1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 304: March of the Cross

Amidst the busyness, the golden September is about to pass, the weather is gradually getting cooler, and the farmers are planting wheat seedlings and various vegetables and fruits on the plowed fields, looking forward to a good harvest in the near future.

Similar to the Greek region, the western coast of Anatolia also has a distinct Mediterranean climate zone, with hot and dry summers and warm and humid winters. Most of the land is planted with winter wheat. This overwintering crop takes a longer time to grow and the flour ground from it is of better quality, making it a very good staple food.

Some arid and semi-arid areas in the Anatolian Plateau and the North African coast tend to grow spring wheat, which has a shorter growth cycle and poorer flour quality, but the plants are short and strong, with a well-developed root system, and are much more drought-resistant than winter wheat.

In any case, for farmers in southwestern Anatolia, late September and early October are very busy times, not only for preparing crops for planting, but also for one of the biggest festivals in the Islamic world, Mawlid al-Mawlid.
Mawlid is on March 3 in the Islamic calendar. It was established to celebrate the birth and death anniversary of the great Prophet Muhammad. Because it is on the same day, it is also called "Mawlid Festival". It was first proposed by the Fatimid dynasty of Egypt and expanded to other Muslim communities in the following hundreds of years.

On the day of Mawlid, religious activities are held in major mosques to unite believers to celebrate the Prophet Muhammad and express their gratitude and remembrance for him.

Bathing, changing clothes, reciting scriptures, praising the Prophet, telling stories about the life of Muhammad, entertaining fellow Muslims, sharing festive communion...it is grand and harmonious, joyful and happy.

Unlike the more grand Ramadan, Mawlid does not require fasting. Everyone can happily enjoy food and life. Most ordinary people regard this day as a day of rest and have fun with family and friends.

During the heyday of the Ottoman Empire, the great and noble Sultan would always go to the Grand Mosque in Bursa with Sunni scholars to chant and praise the Holy Prophet. People along the way could also catch a glimpse of the Sultan. Celebrations would also be held in the major kuriyas outside the city. Whether you are a local or a foreigner, as long as you believe in Allah and follow the teachings of the Prophet, you are all brothers and can all find your place in the celebration.

This year's Mawlid Festival was much quieter. The huge city of Bursa was in a state of decay and desolation. The major kuriyas outside the city had been burned down by the Eastern Roman Empire's cavalry, leaving only ruins. The mosques in the city also tightened their belts and had no extra money and food to let the Muslims in the city share the joy.

In fact, the people of Bursa were in no mood to hold a ceremony at this time. The occasional appearance of Eastern Roman scouts around the city and the occasional ringing of warning bells on the city walls made them frightened, and the successive bad news made them even more panic-stricken.

What made them even more worried was that since the defeat in Nicomedia, His Majesty the Sultan had not appeared in the public eye for a long time. The daily patrols of the city walls and military exercises were no longer carried out. He had not even shown up on several important festivals. Military and political affairs were mainly managed by high-ranking officials and nobles, led by Grand Vizier Chandar Ibrahim.

There were many different opinions among the people of Bursa about the Sultan's condition. Some said that he was seriously ill due to overwork, some said that he was heartbroken because of the tragic defeat of his eldest son, and some daring people secretly spread rumors that Allah had long stopped protecting the Ottoman family and sent the angel of death Isaac to suddenly appear in the bedroom of Mehmed II and take his life.

At the beginning of the Great Turkish War, in order to suppress domestic disputes and integrate more forces, the Ottoman Empire adopted the strategy of "diverting contradictions", transforming internal contradictions into external contradictions, and portraying the Eastern Roman Emperor as an unforgivable devil who was committed to seizing Muslim lands, plundering Muslim wealth, killing Muslim wives and daughters, and burying them all in the cemetery.

In the initial period of time, the Ottoman Empire's propaganda did play a significant role. Many Muslims united under the banner of the Ottoman family out of fear and terror, and would rather starve than fight the Eastern Roman devil to the end.

