1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 333: The Lonely King of the Red Castle
The scorching sun burned the earth, the majestic goshawk circled among the mountains, and the white snow on the top of the mountains melted into snow water under the sunlight, gathered into streams, merged into rivers, and then flowed into the sea.

At the confluence of the two rivers lies a prosperous city, with green farmlands scattered around the city. The residents here use river water and snow water to build water conservancy facilities, turning wasteland into fertile fields, building cities at the foot of the mountains, developing culture in the cities, and encouraging industry and commerce.

There are river farms nearby and snow-capped mountains in the distance. The beautiful city and beautiful scenery exude a unique charm.

This is located in the southern part of the Iberian Peninsula, on the northern foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the most prosperous city in all of Iberia, and the capital of the Nasrid Dynasty of Granada, the city of Granada.

The Kingdom of Granada was the last Muslim regime on the Iberian Peninsula and one of the longest-lasting Muslim Taifa kingdoms, existing for a full two hundred and fifty years, from the mid-13th century to the late 15th century.

In that unprecedented Arab conquest, the Iberian Peninsula was completely occupied by Muslim forces in just a few decades. They were certainly invaders and exploiters, but they were also builders and civilized people. The Iberian Peninsula under Muslim rule was prosperous and flourishing, with flourishing culture, advanced technology, many writers and scholars, and constant trade. They built water conservancy projects here, opened up farmland, and left behind numerous places of interest and historical sites.

Even during the Roman Empire, this place had never been so vibrant.

The Reconquista lasted for more than 800 years, during which Christians and Muslims waged an arduous struggle. The national ideology of the Iberian Peninsula gradually took shape in this war, but the Christian kingdoms that regained the lost territory were inferior to the Iberian Muslims in many aspects of political system, cultural construction and people's livelihood projects. In a sense, the level of civilization even declined.

Most of these Muslim regimes were centralized monarchies, while the Christian kingdoms adopted a feudal aristocracy. The combat effectiveness of the former in the long-term border wars was far inferior to that of the latter, which was an important reason for the ultimate failure of the Muslim regimes.

For a Muslim border commander, all territories belong to the country. Even if he loses the fortress, he can still live a life of luxury and debauchery after returning to the big city. But for a Christian pioneer knight, the castle on the border is everything to them. It is their private property that they swear to defend with their life. Losing the castle is equivalent to losing everything.

At the end of the 15th century, the Reconquista was nearing its end, and many of the Taifa kingdoms were almost wiped out. Only Granada remained, relying on the steep mountains and the support of North African Muslims to survive, becoming the only remaining bastion of Muslims in Andalusia.

During the more than two hundred years of Granada's existence, they also developed a prosperous culture. Muslim refugees from the north moved south, many scholars wrote magnificent poems in the city of Granada, and many architects left their own great works here.

In the south of Granada, a magnificent and luxurious palace sits on a hillside, overlooking the entire city. It is both a military fortress and an administrative center.

The palace is very large, with a bathhouse, fountains, royal bedrooms and various meeting halls. Because it mostly uses red bricks and tiles, the palace is called the "Red Fort" in Arabic.

Of course, the Red Fort also has a more popular name, the Alhambuddha Palace.

Everything here seems to be designed to inspire good and happy feelings, because everything is so delicate and beautiful.

The Alhambuda Palace is the epitome of Andalusian Muslim architectural aesthetics. It is exquisite, beautiful, and elegant in its grandeur. Since its completion, it has been the residence of the royal family of Granada and the administrative center of the Kingdom of Granada.

The Red Castle is breathtakingly beautiful in late summer, with lush trees, white walls and red tiles complementing each other. In the central atrium with the myrtle tree, a middle-aged nobleman in luxurious clothes stood by the pool, staring at the exquisite fountain and the mostly fallen myrtle trees beside the pool, stunned and speechless.

His name is Abu Hassan Ali. He is the current monarch of the Kingdom of Granada and the 22nd monarch of the Nasrid dynasty. He won the throne after winning an internal struggle ten years ago.

After the 15th century, the Nasrid Dynasty of Granada, which had existed for more than years, had entered the end of its life. It was politically corrupt, economically stagnant, with frequent internal conflicts and weak military strength. Civil wars broke out one after another like flowing water, and the outer territories were gradually lost, but the king of the Red Fort was busy fighting internal battles and did not care.

