1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 33 Organization
On September 1446, 9, Skanderbeg led the Albanian coalition army and once again repelled the Ottoman army, winning great reputation for himself and bringing a brief peace to his country.

However, such a small victory was not enough to deal a painful blow to the Ottomans, who were still eyeing the Albanian border.

In Hungary, local nobles agreed to welcome Ladislaus, the "posthumous son" of the Habsburg family, to inherit the throne, but the prerequisite was that Frederick III, the current guardian of Ladislaus, gave up his guardianship.

After the proposal was rejected, the Hungarian nobles elected János Hunyadi as regent.

At the same time, the Hussites in the Kingdom of Bohemia refused to recognize Ladislaus' throne, and Iri of the Podebrad family, with the support of the parliament, actually took control of the political power in Prague.

All of Eastern Europe is a mess.

Isaac had just returned from a raid around the port of Sirte, carrying slaves, livestock, and a small amount of money.

At Isaac's request, many newly converted tribal sheikhs sent their sons or brothers to the port of Sirte and then took a ship to Moriah.

They will receive an education in Greek at the theological seminary in Mystras.

"Your Highness, I'm back, and the second group of Dobrujas has arrived."

Iseult, exhausted from the journey, walked into Isaac's study.

"You're back? Sit down and try some of the local wine made in the desert oasis that the Muslims drink in secret."

Isurt didn't hold back and took a big sip.

Smack your lips.

"not so good."

"Ha ha!"

"Your Highness, the second batch of tribal immigrants, totaling 2000 people, have arrived at the port, and Knight Conte is escorting them to Saint Josephran."

Isurt said seriously.

"What do you think of my administrative structure in the Sirte region?"

Isurt thought about it.

“Generally good, but still a little rough.”

"How about you set about putting together an administrative structure that will work here?"

Iseult was surprised and delighted.

"Your Highness, what about the immigrant jobs?"

"I'll let Albert take your shift and develop the intelligence agencies along the Black Sea coast."

Isaac then announced the prepared personnel changes.

Aide-de-camp Anderson served as Foreign Minister and temporarily lived in Constantinople, taking charge of immigration matters.

Albert temporarily lived in Theodore and was in charge of immigration affairs.

Interior Minister Isult began to officially exercise his powers and take charge of the administration of the territory.

Finance Minister Riedel went to the port of Sirte and began to establish a financial system.

"You currently have only two main tasks:"

"First, assist Minister of Works Lancelot in building the city walls and the port."

“Second, accept Orthodox immigrants as soon as possible to fill the vacancies of Muslims who were sold into slavery.”

"That's what I thought."

"As long as you know."

Isaac nodded.

The transformation of the port of Sirte is ongoing.

The rebellious Muslims were packed up and sold off, and replaced by orthodox Christians.

Agricultural peoples such as Greece and Yugoslavia were settled around cities suitable for farming, while nomadic tribes such as the Dobruja Seljuks were arranged in oasis nomadic areas.

In the more remote semi-grassland and semi-desert areas or even more desolate saline-alkali lands, we directly sent local tribes to convert to Orthodoxy.

This arrangement is indeed rough, but it is sufficient in the short term.

Iseult had just left when Fidel knocked on Isaac's door.

"How was the harvest this time, my captain?"

Fidel grabbed the bottle and drank, then spat it out.

"Your Highness, it was OK. This time we got as far as the Syrian coast, but the Mamluk Syrian emirs rebelled again."

"We robbed Mamluk grain and slave ships and sold them all to Cyprus and the Knights Hospitaller for three thousand ducats."

"Those Mamluk boats are the oldest galleys, not equipped with firearms at all. They don't even use ballistae."

It is true that the Mamluks, who called themselves the guardians of the Three Holy Mosques, were unwilling to use firearms, either in the navy or the army.

They don't think these things are halal.

So later during the Battle of Diu, dozens of Mamluk small boats surrounded the Portuguese flagship and they had no idea where to start.

"anything else?"

"Karaman took advantage of the Ottomans' focus on Europe to plunder the border. Armenians in Ramazan rioted. These are common occurrences."

Isaac thought about it.

“Try to contact the remaining Armenian forces in Ramazan and Karaman to see if there will be any gains.”

"Yes."

Isaac stayed in the city of Sirte for a month.

During this month, there were occasional riots among the city residents, and some tribal Shekhs surrendered and then rebelled again, but Isaac wiped them out one by one.

By October, the whole city had basically calmed down.

At this time, Isaac was walking on the city streets.

He was wearing a face-covering cloak and was accompanied by several nimble guards.

The whole city became more prosperous with the influx of refugees.

Blacksmith shops, butcher shops, grain stores, taverns, and brothels opened one after another.

Two passers-by were talking, and their voices reached Isaac's ears.

"Have you heard? Lord Isurt took the lead in forming a city council. Merchants, clergy, citizens, city guards, and surrounding landowners can all elect their own representatives."

“What is the function of Parliament?”

"It seems that I only have the right to propose, but it is at least a position, isn't it?"

The City Council is an institution established by Isurt at the suggestion of Isaac.

Councillors are drawn from all walks of life in the city, have no salary, and can make proposals to the upper levels.

This can greatly coordinate ethnic conflicts within the city and greatly enhance the sense of belonging of all classes to the city.

"City Guard Recruitment! No nationality restrictions! Anyone who knows Arabic or Greek is welcome to sign up!"

In the small square in the center of the city, the City Guard is recruiting new members.

This was a force formed through negotiations between Isurt, Urda and others, with the Merchants Association and the administrative department each bearing half of the expenses.

The temporary staff number is 150, responsible for the city's security and defense.

The recruiters spoke in both Greek and Arabic, and many people signed up.

