1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 294: Dragon Rising City
As time goes by, the cold of early spring is gradually dispelled by the warm sunshine. The snow on the ground has completely disappeared, and the snow water flows from the mountains into the streams, into the rivers, and then into the sea.

Compared with the extreme cold of last year and the year before, the temperature in 1471 was slightly warmer. The warm and humid air along the ocean coast melted the frozen land, and the sun, breaking through the shackles, spread its light to the world. In many places on the Anatolian Peninsula, various plants were no longer timid and cautiously poked their heads out of the soil.

Of course, compared to twenty years ago, 1471 was still colder, the area of ​​land available for growing wheat was still smaller than before, and small-scale natural disasters were still occurring.

However, the famine and war in previous years had caused a large population loss in the Anatolian Peninsula, and with fewer people, there was not enough land.

On the mountain path in the northwest of the peninsula, ragged civilians were moving northward. Beside them, a line of cavalrymen in chain mail were standing guard, watching closely.

In appearance, these cavalrymen were very different from the common heavy cavalry or nomadic cavalry. Their horses were obviously not the best war horses, their armor was relatively simple chain mail and cotton armor, and they wore ordinary Eastern Roman pointed helmets on their heads.

There is not much difference between an officer's helmet and that of an ordinary soldier, except that there is a conspicuous tassel on the top.

Like other legions of the Eastern Roman Empire, this cavalry also distinguished its ranks by the color of its helmet tassels, from the blue of the decapitator to the brown of the standard-bearer, to the red of the legionary commander and the purple of the royal family.

Purple dye is rare, but to be precise, the expensive one is actually the bright-colored, non-fading murex purple, which is produced in small quantities and only royal relatives and wealthy aristocrats can afford it.

As for the flags, emblems and uniforms of the Purple Guard, relatively cheap comfrey extract is generally used.

The most unique feature of this cavalry is their weapons. They carry a Mushkot long-handled musket on their backs, and in addition to a powder pot and a lead bullet bag, they also have a small mattock on their waists.

On their military robes, a ferocious fire dragon raised its head and glared angrily.

Obviously, this cavalry was the Royal Guards Dragoons, a mounted infantry belonging to the central army system of the Eastern Roman Empire.

They did not charge on horseback, nor did they seldom fire muskets from horseback. They generally adopted positional warfare, where they could quickly reach a designated position, build trenches with mattocks, and shoot while dismounted.

Compared with the large square infantry, they are faster, and compared with the heavy cavalry, they are cheaper. For the Eastern Roman Empire, whose military expenditure is increasing, they are a very good choice.

The Eastern Roman Empire's Royal Guards Dragoons have a five-year history and have now expanded to six regiments, each with a thousand men, two in North Africa, and four in the Balkans and Anatolia.

Currently, there are a total of four dragoon regiments active in Anatolia. The most elite Second Regiment has been commanded by Gonzalo and is fighting the Kandals on the southern coast of the Black Sea. The other three regiments are led by the emperor himself and are involved in large and small battles in northwestern Anatolia.

In the cavalry, Corps Commander Kaloyan sat upright on his horse, looking around at the refugees following him.

They were all Greek refugees around Bursa who had lost their homes and property due to exploitation and oppression by the Ottomans. Kaloyan was ordered to serve as their guard and accompany them to the Eastern Roman liberated areas in the north.

These Roman survivors were badly devastated, with pale faces and thin bodies, almost no intact clothes, and many of them suffered from frostbite.

When Kaloyan attacked an Ottoman mine and used muskets to kill the Ottoman cavalry who came to rescue, these people finally took off their heavy shackles and ate the full meals provided by the dragoons.

Kaloyan still remembered that when he used very unstandard Greek to order the soldiers to break the shackles and provide food and hot water to the survivors, many people's eyes instantly turned red, and they thanked him tearfully and made the sign of the cross on their chests with their skinny fingers.

Because the army was carrying the people and crossing mountains and rivers, its marching speed was not fast. The cavalry walked slowly and the people followed slowly.

A young man raised his eyes and stared at Kaloyan's military uniform. Kaloyan noticed his gaze and smiled at him.

"Kid, what's wrong?"

Kaloyan asked softly.

"General, which legion are you from?"

The boy's eyes lit up when he saw that Kaloyan was very friendly.

"The 3rd Guards Dragoon Regiment, Behemoth."

The corners of Kaloyan's mouth curled up slightly, and he was obviously very proud of his troops.

"I...the group of dragoons we met yesterday, are they also your subordinates?"