Due to the lack of a strict inheritance law, more than a dozen civil wars of varying sizes broke out in Granada during the forty years from 1423 to 1463. Royal members fought desperate battles around the Red Castle, kings came and went like a revolving lantern, some monarchs were deposed and returned to the throne many times, state affairs were neglected for a long time, policies changed frequently, and most monarchs did not even have the opportunity to display their talents.

However, neighboring Castile failed to take advantage of these good opportunities to completely eliminate them, because they were also busy with civil war and were not much better than Granada.

The current monarch Ali is a leader in internal struggles. He first helped his father solve the second enthronement of Yusuf V, and then deposed his father. He took control of power in 1464 and has maintained it until now.

In the original time and space, the period of his rule could be regarded as the last stable time of the Kingdom of Granada. The national strength recovered, the economy developed, the culture continued to flourish, and the political struggles eased.

Since the rise of the Eastern Roman Empire, the Muslim world has suffered wave after wave of major blows. Orthodox Christianity has been revived on both sides of the Mediterranean, and a large number of refugees have fled their homes. Ali also took this opportunity to recruit a large number of Muslim refugees who were resentful of the Eastern Roman Empire, and guided them to build water conservancy projects and open up farmland. The population of Granada increased rapidly and soon recovered to more than 120,000, surpassing Seville again to become the largest city in Iberia.

In addition to Muslims, Ali also extended an olive branch to the Hebrews. Many Hebrews who were excluded and oppressed in the Christian world came here to help the kingdom develop finance and commerce and help the king fill his wallet.

Andalusian Muslims were good at developing industry and commerce and had fully learned advanced production models from Italy. Merchants and nobles opened many handicraft workshops in the city of Granada. The large influx of refugees provided them with the best cheap labor. Goods produced in Granada played an important role in the western Mediterranean trade.

Ali was a monarch who was passionate about academics. He invested heavily in rebuilding the University of Granada, absorbing advanced experience from Italian universities. In addition to Muslim literature and art, he also added many natural philosophy majors and hired advanced scholars from all over the world to conduct research and lecture.

However, as a small Muslim country in a remote corner, Granada does not have much say in the international situation and can only be at the mercy of others.

In recent years, the Eastern Roman Empire has risen strongly, with its two eagle claws extending everywhere in the East and the West. Under the guidance of hegemonism, it has swallowed up half of the world's wealth and become more and more arrogant in the Mediterranean world. Granada was inevitably affected, and Ali's life became more and more difficult.

Hearing footsteps, Ali turned around and looked at his agricultural officer.

"Has the matter been clarified?"

Ali looked at the uneasy expressions of the agricultural officials and had already had some psychological expectations.

"It has been found, Your Majesty."

The agricultural official responded in a low voice.

"Our silk industry has indeed suffered an unprecedented blow. This year, your fiscal revenue may be reduced by a quarter."

After a long pause, Ali's voice slowly rang out.

"Tell me about it."

"That is so, your majesty."

Agricultural officials chose their words carefully.

"According to my investigation, there are problems with both silkworms and mulberry trees. A large number of silkworms are sick and large areas of mulberry leaves are dying. Some workshops have gone bankrupt and mulberry farmers are at a loss."

"Both are common diseases, but it is unprecedented that they are so widespread and that they occur at the same time."

"You mean, like, man-made?"

Ali's expression remained unchanged, but his hands were clenched into fists.

"I don't know, Your Majesty."

The agricultural official lowered his head.

"So, what about your subordinate, Sandar? I remember that he is an expert on sericulture diseases and has recently published a number of papers on disease prevention and control."

Ali asked.

"He...he's dead."

The agricultural official said with difficulty.

"I have just been to his home. Your city guards are inspecting the scene. He died of poisoning, but died peacefully. The books, documents and research works in the house were stolen."

"On his body, we found this."

The agricultural officer handed Ali an exquisite brooch.

The brooch is in the shape of a diamond, with mountains and a torch carved on it, and a row of Greek letters below the torch.

"Prometheus."

Ali whispered.

"Heretical worshiper?"