During these twenty years, for the revival of his own nation, Isaac's hands were stained with the blood of other nations. The first to bear the brunt were the Muslims in various countries. They suffered the heaviest losses in the attack of the Eastern Roman Empire. There were already a large number of rumors among the people about the Eastern Roman emperor's murderous behavior, and the Ottomans' propaganda and exaggeration had a very good effect.

However, as time went on, the exploitation and oppression of the Ottoman upper class became more and more severe, and the "non-resistance strategy" towards the Aq Qoyunlu caused a large number of Anatolian Turks to become refugees. The people at the bottom began to find that before the Greek emperor reached them, they were almost left with nothing.

What made the Ottoman high-ranking officials most angry was that the successive failures made their early propaganda go on an uncontrollable path. Rumors such as "the Greek emperor made a deal with the devil" and "the Greek devil's army is invincible" were rampant. The Muslim people at the bottom of the society no longer shared the same hatred of the enemy, but were immersed in deep fear and despair, and lost confidence in continuing to resist.

Since he is already a devil, why should we fight him? Can we win?

At this time, nationalism had not yet risen, religious sentiments and superstitious ideas still controlled the minds of most of the lower-class people, there were too many failures on the battlefield, and the gap in military strength was too great. At this time, a little bit of ominous sign or a little bit of rumor could spread quickly, like a spark falling on a pile of straw, igniting wave after wave of defeatist sentiment.

This phenomenon was very common in the Mediterranean world at that time. In the Battle of Constantinople eighteen years ago, the Eastern Roman Empire suffered greatly. The overwhelming military advantage of the Ottomans plunged the people in the city into the abyss of despair. Some very ordinary natural phenomena would be far-fetched as being abandoned by God. A large number of people in the suburbs believed that God no longer blessed them and directly converted to Allah.

Moreover, the impact of this emotion is all-round, not only including the ignorant people at the bottom of society. During the siege of Constantinople, even the usually strong Constantine XI could not help but feel pessimistic. Everything he did was more inclined to desperate sacrifice and death with the country.

Of course, the Ottoman Empire had not yet reached this point. They still retained a large territory and still had a glimmer of hope.

In fact, it is very easy to break the superstitious thoughts and pessimistic feelings in the hearts of the lower classes. The method is simple and clear:

A victory on the battlefield completely shattered the myth of the invincibility of the Eastern Roman Empire, boosted the morale of the heroes, and inspired the entire army.

At this time, the Ottoman Empire no longer had the military strength and confidence to defeat the Eastern Roman Empire. For them, the only hope was the White Sheep King Uzung Hasan, who was also a Muslim brother. They had been looking forward to his early deployment of troops, hoping that he would bring thousands of cavalry to drive the Greek devils into the sea instead of continuing to plunder the Turkic people in Anatolia.

Plunder is the nature of nomadic tribes, and the distribution of spoils is also the underlying rule of the nomadic alliance. Unlike the Eastern Roman Empire, most of Uzum Hasan's soldiers are free. In return, plunder is reasonable and legal. It is impossible for him to restrain his own tribe for the possible gratitude of the Ottomans.

Compared to them, the Eastern Roman Empire's rule in the occupied areas was relatively civilized. At least it did not kill them all, leaving them with many options.

After the former Muslims in the occupied areas converted to Orthodoxy, the emperor would immediately grant them citizenship and distribute to them the means of production that originally belonged to the nobles and ulema, including farmland, woodlands, fish ponds, rivers, livestock, seeds and tools. All government departments, military systems and religious institutions would open their doors to them.

If they were unwilling to convert, they would not be massacred. The triangular trade required a large number of slaves, and they were the best source of slaves.

As they move away from their homeland and the Muslim world, their religious sentiments will become weaker with each generation, and eventually they will all be transformed into Lambs of God.

The slaves' children could not decide what religion they believed in or what language they spoke.

Isaac knew that the Muslim people in the occupied areas had been frightened, and even if they were left there, no trouble would arise in the short term.

However, stability maintained by so-called "pessimism" and "despair" will not last long after all. After a long time, there will still be uprisings and rebellions.