The teenager is very interested.

"No, they are the Fourth, the Nephilim."

Kaloyan thought of his rival and curled his lips.

"They captured a few Turkic nobles and were the first to run back to ask for credit."

"Why... did you name your legion after evil beasts?"

The boy was very confused when he heard these words that only existed in legends.

"To deal with evil people, you have to use evil beasts. This will make them afraid of the evil beasts."

Kaloyan said calmly.

"The Ottoman Knights of Delhi, with their black wings, made themselves look like monsters. It was the same reason."

"Among the Royal Guards Dragoons, are you the strongest?"

The boy chuckled.

"This... is the second one."

Kaloyan said awkwardly.

"The most successful one is the Second Regiment, led by General Gonzalo. They love war and have learned bad things from the Cossacks. They like to plunder Saracen civilians. We call them Abaddons."

"You are also very strong. In the battle at the mine, the Turkic cavalry could not penetrate your defensive position at all."

The boy nodded and consoled.

"thank you."

Kaloyan shook his head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

"Why, you're interested? Do you want to join the army and fight?"

"Of course! Are you still hiring?"

The boy nodded heavily, his eyes full of hope.

"Haha, it's good to have ambitions, but I don't have the final say on this matter. Only His Majesty the Emperor has the power to recruit soldiers."

Kaloyan patted the boy's messy hair.

"Let's go to the north and eat some good food first, so that we can get our bodies in good shape, and then we can talk about other things."

The boy pursed his lips and looked into Kaloyan's eyes.

"General, I heard from others that the Romans in the Balkans don't think highly of us and regard us as country folk. Is that true?"

"Nonsense, it's just a trick of the Ottomans to sow discord and divide us. We are one nation."

Carlo raised an eyebrow.

"Except for the old citizens of Constantinople, no one will look down on you. The empire is in its heyday, and talent is what matters most."

"However, you don't need to feel inferior. They are not targeting you. They look down on everyone equally, but it's just verbal. As long as you are good enough, no one will dare to look down on you."

"For example, I am a Bulgarian, but I became the head of an army through my own efforts. I even received invitations to the Queen's banquets several times. Who would look down on me?"

"Well, I will definitely work hard to become someone like you."

The boy swore to himself.

After climbing over a hill and crossing a stream, the cavalry and the people saw the harbor and tents at the foot of the mountain.

The golden and red double-headed eagle flag spread its wings and flew high. The people who had been uneasy before finally let down their guard and cheered and shed tears.

"This is our port of Ascania, which was recaptured by the Guards two weeks ago."

Kaloyan pointed to the port at the foot of the mountain and introduced it to the people.

boom--

A faint sound of artillery fire came from afar. The people were a little frightened and quickly looked at Kaloyan.

"Don't panic, we are all safe."

Kaloyan consoled.

"See that big lake? It's Lake Askania, surrounded by mountains."

Carlos looked northeast, gazing at the misty lake.

"On the eastern shore of Lake Ascania, our army is besieging Nicaea, the last Ottoman stronghold in the region."

"Is Nicaea going to be recaptured too? The emperor's army is indeed brave."

The young man next to Kaloyan couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

"Haha, the Ottomans destroyed their own Great Wall. Nicaea has not developed much in the past hundred years. The city defenses are old. Since it is not near the sea, the Ottomans did not put much effort here when building the Aegean Sea barriers."

Kaloyan smiled.

“Although the city of Nicaea has declined and cannot catch up with coastal cities in economic development, the political value of this city cannot be ignored for us.”

"It is said that the former residence of Emperor Michael and the ancestral home of the Palaiologos family are still preserved in Nicaea. Your Majesty must want to recapture it as soon as possible."

Kaloyan looked at the people who were wiping their tears.

When he rescued them, these people were half-naked and lifeless, almost like human puppets, numbly obeying the orders of the Turkic rulers.

As they walked along the way, they became more and more excited, talked more and more, smiles gradually appeared on their faces, and hope gradually grew in their hearts.

"Let's go, let's go see the emperor!"

……

Between the mountains, on the southeast shore of Lake Askania, the tents of the Royal Guards rose and fell. The sun gradually set in the west, and the Royal Guards were having dinner. Unlike the usual flour paste or bacon biscuits, today's dinner was more sumptuous, and each team was also given a bottle of wine.

Isaac's personal guards are not just a place for gilding. They cannot stay away from the battlefield because of the emperor. Whenever there is a siege, they must rush to the front, and injuries and deaths are commonplace.

