1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 319 Black Sea Wedding
The scorching sun burned the earth, as if trying to drain away all the last bit of moisture. On the barren land, the rivers flowing down from the mountains dried up, and only scattered drought-resistant plants grew tenaciously. A few camels wandered on the distant hillside, and a goshawk soared in the clear sky.

This is western Persia. Barrenness and drought are the main themes of this land. Villages and towns are scattered around water sources. A large number of nomadic tribes are distributed in this wasteland, living near water and grass.

The summer in Persia is the most unbearable. It is hot and dry. In many places there is no rain. Only in a few areas there are rivers and lakes where humans can survive.

Of course, this place is located between the Zagros Mountains and the Kuhrud Mountains, on a plateau with a high altitude, so the temperature is tolerable for the time being. If you go further east and come out of the plateau, the drought and heat will be even worse, and the vast desert will be daunting for all travelers.

On the desert, a cavalry team was walking slowly. The horses and camels had drooping faces. The cavalrymen were even more silent and blocked their mouths and noses with cloth to block the occasional sandstorm.

In the cavalry, Uzon Hassan stared silently ahead. All he saw was endless desert, with no signs of human life.

Compared to a year ago, the Aries King now looked older, his back was more hunched, his hair and beard had turned white, his wrinkles had deepened, and his dull eyes were bloodshot under his heavy eyelids.

After the defeat in the decisive battle, Uzung Hasan fled all the way and met his two sons who had escaped before him in Ankara. He gathered some of the remaining soldiers and continued to flee from Ankara to Diyarbakir, and then to Tabriz at a very fast speed.

After fleeing back to Tabriz, Uzon Hassan reflected on his underestimation of the enemy and his reckless advance. He called his two sons, who had also fled back at a very fast speed, and scolded them severely, saying that they had failed to manage their troops well, which led to many tribes deserting the battlefield.

Uzung Hassan looked at his silent third son Jacob and his still lazy second son Khalil, and felt furious. Thinking of his eldest son Ugulu who had always been diligent and conscientious, he became even more disappointed. He prepared to recall Ugulu and re-entrust him with important tasks, and by the way, withdraw the troops from Fars to strengthen the central power.

However, the very next day after Uzung Hassan issued the order, his wife Seljuk Hatun came to him and threw a stack of documents at him, bringing him an unexpected news that made him feel hopeless.

His eldest son, Ugulu Muhammad, reached an agreement with the East India Fleet, obtained a large amount of weapons, equipment, food and money from them, and plotted a rebellion.

After confirming the news, Uzon Hassan sat alone on the throne, stunned and speechless, from noon to dusk.

Then, the second message came back quickly, saying that Uguru had repatriated all the central government personnel, promoted his confidants to serve as backbones, and at the same time borrowed money to support troops and expand the army in preparation for war.

Soon after, the third message arrived, written by his son Ugulu, who said that the failure of Anatolia was entirely due to the incompetence of Khalil and Jacob, and hoped that Uzun Hasan would execute them and re-establish himself as heir.

At the end of the letter, Ugulu threatened that if Uzunghasan did not agree to his request, he would use his own methods to purge the emperor and eliminate the traitors.

After reading the letter, Uzon Hassan pondered for a long time and began to make arrangements.

Ugulu's letter seemed very vicious, but in fact, Uzon Hassan read some deeper meaning from it. In his opinion, Ugulu was not a cunning villain, and his desire to rebel was not very strong. He did not want to overthrow his rule, and his core demand was only one: I want to be the heir.

To be honest, Uzoung Hassan did promise Ugulu's mother at the beginning to make him the heir, and he did train him to be the heir in the first half of his life. However, politics is never ruthless. Uzoung Hassan married a noble lady from the Seljuk family, thus strengthening his own legitimacy, but naturally he had to pay a corresponding price.

Under Seljuk Hatun's daily slander and frame-ups, Uzung Hasan indeed drifted away from his eldest son and largely ignored his feelings.

Uzung Hassan was aware of the suppression of Uguru by Seljuk Hatun and the forces behind her, but he was unable to provide effective protection.

In the Islamic world, this kind of thing is very common. Back then, he defeated his brothers and only then was he able to sit firmly on the throne of Diyarbakir.