Ali was confused and looked at the agricultural official.

"No, Your Majesty."

The agricultural official shook his head.

"From what we know, Prometheus is a branch of the Greek Empire's intelligence department, specializing in the search for advanced technology."

"It is speculated that Prometheus' Greek agents may have approached Sandar in advance and tried to persuade him to go to Constantinople, but Sandar refused to obey and was eventually brutally killed by the Greeks. His works and research must have been transported back to Constantinople."

"Bastard!"

Ali roared and threw the Prometheus brooch against the wall.

"The Greeks are cunning and treacherous. Anyone who deals with the Greeks will be framed and killed by them sooner or later!"

"The silkworm disease must have been caused by them!"

Ali was furious, his chest heaving.

"You! What solutions do you have?"

"Can we also release diseases into the Greeks' mulberry fields?"

Ali looked at the agricultural official.

"That won't do, Your Majesty."

The agricultural official sighed.

"Do you remember Mr. Sandal's last study? He clearly found the shortcomings of Granada's silkworm industry, which is that it is too densely populated. Surrounded by mountains, the land is small and the population is dense. There is no way around it."

"When the silkworm industry is too intensive, the probability of disease will increase exponentially. Once a disease occurs, it is difficult to solve the problem and we can only wait until next year."

"The Greek sericulture industry is distributed on both the east and west banks of the southern Aegean Sea. Their land is vast and sparsely populated, so your method is almost impossible to implement."

The agricultural official paused.

"Moreover, since their territory is vast and spans a large distance from north to south, they have spring silkworms, summer silkworms, and autumn silkworms, which means—"

"So that means there's nothing we can do, right?"

Ali interrupted the agricultural official.

"The silk industry is our pillar industry, and it is related to the national economy and people's livelihood. I order you to provide as much relief as possible to mulberry farmers and ensure production in the next quarter. Next time, I must hear news of a good harvest!"

"Your Majesty, this may be difficult."

The agricultural official shook his head again.

"The Greeks' attack on our silk industry is comprehensive and mostly spontaneous. These hostile relations and hostile means mostly come from their domestic merchant class, or what they call capitalists."

The agricultural official smiled bitterly.

"Those Greek capitalists engaged in the silk textile industry know that Granada is the largest silk producer in the Mediterranean world. They also know that we earn a lot of money from the silk trade every year. They want more markets and can't wait to suppress us."

"They proposed to the emperor in the Imperial Parliament, asking the emperor to send a fleet to blockade our coast. They obtained extremely advanced textile technology from the East, and used this technology to open a large number of workshops, using our Muslim compatriots as slave laborers."

"The exponentially increased production allowed them to quickly earn their first pot of gold, and then there were more workshops, more workers, and more and cheaper silk fabrics."

The agricultural official sighed.

"I briefly read the Greek economics textbooks, and they called this 'primitive accumulation'."

"They relied on these to invade the market, suppress other silk merchants, and sell their products to more ports. Their products were of high quality and low price."

"Their ultimate goal is only one, and that is to achieve a monopoly."

"Now, many of Italy's competitors have been defeated. The Greeks, relying on technology and blood, have a large number of goods that have flowed freely in central and southern Italy through the two free ports. Many former silk producing areas have only become raw silk supply areas."

"In the coming days, your silk foreign trade will be greatly affected. In order to control the Mediterranean market, Greek capitalists have begun to open workshops in Carthage. If we don't make changes, your silk handicraft industry will be squeezed out in ten years. You will have to export raw silk and import silk in the future."

"Why? For the past few hundred years, Granada's silk has been the best!"

Ali suddenly became anxious.

"You have to change this situation as soon as possible!"

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, I'm not an economist, much less a capitalist."

The agricultural official whispered.

"I'm just an agricultural officer. I don't have the power they have."

Ali was stunned, his heart was in turmoil and his face flushed.

"The Greeks deserve to go to hell. Their country is full of sin and blood from head to toe. They will do anything to gain wealth and money, yet they use antiquity and civilization to disguise themselves!"

“They resented Venice and the Ottoman Empire, but once they became powerful, they immediately followed the path of Venice and the Ottoman Empire!”

Ali cursed.

