1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 281: Day Without Light
Alexandria, southeastern Mediterranean coast.

It was already an early spring morning, the sun was high in the sky, and on the dock, sailors and dock workers were moving things up and down between merchant ships and warehouses, delivering goods from afar to the market and loading grain from Egypt onto the ships.

Under the guidance of the port manager, a paddle boat slowly approached the shore, and a group of well-equipped soldiers got off the ship one after another, rudely pushing away the sailors and workers who were blocking the way.

The sailors and workers in Alexandria could not get angry, they could only watch them walk towards the city with envy and look at the emblems on their shields with envy.

The red and yellow stripes represent their origins, and the cross β indicates their sponsors.

Obviously, these people belonged to the Catalan Mercenary Group, one of the two major mercenary groups active in Lower Egypt.

The leader was tall and burly, wearing chain mail, with a long sword on his left waist and a short-handled musket on his right waist.

His name is Roger, the current sergeant major of the Catalan Mercenary Corps, in charge of three castles and more than a thousand elite mercenaries.

The Catalan Mercenaries have been rooted in Lower Egypt for many years and have always maintained an ambiguous attitude towards the Mamluk government, neither being overly arrogant nor asserting their presence from time to time.

Ever since the Circassian white slave trade was monopolized by the Eastern Roman Empire, the Mamluk dynasty could no longer obtain such high-quality soldiers. Domestic political disputes brought constant unrest, and several emirs and sultans had to fight each other every few months, using foreign mercenaries from various places.

The Catalan and Navarre mercenaries of Lower Egypt, the Nubian mercenaries of Upper and Middle Egypt, the Bedouin nomads of Matruh…

As for the native Egyptians, it is not that no one has used it, but the effect is extremely poor. Whether Christians or Muslims, their physical fitness is not very good. More than half of the young men are infected with schistosomiasis, have blood in their urine, bloating, and general fatigue...

Compared with the physical weakness, the extremely low fighting spirit is more fatal. During the hundreds of years of rule of the Mamluk Burji Dynasty, these locals have never been regarded as their own kind. High-ranking government officials have no chance with them, and the Mamluk cavalry has always kept them out. The middle and upper-level rulers are all slaves of various ethnic groups. They cannot understand each other's languages, and few of them can speak the local language.

What made the Mamluk rulers even more uncomfortable was that the Eastern Empire's fleet had already explored the rich Indian subcontinent. The number of fleets heading to India to engage in spice business increased each time. Lacking a strong navy, they could only watch the wealth of East India drift away step by step.

Having lost their Circassian white slaves and their monopoly on East Indian spices, and with their country divided into pieces, the Mamluks had basically nothing left to distinguish themselves from the rest, except for their huge population, which was the largest in the Mediterranean world.

"It's still more comfortable in the south. Even though it's dry, it's much better than severe cold and snow."

Roger took a deep breath of dry air and sighed to himself.

"Constantinople is more prosperous than here."

One mercenary clearly disagreed.

"It is prosperous, but recently, for some reason, it is snowing and icing everywhere. It is too cold."

Roger exclaimed.

"It already snowed once in January, and now it's March and it's snowing again. Even Athens in the south has started snowing."

Roger frowned, raised his head and looked at the clear sky of Egypt.

"The sky in the north has been gray, as if something is blocking the sunlight."

"Humph, the Eastern Empire is still relatively good. In my hometown of Milan, the fish in the pond were frozen to death, and the people fled south across the frozen water."

An old mercenary sighed.

"It's like this everywhere. The crops have failed, the livestock have become sick, and there are no fish in the sea."

"Those ignorant people thought it was witchcraft and began to arrest innocent women and burn them at the stake."

"It's not just witch hunting. There are also large-scale crackdowns on the Hebrews and Aginganos, especially in Iberia. It's almost spontaneous among the fanatical people."

Roger shook his head.

"Just wait and see. The scale is not big now, but it will get worse in the future."

"Forget it, it has nothing to do with us anyway."

Roger grinned and led the team to the mercenary group's castle not far from the port.

"Master Roger, Captain Nathan is meeting guests in the lounge. He said that if you arrive, go meet them immediately."

The mercenary on duty outside the door saluted Roger respectfully.

"Okay, I'll go right away."

Roger nodded, turned around and looked at the mercenary team following him.

"You guys should find a place to rest. You must be tired after all this journey."

After the mercenaries left, Roger straightened his clothes and walked into the captain's lounge under the guidance of the guards.