In Uzung Hassan's view, Ugulu was "forced to rebel" by the Seljuk Hatun, and he did not dare to rise up against his father. Despite the support of the Eastern Roman Empire, he still seemed hesitant and indecisive.

If it were him, he would not write the letter, nor would he hope for possible peace talks and compromise. He would take advantage of the emptiness of the central government and directly mobilize his troops to march towards Tabriz.

Therefore, Uzon Hassan began to make his own plans. On the one hand, he transferred soldiers from other places back to the capital, and on the other hand, he pretended to negotiate in order to stabilize his son.

In addition, he also re-recognized the Eastern Roman Empire's appeal in the Indian Ocean, which had long been not to be underestimated, and began to contact Muslim forces in the Indian Ocean, preparing to launch an attack on the East Indian Fleet to drive Christian forces out of the Indian Ocean.

"Padisha, we're here."

The leader of Uzung Hassan's personal guards pointed forward.

The negotiation location chosen by Uzung Hassan was not bad. It was a deserted place with a clear view of the surroundings. There was no need to worry about ambushes and sneak attacks. The mountains in the distance were rolling and undulating like a sleeping beast.

There is an abandoned castle in the middle of the wasteland. Uzon Hassan remembered this place. A few years ago, he led his troops to this small town, but destroyed it due to fierce resistance.

At the other end of the abandoned castle, a cavalry unit of similar size appeared in sight.

"You stay here while I go to my son, may Allah save his soul from the clutches of the Greek devils."

Wuzon Hasan sighed and rode away alone.

Ugulu also rode over on horseback, and the two of them slowly stopped in front of the ruins.

Uzon Hassan looked at his eldest son whom he had not seen for a long time, and remained silent.

"Father, I'm here."

Ugulu looked at his father's aged face and his still intimidating look, and lowered his head unconsciously.

"I heard that you signed an agreement with the Greeks to overthrow my regime."

Uzon Hassan stared at him and spoke slowly.

"I don't!"

Ugulu raised his head anxiously and quickly explained.

"I have no intention of rebelling, nor have I accepted the Greeks' conditions. All I want is your guarantee!"

"Your wife and other sons have never considered me as a relative. It's all because of them that we are where we are today!"

Ugulu raised his voice.

"I know you've been wronged."

Wuzon Hassan paused for a moment, put away his stern expression, and put on a kind look.

"I know that you have been deceived by those cunning Greeks. They don't want to help you at all. They just want to use you and plunge us into the abyss of internal strife."

"I know Khalil and his friends have gone too far. I will punish them."

"How to punish?"

Ugulu looked at his father, seemingly still holding on to some hope.

"Before my mother died, you promised her that you would make me her heir!"

"They are too powerful. For the sake of national stability, I cannot ignore their feelings."

Uzon Hassan shook his head.

"will not!"

Ugulu said eagerly.

"You can rely on me! I have soldiers! We can take the Persian soldiers to Tabriz and put them in prison. Then we can centralize power! We don't need to rely on them to maintain our rule anymore!"

Uzon Hassan sighed and did not agree.

"You should know that our country has already failed once and can no longer withstand a large-scale civil war. As my son, you should know this clearly."

"I will exclude Khalil from the line of succession and make Jacob the heir. How about you and your descendants rule Fars for generations?"

Uzon Hassan looked at his son inquiringly.

"Jacob is not Khalil. He is a good person and will not make things difficult for you."

"I am old and I won't live for many more years. Isn't it good for you brothers to unite and be harmonious, resist foreign aggression together and avoid civil war?"

Ugulu was silent for a moment, and the expression on his face changed from expectation to desolation, and then to ferocious.

"That is to say, you never wanted to make me your successor, your caliph!"

"You know better than me what the succession struggle is like. I am the eldest son. When Jacob ascends the throne, will he let me go?"

"You never consider my feelings!"

"The Greeks were right. In your eyes, I am a victim!"

Ugulu laughed out loud.

"I had high hopes for you before I came here. It seems I was too naive!"

"Ugulu, there is still room for maneuver!"

Seeing that the situation was getting out of control, Uzon Hassan hurriedly raised his voice.

"Don't act rashly. I will go back and call a meeting of all the ministries to decide on the successor, just like our ancestors did. How about that?"

