1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 289: The Gate to Asia

On the sparkling sea, a fleet is sailing against the wind and waves.

The fleet consisted of eight ships. Except for a small caravel and three caravels, the remaining four were all cargo ships and merchant ships with little combat capability.

Compared to the caravel in front, the four cargo ships were slower, and it was obvious that their spacious cabins were filled to the brim with all kinds of cargo.

Cargo ships and merchant ships flew the flags of their owners, coming from various nobles and major chambers of commerce. Caravelles and caravels all flew the double-headed eagle flag and belonged to the Atlantic Fleet of the Eastern Roman Empire.

This is a mixed fleet of officials and businessmen. It set sail from the St. Nicholas Islands a month ago, following the ocean current westward, heading for the Caribbean Sea.

Three years ago, the Eastern Roman Empire's exploration fleet arrived in the New World of America and successively established colonies of various sizes in the West Indies and Brazil, namely the Saint Constantine Colony, the Venezuelan Colony and the Crown of Brazil.

In order to speed up colonial development, the Eastern Roman Empire fully opened the New World colonies to domestic merchants and nobles, welcoming them to establish plantations and settlements on coastal lands.

Over the past three years, many merchants and nobles who have tasted the sweetness have ordered ocean-going ships from major shipyards and formed their own merchant fleets. They often set out together with the emperor's direct fleet to keep each other warm.

Of course, apart from the island of Cuba, the capital of the Saint Constantine colony, and the port of Rio, which served as a transit point on the East Indian route, the emperor's claims to the rest of the regions were mostly on paper, and for the time being he did not spend any energy on investment in development.

During more than three years of trade, merchants gradually explored an extremely efficient shipping route, connecting Europe, Africa and America through the Atlantic circulation, forming a triangular trade route covering slaves, sugar, coffee, tobacco and gold, also known as the "triangular trade."

Now, the holds of the four cargo ships following the fleet were also packed with large numbers of North African white slaves and West African black slaves.

On the small carrack in the front, the royal historian Lake was gazing at the distant port while writing and drawing in his notebook, and a sketch of the port appeared on the paper.

This small carrack was only one-tenth the size of the Cairo Star and not much bigger than a caravel, but it was well-equipped and equipped with the most advanced broadside guns, with good firepower and a relatively fast speed.

This is the Columbia, named after the great navigator Columbus. It is the latest military and commercial caravel built by the Constantinople Shipyard, and it refers to some sail-making techniques brought back from the East Indies.

In front of Lake, Captain Columbus was holding a telescope, staring intently at the Havana Harbor ahead.

The Columbia was funded by the emperor and presented to Christopher Columbus, who was awarded the title of elder statesman, as soon as it was launched. It became a legend in an instant. Even the "Voice of the Navigators" in Constantinople, which was always frugal with words, spent a page to promote it, which made many young sailors excited.

This was not the first time the emperor had gifted a ship; a few years earlier he had given a caravel to his godson and nephew, Alfonso de Albuquerque, naming it "Flora of the Sea".

Lake remembered that he had seen the Flower of the Sea while replenishing supplies at the British Fortress in Gibraltar, and had caught a glimpse of Albuquerque from afar as it was about to sail to the East Indies.

"Mr. Columbus, if you are willing to move a little, I can depict this great city more clearly, and your contribution can be praised by more people."

Lake said to Columbus, curling his lips in dissatisfaction.

"Haha, I think you should paint it another day, we'll be there soon."

Columbus put away his telescope, walked forward and looked at Lake's painting.

"Can't you drive slower? I was dizzy for half a month and I just recovered!"

Lake complained.

"Just ask the slave owners and plantation owners if they would like to."

Columbus shrugged.

"You know, His Majesty is at war. Why don't you guess why he can maintain high military expenditures while ensuring the stability of the people without collecting a single extra copper coin?"

"Isn't that the credit of the East India Fleet?"

With the port of Havana within sight, Lake slowly put away the painting.

