1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 308: Uzon Hassan's Decision

Asia Minor is a mountainous peninsula, with mountainous plateaus accounting for more than 90 percent of the total area. Rivers of all sizes flow through the valleys, eroding the outer edge of the plateau into gullies and ravines, making it fragmented.

However, Asia Minor is also a rich peninsula. Although there are many mountains and hills, the precipitation and light conditions are quite good, especially the Aegean Sea coast in the western part of the peninsula, which is almost the same as the Greek region, with abundant precipitation and quite long sunshine hours, which is rare in the European civilization area with higher latitudes.

Except for the Lake Tuz area on the Anatolian Plateau, the entire peninsula is not short of water resources, with widespread lakes and numerous rivers.

These rivers often originate from plateau mountains and are able to bring nutrients from upstream to downstream. Over thousands of years of erosion, they have created fertile and rich river valley plains. Together with the coastal urban circles, they form the main population gathering area in the western part of the peninsula.

The existence of river valley lowlands enabled Anatolia to support a large population and also brought convenience to wars and attacks.

Rush upstream along the river, capture cities along the way, and when you find that the mountains block the way forward and the road ahead is difficult, a large territory will be in your hands.

Judging from the map, Anatolia is quite vast, but in reality, only less than half of the area needs to be deployed with troops. There is no need to tackle the difficult and steep mountains because there are simply not many people there.

Of course, the existence of these mountains also provides a good stronghold for lawless criminals. This is a forbidden zone for civilization and a paradise for bandits.

During the wars in the past few years, the Anatolian Peninsula suffered severe devastation. The economic suppression and military oppression of the Eastern Roman Empire forced Ottoman officials to repeatedly shift the blame onto ordinary people, robbing them of the fruits of their labor, abducting their young laborers, and leaving a once-perfect village uninhabited.

As a result, many desperate farmers became refugees, most of those who hoped to survive sought shelter in larger settlements, and many rebellious people went to the mountains and gathered together.

The Sudanese officials were certainly not fools or crazy. They did not want to drain the pond and force so many obedient people to rebel, and they also left room for these people to survive.

However, exploitation and oppression enforced by violent means is like a Pandora's box that is easy to open and difficult to close.

In the eyes of the Sultan, there would be no problem in collecting one silver coin, but in the mouths of low-level officials, it became five or even ten.

The original intentions above are all good, but the problems lie in the execution below.

Thus, the entire western Anatolia began to rush into chaos, rushing towards final collapse without stopping.

It is not easy to establish a complete order, but it is too easy to tear down an order.

With the successful landing of the Eastern Roman army at the mouth of the Mendres River and the successful opening up of the second battlefield in western Anatolia, the Ottoman order, which was already on the verge of collapse, disintegrated again and again like the remaining snow under the warm sun, and a new order was gradually established.

It is early winter and the temperature is gradually dropping. The white frost on the dry weeds at night is gradually disappearing under the sun. The slight chill in the mountains makes pedestrians on the roadside wrap themselves up tightly.

This is Denizli, a small riverside town at the foot of the mountain, some distance from the coast.

Although Denizli is not a large city, its scenic spots and historical sites are very famous. The famous ancient city of Hierapolis and Pamukkale are both on the outskirts of the city. There are also very good hot springs for the rich to recuperate.

The small river outside the city originates from the mountains on the south side and flows north into the Menderes River. It is a tributary of the Menderes River.

A few months ago, the Eastern Roman Empire tore through the coastal defense line of the Ottoman defenders at the mouth of the Menderes River. As the garrison here was very weak and there were no organized mobile forces, the Southwestern Front's commander-in-chief Mehmet divided the army of more than 20,000 people into three routes. One route cooperated with the inland navy and marched inland along the Menderes River. One route went south to collect coastal cities, and the last route crossed the river to the north to capture the cities of Seke and Aydin.

Denizli has a small population, is backed by mountains, and has average natural conditions. It is the last large settlement on the outskirts of the plateau.

Further east is the Great Lakes region on the Anatolian Plateau, which is home to five large freshwater lakes including Lake Burdur, Lake Beyşehir, and Lake Hoylan, as well as several small lakes. Although it is also an important agricultural area, the terrain is relatively steep and the inland navy cannot move forward.