Pushing open the door, Roger saw the then head of the group, Nathan, and his guests.

"Greetings to you, Lord Earl, and to you, Lord Elgendi."

Roger bowed slightly.

"I'm back from the north."

"Well, take a seat, we are talking about business."

Nathan pointed to the vacant seat.

Since the death of the previous leader Alberto two years ago, Nathan has taken over as the leader of the Catalan Mercenaries. This strong middle-aged man was originally a subordinate of King Afonso V of Aragon. In 1453, he was ordered to assist Constantinople. He burned Galata with the emperor and made many contributions.

Later, the emperor obtained the Catalan Guard of only more than 100 people from Afonso V, and gathered several other fragments to rebuild the once-powerful Catalan Mercenary Corps.

"Roger, tell me first, what did the emperor say?"

Nathan asked casually.

Roger hesitated and looked at the smiling Elgendi.

"It doesn't matter. Elgendi is our friend. Although he is also an official, he is essentially a businessman."

Nathan smiled.

Roger nodded and looked at Nathan.

"The Emperor is preparing to launch an attack on the Ottoman Empire, but the weather is bad right now, so it is expected to take until the turn of summer and autumn."

"Um, any more?"

Nathan nodded slightly.

"His Majesty said that he does not need our troops and asked us to help the Egyptian Sultan defend his territory and not let the rebels gain the upper hand for the sake of friendship between our two countries."

"We should, but our new Sultan doesn't seem to like us very much!"

Nathan smiled and looked at Elgendi with interest.

"Lord Elgendi, it seems your Sultan has been intent on forming a new type of army that will exclude us."

"Did you know about this?"

"It is true that some officials do not like you very much. This is their advice."

Elgendi said.

"A few days ago, the Ottomans sent a letter, seemingly trying to persuade the Sultan to eliminate you."

"Well, with all due respect, if we leave, he won't last even a month. The Separatists in the south will bring the Nubians to tear him apart."

Nathan snorted.

"Yes, the Sultan has no such intention, but he is still preparing to build a new army."

Elgendi nodded helplessly.

"After the death of Sultan Mansur, there was little central authority left, and the emirs seized power."

"The current Sultan is quite good, but he can't change anything. He has no funds and no manpower."

"On the contrary, the princes in various places, who have money and soldiers, value their land and slaves more than their lives."

Elgendi put his fat head close to Nathan and smiled mysteriously.

"If your emperor wants to rule Egypt, the people are not a problem, and the Sultan is not a problem either. The difficulty lies in these emirs and big landowners."

"The emperor might be able to conquer Egypt with a powerful army, but it would be difficult for him to establish effective rule and he would probably be annoyed by endless rebellions and uprisings."

"The emirs can accept your existence and allow the merchants of the Eastern Empire to replace the Venetians, but this is already the bottom line. They are unwilling to go further."

“The current situation is actually the best.”

"Oh? Is that what you mean, or what the Sultan means, or what the Emirs mean?"

Nathan leered at him.

"Haha, both. I came to see you today mainly for this. To be honest, your army has not landed in Anatolia yet, and the fleet is gathering in the eastern Mediterranean. His Majesty the Sultan is very worried and has been unable to eat for several days."

Elgendi was all smiles.

"Don't worry, I won't beat you. The emperor is also quite satisfied with the current situation."

Nathan waved.

"Only this?"

"Uh... the rebels in the south have started looting along the river again. Those Nubian niggers are really brutal."

"Since you don't have to go to Anatolia to fight, why not go to the south to stop them? His Majesty the Sultan's 3,000 new troops defected in the middle of the battle, and he was so angry that he smashed several pieces of oriental porcelain."

Elgendi said with some distress.

"Okay, wait till I finish dealing with the North."

Nathan said, looking towards Elgendi.

"So our last proposal..."

"Master, this is really not possible. Although I am in charge of food, I am just a minor official working for the Sultan. His Majesty the Sultan attaches great importance to food and conducts inspections every month..."

Elgendi looked embarrassed.

"It's true that the Sultan's grain cannot be touched, but you can definitely increase taxes. If you collect more grain, you might even get praise from the Sultan."

Nathan said with a smile.

"Master, we have already increased taxes a lot over the years. If we continue to increase taxes like this, the farmers will really not be able to eat..."

Elgendi's eyes flickered.

"Egypt is a big granary, how can there be no food? They must have eaten too much and died of bloating."

Nathan laughed and pointed to some china on the bookshelf.

