1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 305: Chariot of Saint George

It was dusk, the setting sun dyed the sky red, and a large river flowed slowly through the valley plains and into the ocean.

This is the Menderes River, the most important river in southwestern Anatolia. It originates from the mountains of the Anatolian Plateau and flows southwest into the Aegean Sea. The middle and lower reaches have a gentle flow, forming fertile and rich river valley lowlands, which is a very important agricultural and pastoral base.

After the Ottoman Empire lost most of its territory, the densely populated areas south of Bursa became their only remaining money bags and granaries. If the Ottoman Empire could hold on to these provinces before the end of the war and then recuperate after ten years, it could also become a regional power.

In fact, this was part of the plan of the Aq Qoyunlu King Uzond Hasan. The territories north of Bursa and west of the Sakarya River had been lost and were difficult to recover, but if half of the territory could be retained for the remaining Ottoman regime, they could completely fight a long-term tug-of-war with the Eastern Roman Empire with the support of the Aq Qoyunlu King.

However, the Eastern Roman Empire across the sea was not prepared to give the Ottomans a chance to restore their national strength. After the attack in the direction of Bursa was blocked, it immediately planned a landing plan with the intention of opening up a second battlefield.

At this time, the mouth of the Mendres River was in ruins, the coastal town was filled with smoke, and the Turkic people were displaced. The Eastern Roman soldiers holding high the Rabbinic Cross of Constantine had successfully opened up a beachhead. More and more soldiers boarded the beach and besieged the Ottoman fortress on the hillside.

On the sea and on the river, the Eastern Roman Empire's naval ships and inland navy were densely packed, either transporting soldiers and horses, or pointing their black cannons at the Ottoman fortresses and letting the heavy lead bullets bombard the crumbling city walls.

The southwest coast was equally important to the Ottoman Empire, and their Aegean Fortress plan also took this area into account, building a fortress at the mouth of the Menderes River.

However, due to the shortage of funds, the coastal fortresses built by the Ottoman Empire in the southwest were obviously inferior to the northwestern fortresses in quality and firepower. Some towers still used wooden structures and some city walls were only made of mud.

What made the Ottoman defenders feel most desperate was that due to military defeat, the tense war in the northwest and the shortage of military supplies, there were not many elite defenders left in the Damendres Fortress, and there was a shortage of artillery shells and crossbows. They were all conscripted by the cowardly Ottoman nobles and sent north to guard the capital Bursa.

On the day of the Holy Birthday, a celebration was held in the Damendres Fortress. The commander hoped to take this opportunity to give the soldiers a holiday, and he bought a lot of chickens, ducks, cattle and sheep from the towns in the east to entertain his warriors.

However, just as the Ottoman soldiers were welcoming the festival with hope, the Eastern Roman Empire's navy and army began to land in large numbers. The landing sites included not only the mouth of the Menderes River, but also many coastal cities were harassed and invaded.

Of course, the landing operations in other directions were all feints, the purpose of which was to tie up the Ottoman Empire's few remaining mobile forces and relieve the pressure for the main attack at the mouth of the Menderes River.

Since the Eastern Roman Empire had an absolute advantage on the water, the surface of the Mendres River near the fortress was firmly occupied by the Eastern Roman navy shortly after the war began, cutting off the connection between the north and south banks of the river, making it impossible for reinforcements from the north to cross the river to the south, and turning the Mendres fortress into an isolated island from all directions.

The battle lasted from dawn to dusk. The small town of Akoi next to the Menendrez Fortress had already fallen, and the artillery shells in the fortress had been completely exhausted. The remaining defenders retreated to the inner city under the charge of wave after wave of soldiers from the Eastern Roman Empire, who were as numerous as sea sand. Their fear and anxiety grew deeper and deeper.

On a ship, a middle-aged man put down his brass telescope and nodded with satisfaction.

"General, Commander Canute of the Inland Navy has sent a message that their ships have successfully arrived at the designated location and are patrolling the river to prevent the Ottoman reinforcements from crossing the river and heading south."

An aide came over to report, holding a stack of documents in his hands.

"Well, that's good. What else?"

the general asked.

"Also, the Fifth Corps of the Imperial Guard has reached Lake Bafa, north of the fortress. According to your instructions, they are clearing out the remaining enemies and setting up camp."

The staff read the report.

"His Excellency Afif, the Slaves Thousand Captain, has sent an envoy. His vanguard has already headed northeast to gather intelligence and information for our subsequent combat missions."

"good."

The general smiled.

"This is our first time using the new mode to fight, and it seems everyone has adapted to it."

The general's name was Mehmet, he was of Turkic descent and had followed the Army Minister Ibrahim and served as his deputy.