Outside the city of Denizli, an army was waiting in formation. Their uniforms were rather messy, and their weapons and equipment were of varying quality. A large number of ordinary soldiers used farm forks, while some elite soldiers carried sophisticated weapons engraved with the double-headed eagle emblem.

At the front of the army, Otum sat upright on his horse, his face calm, but his heart was already in turmoil.

Not long ago, Otum met with Marcus, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Eastern Roman Empire, on a warship and announced his conversion to Eastern Orthodoxy and his allegiance to the Eastern Roman Emperor.

During these months, the Eastern Roman army made rapid progress and riverside towns fell one after another. It did not take much effort for Ottoman to persuade his main subordinates to "revolt" and accept reorganization together with his subordinates.

In order not to be left out or abandoned, Otum decided to prove his worth and took his troops to capture the small town as a gift.

However, he was still somewhat nervous. The inland navy of the Eastern Roman Empire was on the mainstream river in the north, and 5,000 troops were stationed there. As long as they were willing, Denizli would not be able to resist for long, so his "greeting gift" was not of much value.

In order to win the emperor's favor, he also sent people to patrol and gather up the Greek people who had fled everywhere, a total of more than a thousand people, all of whom were settled here, waiting for the emperor's arrival.

He drove out the Ottoman officials and Muslim scholars in the city, but some merchants stayed and were willing to convert to Orthodoxy and pledge allegiance to the emperor.

As the emperor did not come for a long time, Otum began to become a little anxious. The warhorse under his crotch seemed to sense his master's emotions and pawed his hooves anxiously.

"General Ortum, don't panic. I just came from the west. They won't do anything to you."

Next to Autumn, a fat businessman winked at him.

"Don't be fooled by the Ottomans. Your Majesty is not a devil who kills without blinking an eye."

Autumn looked straight ahead and was silent for a moment.

"How's the situation out west?"

“Those who are willing to convert will be granted citizenship immediately, and will be given land and other means of production.”

The businessman said.

"If Greek could be spoken, the land grant would be two or three times as much."

"Because of the population decline, the Ottoman nobility was also swept away, and there was a lot of land, and everyone could get more land than before."

The businessman smiled.

“What about those who don’t want to convert?”

Autumn asked.

"Either leave or wait to be captured by the slave-catching group, sent to Billinge for training, and then sent to plantations and estates."

The businessman said indifferently.

"Anyway, I'm an Armenian, it's none of my business."

"Don't worry, the emperor will be very happy if you all convert to Christianity."

The businessman consoled.

"That's not what I had in mind."

Autumn pouted.

"I didn't rebel just to be an ordinary citizen. I had to get a job as an official at least."

"That depends on your Majesty's mood."

The businessman thought about it.

"However, the current Army Minister is a converted Turk, as is the commander of the Southwestern Front. They will certainly speak well of you."

"If you become a senior officer, you can learn about the various factions of the Eastern Empire Army. It may help your future."

"Oh? Please elaborate."

Autumn became interested.

"It's no secret. Wherever there are people, there are factions. You can figure it out if you just think about it."

The businessman recalled.

"Generally speaking, the Eastern Empire Army is divided into four major factions, namely the Constantinople faction, the Carthaginian faction, the Eastern faction, and the Western faction. Since you are a naturalized Turk, you must be from the Eastern faction."

"The Constantinople faction was once headed by Duke Mikhail, the former Minister of the Army. It is now headed by several generals from the Notaras family. Generals from Albania and Bulgaria are also close to this faction. It is the most powerful and the most proud. You can't squeeze in."

"The Carthaginian faction is headed by Count Yergubai, the tribune of Carthage, and includes generals from North Africa and Armenia. Although they are also naturalized, it has been more than 20 years. Most of them are the emperor's loyal confidants and have always claimed to be the emperor's personal subordinates. Forget about it."

The businessman chuckled.

"The Eastern faction is mostly Turkic converts, and they also have their own officers' club. Since Count Ibrahim is the Minister of the Army, they have been very active recently. You can try to get together with them for warmth."

"Yeah, I'll try."