"The East Indies are too far away, and I can only go there once a year at most. But the West Indies are very close, and I can go there three to five times a year."

Columbus waved his hand, and the officers on the ship began to call the sailors to prepare to dock.

"The proportion of profits from the West Indies in Gibraltar's tax revenue is increasing year by year, and will continue to increase in the future."

Columbus finished speaking and looked at Lake.

"Your Majesty sent you here for other purposes besides writing books and painting?"

"Humph, the handsome nobleman standing in front of you is also the royal herald. On the major islands, the Taino nobles who converted to Orthodoxy have not yet completed the registration. This is the main reason why I came here!"

Lake held his head high.

"When we get ashore, won't they try to curry favor with me?"

"It's up to you. You'll be surprised at what we can accomplish."

Columbus smiled.

"Just negotiate with the bishops. I have other tasks to do."

"Go fight the Caribbean cannibals again?"

Lake asked noncommittally.

"It has been almost wiped out long ago. Even the most ferocious cannibals cannot survive smallpox."

The corners of Columbus' mouth rose slightly.

"I brought the letter of credence and prepared to go west to meet the false king of the Aztecs."

"What's going on in the west? Can you tell me about it?"

Lake was very interested.

"Nothing, just a bunch of crazy people who worship Quetzalcoatl and like to steal people's hearts. Amerigo visited them once last year. That damned Montezuma I just died. The new king took poor Amerigo to watch the human sacrifice. He was so scared that he barely spoke for a month after he came back."

Columbus didn't want to talk more and waved his hand.

"We have docked. I will stay for a few days. Let me take you to see our St. Constantine Cathedral first."

On the busy dock, the strong and docile Taino people are busy working. The weather here is mild and many of them are even shirtless.

What surprised Lake most was that all these Taino people had wooden crosses hanging on their chests.

"It is a custom in Havana that all the people in the city wear crosses. They seem to believe that this can eliminate natural disasters."

Columbus jumped off the deck and explained to Lake.

"Did you vaccinate them?"

Lake pointed to the cowpox marks on the Taino's shoulders.

"Yes, there are several hundred cows on a small island in the south. We brought them all here in the past three years."

Columbus nodded.

"After the plan was almost successful, we brought some sick cows from Europe and used them to infect the entire herd to obtain cowpox seeds."

"Later, when the cows were not enough, we got pigs and sheep. We were not in a hurry anyway, so we converted as many people as possible."

Columbus chuckled.

"However, there are still many people who are unwilling to convert and cling to their evil beliefs."

"And then, what happened to them?"

Lake asked.

"They died. After those who were willing to convert were vaccinated, we started to release smallpox. Almost all the rest died."

Columbus said this lightly.

"Now, according to our random statistics, there are more than 10,000 people on the island of Cuba. Except for a few hundred immigrants, the rest are all fanatical and superstitious Christians. The few cultists who survived by chance were sent to the plantations by us."

"These people are very backward and have no independent thinking ability at all. They regard us as their saviors and have absolute faith in God. They will even take the initiative to massacre the cult members."

Lake looked around and saw the Taino people who had converted to Orthodoxy. When they saw the flag of the fleet, they immediately showed expressions of respect and admiration. They knelt on the ground in large numbers, kissed the simple cross on their chests, and muttered something in crude Greek.

"Long live the emperor" is the first Greek word that all Taino Orthodox Christians learn.

Columbus walked forward and winked at Lake.

"Three years of harvest, not bad, right?"

"amazing."

Lake nodded sincerely.

"They seem quite happy to me. You don't treat them as slaves?"

"Slaves? Too inefficient."

Columbus laughed.

"Your Majesty said that any Taino who is willing to convert to Orthodoxy and learn Greek can obtain Roman nationality. They are also considered Roman citizens and cannot be taken to the plantations at will. The priests will protect them."

“But there are still many people working on the plantation?”

Lake pointed to the fields in the distance.

"They are hired hands, not slaves."

Columbus looked into the distance.

"As for how much money to be paid and how many working hours to work, aren't they decided by us?"