For more than twenty years, Mehmet worked diligently, rising from a commander of the Purple Guard to second in command of the General Staff during the Bulgarian War.

In fact, the Chief of Staff, Old Prince Mikhail, basically did not take care of anything except teaching, and all the affairs of the entire General Staff were handled by Mehmet.

Mehmet was an officer with some ideas. He advocated military reform, gradually abandoning the old medieval war thinking, promoting the staff system, gathering war information, integrating the entire army into one, enforcing orders and obeying commands instead of showing off one's ability and rushing forward rashly.

In his opinion, with the increase in the number of participants in the war and the use of new weapons, the medieval war thinking is becoming increasingly outdated. War is no longer just about decisive charges and arduous sieges, but also covers the summary and analysis of information, the supply of military supplies, the adjustment of soldiers' status, the inspection of weather and road conditions, the cooperation of various legions, the coordination of the navy and the army... all aspects.

In his view, wars are becoming more and more complex and lasting longer and longer. They cannot be left to the whim of a single commander alone. They require a complete staff system and coordination system, with division of labor and cooperation, and collective wisdom. The summarized intelligence can be presented to the commander's desk to make the entire battlefield clear and visual.

His suggestion was recognized by the emperor, and he became a powerful figure in the shogunate as he wished, and contributed his strength in the Bulgarian War and the Great Turkish War.

However, Mehmet also admitted that the General Staff did not have the ability to command operations independently, and a commander with absolute authority was indispensable.

The army of the Eastern Roman Empire was very diverse. Language problems always existed, information exchange on the battlefield was slow, the navy and the army were not submissive to each other, and some troops always regarded themselves as the emperor's private army and were not very willing to obey the command of other generals. All these brought great trouble to the overall planning of the war.

The Battle of Menderes was the first large-scale battle commanded by Mehmet independently. Before the battle, the emperor summoned all the participants, handed his sword to Mehmet, and asked the generals to obey him, whether they were from the navy, army or inland navy, whether they were from the central army, the shooting army or the Slaves Corps.

Mehmet has a long career, high prestige in the army, and the ability to keep his composure, making him a good candidate.

After taking over the army, Mehmet immediately issued three orders to the generals.

Those who are greedy for merit and reckless will be killed without mercy.

Anyone who disobeys orders will be killed without mercy.

Anyone who delays the opportunity to fight will be killed without mercy.

Mehmet drew the emperor's sword and cut off the corner of the table with one stroke to show that he would show no mercy.

After the war broke out, Mehmet launched a strong attack on the mouth of the Mendres River according to the plan. He was neither slow nor hasty, turning every cavalry into a tentacle, every legion into a claw, and his staff into brains, taking control of the entire battlefield in his hands.

When a warship was hit, it was immediately pushed down for repair and another one took its place; when the morale of a shooting corps collapsed, it immediately withdrew from its combat position and was replaced by another fully equipped corps.

Mehmet paid great attention to pre-war preparations, believing that they were much more important than the battle itself. Not only did he prepare enough guns, ammunition, bows and arrows, he also disassembled some small siege equipment and transported them to complete the assembly outside the fortress.

Under the coordination of the staff system, the Eastern Roman army became well-organized, gradually eroding the morale and lives of the defenders.

"Where are the rangers we sent to the north shore? Have they sent back any news?"

Mehmet looked at the staff around him.

"Not yet. The messenger is not that fast."

The aide replied.

"However, according to previous intelligence, the defenders of Sekai City and Aiden City are not numerous. Once we capture the Damendres Fortress, we can take advantage of the victory and capture these two towns."

Mehmet nodded, somewhat regretfully.

In his opinion, in a large-scale war, information is the most important thing, but the speed of a messenger is limited after all, and there is nothing he can do no matter how anxious he is.

"After returning, perhaps I can ask the emperor to equip the messengers with more good horses, as well as carrier pigeons and falcons. Perhaps they can play a significant role."

Mehmet thought.

"Forget it, let's solve the current problem first. Do the Ottoman defenders agree to surrender?"

"Not yet, but soon."

The staff responded.

"They have less than a thousand people, and their weapons, equipment, and muskets and artillery are insufficient. They are no match for us."

Mehmet said nothing, raised the telescope again and looked towards the fortress emitting black smoke.

"We have to take them down before dark. Withdraw the Shooting Corps from Sfax and send the First Guards Corps."

At Mehmet's command, the flag bearer on the lookout waved the flag to convey the flag message.

The observer on the ground immediately translated the message, and the messenger took action to deliver the coach's message to every commander.