"These were all sent by His Majesty. Some were shipped from the East, and some were produced by us."

Nathan looked at Elgendi's obsessed expression and his smile grew wider.

"I am a rough man and don't really appreciate these things. You are quite knowledgeable about porcelain. Could you please help me study and see what the gap is between our porcelain and oriental porcelain? This will also help us find the right direction."

Nathan waved his hand, and Roger quickly took down a valuable piece of china and handed it to Elgendi.

"How...how can this be done..."

Elgendi took the porcelain, his eyes lighting up.

"Your Majesty knows that you are proficient in various works of art. If you wish, silk, porcelain, amber, diamonds and other small items can be sent to you for your appreciation..."

"Of course, we won't let you work for nothing. We'll pay the appreciation fee with our gold Isaacs. What do you think?"

Nathan said with a grin.

"Your Majesty believes that many Mamluk high officials have a unique eye for luxury goods, and they will receive it."

"This... this won't work... Some people have no taste for judgment... My adjutant is the Sultan's confidant, loyal and devoted... He has been suggesting to the Sultan that we get rid of you..."

Elgendi hesitated.

"I heard he's going to fall into the water and die tomorrow night."

Nathan said noncommittally.

"And the Inspector, he—"

"His only son will soon stray into a bandit camp."

"And the Sultan's widowed sister—"

"We sent her male lover."

"That's no problem!"

Elgendi patted his fat, trembling chest.

"So many people died of starvation last winter. They must not have paid their taxes properly!"

"I will organize a grain-collecting team, measure Egypt's resources, and win the emperor's favor!"

"Very good. It's snowing everywhere in the north recently, and agriculture is affected. You can't keep us waiting!"

Nathan stood up and pressed Elgendi's fat shoulder.

"Your son's caravan is doing very well. He earned more than a thousand gold isaks in one trip to Constantinople. This is really good luck..."

"Don't worry, the food you get will be much more than this price!"

Elgendi stood up, laughing.

"Then I'll take my leave. Please send the porcelain and jewelry to me for appreciation in the evening. I can't see them clearly during the day..." Elgendi moved his bloated body and slowly left. Roger closed the door with a look of disgust.

"The Mamluks are a bunch of pigs."

"That's how it is at the end of a dynasty. Everything is in chaos. No one cares about the country. Everyone is only concerned about filling their own pockets."

Nathan poured Roger a glass of wine.

"If they were a little more united, we wouldn't be able to call the shots here."

"Without your majesty's prestige, we would not be able to call the shots here."

Nathan drank the wine in his glass.

Roger also poured himself a glass of wine and hesitated for a moment.

"Things in the north aren't over yet. Are you really going to fight the Nubians?"

"What are they fighting for? I wrote them a letter asking them to make some noise in the south so that Sudan can sense the danger."

Nathan pouted.

"When the rulers in the south no longer want to employ Nubians, they will write to me and we will go to the south to fight casually."

"Let's not talk about this. Have you seen my son?"

Nathan looked at Roger.

"Yes, he was busy dancing with the noble ladies."

Roger snorted.

"It doesn't matter. I don't expect him to achieve anything anyway. It's nice for him to be a rich noble in Constantinople."

Nathan nodded.

"Your son is really amazing. Even the young lady of the Komnenos family was deceived by him."

Roger thought about it and grinned.

"By the way, His Majesty also brought us some good things."

Roger dug into his pocket and pulled out an exquisite box.

"Roma cigarettes are in very limited supply. Even the elders can't afford to buy a pack each."

Roger pulled out two cigarettes, lit them over the candle, put one in his mouth and handed the other to Nathan.

"This is grown in the Empire, and it's spiced. Try it and see how it differs from the Cuban stuff."

Nathan took a puff and blew out smoke rings.

"It's a little lighter, but it's good."

“Yes, it’s very good stuff too.”

Roger puffed away happily.

"It's a pity that the weather has been bad in recent years and it's getting colder and colder."

"It is said that many farmlands in the north can no longer grow wheat, let alone tobacco. Instead, they have started growing rye, turnips, and potatoes and corn brought back from the New World."

"This tobacco comes from the Peloponnese."

"It's okay. Everyone has suffered from the disaster, not just us."

Nathan's cigarette butt flickered in the mist.

"Just think about it, we have food from Egypt, food from North Africa, food from the colonies, and cold-resistant crops from the New World."

“What should other countries do?”