"It's called capitalism, your majesty said."

Columbus uttered a Latin word.

"The Taino people were originally a slave society. We freed some slaves and turned them into hired laborers. They no longer have to worry about having their hearts dug out, and they no longer have to go to the battlefield for the slave owners."

"We have done experiments and found that when we don't pay them, they are very lazy. They work from sunrise to sunset and never stay up for any longer."

"But if we give them a little money, their enthusiasm will be unprecedentedly high. Some hired workers will even patrol the fields at night and drive away birds and beasts, just to save enough money to buy our luxury goods."

"Of course, slave plantations and slave mines are indispensable. Many people died, and there were too many empty fields. Many places that were difficult to cultivate had to be filled with the lives of West African black slaves and North African white slaves."

"Besides, there are not many people as docile and hardworking as the Taino people. To deal with lazy black slaves and unruly white slaves, you have to use whips soaked in strong liquor."

"We have torn the old order here apart. The self-sufficient rural economy has completely collapsed. We are gradually taking control of the grain market and trying to block the grain channels, making them completely prostrate at our feet."

Columbus pumped his fist with pride.

"Look at those people. They work in the fields all day long to earn a living and a house. They grow coffee beans, sugar cane and cotton under the scorching sun, but they can't even afford a cup of coffee or a piece of sugar. They have to save money for a long time to buy the worst cotton-padded clothes."

"However, compared to their former lives as slaves, they are very satisfied with their current situation. As long as they don't have to starve or be sacrificed alive, they are willing to recite prayers to the cross in the house every evening, thanking God for his gifts and the emperor's grace."

"Come on, let me show you the cathedral. Today is Sunday, there will be something interesting to watch."

Columbus took two guards and pulled Lake towards the wooden church. From a distance, the priest's sermon could be heard.

"God says, 'Cease from anger, and forsake wrath. Do not fret your heart to do evil.'"

Columbus and Lake walked into the church, and the hall was filled with a dark crowd.

"God knows your sins, but He forgives you, the Emperor understands your suffering, and He saves you."

The priest spoke in Greek.

"Do they understand?"

Lake asked in surprise.

"These people are the first batch of converts and have relatively high status. Over the past three years, we have first provided them with language education, and now they can almost understand."

Columbus explained quietly.

"A large number of these people will be trained as priests and officials, and they will teach more people to learn Greek."

"The sweetest joys in the world are the fruits of sorrow, and the purest and most beautiful things in the world come from suffering. We should be grateful, and those who are willing to endure suffering will go to heaven in the future!"

The priest gave earnest advice.

"Amen!"

The believers chanted in unison. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

The priest closed his eyes slightly.

"You are all sinners, otherwise there would not be natural disasters. You have all gone astray, otherwise there would not be famine."

"Believe in the only God, learn His language, adhere to His laws, and be loyal to the only monarch He recognizes, and your sins will be cleansed."

"Amen!"

The believers rushed to respond, their eyes full of fear and fanaticism.

At this time, several deacons pushed up three Taino people in strange costumes. They struggled desperately and cursed.

"This is a sacrifice to the old gods of the Taino people. Some people survived and hid in the countryside to spread evil. I guess they were caught this time."

Columbus whispered to Lake.

As soon as the priests appeared, the believers immediately went wild with excitement, and they wanted to rush up and punch and kick them.

"All the gods of the nations are false, but the Lord alone created the heavens. Anyone who believes in evil righteousness is an evil person, and the servants of God will completely eliminate them with fire and sword!"

The priest glanced at them, turned around, and pulled out a wet sword from an ornate wooden box. The sword seemed to be coated with a grayish-white gelatinous substance.

The magical thing is that as soon as the sword came out of the water, it immediately began to burn fiercely and emit a faint flame.

"Holy! Holy!"

The believers' eyes sparkled and they shouted loudly.

The priest walked up to the first priest, ignored his insults, and placed the sword over his head.

"God will light the holy fire and sentence you to death."