"Haha, they have a noble mother and their own powerful background. Even you dare not ignore their opinions. If we really want to vote, how can I compete with them..."

Ugulu smiled bitterly and shook his head.

"I was wrong. I shouldn't have had any illusions about you. I should have listened to the advice of the Greeks..."

"Uguru, what on earth do you want to do!"

Uzon Hassan was a little angry and pulled out his scimitar, pointing it at his son.

When Ugulu saw the shining scimitar, he was a little stunned for a moment, and it took him a long time to react.

"You want to kill me!"

Ugulu roared, also drawing his own scimitar.

"You killed your brother, you let my mother down, and you forgot her last words!"

"You want Khalil to be your caliph, you want me to be killed by them, and you even want me to be killed!"

"Uguru!"

Uzon Hassan was shocked and angry.

"Your Majesty, please call me Caliph!"

Ulugu roared, swung his scimitar, and hit the back of his father's knife hard, knocking it to the ground.

The two were silent. Ugulu took deep breaths of the dry air, seeming a little incredulous about his own behavior.

"Are you going to kill me?"

Wuzon Hassan stared at his son in a daze.

"No, Allah will not allow that."

Ugulu threw away his knife, his hands trembled and his lips quivered.

"Don't worry, even if I win, I won't kill my own father."

Wu Zonghasan looked at his son with a dazed look in his eyes, a hint of disdain flashed in his eyes, and his evaluation of him lowered a few points.

It seems that it was a right decision not to make him the heir. It was also a good thing that he jumped out in a hurry at this time and looked indecisive.

"Kid, we all need to calm down. How about we negotiate again in the same place in a month?"

Uzon Hassan slowed down his tone.

"Okay, I hope you can consider my proposal carefully."

Ugulu still kept his head down, as if he was afraid to face his father.

Wuzon Hassan looked at his son for a while before he gently squeezed the horse's belly and prepared to leave.

"If you figure it out, come to Isfahan to find me. I'll be there this month."

Uzon Hassan forced a smile and rode away.

Wuzon Hassan returned to his personal guards, gave them a few instructions, then rode away on his horse, heading north.

Ugulu watched his father's back disappear into the dim sky in silence.

His men rode up on horseback and came to his side.

"Prince, what's the result?"

A middle-aged man in fancy clothes asked in a low voice.

"Have you finished everything you asked me to do?"

Ugulu asked directly without answering.

The middle-aged man was stunned for a moment, then nodded quickly.

"Greek aid is already at sea, consisting of three hundred muskets, five light field guns, and—"

"That's not what I asked."

Ugulu interrupted him.

"another thing."

Ugulu looked at him with cold eyes, completely different from the trance just now.

"Three months should be fine."

"Yes, Your Highness, the news finally came back last night, but I didn't have time to tell you."

The middle-aged man said quickly.

"Although the Greeks do not recommend you to take risky actions, they are still willing to help you make connections and agree to provide you with a group of mercenaries to help you defend Shiraz."

"What mercenary group?"

Ugulu asked.

"They are civilian mercenaries from the New Thrace region. The officers and veterans are Greeks, and the ordinary soldiers are Khoisans. They are equipped with muskets, and there are a total of 1,000 of them. They may not be good at field battles, but they should have no problem defending a city."

The middle-aged man said.

“They spent so much money, what are the conditions?”

Ugulu's eyes flickered.

"They want a piece of land on the northern shore of the Strait of Hormuz. I've seen it and there's only a small fishing village called Gombrun there."

The middle-aged man thought about it.

"I guess that Albuquerque wants to use this as a base to capture the Hormuz Islands and monopolize the Persian Gulf trade."

"The arms are so long."

Ugulu gritted his teeth.

Although the Persian Gulf coast is barren, Persian Gulf trade is quite prosperous.

"Give it to them. Survive first!"

Ugulu cursed.

"go on!"

"With the help of the Greeks, we bribed a lot of people, and the Mushasha sect agreed to our request and was willing to provide us with help."

The man continued.

"However, the leader of Mushasha wants you to marry his daughter, and he also wants to enjoy privileges in your land and become the second Safavid order."

"can!"

Ugulu waved his hand, raised his head high, and his eyes were extremely ferocious.