Of course, becoming the emperor's personal guard also has its advantages. As long as you can perform well on the battlefield, there will be many opportunities for promotion and the speed of promotion will be very fast.

The emperor liked to recruit the children and relatives of nobles and powerful people or capable civilian soldiers into his personal guards, train them on the battlefield and cultivate feelings with them, and then send these loyal people to various legions as senior officers to deepen his control over each unit.

Just the day before yesterday, the emperor's personal guards were ordered to storm the city of Nicaea. After suffering a quarter of casualties, they finally took down the outer wall of Nicaea. The defenders in the city were already frightened birds, and the city was about to be captured at any moment.

In the big tent by the lake, Isaac and several generals gathered around the fireplace, enjoying delicious food and discussing military affairs.

Nearly two months have passed since the Eastern Roman army besieged the city of Nicomedia. During these two months, the various legions gradually took control of the villages and towns between Bursa and Nicomedia, and headed straight for the city of Bursa.

However, because the defenders of Nicomedia had made sufficient preparations before the war, the besieging troops were temporarily unable to capture this large city.

Despite this, the morale of the defenders in the city was on the verge of collapse, the outermost wall had been completely blown down by artillery fire, and fragmented fortresses were gradually lost.

Without reinforcements, Nicomedia would have fallen into the same predicament as Nicaea and would have been destroyed in despair.

"Come, Kaloyan, try this."

Isaac picked up the scimitar, cut a few slices of grilled meat, rolled the meat slices and various vegetables together with the flatbread beside him, and handed it to the dusty Kaloyan.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Kaloyan took the burrito and took big bites of it.

"I saw quite a few soldiers eating. Are you hosting a banquet for them?"

"Yes, we suffered during the siege, so we must eat something good."

Isaac rolled up another burrito and handed it to another general. "What a unique way to eat it."

Kaloyan looked at the slowly rotating meat pillar and marveled at it.

"This is shawarma, or Arabic rotisserie meat."

Isaac nibbled on a burrito.

"For this meal, I ordered the cooks to roast for a whole day."

"The city will be taken tonight. I will prepare another meal after the warriors on the east shore of the lake win."

Isaac finished his shawarma wrap, poured himself a glass of wine, and looked at Kaloyan.

"Tell me, how many people did you bring back?"

"More than 700, Your Majesty. Most of them were rescued by us from the mines near Bursa, and some joined us along the way."

Kaloyan straightened up.

"Everyone is very happy, and many young people are willing to fight for you."

"Well, let's place them in Askania Port first and let them have a good rest."

Isaac nodded.

"When the battle of Nicaea is over, I will go to see them. From now on, they will be residents of the city of Nicaea."

"Also, one civilian is five dinars. Send someone to the Military Affairs Office to withdraw them and distribute them to the soldiers."

"His Majesty……"

"It must be taken."

Isaac said without a doubt.

In order to protect the Orthodox people and retain more vitality for the dying Anatolia, Isaac formulated a reward policy. For each Greek refugee recruited, the soldiers could receive five dinars. If they insulted the Orthodox people, they would be discharged from the army on the spot and their entire family would be exiled.

As for the Turks, they can do whatever they want and Isaac has no say over it.

Everyone ate without saying a word. The soldiers outside the camp sang songs from their hometown, and the sound could be heard far away along the empty lakeside.

"Your Majesty, I heard that you are going to withdraw your troops."

Kaloyan finished his third shawarma and wiped his mouth.

"Yes, the Ottomans' movements are very unusual."

Isaac's brows furrowed slightly.

"They didn't care when Nicomedia was besieged, they didn't care when Nicaea was besieged, and they didn't care when my cavalry burned, killed, and looted outside the city of Bursa, and they were still indifferent."

"In order to irritate Muhammad, I sent a hundred cavalrymen to Soyut, the birthplace of the Ottomans, and burned the town to the ground."

"However, Muhammad still did not care and concentrated his last troops in Bursa, which seemed to be a conspiracy."

"Your Majesty, is it possible that something went wrong with them?"

Kaloyan thought about it.

"I saw quite a few bandits on the way back. Their clothes clearly belonged to the regular Ottoman army."

"It's possible, but we have to prepare for the worst."

Isaac groaned.

"Uzon Hassan has entered Ankara, and Bayezid has led his army westward, probably intending to join Muhammad."

"Of course, even if they join forces, they are no match for us."

"What I am worried about is that the Aq Qoyunlu will intervene in this war and help the Ottomans resist our attack."