Autumn nodded.

"What about the Western Department?"

"The Western faction is the Latin Romans. They were once able to stand on equal footing with the Constantinople faction. They were headed by Grand Master Conti of the Knights of Saint Simon and Count Maruna of the Albanian Military District. They had made great contributions in your Majesty's early conquests and have a high prestige. However, they are all old and don't care much about the affairs of young people."

The businessman thought about it.

"But you also have to know that the Western system has an inseparable connection with the royal family. Conte's wife is the emperor's cousin, and Conte's eldest son, Taitius, is about to join the army. The recently famous Gonzalo de Cordova is the closest person to His Majesty Justinian and the godfather of Constantine the Stormer. He is also capable and will definitely rise in the future."

"As for the navy and the administrative system, there are of course some factionalism, but it has nothing to do with you."

"Does the Emperor know about this?"

Autumn asked.

"of course I know."

The businessman shrugged.

"Factions are a bond of interest based on language, culture and common background. They are natural and exist in every country."

"Besides, this isn't a bad thing. If everyone is so friendly, then they must have bad intentions."

The businessman said.

"Since you have joined us, you will learn about these things sooner or later. You cannot change your origins, so you can only choose to accept it."

"The masters of Constantinople look down on everyone, so you don't need to pay too much attention to them. The Carthaginians don't care about anyone except the emperor, so you don't need to care either. But you have always had a bad relationship with the Western system. Count Ibrahim has repeatedly asked the emperor to restrain Gonzalo's inappropriate behavior, but Gonzalo is too good at fighting, which makes Prince Jacob of Aries anxious. He has silenced everyone with one victory after another."

"In short, do your best. The Eastern Empire has not yet reached the point where factional struggles are irreconcilable. As long as you have made achievements, no one will dare to deduct the rewards you deserve."

The businessman consoled.

"It's a prosperous era now. Everyone is busy proving themselves on the battlefield. Not many people will deliberately trip you up."

“Prosperity is not easy, so we need to cherish it.”

Autumn nodded, and there was a hint of amusement in his eyes when he looked at the businessman.

"You are a businessman, why do you know so much about the Eastern Empire?"

"I am originally a subject of the Emperor, a subordinate of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, responsible for providing intelligence."

The businessman said as a matter of course.

"The Emperor's intelligence department had already laid the groundwork before the war. I have been observing you for a long time. I revealed all your hideouts, troops, and background in this area to Sir Marcus."

"If you had dared to deceive the Empire, other rebel forces would have immediately come to collectively wipe you out. I was also the one who contacted them."

The businessman patted his chest proudly.

"you--"

Autumn was a little angry, but also a little relieved.

Before he could say anything, clouds of dust came from the distant road. The thundering sound of horse hooves shattered the tranquility of the early morning. In the dust, a team of heavy cavalry was looming.

Otum immediately became serious and asked his subordinates to assume the most respectful attitude to welcome the emperor.

The armored paladins stopped at the city gate, and Isaac stood proudly in the armored forest.

Autumn quickly jumped off the horse, trotted forward and knelt on one knee.

"Your Majesty, Emperor of Rome and the Romans, it is an honor to meet you."

Autumn said forcefully.

"My name is Otum Kraken. I am a leader of the anti-Ottoman rebels. I have converted to Orthodoxy and am willing to serve you!"

"Kraken?"

Isaac was curious.

"Why did you give yourself this last name?"

"I met Lord Marcus on the gunboat Kraken, formally pledged my allegiance to you, and converted to Orthodoxy."

Otum spoke earnestly.

"For me, this is a rebirth. I have gone from being a prisoner to being one of your subjects. This is worth commemorating."

"In order to thank your majesty for your kindness, I led my army to fight bloody battles, recaptured the city for your majesty, and preserved an intact Greek-speaking community. However, I did not receive a formal order after all, and I hope your majesty will punish me!"

Isaac looked at Otum, who was eager to be an official, and found it a little funny. His intelligence department had already written a report about the situation in Denizli and told him that when Otum led his troops here, there were no defenders in the city, and there was no bloody battle. The people surrendered directly.

However, he had the ingenuity to gather a number of displaced Greek Orthodox Christians, which was exactly what Isaac urgently needed.