"I don't like the Greeks, but you have to admit that they are right. My father really doesn't take me seriously. We have nowhere to go!"

"Let's go back and gather all the troops immediately. We should bypass the difficult-to-travel Zagros Mountains, pass through Mushasha, join their army, and march northward from the Mesopotamian Basin!"

"Father is still trying to delay time and mobilize the border troops. Haha... just let him go. This is a good thing!"

Ugulu sneered. "His army will definitely gather in the middle of the plateau, thus blocking our way north, probably in the Isfahan area."

"The terrain here is rugged, there are too many places that are easy to defend but difficult to attack, plus the weather is hot and water is scarce, so we should just ignore it!"

Ugulu's eyes were filled with resentment.

"Let's take a gamble and go straight to Tabriz via the two rivers!"

……

Unlike hot and dry Persia, it is drizzling in Constantinople on the Black Sea coast. The drizzle washes away the dust on the streets and brings a lot of vitality to the slightly dry summer.

Several months had passed since that decisive victory, and the citizens of Constantinople were still immersed in excitement and excitement. In the streets, many people were still talking about the great victory, and in the taverns, bards were singing praises to the emperor's merits.

It was already the end of July in 1472. The war in Asia Minor had basically subsided. The Eastern Roman Empire had taken over half of Anatolia, and the western and northern coasts were in its pocket. Even Trebizond pledged its loyalty to the emperor.

Anatolia had been lost for too long, and the ruling foundation of the inland areas was almost zero. The emperor needed a lot of time to stabilize the situation along the coast, immigrate and reclaim wasteland, promote religious assimilation, and establish a local garrison system.

As the population in coastal areas grows, the Eastern Roman Empire will continue to send armed reclamation teams to the eastern inland, gradually squeezing the living space of Muslims.

Today, after regaining half of Anatolia, the population of the Eastern Roman Empire has reached 7.2 million, making it the second-tier most populous country. If the fragmented Holy Roman Empire is excluded, only the Kingdom of France can surpass the Eastern Roman Empire in terms of population.

Of course, the actual population of the Eastern Roman territory was far more than this number. Muslims without citizenship and slaves raised on various estates were not included.

After winning the battle, Isaac, the Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire, held a grand triumphal ceremony at the Romanus Gate in Constantinople. According to old custom, the enemy's armor and swords were melted into molten iron and cast on the monument behind the city gate.

Over the years, the monument has been greatly enlarged and, although uneven, it still stands tall.

On June 1472, 6, the Kingdom of Trebizond surrendered to the Eastern Roman Empire, and Alexius, the last monarch of Trebizond, announced that he would give up his rule over the city and incorporate it into the territory of the Eastern Roman Empire.

In return, the Komnenos family not only received a large amount of money, but also obtained the island of Jamaica in the colony of St. Constantine and was named the Duke of Jamaica, a hereditary title.

On June 6, Alexios Megas Komnenos arrived in Constantinople, expressed his submission to Isaac, and attended the awarding ceremony held that day.

This time, Isaac conferred titles on a duke, three earls, a dozen barons and dozens of imperial knights in one go. These meritorious officials will receive land and manors in the Anatolian countryside, and at the same time have a series of privileges and become military nobles.

Land and manors are hereditary, but they do not have the right to govern cities or rule regions. They are more like large landowners than feudal aristocrats.

Taking this opportunity, Isaac released another bombshell, which brought the joyous atmosphere in Constantinople to a climax.

Alexius, the second prince of the empire, Prince of Sparta, Grand Master of the Order of St. Andrew, will marry Georgian Princess Maria, and the wedding ceremony will be held in Constantinople.

The citizens of Constantinople were full of anticipation for the wedding. When Prince Alexios and Princess Maria arrived at the port hand in hand, the onlookers praised the prince's handsomeness and the princess's beauty, believing that they were a match made in heaven.

Compared with the last Mediterranean wedding, this Black Sea wedding did not cause any objection. The old citizens of Constantinople always had reservations about princesses from the West, and an Orthodox princess was just what they wanted.

The initial budget for this wedding was also very expensive. The Aztec war continued, and shiploads of gold and silver were shipped from the New World. The royal family became very wealthy and could use the most luxurious ceremony to decorate the facade, declare power and majesty, and show the best side of the Eastern Empire.