With a wave of his hand and a sword falling, a head rolled down and blood splattered everywhere.

"This... this seems so far from a normal sermon."

Lake's eyes narrowed.

"Yes, they are all priests from the seminary, and the emperor himself taught them."

"These people only care about the results, are more casual, and many of them stick to old traditions."

Columbus nodded.

"It is said that the Patriarch is preparing to issue a decree that from now on, all senior bishops must have experience and merit in colonial missionary work, otherwise they will be out of the question."

Then the priest put the sword back into the water, coughed a few times, and faced everyone.

"Lamb of the Lord, God has given us a revelation. What do you think should be done with the remaining cultists?"

"death penalty!"

The believers roared and dragged out the remaining two priests of the same tribe, preparing to send them to the stake.

When passing by Lake, a priest looked at the vicious child dragging him, with a sad look on his face, and seemed to say something.

"Nonsense! If the evil god was so effective, how could my brother have gotten sick and died? I was the first to believe in God and accept his blessing, and that's how I was saved!"

"God made an accurate prediction of our natural disaster, even the way of death was exactly the same. If this isn't a manifestation of God, then what is it?"

The half-grown child looked at the priest fiercely and kicked him hard.

"I will never believe in you again, and I never want to speak your language again. We are all sinners, and only God and the Emperor can save us from the water and fire!"

"The priests say that if we learn Greek, the gates of Constantinople will be open to us!"

"You kill people and cut out their hearts all day long, and you say you're offering them to the gods. How could a true good god do such a thing?"

There was a sudden cheer from the crowd, and they rushed forward to kick the old priest hard to prove their piety.

When they saw Lake and Columbus, they bowed and nodded respectfully.

Lake looked at this group of fanatical converts and grinned with amusement.

"Let's go out and get some fresh air."

Lake and Columbus walked out of the church, and the stake in the square was ready.

The believers tied the two dying priests to the stake and poured kerosene on them.

More and more people gathered, and stones of all sizes were thrown at them like raindrops, and insults and ridicules were heard everywhere.

When the fire started, the priests were already dead.

"Do you understand? This is colonization."

Columbus lit a cigarette for himself and slowly exhaled the smoke.

"Well, I will describe it in my travel notes."

Lake asked for a cigarette and lit it with a torch.

"Oh? How do I write it?"

Columbus looked at Lake with interest.

"Before I came here, I met with His Majesty and discussed this issue with him."

Lake took a sharp breath.

"Your Majesty said that I am a smart man and know how to write."

"Their culture will be completely wiped out, their faith will disappear."

"Their history will be written by us!"

……

The sunshine in the Caribbean is warm and gentle, while the distant Bosphorus is cloudy and rainy.

In Remusburg, Suhart, the commander of the fortress, stood quietly by the window, looking at the mess outside.

The siege of Remusburg had lasted for more than a month. Tens of thousands of troops from the Eastern Roman Empire launched a fierce attack on this small fortress. Corpses were everywhere and blood soaked the soil.

The Eastern Roman army did not use any effective strategies at all, but adopted the most primitive method - strong attack.

In rainy weather, all kinds of firearms were greatly restricted. The attackers and defenders engaged in close combat, fighting for their lives on the city walls, competing for every brick and tile.

Remusburg was indeed very strong. It had been defended from last year to this year. Suhat, with an army of less than two thousand, blocked the attack of tens of thousands of troops for more than a month and killed at least several times the number of enemies.

However, the opponent's slave army seemed endless, rushing forward like a tide again and again, and the opponent's elite heavy armored troops were also well-trained, bloodthirsty and good at fighting.

The number of defenders was decreasing, their weapons and equipment were becoming increasingly scarce, food and firewood had long been running out, and morale was declining every day. The only thing Suhat could count on was the reinforcements from far away Kocaeli.

However, just last week, the Eastern Roman Empire deliberately released a messenger to bring Suhat a secret letter from Sinan Pasha.