"The Russians are moving south, the Italians are moving south, and the Alemanni are moving south. Our North African region will gain a lot of population."

"The rural population will also gather in cities, which will in turn promote the development of handicraft industry."

"No wonder His Majesty asked me to come back quickly. I guess he really needs the import of foreign food."

Roger spat the rest of the cigarette aside and took out another one.

"It's a pity for these Egyptians. A large number of them are going to die of starvation again."

"So what? It's their fault for not having a good emperor."

Nathan said casually.

"By the way, His Majesty also said that if we encounter Ottomans coming to buy food, we should make them all fall into the water and not allow them to take back a single grain of wheat."

Roger looked at Nathan.

"We can also negotiate with the Egyptians and have Egyptian merchants go to Anatolia to buy grain at high prices, and buy up all the grain reserves from the people before the Ottoman officials take action."

"Your Majesty has money, we can afford it."

"What about the east? Will the Ottomans buy food from the east?"

Nathan asked.

"To the east is the territory of the White Aries King Uzung Hassan. He must be more enthusiastic about robbing Ottoman caravans than we are."

Roger smiled.

"The harvests in recent years are obviously not as good as in the past, and they are getting worse year by year. The Ottomans have to support their army and fight wars, so their food consumption must be considerable. They will soon fall into civil strife."

Nathan was silent for a moment, then smiled bitterly and shook his head.

"I don't know when it will end."

"His Majesty said that this kind of cold weather will continue for another ten years, and it will be better after ten years."

Roger said.

"It seems that this is not just due to the weather. In many places in the north, the entire sky is gray, as if covered by a curtain."

"It's a familiar feeling. You may not know that it was like this during the Battle of Constantinople. It was gray all year long."

Nathan recalled.

"How could you not know? I was right next to you at the time!"

Roger glared at Nathan.

"I tell you, this time it's more serious than 1453. I heard that there was this tendency in the past few years, and it's getting worse."

"Well, at any rate, may God bless us and the Empire."

Nathan crossed himself.

……

On the city wall of Thessalonica, Isaac held up a telescope and looked up at the dark sky.

A round of heavy snow had just fallen, and snowflakes were still floating in the sky, so nothing could be seen.

The emperor's brother Manuel came over with a report in his hand.

"Brother, the cotton clothes and strong liquor have all been distributed. The grain from Carthage has also arrived. It will take some time for the wheat from Egypt."

"The warriors' morale was still high. Some of the Russians even took off their clothes and wrestled in the snow."

Manuel shook his head helplessly.

"Some villages in Thessalonica were hit by disasters. I went to see them and saw that the officials were promoting work-for-relief and preparing to renovate the city of Thessalonica, expand the residential area, solve the sewage problem, and align themselves with Constantinople."

"Very good, they handled it well."

Isaac put down the telescope and rubbed his eyes.

"Don't stop the military training. The military supplies are complete. They have food and clothes. If I don't train them well, I will be sorry to me."

"You don't seem very happy."

Isaac looked at Manuel.

"Brother, Serbia has also suffered a disaster. I didn't think of this before. I guess some people will starve to death."

Manuel nodded.

"It's okay. I'll send you a batch of wheat when the wheat from Egypt arrives."

Isaac consoled.

"This year is a special situation, and you have to be prepared in the future."

"Your Majesty is right. I thought Serbia was located in the mountains and the cold wind couldn't blow in."

Manuel sighed.

"I really didn't expect that even some tributaries of the Danube were frozen."

Isaac patted his shoulder and said nothing.

The Little Ice Age lasted for several hundred years, during which time the Earth's temperature certainly fluctuated, sometimes warming and sometimes extremely cold.

In fact, the temperature changes of the earth are closely related to solar activity. When solar activity falls to a low ebb, the earth's temperature reaches its lowest. This low ebb period is called the "minimum" by later generations.

Currently, the world is in the second minimum of the Little Ice Age, the Spörer Minimum, which began in 1450.

Solar activity also brings about changes in gravity. During each minimum period, drastic geological changes often cause successive volcanic eruptions, which may inadvertently change human history.

In 1453, the Kuwait Island volcano in the South Pacific erupted, causing disasters of varying degrees around the world. A lunar eclipse occurred in Constantinople, and fog from volcanic ash covered the sky.

However, this was just the beginning. In 1458, 1460, 1465... tropical volcanoes erupted one after another, and overwhelming volcanic ash swept across the atmosphere.

The 1465 eruption was the most violent, several times more powerful than the Kuwait volcano.