However, Alexius, the male protagonist of the wedding, was not satisfied with such a luxurious ceremony and demanded that the budget be cut in half. The saved money was divided into two parts, one for the expansion of the Knights of St. Andrew and the other returned to the Aztecs to build Greek schools and Orthodox churches.

Although Queen Leonor was reluctant, Alexios insisted and gained the support of Princess Maria, demanding that they practice frugality and spend the gold on the most useful things.

Queen Leonor finally compromised and agreed to her son's request, allocating funds to Bishop Valens in Tlaxcala to build the Alexius Seminary and the Cathedral of Maria.

As for Isaac, he left the entire wedding to his wife, handling government affairs while educating his eldest grandson Constantine.

In the large study of the palace, a detailed map was spread out on a wide wooden table. Isaac sat beside him sipping coffee, while his eldest grandson Constantine lay on the table, pitifully identifying the map.

"Athens."

Isaac spoke.

"It is located in the Attica region. Its specialty is aniseed wine. It has a shipyard, a winemaking workshop and the Academy of Athens. Its emblem is an owl and its patron saint is Saint Dionysius."

Constantine replied.

"Bilinchi."

Isaac asked again.

"Located in the Cyrenaica region, its specialty is slaves. It has a slave market, Bilinchi University, and an early chariot factory. Its emblem is the Black Castle, and its patron saint is... Saint Simon?"

Constantine looked at the map and tried hard to search his memory.

"malta."

Isaac nodded, finished his coffee, and wiped his mouth.

"Located in the Malta Special Zone, the specialty... uh, the specialty is..."

Constantine racked his brains but could not figure out what Malta's specialty was.

"Malta doesn't have any special products. It's just a naval base and a sea fortress. It's a key node for the empire to control the Mediterranean trade."

Isaac reminded.

“There’s more to memorize!”

"Yes, I understand, Grandfather."

Constantine pursed his lips.

"Go on, Larissa."

"Located in the Thessaly region, its specialties are horses and silk. It has a silk workshop, a tobacco processing factory, and a royal horse farm. Its emblem is a galloping horse, and its patron saint is... yes..."

Constantine couldn't think of anything, his eyes began to moisten, and his tone became tearful.

"Saint Thomas, remember this for the future."

Isaac patted his head.

"Why are you crying? I didn't punish you."

Isaac was amused.

"Go on, Constantine-on-Don."

"The capital of the Steppe Kingdom is the capital of the Cossack Kingdom. Its emblem is a bloody and fiery double-headed eagle. The local output is limited, but it is the most important gateway for the Don River trade!"

This time, Constantine was very successful.

"How come you are so clear about this?"

Isaac was a little surprised.

"My father said that this is the city he built for me!"

Constantine immediately stopped crying and raised his head with pride.

"My father also said that when I grow up, I must expand my territory and build a city for my son!"

"Okay, be ambitious!"

Isaac hugged his grandson and kissed him on the cheek.

Just then, there was a knock on the door, and after getting permission, Deputy Foreign Minister Marcus walked in.

Seeing this, Isaac put his grandson down and patted his shoulder.

"That's all for today. You barely pass. Let's go out and have fun."

Constantine cheered and was about to run away.

"In the next week, you have to memorize the human geography of several cities in western Anatolia as much as possible. I will test you in a week."

"Know it!"

Constantine ran away quickly, and nodded slightly to Marcus before leaving.

"Take a seat, Marcus."

Isaac pointed to a seat and called the maid to prepare a cup of coffee for Marcus.

"The Crown Prince is so eager to learn at such a young age. He will surely become a wise ruler in the future."

Marcus took his seat and praised with a smile.

"It's just rote memorization, which is far from understanding."

Although Isaac was happy, he still shook his head modestly.

"Tell me, what's going on?"

Isaac looked at the dusty Marcus.

"It's only been a month since you came back from Trebizond. You should take a good rest. There is always a lot to do."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty, but I'm not tired."

Marcus said, handing over a report.

"It's like this, something went wrong in the East."

Isaac took the report and glanced at it.

"Let's talk about it in detail."

"According to Captain Albuquerque's report, the Grand Prince of the Aries Dynasty has officially launched a rebellion, but he doesn't seem to want to listen to our advice and is unwilling to hold on to Fars."