"Your Majesty, you must know that whether it is ancient Greece or ancient Rome, their essence has always been a hegemonic civilization that relied on maritime colonization and slave trade. Even after two thousand years, it has never changed."

The agricultural official said dejectedly.

"When the Italians engaged in the Renaissance, they only learned the culture of ancient Greece and Rome, while when the Greeks engaged in the Renaissance, they not only learned the culture, but also revived the power politics of their ancestors."

"If you have time, you can take a look at their economics textbooks. They fairly evaluate the colonization of the Latin commercial city-states, mainly Venice, in the Eastern Mediterranean, and believe that this model is worth learning."

"The reason why the Greek Empire was harmless thirty years ago was because they had not yet become strong."

Ali said nothing, quietly staring at the withered myrtle tree, trying to calm himself down. "Your Majesty, there is a new development!"

A voice came, and Ali's chief diplomat came over excitedly, waving a document.

"Your Majesty, Aragon and France are ready to sign a contract. They hope to unite to fight against the arrogant Greeks!"

The Chancellor handed the document to Ali.

"The Aragonese have basically quelled the Catalan rebellion. Prince Fernando of Aragon claims to be the rightful heir to Castile and is preparing to march on Toledo after Enrique dies!"

"The Aragonese decided to cede all the land north of the Pyrenees to King Louis of France, leaving some areas intact, such as Andorra, whose sovereignty is still shared by the Count of Foa and the Bishop of Urgell."

"Both parties are preparing for the negotiations and the results are expected to come out soon."

The Chancellor of Foreign Affairs said.

"What does this have to do with us?"

Ali glanced casually at the document.

"Well, sir, the French and Aragonese have decided to form a joint fleet and attack the Greek ships as pirates."

The Chancellor explained.

"Just now, a French pirate leader came to me and handed me this document. They hope to obtain the right to station in the coastal ports of Granada."

"Greek ocean-going merchant ships must pass through the Strait of Gibraltar. This is a great opportunity."

"What do you think?"

Ali looked at the Minister of Foreign Affairs expressionlessly.

“Do we have to join the Christians?”

"Your Majesty, we have no other options. The Greek Emperor has been claiming the thrones of Castile and Granada for Prince Carlos. We are likely to be the first to be attacked."

The Chancellor of Foreign Affairs spread his hands.

"Although this may offend you, I still have to say that your pirate ships can't even beat the Greek armed merchant ships, and your fleet has been attacked by the Greeks instead."

"The Hafsid dynasty has been destroyed for twenty years. The Zayanid dynasty lost Algiers and is struggling in Oran and Tlemcen. The Watas dynasty has just risen and its national strength has not yet recovered. It was forced to cede the northern coast to the Portuguese."

"We have become Muslim orphans. If we want to keep our territory in the face of the rise of the Greeks, we can only seek help from the enemies of the Greek Empire."

"You once launched an attack on the Greeks' British fortress, but you were beaten to a pulp and there was no hope at all."

"Your Majesty, it's time to make a decision!"

The Chancellor looked anxiously at Ali.

Ali didn't say anything, nor did he get angry. He just paced back and forth by the pool.

"The Greeks cannot be trusted, and neither can the French or the Aragonese."

"If we allow their pirates to occupy our ports, it will be very difficult to get them to leave."

"His Majesty!"

The Foreign Affairs Minister spoke loudly when he saw Ali was hesitating.

"The French and Aragonese are far away from us. They are continental countries and will never be able to threaten you and your Red Castle!"

"But if we allow the Greeks to attack, we will not be able to stop them at all. Then, Granada will be finished!"

"Where should you go then?"

Ali closed his eyes irritably, and more wrinkles appeared at the corners of his eyes.

"Since you think you can reach a consensus with the French and Aragonese, then I'll leave this matter to you. Go and negotiate with them."

Ali finally agreed.

"Remember, if they try to use our port to plunder Greek merchant ships, I'll take half of the proceeds!"

"This……"

The Chancellor was a little embarrassed, but he gritted his teeth and nodded.

"Okay, I'll go talk!"

"And one more thing."

The Chancellor was about to leave when Ali stopped him.

"I will place a ban on the Greeks, prohibiting them from buying our goods, prohibiting their goods from entering the port of Granada, and prohibiting any Greeks from staying in my territory!"