Moreover, wanting to be an official is a good thing. Only when these converts are given room for advancement and can find a place in the empire will they develop a centripetal force and sense of belonging to the country.

As for the language, beliefs and blood, after two generations, who will remember them?

Excluding the ruled from the army and the government was a foolish thing that only the Mamluks would do, but Isaac would not do that.

"Get up, I will remember your contribution and your loyalty."

Isaac said soothingly.

"My promise will not change. From now on, you will be soldiers of the Seventh Legion of the Purple Guard, and you will be the legion commander."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I will repay you with my life!"

Autumn finally felt relieved and couldn't hide the smile on his face.

"Your Majesty, would you like to go into the city?"

Autumn took Isaac's horse by the reins.

"No hurry, I still have some tasks to give you."

Isaac looked at Autumn.

"Your Majesty, please speak."

Autumn turned back.

"There are still many refugee gangs and robbers active in the mountains of this generation. In addition, some remnants of the Ottoman army that we defeated are also wandering in the countryside."

Isaac groaned.

"My intelligence officer has basically figured out their general location. You can communicate with them and lead the legion to solve these problems."

"It's the same as before. Anyone willing to convert will be a Roman citizen. You can select strong men to join the legion. The full force is 2,000."

"Destroy all those who are unwilling to convert. You should be quite good at this."

Since the Eastern Roman Empire wanted to rebuild order in western Anatolia, it naturally could not allow a large number of refugees and soldiers to be included. Those who were willing to be loyal would be brought into the abandoned fields, and those who were unwilling would be left alone. However, the armed slave-catching group was already ready to go.

"Our conquest in the east has come to an end. The plateau is still the territory of nomadic tribes, so we can't go up there for the time being."

Isaac looked toward the rolling hills in the distance.

"Once you have dealt with these matters, you can go to Smyrna and join Mehmet's siege camp. They are already on their way."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will go right away."

Autumn nodded in response.

……

Ankara, Anatolian Plateau.

The city of Ankara was once an important transit station on the Silk Road and the ruling center of the Ottoman Empire on the Anatolian Plateau. It had a large population and relatively developed commerce. Tributaries of the Sakarya River flowed outside the city, creating fertile river valley plains suitable for farming and nomadism.

During the Great Turkish War, the Ottoman prince Bayezid imposed heavy taxes in Ankara, taking away almost all the men who could fight and the available money, but he suffered a great defeat at the gates of Nicomedia, completely destroying the Ottoman Empire's Eastern Army.

After the White Sheep Dynasty entered Ankara, Uzungol Hasan set up this place as a camp and set up tents stretching for dozens of miles outside the city. The people of Ankara were exploited once again.

In this era, the personal quality of soldiers was very poor, especially the nomadic soldiers. They had no salary, and except for the allowances that might be issued before the decisive battle, their only source of income was looting and plundering. They would not let go of the people around Ankara just because of the same beliefs.

In the largest tent, Uzon Hassan sat on his throne without any close ministers beside him. The guards at the door had already sensed Padishah's anger, and they stood straight without looking away.

The two young nobles came to the tent and were a little hesitant when they saw how eerily quiet it was inside.

"My two princes, Padishah is waiting for you."

The guard said stiffly.

"Okay, let's go."

Jacob sighed, and Khalil looked at his brother with a gloating look.

Khalil knew that Jacob had been defeated in the north and had been successfully ambushed by the dragoons and Cossacks led by Gonzalo, and even the scimitar given to him by his father had become a trophy of the Christians.

The two men walked into the tent, and Uzon Hassan raised his head and glanced at them.

"Father……"

Jacob looked tentatively at Uzon Hassan.

"sit down."

Uzon Hassan sighed and waved his hand.

"Father, I gave the wrong instructions. Please punish me!"

Jacob gritted his teeth and knelt down, while Khalil stood aside with his head held high.

"I did not call you here for this matter. Get up."

Uzon Hassan turned his head to the side in annoyance and threw a letter to the two of them.

After passing it around, the two looked at each other.

"The Greeks are up to their tricks again!"

Uzon Hassan roared, grabbed a glass bottle and smashed it to the ground.