The letter said that heavy rains had brought floods and mudslides, that food and weapons were still insufficient, and that uprisings and rebellions had not yet been put down. It hoped that they would understand the Sultan's difficulties and try to hold out until the beginning of next spring.

Simply put, there will be no reinforcements.

Thinking of this, Suhat could only smile bitterly.

He knew that Sinan Pasha was right, the objective difficulties did exist, and the Greeks must have set up traps along the way, just waiting to surround and attack the reinforcements.

Kocaeli is also a solid fortress and the last valve to Nicaea and Bursa, which must not be lost.

The Anatolian fortress was lost, but as long as Kocaeli was still there, the Sultan's core city would remain impregnable and there would still be a chance for a comeback.

In the secret letter, Sinan Pasha also praised him emphatically, believing that the Anatolian fortress had played the expected role, successfully delaying the winter and greatly slowing down the pace of the Greek advance.

The secret letter was immediately burned by Suhat, and the messenger was also killed, but the news spread quickly and the soldiers fell into deep despair.

In the evening of that day, the Anatolian fortress was breached by the army, and the enemy occupied half of the city wall. Suhat retreated to the inner wall with more than 200 people and continued to resist.

The battle had lasted all night, and now it was dawn and it would all be over.

The strong commander threw the last stone for glory, but he also knew that it would not make a splash in the surging waves.

The door suddenly opened and his guards walked in.

"Aga, Ali surrendered, Alec died in battle, they are coming, we lost."

The guard's eyes were filled with fear.

"what should we do?"

Suhat was silent for a while, took out a bottle of wine from the cabinet and poured himself a glass.

"Go and surrender. It's better to be a slave than to be dead."

Suhat pursed her lips gently without looking at him.

"Aga, what about you?"

The guard was visibly relieved; he didn't want to die.

"I?"

Suhat drank the wine in one gulp and smiled.

"You all know that my mother is a Christian and can remember every word of the priest."

"When I was a child, she told me some Bible teachings. Of course, these were pagan things, but there was one sentence in it that touched me deeply and I still remember it today."

Suhat picked up his scimitar and stared at it silently, looking at the simple scabbard and the smooth handle.

"I have fought the good fight, I have walked the way, I have kept the way."

“From now on there is in store for me a crown of righteousness.”

Suhat drew out his scimitar, which made a clanging sound.

"Sultan Murad has been kind to me, and I will serve him and his descendants from the moment I take the oath until the moment I die."

The sounds of fighting on the stairs were getting closer and closer, the Christians were roaring and the Muslims were wailing.

"Winter is coming, and the snow is about to fall. The Greeks' progress will be hindered, and His Majesty the Sultan will have a chance to catch his breath."

"My mission is accomplished."

Suhat laughed loudly, walked past the guards, and in his astonished eyes, he rushed out resolutely and rushed to the battlefield.

……

On November 1470, 11, the Eastern Roman army broke through Remusburg. The commander Suhart was killed on the spot, and the remaining defenders either died or surrendered.

More than a year after the war began, the Eastern Roman Empire finally captured Remusburg and pried a hole in the solid Aegean Sea barrier.

The next day, the Eastern Roman warships began to build a pontoon bridge across the Bosphorus, connecting Fort Romulus and Fort Remus.

At this point, the first phase of the Eastern Roman Empire's combat mission came to an end. Man proposes, God disposes, and they failed to capture any large city before the arrival of winter. They only opened a small hole in the Aegean Sea barrier.

On December 1470, 12, the pontoon bridge was completed, and groups of soldiers, horses and various military supplies stepped onto the pontoon bridge from the Balkans and set foot on the land of Anatolia.

It snowed heavily that day, and the goose-feather-like snowflakes hit the soldiers' cheeks, but their hearts were burning, and they sang war songs as they crossed the strait in the wind and snow.

They knew that the snow and wind would slow the pace of the war and that they would probably not be able to break through the heavily guarded Nicomedia before the arrival of spring.

But they also knew that from now on, the road between the Balkans and Anatolia was unobstructed, and the door to Asia was opened.

(End of this chapter)