lady, don't worry about me."

"Just tell me, what happened?"

Isabella frowned.

Justinian hugged his wife, looked at his son who had fallen into deep sleep, sighed, and gently stroked his wife's forehead.

"This happened at the end of last year. We don't want you to know about it for the time being. It's also for your own good."

Justinian spoke slowly.

"On December 1468, 12, your brother died in Toledo."

(End of this chapter)