"They have reached so far that even the coast of Persia has been attacked by them!"

"East India Fleet, huh? I—"

Wu Zonghasan gritted his teeth, but he really couldn't think of any solution.

"Father, in my opinion, Governor Fars has failed in his duty to guard the coast, and you should punish him."

Khalil said seriously, trying every possible way to discredit his brother.

"That's great! It's exactly the same as your mother's suggestion."

"As expected, he is my biological son."

Wuzon Hassan narrowed his eyes and glared at his son.

"You can't come up with any valuable solution. This is all you can do, right?"

"Father, I don't think now is the time to be angry."

Jacob looked up.

"You said."

Uzon Hassan pursed his lips.

"Father, according to the letter, the Greeks' small movements in the east are mainly in two directions, one is the Persian coast, and the other is the Caucasus Mountains."

Jacob analyzed.

"The Persian coast was attacked by the East India Fleet. This is of no concern to us, but those are the lands you recently conquered. The relationship between us and them is that of protector and protected. If you sit back and do nothing, they will be disappointed, and this will be a big blow to your prestige."

"continue."

Uzon Hassan nodded.

"The second is the Caucasus. According to intelligence, Alexius the Frozen, together with the remnant of the Black Sheep, Arsalan, have captured several small villages under our protection and relocated the local Armenians and Georgians back to their jurisdiction."

Jacob continued.

"Because we have mobilized too many troops, the tribes there have not been able to launch an effective counterattack. The Safavid Order has recently had some conflicts with the Shirvan Kingdom, so they may have been involved as well."

"What do you think should be done?"

Uzon Hassan looked at Jacob.

"Father, I think that our conquest in Anatolia is almost over. We have gained a lot of wealth and the loyalty of many tribes. It is time to go back and stabilize the situation."

Jacob said firmly.

"We don't need to sacrifice our precious lives for the Ottomans. The Greeks are very powerful. What we need most is to improve ourselves and stabilize the local area, not to continue to expand."

"The Greeks dare not climb the plateau. You can leave a troop in Ankara, and our interests can be fully preserved."

"As for Gonzalo, I admit that I underestimated him, but he can't easily enter the depths of the plateau. This is the territory of the Turkic tribe."

"Nonsense! I think you are frightened by that Spanish boy!"

Khalil objected immediately.

"The Greeks are making rapid progress in the west. Their prestige cannot continue to rise, otherwise it will dampen the jihad enthusiasm of the entire Islamic world!"

"It is a shame that we stand aside and watch while others are writing history!"

Khalil said loudly.

"If we run away directly like you said, how will my father's prestige and dignity be maintained? Will those tribes still listen to us?"

"You are messing around!"

Jacob jumped up and looked at his brother angrily.

"you--"

"enough!"

Uzon Hassan roared again and looked at his two sons with disappointment.

"I think I am as good as the Greek emperor in military and political affairs, but when it comes to raising my son, I am far worse than him!"

Wu Zonghasan wanted to get angry, but he held it back.

"Before you came, I had already met with the tribal leaders and exchanged views with them."

Uzon Hassan stood up.

"I will let some tribes from Persia and the Caucasus go back first to guard their pastures."

"The rest of you stay here and fight with me."

There was fanaticism in Uzon Hassan's eyes.

"It's winter now. Military supplies are insufficient and the weather is cold. It's inconvenient to send troops."

"We will start gathering our troops now, and by next spring, we will defeat the Greek army in one fell swoop!"

"Father--"

Jacob spoke hastily, but was interrupted by Uzon Hassan's wave of his hand.

"I am the Padishah, the Lord of Kings, the only Muslim monarch, and the commander-in-chief of Jihad."

"Even the arrogant Jahan Shah and Busayn were defeated by me in one battle, and the Ottomans even handed over the title of King of Kings to me. No matter how strong the Greeks are, they can't scare me away!"

Uzon Hassan waved his fists and arms.

"The Greeks are frequently stirring up trouble in other places, which means they want us to withdraw. If we really run away like a sheep, it will play into their hands."

"Better to live like a lion for one day than to live like a sheep for ten thousand years!"

(End of this chapter)