The Sfax Riding Corps, which had suffered heavy casualties, withdrew with a sense of relief. The elite First Legion of the Guards put on heavy armor, climbed onto the newly assembled siege tower, and engaged in a final hand-to-hand combat with the defenders.

When the last ray of dusk completely dissipated, the white flag was finally raised at the Fortress of Mendres, and the Ottoman garrison of only more than 200 people announced its surrender. The Eastern Roman Empire took down this dilapidated fortress with its absolute advantage of ten times the number and a hundred times the firepower, and the road to the heart of Mendres was opened.

……

"Your Majesty, our army has captured the fortress of Damendres and has begun to advance eastward along the river, capturing towns and villages!"

In the Governor's Palace on Lesvos Island, Isaac received battle reports from the front line.

"The Ottoman army has been slow to assemble, and our army has unimpeded access, unhindered!"

"Okay, let's go rest."

Isaac took the report, waved his hand, and drove the excited messenger away.

Isaac opened the report and glanced over it.

The Ottoman Empire had been dragged down by the powerful Eastern Roman Empire and was on the verge of collapse. Isaac was not too surprised by the victory of Mendres.

In the report, Commander Mehmet briefly reported on the battle situation on the front line and explained to Isaac in detail a series of problems that occurred during the army's march and related improvement ideas. He really did his best.

"In addition to these basic situations, there was also a small incident. Logically, I have no right to interfere in such matters, so I report it to you and you can make the decision."

Isaac raised his eyebrows when he saw this.

"When our ships were sailing, the fleet of the Knights Hospitaller followed closely and protested to us, believing that the Twelve Islands were their waters. We had to notify them in advance..."

"I invoked the name of holy war and reaffirmed the alliance between Constantinople and Rome, and they left reluctantly."

Isaac put down the report and thought for a moment.

As of today, Catholic forces have basically withdrawn from the eastern Mediterranean, leaving only the Knights Hospitaller occupying Rhodes and the Dodecanese.

When fighting against the Venetians and the Ottomans, the Eastern Roman Empire signed an alliance treaty with the Knights Hospitaller, but today, the two great powers have all been defeated by the iron hoof of the Eastern Roman Empire, and the existence of the Knights Hospitaller has become quite an eyesore.

For example, this time, the mouth of the Mendres River was indeed surrounded by the Twelve Islands and was indeed within the sphere of influence of the Knights Hospitaller. It had never been attacked by the Eastern Roman Navy before.

This is one of the reasons why Isaac chose the mouth of the Menderes River as the landing site.
However, the current Eastern Roman Empire is no longer the sick man of the Balkans, and there is no need to be too cautious.

Rhodes is the homeland of the Eastern Roman Empire, and the Eastern Mediterranean is the inland sea of ​​the Eastern Roman Empire. This is indisputable and cannot be compromised.

At the beginning of the Great Turkish War, the Knights Hospitaller sent people to Constantinople, hoping to join the holy war against the Ottoman Empire, on the condition of obtaining the "old territory of the Knights Hospitaller" including Smyrna, but was rejected by Isaac.

With the death of the previous grand master, the attitude of the Knights Hospitaller towards the Eastern Roman Empire was no longer as good as before, and they occasionally smuggled supplies to the Ottoman Empire, which made Isaac somewhat dissatisfied.

The Knights Hospitaller brought together knights from half of the Catholic world, with the largest number coming from France. These people still had some connections with the Kingdom of France, but the relationship between the Eastern Roman Empire and the Kingdom of France had never been good.

In fact, Isaac already had some ideas about the ownership of Rhodes Island and the fate of the Knights Hospitaller. After the First Great Turkish War, Isaac would begin to resolve these old issues.

In any case, the Knights Hospitaller were a military organization directly under the Pope of Rome. In addition to some more radical French knights, this military order also included a considerable number of Spanish knights, Burgundy knights and Italian knights. They did not want to fight to the death for King Louis XI of France, so there was the possibility of a peaceful solution.

Just as he was thinking about something, the butler of the Governor's Mansion came over and bowed to Isaac. "Your Majesty, the Cairo Star has docked at the port. Baron Jessica and Mr. Fellini are here."

"um. Thank you."

Isaac nodded to the old butler.

This is the island of Lesvos, which once belonged to the Gatillusio family and was later incorporated into the East Aegean region.

After arranging the specific affairs of the Battle of Mendres, Isaac came here by boat. On the one hand, he appeased the local forces on Lesbos Island, and on the other hand, he organized the dispatch of supplies to provide assistance for the feint attack in the north.

This island has been run by the Gattiluccio family for many years and its overall development is quite good. There is a large population on the island and agriculture and commerce are relatively developed.