When exploitation and oppression once again make them unbearable, and when the previous fear gradually subsides, even if the other party may be a devil, the Muslim people who have nothing will still raise their forks.

Only by eliminating all unstable factors, starting with religion and then completing cultural assimilation through decades or even hundreds of years of effort, can we avoid following in the footsteps of the Ottoman Empire.

Anatolia was the core area of ​​the Eastern Roman Empire, not a frontier area. It did not need "second-class subjects". One had to be either a citizen or a slave. The two seemed far away, yet seemed close at hand, separated only by a church.

The eve of Mawlid was silent and dark. Muslim communities throughout Anatolia were preparing for tomorrow's celebration. Even in the face of national crisis, this extremely important religious festival could not be celebrated. All major cities had made sufficient preparations for it, trying to use this opportunity to arouse religious sentiment, suppress public discontent, and call on them to unite and fight against the army of the Eastern Roman Empire.

Cities are very important religious places in the Islamic world. Rural people gathered together, trying to get protection from Allah. Many Turkic people who fled from the Anatolian Plateau also gathered under the city, just asking for food and a temporary shelter.

During the Mawlid festival, charity and relief to the poor are essential parts.

However, for some ambitious people, tonight is destined to be a sleepless night.

It was the same night, the same sea, and the same boat. Ottoman once again received a secret letter. He took a few trusted men to bypass the Ottoman patrols, dragged out the small boat hidden in the cave, and rowed to the sea.

Otum was a rebel leader in southwestern Anatolia. Although he was a rebel, he was actually just a group of bandits. The gang members were either deserters or brave refugees. They were all "frustrated people" who were extremely dissatisfied with their situation.

Unlike other peasant rebels, Otum, who came from a fallen noble family, had served as a squad leader in the Ottoman Empire. He was also educated and had some management skills and military qualities. He formed a powerful army with the help of deserters who hid in the mountains with him. He also established connections with the intelligence personnel of the Eastern Roman Empire, obtained a lot of supplies and money, and gradually grew stronger.

A few months ago, Otum came to the sea in the same way, boarded a ship of the Eastern Roman Empire, and received a sum of money and a mission. The other party required him to kill the grain supervisor of the Naziri granary, and preferably burn down the city of Naziri.

After returning to his old nest, Otum began to use the aid of the Eastern Roman Empire to accumulate strength. He bribed the managers of other granaries to obtain a batch of "moldy grain" that was about to be disposed of. He then used the grain to attract refugees from the east and incorporated them into the military system with deserters as the backbone, rapidly increasing his strength.

Otum waited for more than a month but had not found a good opportunity. The grain inspector of Naziri City was his half-brother Rustu, who was also his biggest enemy. He had a strict personality but good abilities. He got the lucrative job of grain inspector through his family power and his own efforts. He reaped the benefits of the war and his family's territory and wealth increased rapidly.

At first, Otum used his old connections to collect some evidence about Rustu's corruption and submitted it to the mayor of Naziri City and the Ulema of the mosque, trying to sow discord and profit from it.

What he didn't expect was that the city lord was also involved in corruption and was Rustu's biggest backer. For some reason, the Ulema turned a blind eye to it.

Otum was very angry. While cursing the corruption of government departments, he continued to plan and finally came up with a daring plan.

So, on the day when the Hajj ended and the Islamic world celebrated Eid al-Adha, Ottoman raised the flag of the White Sheep Dynasty, gathered his troops and marched towards the city of Nazir, which immediately caused panic. He successfully broke into the city before the city gates were closed and started setting fire everywhere.

The city lord, who was fooling around with a prostitute, thought that he was invaded by foreign enemies. He fled out of the city in his pajamas in a panic, regardless of anything, and ran all the way to the city of Aiden.

The city, having lost its leader, was unable to put up an effective resistance. Soldiers fled and officials displaced. Otum quickly occupied the granary, took away all he could, and burned the rest.

