1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 3 Leaving
In the next few days, Isaac repeated his previous life. In the morning, he trained hard with the guards and had lunch together. In the afternoon, he was free to do what he wanted.

The Venetian alderman Miloto did not make things difficult for Sabato, and the large galley "St. Nicholas" he purchased arrived at the port of Constantinople at dawn on the third day.

"Captain Fidel of the San Nicolas sends his greetings, Your Highness."

Led by Captain Fidel, the entire crew of the San Nicolas met their new employer.

Miloto paid half a year's wages in advance and also provided enough food on the ship to last for two months.

The slaves are also basically full and well-trained.

The boat is in generally satisfactory condition.

Such are the merchants of Venice, greedy and efficient.

If it's their arch-enemy Genoa, they'll drive their fleet right in your face, point their cannons at your nose, and then ask you if you want to buy their obsolete junk ships.

Isaac gave the sailors his usual encouragement, gave them five ducats to drink to the emperor's health, and then gave 5 ducats to the captain, asking him to recruit sailors and slaves and buy more supplies.

There is still plenty of space on the ship, and it is no problem to accommodate 100 slaves.

During wartime, slaves used for paddling were strategic materials. If there were more slaves, there would be no need to be too merciful about their lives, and the oars could run at a higher speed.

100 ducats were more than enough to purchase these supplies, and the rest would be Isaac's gift to the captain and his deputies.

We must be careful not to be stingy with these unruly sailors and make sure they don't tie up Isaac and surrender him for the Ottoman gold.

If anyone offers a price for my head, remember, I'll pay double.

In this way, Isaac's life can be protected and the great cause of reviving Rome can proceed smoothly.

However, Isaac currently only has a few hundred ducats left.

Looking at his rapidly shrinking property, Isaac was in tears.

In the evening, Isaac met his uncle Ioannis VIII again. He was still immersed in joy at this time, and both the guests and the host enjoyed the dinner very much.

Isaac took the opportunity to make a request to his uncle, requesting that his guard be increased to 100 people, leaving the 20 cavalry intact and expanding it to 80 infantry and archers.

Isaac had good reason: he was going south to fight in the battle of Corinth.

At this time, the Byzantine Empire had completely lost its high-quality military resources, and the military district system and the guard system were completely rotten. In normal times, the defense of Constantinople was maintained by less than 3000 people, and some of the city walls even relied on village militias and church guards.

100 people is not a big number, but it is not small either.

The uncle hesitated for a moment, but finally agreed. However, he only promised to be responsible for recruiting soldiers, and Isaac had to bear the expenses himself.

Isaac gritted his teeth and took out 300 ducats.

"Your Majesty, please help us find a few more strong men. We need to cross the sea to fight. Malnourished militiamen and inexperienced citizens are useless."

"Sure." Ioannis promised.

In the following days, the troops recruited by Ioannis arrived one after another, and the guards no longer had to patrol and guard the city.

I have to say that Ioannis was very considerate. Many of the 60 newly recruited infantrymen were from lower noble families, equipped with chain mail and helmets, and equipped with round shields and long swords in addition to the necessary spears. They were all pure Greek Orthodox Christians and loyal to the empire.

The 20 archers were descendants of the Serbian mountains. Their ancestors migrated to the vicinity of Constantinople and often served the empire as mercenaries.

They were equipped with strong bows and leather armor, and wore scimitars at their waists.

In addition, Ioannis also selected some horses from the few royal stables to serve as rotation horses for the cavalry.

My uncle still dotes on Isaac very much. The cost of equipment for these soldiers alone is more than 300 ducats.

After the team gathered, Isaac quickly dragged them to the sea for training, so that they could adapt to the bumps of the waves as soon as possible.

Isaac also trained along.

The Aegean Sea and the Sea of ​​Marmara do not have strong waves. The entire Mediterranean system is known for its calmness and high salinity. Most of the time, the sea surface is like a large shining pond.

However, the arduous sea journey still caused the soldiers who had never been on a ship before to suffer from vomiting and diarrhea, and Isaac was no exception.