Isaac frowned.

"What does he want to do?"

"He asked us to help bribe the Mushasha sect. It seems that he wants to bypass the Mesopotamian region and go straight to Tabriz."

Marcus shrugged.

"This kid is really brave."

"It's good for us to hold on to Fars, but it's not good for him. If he doesn't try to break through unexpectedly, the end result will be death."

Isaac pondered.

"when did it happen?"

"He had considered this plan three months ago, told only his closest confidants, and revealed it to Albuquerque. He didn't seem to be too worried about our possible leaks."

Marcus reported.

"Now, he has probably already started implementing it."

"Uzon Hassan is our enemy. There is no reason for us to leak the secret."

Isaac nodded.

"What a fast communication speed. Where did the letter come from?"

"It's from Egypt. This is the latest communication network developed by our Ministry of Foreign Affairs last year. The information is transported to Egypt via the Red Sea merchant ships of the Malindi city-state, and then transmitted back to the country via the two major mercenary groups."

Marcus said with some pride.

"That way, intelligence from the Indian Ocean could reach Constantinople more quickly."

"Well, not bad, I'm very satisfied."

Isaac nodded approvingly.

"So what do you think we should do?"

Marcus asked.

"Just take the land north of Hormuz, and don't worry about the rest."

Isaac said casually.

Isaac's layout in the Indian Ocean was mainly based on the Kingdom of Portugal in the original time and space, and the Strait of Hormuz was a key link.

There was only a small fishing village of Gombrun on the land he wanted, but it had an important geographical location and would develop into an important port in the Persian Gulf, Bandar Abbas, during the Safavid era.

"So do you think Ugulu can defeat Uzon Hassan?"

Marcus asked again.

"Not even close. He can't win."

Isaac pouted.

"You are too weak, and you have been hesitant about rebellion. I don't think you will succeed."

"No matter what, if we can create some trouble for Uzung Hassan, our goal will be achieved."

Isaac began his report again.

"The report says that the Saracen forces in the Indian Ocean are preparing to launch a siege against our East India Fleet, right?"

"Yes, according to Albuquerque's report, this encirclement was led by the Aq Qoyunlu, with the participation of the Gujarat Sultan and the Calicut Zamorin."

Marcus nodded, looking a little serious.

"It is said that they also approached the Mamluks."

"Yeah, normal."

Isaac nodded slightly.

"The Mamluks suffered the most in the trade on the new route, so they must be feeling uncomfortable."

"However, their navy is really poor. Since Albuquerque is aware of this problem, let him discuss it with Estevan and solve it himself."

Isaac commanded.

Now, the East India Fleet has a total of more than 20 ships, most of which are caravels and small caravels, equipped with broadside guns, with strong firepower and fast speed.

When the Christian forces entered the Indian Ocean, a joint encirclement and suppression by the Muslim world was inevitable. In the original time and space, they also set up a siege against the Kingdom of Portugal. There were more participants, even including Venice and the Ottoman Empire, whose interests were also damaged by the East Indian trade. These two Mediterranean countries drove their ships to Egypt, completed land navigation through dismantling and reorganization, entered the Red Sea, and participated in the encirclement of the Portuguese fleet.

However, in the Battle of Diu, which determined the trade hegemony in the Indian Ocean, the more than 2,000 Arab junks of the Islamic Joint Fleet were defeated by the 19 new warships of the Portuguese East India Fleet, and were almost unable to fight back.

Times have changed, and without the help of the Ottomans and Venice, they would have been defeated even more miserably.

"Any more?"

Isaac looked at Marcus.

"No, that's all. I'll go prepare a reply."

Marcus said.

"Okay, remember to attend the wedding in a week."

Marcus smiled and nodded, bowed and left.

On July 1472, 7, Prince Alexius of the Eastern Roman Empire married Georgian Princess Maria in Constantinople. The wedding was very solemn. The citizens were jubilant and started a grand parade celebration. Visiting guests were also amazed at the prosperity of Constantinople.

This Black Sea wedding also marked the shift in the strategic direction of the Eastern Roman Empire, which began to turn from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea. While revitalizing the Black Sea trade, it also unswervingly followed the path of hegemony and was determined to turn the Black Sea into its own back garden.

(End of this chapter)