This volcanic eruption was so strong that later geologists could confirm its existence and pinpoint its approximate time through sulfides in the Arctic and Antarctic ice sheets and the carbon-14 decay of ancient trees, but they could not find the site of the eruption, as if it had been flattened out.

The earth trembled, and mankind suffered. The drop in temperature and volcanic eruptions caused large tracts of farmland to become wasteland, and large groups of plants no longer grew.

The drop in temperature has led to frequent disasters in various places, reduced ocean evaporation, and reduced meltwater from snow mountains. Some regions are struggling with droughts and floods.

Of course, the social unrest caused by natural disasters accumulated gradually. The agricultural civilization on the Eurasian continent survived the Sporer Minimum, and the contradictions were temporarily suppressed until they broke out in the later Mond Minimum. The Thirty Years' War broke out in the West with heavy casualties, and the Ming Dynasty in the East was destroyed.

The year 1470, in which Isaac currently lives, coincides with the most frequent natural disasters during the Sporer Minimum, with disasters affecting places from the Baltic to the Balkans.

Of course, humans are no strangers to natural disasters. Disasters of this magnitude are not enough to destroy a powerful civilization. Not all places have suffered serious disasters, and some areas have still enjoyed a good harvest.

The current Eastern Roman Empire had the most advanced textile system, the most advanced heating system and the most developed maritime trade routes in Europe. If a famine occurred in one place, food could be replenished from other places.

When man is determined, he can conquer nature; when man is unstable, nature can conquer him. An empire with a complete system will never be directly destroyed by natural disasters.

The disasters suffered by the Ming Dynasty in the East were many times more severe than those in Europe, but they still tenaciously survived several extreme cold periods until the end.

However, the Ottoman Empire across the strait did not have such good luck.

Thinking of this, Isaac smiled slightly.

If it was the Ottoman Empire in the original time and space, Isaac did not think that they would suffer much loss because of this disaster. The territory was vast, the trade routes were unobstructed, the rulers' emergency measures and the natural regulation of the market would maintain the entire empire and prevent it from being too greatly impacted.

Of course, many civilians died, but this phenomenon was so common that historians were unwilling to waste their time and energy on it.

However, at this time, the Ottoman Empire only had Anatolia left, maritime trade was almost cut off, and it was still in the preparation period for war. A large number of troops were recruited, and a lot of energy was focused on coastal defense, leaving little time to deal with disasters in various places.

What is even more fatal is that, unlike the European countries, there are still a large number of nomadic tribes in the Ottoman territory. They are even more helpless when facing natural disasters. A cold wave can make the grassland barren, a cold wave can starve the cattle and sheep to death, and a cold wave can cut off their livelihoods.

What to do? Follow the old tradition of all nomads and go plundering.

If it were the powerful Ottoman Empire in the original time and space, they would not have the courage to do so. The Sultan's army frightened them, and the Sultan's merchants could also provide them with emergency assistance.

However, the current Ottoman Empire obviously does not have these conditions. The army has been withdrawn for deployment, the inland is extremely empty, the central government of the empire no longer has a strong deterrent power over the nomadic tribes, and there is no extra food to shut their mouths.

There was a good harvest in Cilicia and a good harvest along the southern coast, but I sent people to buy up as much food as possible and pirates to burn the farmland, and the rest had to be sent to the Sultan's camp.

North Africa has a good harvest, Egypt has a good harvest, and France has a good harvest, but I won’t let them in, and I won’t let you get food from other places, so I’ll let you gradually consume your own energy in the famine.

The combat capability of the nomadic tribes was indeed not high, and the Ottoman Empire in its heyday even looked down upon them.

But what if they happened to pick up a lot of golden isaks, what if they happened to dig up weapons and equipment produced in Constantinople?

This was why Isaac chose to go to war in the late 15s, and this was Isaac’s ultimate gift to Mehmed II.

When the next harvest season comes, they will be surprised to find that even in places that have not suffered from disasters, the grain output is far less than before, and in places that have suffered from disasters, there is smoke everywhere, and under the smoke are hateful eyes.

At that time, no matter how strong the fortress is, it will not be able to stop the fickle human heart.

"Call a few staff members from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I need them to go to Anatolia and have a good talk with the Turkic Beys, Roman survivors, and Armenians there."

Isaac looked at Manuel.

"I need to prepare myself."

After Manuel left, Isaac continued to hold up the telescope, turned it around, and looked at the dark strait in the distance.

(End of this chapter)