After vomiting out all the food he had eaten in the morning and at noon, Isaac felt extremely regretful.

On the deck, experienced sailors were pointing and talking, bursting into laughter from time to time.

The soldiers were very dissatisfied with the prince's behavior, but when they saw the 12-year-old prince vomiting and diarrhea with them, they swallowed the curse that was about to come out of their mouths. When they stood on land again, everyone's soul seemed to cheer.

"My soldiers, tonight's wine is on my head. I wish your Majesty good health forever!"

Isaac took out five golden ducats and asked Captain Mikhail to take them to prepare the banquet.

These young men have heard that the sailors have enjoyed his highness’s fine wine, and they must be looking forward to it.

Treat everyone equally and never be partial.

Isaac looked at the cheering soldiers and wiped the sweat from his face.

Everything is ready, and the next step is to wait for news from the grain transport fleet.

Two days later, on November 1444, , John VIII reached an agreement with the Latin merchants, and Venice agreed to lease two merchant ships to transport military supplies and equipment.

So, Isaac's small team, including the 100-man Prince Guard led by Mikhail, the attendants led by Andrei, and the galley St. Nicholas led by Field (including 53 sailors and 56 slaves), all gathered together and prepared to carry out the escort mission.

It was evening, and the sailors carried boxes of food, barrels of fresh water, and necessary weapons such as arrows and gunpowder onto the deck. The soldiers boarded the ship's hold in an orderly manner and waved goodbye to the crowd on the shore.

Under the supervision of their overseers, slaves checked the magazines of the ship's guns and maintained the sails and cables.

The other two merchant ships carrying grain, the Pisa-built Independence and the Venetian-built Harrier, were already ready, and the captain and first mate were making their final inspections.

Isaac was the last to board the deck of the St. Nicholas and look out over the city.

The port they were in was the port of Prosfilion on the Golden Horn. To the north was the Genoese colony of Galata, and to the east the ancient Acropolis could be vaguely seen.

Some citizens who volunteered to see the fleet off gathered on the shore. They cheered "Long live the emperor" and prayed for victory.

"Your Highness, everything is ready."

Captain Fidel came over and whispered.

Isaac took a deep look at Constantinople which was sinking into the night, and turned his head.

"set sail!"

At the request of Ioannis VIII, the fleet will set out from the Golden Horn and circle Constantinople, allowing more citizens to see the purple double-headed eagle flag hanging on the bow and inspire national pride.

The fleet moved slowly forward, bypassing the Acropolis, passing Hagia Sophia and the Grand Palace, and the church bells saw them off.

After rounding the peninsula, the fleet arrived at the Sea of ​​Marmara, and crowds of people gathered at the two ports south of the city to see them off.

Everyone had been suppressed for too long, and the Byzantine Empire had not had a military victory for a long time. Citizens grew up listening to their ancestors' legends about the past glory of Constantinople, but in front of them were the iron hooves of the Ottomans getting closer and closer, and in their ears were always the rumble of artillery bombarding the city walls.

Isaac's father's victory in Corinth in the south, together with the good news from the Crusaders in the north, greatly inspired the people of the country.

"Let's go!"

Isaac ordered.

The fleet, carrying the hopes of the citizens of Constantinople, set sail towards the south.

Soon after Isaac left, the citizens of Constantinople left in twos and threes, still talking with great interest.

On the post road leading to the north, a scout was whipping his mount hard, his face filled with unprecedented panic and anxiety.

The guards at the city gate stopped him.

“No passage allowed at night!”

The knight fell to the ground exhausted, gasping for breath.

"Varna... was defeated, the Polish king... was killed, and the entire army was wiped out..."

The guard's mind went blank and he stood there at a loss.

The crowd grew larger and larger, and faint cries and prayers began to be heard among the crowd.

At this moment, the last ray of sunlight ended its day-long preaching on earth and reluctantly passed over the dome of the cathedral.

Darkness filled the city.

(End of this chapter)