Isaac continued walking and soon arrived at the largest well in the city. In fact, the rainfall here is not too low, with an average annual rainfall of between 200 ml and 250 ml. The main reason for the drought is the soil quality. The rainwater cannot be collected and all flows into the ground.

This also leads to the relatively developed groundwater here.

The main source of drinking water for residents comes from well water. The large wells in the city are currently controlled by the Purple Guards and will be gradually handed over to the City Guards in the future.

The developed groundwater system has created advanced drilling technology. Many large wells have been used from the ancient Roman period to the present day, and the indigenous people call them "Roman wells."

There are only about 5,000 people in the city now, about half of whom are later immigrants, mostly Greeks and Slavs, but also some Goths and Latins.

There is still enough water resources, but when the population increases in the future, we will have to drill more wells.

"stop!"

Isaac arrived at the military camp outside the city, but was stopped by the Black Legion guardsmen who were guarding the perimeter.

Isaac took off his hood.

"Greetings, your highness, and welcome."

Isaac nodded and walked into the barracks.

The overall situation was not bad. After Isaac walked around, he found that the hygiene issue that he paid the most attention to was not a problem.

All horse and horse manure and domestic waste in the military camp are collected by special personnel and placed in the nearest composting site, where they are used as fertilizer after fermentation.

Isaac randomly visited several soldiers and found that the problems were relatively consistent.

There is less entertainment, less variety in food, and less opportunity to see family.

These are very real issues.

"What were your thoughts on the last mopping-up operation?"

Isaac finds Mehmet, who is on duty.

Mehmet thought about it.

"Our horses are obviously not adapted to arid areas. They are fine in semi-arid grasslands, but if they enter the desert, they will definitely be defeated before the battle even begins."

"continue."

"Our horses are mainly Cappadocian horses, which have some Central Asian bloodlines and are no longer well adapted to life in the desert."

"During our last raid, many horses were not able to adapt to the local climate, which resulted in a decline in the combat effectiveness of the troops."

"Now that you've said it, I guess you've found a solution, right?"

Mehmet cleared his throat.

“First, we could replace some of our draft and cargo horses with camels, which you are already doing.”

"Secondly, we can purchase desert horses from local herders. Most of these horses are hybrids of Arabian horses and are more adaptable to the dry climate."

"Finally, we should set up our own horse farms and establish a sufficient source of horses. The area around St. Joseph's is a good place for horse grazing."

Isaac patted Mehmet’s shoulder.

"Very good! I'll do as you say. I'll write to Ghazi right away."

After another round of inspection, Isaac returned to the city lord's mansion.

After giving the order, Isurt came hurriedly.

"Your Highness, what is it?"

"Four things. First, strengthen the control over the city guards and village militias. Some old retired soldiers can be made captains of the city guards."

"Second, arrange for the relocation of military dependents and reserve some of the best locations in the city as residential areas for military dependents."

"The government will provide half of their relocation expenses."

“Third, appoint your financial personnel to buy horses and camels from the herdsmen and hand them over to the army.”

Fourth, setting up official brothels in the army can improve the lives of soldiers and make some money.

Isaac spoke slowly, and Iseult wrote it down hurriedly on the parchment.

"Gone."

Isurt saluted and left.

During this period, he was the busiest person in the city. Since the basic organizational structure had not yet been established, he was in charge of all the big and small matters in the city.

Be busy, everyone should be busy.

On October 1446, 10, a delegation from Constantinople arrived.

Ioannis VIII rewarded Isaac for his territorial expansion, formally established the Grand Principality of Surt, and conferred the title of Despot of Surt on Isaac.

The investiture ceremony was brief, during which clergy from Constantinople and Rome acknowledged Isaac's ownership of the land.

The Diocese of Soult was established, with Elster as bishop.

There were few nobles attending the ceremony, as they obviously did not think Isaac could gain a foothold here.

Isaac chose a flag for his small principality, with a white background and a black eagle with flames on it, holding a sword in its left claw and a staff in its right claw, symbolizing military and political control.

The eagle also bears the coat of arms of the Palaiologos family.

After officially becoming a tyrant, Isaac didn't feel anything, but his followers were very happy.

Maybe this will put their minds at ease.

On the second day after Isaac established the country, the central government of Fezzan sent a bland letter of condemnation.

The letter stated that Isaac would be allowed to retain ownership of the port of Sirte, but control of the tribe must be returned and missionary work was prohibited.

Otherwise, there will be a crusade.

Maruna read it out in a slick voice in front of everyone, causing everyone to burst into laughter.

After sending the envoy away, Isaac looked at the ministers below the stage.

"Isurte, tell me what you think."

"Your Highness, our intelligence agencies have shown that civil unrest is imminent in Tunisia and they will not provide assistance to Fezzan. They clearly do not have enough confidence in driving us out alone."

Isaac turned and looked in the direction of the army.

"If you want to fight, what is your plan?"

"Your Highness, our army is adapting to desert horses and camels. We have not yet formed combat effectiveness and cannot risk entering the desert to take the initiative to attack."

"If we fight a defensive battle, stretch the supply lines of the Fezzan army, and find an opportunity for a decisive battle, our chances of winning are very high."

Isaac thought for a moment.

"Then let's do it this way. Let the envoy go back and report. If they surrender early, there is still room for maneuver."

He threw the letter of condemnation to the ground.

"Notify Norwich to send a new batch of food as soon as possible."

"Notify Fidel to transport the First Guards Corps as soon as possible."

"Inform William to send the profits from the colony as soon as possible."

"Notify all troops to prepare for battle."

"Notify all tribes to assemble at Saint Joseph's."

Come and fight!

(End of this chapter)