Compared with Chios, the local forces on Lesvos were more submissive to Isaac's takeover. Everyone was very happy, whether they were Greek or Genoese.

At this time, Isaac was in the Governor's Palace of the Gattiluccio family. His mother Catherine, whom Isaac had never met, had spent an unforgettable youth here, and her room was still left in the Governor's Palace.

It was precisely because of this blood connection that the forces on the island were more welcoming to Isaac, and the eight thousand people quickly won over.

"Saddle my horse. I'll be right there."

Isaac commanded.

After a while, Isaac rode his horse to the port of the island and saw his giant warship, the Light of Cairo, at a glance.

Rather than saying that the Cairo's Star is a battleship, it is more accurate to say that it is a mobile sea base. In addition to artillery, the huge ship also has its own warehouses, military stations, livestock pens, blacksmith shops, chapels and even workshops, and has long-term combat capabilities and long-range delivery capabilities.

In fact, this was the original design intention of the Cairo's Star. In the original time and space, after this giant ship was captured by the Knights Hospitaller, it served as their headquarters for a long time, wandering around the sea with them and going through the most difficult years.

Climbing onto the wide deck, Isaac came to the ship's workshop and met Georg Jessica, the commander of the Riorea Legion, and Fellini, the manager of the royal carriage workshop.

Georg was a relative of the famous military strategist Jan Žižka. Many years ago, he accepted Isaac's invitation and came to North Africa to manufacture improved versions of the Hussite chariots for the Eastern Roman Empire, forming the later Riorea Chariot Legion.

The Riorea Legion played an important role in the Battle of Carthage. The improved Hussite chariot formations prevented the North African cavalry from gaining any advantage and they were unable to destroy these mobile fortresses at all.

However, tank troops have their own limitations after all. They are very effective in the North African coast, which is mainly flat terrain, but it is difficult to play a big role in the Balkans and Anatolia, which are mainly mountainous and hilly.

Therefore, Isaac has been thinking about ways to improve the situation, trying to enhance the mobility and adaptability of the Riorea Legion so that they can also perform well on the Anatolian battlefield.

In fact, in Isaac's view, this chariot legion has a great advantage when facing nomadic cavalry and is fully capable of performing many combat tasks including transporting military supplies.

Now, the military supply system of the Eastern Roman Empire was heavily dependent on sea transportation, and land transportation was slightly insufficient. When the battlefield moved deep inland from the coast, nomadic cavalry would likely take advantage of this weakness, repeatedly harassing the land supply lines and making the Eastern Roman soldiers run around in a hurry.

A few years ago, a new plant appeared in Isaac's sight, and he immediately saw an opportunity.

rubber.

For mankind, the wheel is probably one of the greatest inventions. Except for some African tribes that are too primitive, most mature civilizations have invented wheels and used them for transportation, converting sliding friction into rolling friction, greatly improving transportation efficiency and greatly promoting the progress of civilization.

The three major civilizations in the Americas are an exception. They had no horses, camels, or domesticated cattle, and were stuck in this respect. They invented the wheel but not the cart.

Most of the current wheels are wooden wheels, which have many disadvantages, such as poor grip, poor anti-bumping ability, short life, and easy to get stuck...

The wooden-wheeled carriage has very high requirements for the road surface. It cannot climb even slightly steep slopes and cannot increase its speed.

So Isaac turned his attention to the rubber he brought back from the New World.

Human use of rubber dates back to a long time ago. American civilization recognized the unique properties of rubber very early and could make some simple raincoats, shoes and toy rubber balls.

When rubber came into the view of Europeans, it was immediately widely studied and eventually became a hot industrial raw material, with demand increasing exponentially.

In fact, it was very easy for Isaac to make the earliest solid rubber tires. He only had to heat the rubber brought back from the New World to about 100 degrees Celsius to soften it, and then apply it to the wooden wheel.

In the original time and space, Europeans began to use natural rubber from then on.

However, natural rubber has some inherent disadvantages. It softens and becomes sticky when the temperature is high, and freezes hard when the temperature is low, which is very inconvenient.

So, Isaac decided to use his knowledge to provide a new idea for the use of rubber - vulcanization.

The earliest vulcanized rubber is actually not difficult to make. Its production and discovery came from an accident by the stove rather than research in the laboratory. Just sprinkle sulfur powder evenly on natural rubber, add turpentine, and bake it at an appropriate temperature to complete simple vulcanization of the rubber, and its performance will be improved exponentially.

During these years, Isaac specially opened a rubber subject in the Royal Academy of Sciences, told them the simplest method of vulcanizing rubber, and asked the alchemists to find the right temperature and the right ratio.