"Uzon Hassan has occupied so much land and has not digested it at all. Almost all the food and military supplies are replenished locally. It shouldn't be so easy for them to move westward at will, right?"

Kaloyan said.

"Yes, but he can send an elite force to assist the Ottomans, while the rest of his troops gradually collect military supplies and make full preparations before bringing the main army here."

Isaac pursed his lips.

"But then again, Uzon Hassan can't be that kind. According to intelligence from the south, the Aries Cavalry have begun to plunder coastal towns in southern Anatolia, and my warships have discovered their tracks."

"In my opinion, Uzon Hassan is probably making preparations for both scenarios. He is attacking cities while observing the situation. When the Ottomans can no longer hold on, he will come to their aid."

"Your Majesty, this is a good thing. Uzon Hassan's army has not yet been concentrated. Even if he supports the Ottomans, it is estimated that it will only be a small force."

Kaloyan thought.

“Besides, Uzung Hassan did not directly rule much land. He still gave the occupied areas to the local beys to help them restore their country.”

“That’s one of the reasons he was able to quickly take over large tracts of land.”

"We will have to fight with the Aq Qoyunlu. If Uzung Hassan is defeated, his beys will probably rebel immediately without hesitation."

"Well, that's a good point."

"Uzon Hassan is still very popular in this regard. The prince Germiyan who came to see me a few days ago also joined Uzon Hassan and successfully obtained a small piece of territory."

Isaac sneered and shook his head.

"In any case, we cannot figure out the enemy's movements for now, so we still have to be cautious."

"I plan to take both Nicomedia and Nicaea within a week, gather the army together, and wait and see what happens."

"Oh? Are you sure you can take Nicomedia? Osman is planning to use this city to buy time."

Kaloyan was a little surprised.

"Haha, I invited a group of Saxon miners. They are digging tunnels in the north. German technology has made great breakthroughs in recent days. Tunnels can be dug deeper and are less likely to collapse, which will have a greater destructive effect on the city walls."

Isaac smiled.

"Times have changed. The spears of attack have been upgraded, but the shields of defense will take some time. The Ottomans probably didn't expect this."

"If they still intend to use Nicomedia to hold us back, they will be greatly disappointed."

"Your Majesty is very good at predicting things. I'm afraid that Uzung Hassan's plan will fail."

Kaloyan laughed.

As the sun sets, the sky gradually darkens. The sound of artillery fire in the east has subsided, and faint shouts of killing pierce the sky.

Isaac and Kaloyan walked out of the tent and, accompanied by their guards, trotted eastward along the lakeside.

The lake was calm, like a mirror, reflecting the dark blue sky and the crimson clouds in the dusk light.

This is Lake Askania, also known as Lake Iznik, one of the largest freshwater lakes on the Anatolian Peninsula. The land around it is fertile, suitable for farming and nomadism, and it has always been densely populated.

Lake Askania is located in a mountain basin, surrounded by rolling hills. Only the west side is lower, forming a narrow valley. The Askania River passes through the canyon and flows into the Sea of ​​Marmara at the port of Askania.

At present, the basin has basically been controlled by the Eastern Roman Empire, and only the city of Nicaea on the east coast is still resisting in vain.

Isaac raised his head, squinted his eyes, and looked towards the big city in the east.

Nicaea, the city where the Romans were baptized, the city where the Romans restored their country, and the birthplace of the Palaiologos family.

After the disaster in 1204, the remnants of the Eastern Roman Empire were divided into three parts. The warriors of the Lascaris family established an exiled regime in this basin. Through a series of foreign wars and diplomatic means, they restored most of the core territories of the Komnenos era and forced Epirus and Trebizond to give up their claims to the throne, becoming the only successor to the Eastern Roman Empire.

Unlike Isaac, the core territory of the Empire of Nicaea has always been the fertile land of western Anatolia. At that time, this area had a population of more than two million, most of whom were still devout Greek Orthodox Christians.

Of course, this was all more than two hundred years ago. Western Anatolia is no longer what it used to be. The number of Greek Orthodox Christians is far less than that of Turkic Muslims, and the major cities are dominated by Ottomans.

To be honest, the qualities of several emperors of the Lascaris dynasty were quite good. They might have made some mistakes in small matters, but they did not violate the greater principles. They were worthy of their bloodline and beliefs, and worthy of all Romans.

Later, the territory and national strength of the Empire of Nicaea reached its peak during the reign of Theodore II of the Lascarides dynasty. It defeated the Bulgarian Empire that was grazing its horses southward, intimidated the usurpers of Epirus, and maintained relatively good relations with the declining Sultanate of Rum.