"You go and connect with the merchant."

The Foreign Affairs Minister was stunned, nodded, and turned to leave.

"Your Majesty, closing the ports is not the best solution and may even backfire."

The agricultural official said carefully.

"I know, but there's nothing I can do."

Ali frowned and waved his hand.

"I--"

"His Majesty!"

Another voice disturbed Ali's thoughts and made him frown.

"what happened?"

Ali looked at his chief eunuch.

"Your Majesty, the envoy from Constantinople has arrived. I have arranged for him to wait in the Ambassador's Hall!"

Ali bit his lip and cursed angrily.

"Greeks, Greeks, and Greeks!"

"Are they so impatient?"

After venting, Ali took a deep breath and calmed himself down.

"lead the way."

The Myrtles Courtyard is not far from the Ambassadors' Hall. When Ali arrived at the Ambassadors' Hall, the Eastern Roman envoys were already waiting there.

This is a middle-aged man with a beard. He walks with a limp and holds a cigarette in his mouth without any courtesy. He is obviously a sailor who has been on the ocean for many years.

"What's your name? What family are you from? What's your position?"

Ali sat on the throne, frowned, and looked at the middle-aged man.

"Oh, my name is Bakasitas, from the Selmon family."

Bakasitas said with a grin.

"Selmon? What family is this?"

Ali recalled.

"This is the name of my hometown, a small village in the province of Epirus that produces a lot of wheat."

Bakasitas said.

"As for my position, I am currently a sailor petty officer on the Royal Sicily, which is affiliated with the Western Mediterranean Fleet of the Imperial Navy."

Bakacitus raised his head with pride.

Ali was a little bit incredulous, then his face turned red and his voice was filled with anger.

"Constantinople is sending you to see me?"

"You are humiliating me!"

Bakasitas ignored Ali's anger and shrugged.

"Whatever you think, I am just doing my duty and delivering the emperor's words."

"The Emperor believes that the Crown of Granada rightfully belongs to the grandson of Emperor Carlos. He hopes that you will surrender immediately and hand over the Red Castle to him."

"The emperor said that if you are willing to convert, King Carlos will make you a count. If you don't want to, you can take your family and leave at will."

"Okay, okay, okay!"

Ali laughed out of anger.

"The Greeks are so arrogant. They asked me to leave in my own palace!"

Ali was so angry that he couldn't speak and pulled out the scimitar from his waist.

The guards on both sides of the palace also drew their swords and glared at them.

"Are you going to kill me?"

Bakacitas showed no fear and looked at the scimitar in Ali's hand with disdain.

"I am a Roman envoy, under the protection of the emperor. If you dare to touch me, your whole family will be buried with you."

"The Caribbeans killed the envoys without permission. We have already slaughtered this group of cannibals."

"The false Aztec king murdered the envoys. His entire family has been exterminated. His head is currently hanging at the gate of Constantinople."

"Do you want to try it?"

Bakasitas glared at Ali.

"A king does not kill a king. If you fail, King Carlos will not kill you. You can leave freely and take your property with you."

"If you want to kill me, that's hard to say."

As time passed, Ali's breathing went from rapid to slow and finally to calm.

Putting the scimitar aside, Ali looked at the envoy.

"I see. You are here to declare war."

"You are right. I am here to declare war."

Baccasitus pulled a declaration of war from his pocket and threw it on the ground.

"From today on, the great emperor will launch a holy war against you. Every piece of your land is within the range of our attack. Please be prepared."

Bakasitas said, and turned away.

The guards crowded forward and blocked his way.

Ali was silent for a moment, waved his hand, and the guards reluctantly returned to their positions.

Bakacitus smiled and walked away.

On September 1473, 9, the Eastern Roman Empire sorted out the situation in North Africa and officially declared war on the Kingdom of Granada. The three major fleets in the Mediterranean gathered at the port of Carthage, and the various legions began to move to Algiers and the British Fortress.

The King of Castile is ill in bed, the King of Portugal is eyeing Galicia, the Aragonese and the French are plotting an alliance, and the curtain is slowly rising, indicating that the conflict in Iberia is about to begin.

(End of this chapter)