It is worth mentioning that Otum’s younger brother was caught while escaping. He cried and begged for his brother’s forgiveness, but was only met with a cold look and a ruthless knife.

When Ottoman reinforcements arrived, the fire in Nazir City had been extinguished. The people fell from the paradise of joy into the abyss of pain. The culprits had already looted and burned everything and disappeared into the mountains.

This incident caused an uproar within the Ottoman Empire. The Grand Vizier cursed and the major religious organizations immediately denounced Otum and his men as "apostates" and threatened to hunt them down.

However, the Ottoman pursuit was ultimately much ado about nothing. Their troops were already insufficient and they had no way of conducting a large-scale cleanup of the mountainous areas.

Otum knew that his act of sending troops to loot during a religious celebration was unforgivable and that he would be hunted down by many people. He remained silent for a long time and even refused the Eastern Roman Empire's request for a meeting. He only re-emerged recently.

The boat was drifting on the sea, the beacon fire in the iron basin was burning brightly, and Otto was leaning quietly on the edge of the boat, smoking his pipe intermittently.

This was a piece of ivory sculpture he had looted from his half-brother's house, said to be from a famous Constantinople artist, and he liked it very much.

"Captain, haven't the Greek ships arrived yet?"

Beside him, a close confidant complained.

"Will they think we are of no use and don't want to fulfill the agreement?"

"When they come, if you dare to say a word about Greeks again, I won't protect you."

Autumn exhaled a puff of smoke and spoke slowly.

"The Eastern Empire has not yet reached the southwest, and still needs us."

"What if one day they reach here, what will we, the rebels, do?"

Another confidant suddenly asked.

Autumn looked at him.

"What do you think we should do?"

"If that day really comes, they will definitely not allow us to continue to exist, at least they will not allow us to continue to plunder villages and towns."

The confidant said.

"So, we can either resist and be wiped out by them, or..."

"Or surrender, that's what you mean."

Autumn said bluntly.

"You have come to test me several times. How come the Eastern Empire has contacted you?"

"This……"

The confidant was in a bit of a dilemma.

"Okay, I won't make it difficult for you. Where our future will go may depend on tonight."

Autumn looked into the depths of the ocean and saw a ship breaking through the fog and heading towards this side.

"They're here. As usual, I'll go up by myself. If I need to move anything, I'll call you."

Autumn stood up and threw the ashes into the sea.

As the ship approached, a rope ladder was lowered, and after several months, Autumn climbed onto the deck of the Kraken again. Under the gaze of the sailors, Autumn walked into the familiar captain's room.

"Long time no see, Autumn."

In the captain's room, Marcus Komnenos nodded slightly to Autumn.

Autumn saw the badge on Marcus' chest and raised an eyebrow.

"You've been promoted, Lord Marcus. Congratulations."

"It turns out that I went to work last time."

Autumn found a seat and examined Marcus's badge.

A golden double-headed eagle with a blue background, the right eye of the eagle is inlaid with red agate, while the left eye is dull.

"The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in charge of Eastern affairs is also a well-known figure."

"Not really. I also had a mission last time, and the position of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs was decided beforehand."

Marcus ignored Autumn's compliment and threw the three money bags on the table to him one by one.

"Three hundred Venetian ducats. The extra is your reward."

"The emperor is very satisfied with your actions and hopes you will continue to work hard."

Autumn took the purse, weighed it, and nodded.

"You, a high-ranking official, have come to see me in person. I guess you have some new and important mission, right?"

Marcus smiled but said nothing.

After a moment's hesitation, he threw a cigarette box to Autumn, who immediately took out one and lit it on the candle.

"We will soon launch a large-scale landing in southwestern Anatolia and open up a second battlefield. What do you think?"

"You guys made quite a scene in Bursa, I'm afraid the officials have already thought of this."

Autumn smokes a cigarette.

"However, they don't know your exact landing time and location, and they don't have enough troops, so your chances of success are very high."

Marcus nodded and poured himself a glass of wine.

"I want to ask, which side will you be on in this war?"

"Friends and enemies are all in your mind."