However, Theodore II seemed to suffer from intermittent epilepsy. This masculine and violent king was too harsh on his subordinates when he was in power. He punished them severely for the slightest mistake, which made many people dissatisfied.

When he died young at the age of 36, his eldest son John IV was only 8 years old. With the young ruler and the country in doubt, many ministers began to seek a strong monarch.

Then came the Rebellion of Nicaea, and General Michael was crowned with purple robes with the support of his subordinates, and the Palaiologos dynasty officially began.

The Eastern Roman Empire did not have any particulars in this regard, nor did it have any such thing as "obtaining the throne in an unjust way". Michael VIII and his brother John Palaiologos were both good talents. They continued to restore the national strength on the basis of the Empire of Nicaea, and eventually recaptured Constantinople. The Eastern Roman Empire was officially restored.

Isaac stopped and gazed at the nearby city of Nicaea.

The shouting and screaming gradually subsided, and the soldiers from both sides began fighting in the streets, and the siege came to an end.

Two hundred years ago, Nicaea was one of the largest cities on the Anatolian Peninsula, with a dense population and developed agriculture.

However, the Ottoman Empire did not seem to want to develop the city. During the long siege, it destroyed most of the city walls and was unwilling to restore them after conquering them.

Under the Sultan's rule, Nicomedia in the north and Bursa in the south gradually grew stronger, but Nicaea continued to decline, with both its population and city defenses failing to reach their former levels.

In modern times, the city of Nicaea, which was destroyed in the Greco-Turkish War, is not even worthy of having its name on the map and can only hide in the shadow of Bursa.

Of course, this cannot be entirely blamed on the Sudan. Nicaea has an awkward geographical location, with mountains on all sides, which hinders road traffic. Only the canyon in the west connects to the sea.

In this case, why not develop coastal ports directly?

With this idea in mind, the Ottomans spent some time on the western seaport, making it gradually prosperous and developing into the later port of Gemlik.

Nicaea and Nicomedia are very close to each other, separated only by a mountain range, but it still poses considerable difficulties for the passage of heavy weapons.

Not long ago, Isaac ordered the Eastern Roman army to advance by land and sea. The landing troops captured the western port of Gemlik, renamed it the port of Ascania, transported artillery and heavy weapons from the canyon, and began to besiege the city of Nicaea.

The port of Gemlik is also an important part of the Aegean Sea barrier, but the fortress here is obviously inferior to Remusburg and Nicomedia in the north. The elite garrison had long been withdrawn, and the remaining miscellaneous troops failed to cause much hindrance to the Eastern Roman Empire.

In fact, according to Isaac's speculation, the Ottoman Empire placed all its hopes on Nicomedia and had no intention of using the poorly defended city of Nicaea to hold back the Eastern Roman army.

This basin is surrounded by mountains. Even if Isaac occupied this place, in order to move a large number of soldiers and artillery to Bursa, he had to bypass the mountains from the Sakarya River Valley further east. The marching route was relatively fixed.

This may be the place where Mehmed II and Prince Bayezid have been looking forward to the final battle.

However, if I stop fighting and settle down in Nicomedia and Nicaea to recuperate, restore the economy, and wait and see how the situation changes, how will you respond?
In Isaac's opinion, the city of Nicaea actually has great development potential and can become one of the pillar cities of the Eastern Roman Empire in western Anatolia.

Adequate food production, abundant fresh water resources, good mineral reserves, the inherent attraction of "the land of baptism" and "the city of revival"...

Most importantly, Nicaea is also very suitable for the development of brick and tile and ceramic industries. It was the most important ceramic center of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century.

As for the transportation problem... Nicaea is indeed not by the sea, but Isaac can completely place the western ports under the jurisdiction of Nicaea, and perhaps force slaves to widen the Ascania River to allow small and medium-sized merchant ships to sail normally, so that the city of Nicaea can directly connect to the sea.

In any case, Isaac liked this city very much, his history and stories, and the great spirit of the Nicaea Empire, which was high-spirited and unyielding.

Over the city of Nicaea, the double-headed eagle flag symbolizing the Eastern Roman Empire was rising slowly, and the soldiers were waving their weapons and shouting loudly.

After one hundred and forty years, the city of Nicaea returned to the hands of the Romans. It might be in ruins, but it tells an unyielding history; it might be economically declining, but its future is definitely promising.

Isaac smiled knowingly, waved his whip, and galloped forward.

(End of this chapter)