With the support of a lot of funds, these alchemists finally submitted an imperfect answer to Isaac. The finished product was much worse than the vulcanized rubber of later generations, but it was completely sufficient and could be put into mass production, which would bring about a huge innovation in the entire transportation industry.

Of course, the rubber tires at this time are still solid, and Isaac will continue to invest in the future to see if he can manufacture hollow rubber tires, which requires certain technology.

Even if it fails, it will leave valuable ideas for future generations.

Moreover, rubber has a wide range of uses. It can be used not only in tires, rubber, raincoats, rubber shoes...it can bring a lot of business opportunities.

Isaac has required the colonies in the New World to hand over rubber regularly and has strictly prohibited it from flowing into other countries, aiming to completely monopolize the rubber market, which is bound to flourish in the future.

"Your Majesty, you are finally here."

In the spacious cabin, Georg, wearing the lobster family crest, bowed to Isaac with a smile in his eyes.

"Rubber tires are very useful, and the spring plates are also a very useful design. The new tanks are much faster than before, and their ability to adapt to rough terrain has also increased exponentially. With these, we will surely be able to make the Riorea Legion achieve greater success!"

Isaac nodded and looked at Fellini beside him.

This was an Italian whose ancestors had been making carriages for generations. Isaac invited him to come and open a royal carriage workshop in Constantinople, which was used for both military and civilian purposes, producing both civilian carriages and accepting military orders.

"Your Majesty, Baron Georg is right. We have tried it several times in the Balkan Hills and the results are good."

Fellini's eyes were full of smiles.

"Very good, after all these years and so much money, you finally succeeded."

Isaac smiled as well.

"I will first send the best carriage to the Prime Minister and see if he will question my decision."

"It has been sent, Your Majesty. The Prime Minister is very happy and asked us to start production as soon as possible to promote the prosperity of the transportation industry."

Fellini said.

Isaac nodded slightly and turned to Georg.

"The war in Anatolia needs you. I'll give you a month. Can you form combat effectiveness?"

"Absolutely, Your Majesty."

Georg nodded repeatedly.

"In fact, we took into account the ability to transport across the sea when designing the new chariot. We adopted the detachable structure learned from the Ottomans, dividing a chariot into different parts, which can be transported by ship and assembled after reaching land to quickly participate in combat."

Georg pointed to a large pile of parts in the workshop.

"You see, rubber wheels, springs, ropes, hardwood boards, fireproof leather, small organ cannons, musket stands..."

Georg said, his eyes dimming.

"Back then, my uncle was able to defeat the German heavy knights with the most ordinary Hussite chariots. If we had this kind of chariot, we might be able to..."

"Okay, okay, let's not talk about this anymore."

Isaac quickly stopped him.

You know, according to the Council of La Spezia, Hussites were a definite heresy in the Eastern Roman Empire. George and Mansreti had converted to Orthodoxy long ago, but they were still full of sympathy for the Hussites.

"You don't need to go deep into the plateau for now. Just stay in the hilly areas in the west and adapt for a while."

Isaac commanded.

"The main farming areas of the Ottomans are in the river valley lowlands. The terrain here is relatively flat. You can fully cooperate with the army and make a name for yourself."

"The battlefield is also the best testing ground. If this new type of tank has any shortcomings or deficiencies, summarize them immediately without hesitation."

Isaac looked at Fellini.

"You need to increase production as quickly as possible and promote the new carriages to all parts of the empire."

"I will let the royal family be the first to purchase this kind of carriage and promote it for you."

"My army lacks mobility. In the future, I will not only order new chariots, but also a batch of ordinary horse-drawn carriages equipped with rubber tires."

Fellini thought for a moment and opened his mouth.

"Don't worry about the rubber. I'll make the arrangements."

Isaac interrupted him.

Fellini was speechless and nodded heavily.

"Your Majesty, please give our new chariot a name."

Georg suggested eagerly.

"You are the discoverer and promoter of rubber and the creator of rubber tires, and you deserve this honor."

Isaac thought for a moment, then walked to the wooden table and stroked the solid rubber wheel on the table.

"Since it is used in war, let's call it the Chariot of St. George."

St. George, the patron saint of warriors and soldiers, is appropriate here.

"Okay, the soldiers of the Riorea Legion are also in the fleet. There are many spare parts in the cabin of the Cairo Star. I will go and prepare for the battle now!"

Georg bowed.

……

On September 1471, 9, the Riorea Legion of the Eastern Roman Empire arrived at the mouth of the Mendres River by ship, built a simple assembly workshop on the spot, and began to assemble the latest St. George chariot.

(End of this chapter)