Marcus stared into Autumn's eyes.

"If we become friends, we will increase our support and help you annex more rebel forces."

"If you are the enemy, then sorry, we will fund other rebel forces and let them join forces to defeat you."

"So direct?"

Autumn grinned.

"What does it mean to be a friend in your opinion?"

"Convert to Orthodoxy and become one of us."

Marcus said.

"Among so many rebel leaders, you are the only good one. You are a man who can accomplish things. You have courage and ambition."

"People like this must either become one of us or be strangled in the cradle."

"You have already touched the dignity of the entire Islamic world. They cannot tolerate you. Why hesitate?"

Marcus continued to induce.

Autumn was silent for a moment and then asked.

"What about my brothers? What should they do?"

“Those who are unwilling to convert will be driven away, and those who are willing to convert will stay.”

Marcus said.

"The remaining elite troops will be reorganized into a branch of the Purple Guard Corps, and you will serve as the corps commander."

Seeing that Autumn was interested, Marcus continued speaking.

"You know, a few decades ago, there was an Ottoman deserter who converted to Orthodoxy and accepted the emperor's reform. Later, his troops were reorganized into the Purple Guards, and he made many military achievements and became the top officer of the Eastern Empire Army."

"You should know his name."

"Ibrahim Kalikis, I know him, the general who besieged Nicomedia."

Autumn nodded and looked at Marcus.

"It will take me some time to convince my subordinates, but I believe it is not a difficult task. They are already frustrated people under the Islamic system and are now wanted. They have no choice."

"Good, you made the right choice."

Marcus smiled and poured him a glass of wine.

"You don't have to be so anxious. In fact, as you thought, the emperor has a new mission."

"Just tell me."

Autumn took the glass.

"Our army is about to land. You need to create momentum in the rear to contain the Ottomans' mobile forces."

Marcus sipped his wine.

"It's nothing special. Just do what you did before."

"However, your merits are directly linked to your status after baptism. If your contribution is outstanding, you may even be able to obtain a title and a territory."

"Perhaps, next time we meet, I will have to call you Lord Baron."

At this point, Marcus curled his lips.

"This is something that can only be obtained on the battlefield. I have broken my legs running all over the place, and now I am just an honorary lord."

When Autumn heard this, his eyes lit up.

"When are you going to land? I have to hurry and prepare!"

"Right away. Tomorrow at dawn."

Marcus smiled.

"dawn?"

Autumn was stunned.

"Tomorrow is Mawlid, you won't..."

“Yes, we were inspired by your actions.”

Marcus stood up.

"What you don't know is that tomorrow is the Feast of the Holy Cross. More than a thousand years ago, Constantine the Great saw a vision of the cross, and his mother, Saint Helena, traveled thousands of miles to Jerusalem to retrieve the True Cross."

"Our army will storm Menderes on the Feast of the Holy Cross, holding up the Cross of Constantine and punishing the Muslims who do not follow the true faith."

"The military operation will continue for a while. You should go back now. We don't need you to cooperate with the army. You can just operate in the middle reaches of the Mendres River."

Marcus raised his glass in a toast to Autumn.

"Come on, let's toast to victory, to the emperor, and to our future."

Autumn also stood up and drank it all.

……

At the end of September 1471, the Eastern Roman Empire ended its months-long reorganization and launched a large-scale offensive.

The northern army in the direction of Nicaea began to march towards Bursa, delaying the Ottoman army in Bursa and preventing them from dividing their forces to defend.

On September 9, the day when the Muslim world celebrated the Prophet's Birthday, the Eastern Roman naval and land armies marched from the eastern Aegean islands to the Mendres River. Since that day was also the Feast of the Holy Cross, the entire army held high the flag of Constantine's Rabbinic Cross, in the name of God and in the name of Constantine.

The Constantine Rablan Cross was the military flag chosen by Constantine the Great for the Roman Empire. It symbolizes Jesus' victory over death and has its own unique meaning in the army.

In the name of Christ, we will be invincible.

(End of this chapter)