1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 34 Battle
At Isaac's command, the entire war machine of the Grand Duchy of Surt began to move.

The transport ships of the Monferrato trade fleet and the Mediterranean fleet made several trips back and forth between Morea and the port of Soult, transporting the First Guards Corps and a large amount of food to the battlefield.

As refugees continued to migrate south, a large number of barren fields were reclaimed and grain prices in the Moria region dropped sharply. Isaac took the opportunity to buy grain.

Not only can it be used to supply military supplies, but it can also make a small profit by selling it to local residents and tribesmen.

Now the income of the entire territory is far less than its expenditure, and it is completely compensated by Isaac's tricks.

On October 1446, 10, the first heavy rain in the second half of the year fell in the Surt region.

The long-awaited heavy rains greatly alleviated the drought in the fields and wells, announcing the arrival of a warm and humid Mediterranean winter.

The immigrants planted winter wheat on the newly reclaimed land. In the first year, the land was reclaimed in a hurry and they only needed to ensure self-sufficiency.

Lancelot, the chief engineer, successfully dug several new wells at the foot of the hill outside the city, which would later become new villages.

On the grasslands in the south, sheep are cheering the arrival of the rainy season and nibbling on the new grass that has sprouted from the ground.

At the junction of the desert and the grassland, the camels lowered their heads and drank the rainwater accumulated in the tunnel in big gulps, in case of emergency.

On the same day, the First Guards Corps from Morea arrived at the port of Soult.

The First Legion had a full strength of 100 men, including 600 cavalry, 250 infantry, 50 archers, and musketeers.

Attached engineers and auxiliary troops are not included.

Of course, the cavalry directly under the First Legion were all low-equipped cavalry, with each person equipped with a horse and a mule.

Ride mules in peacetime and horses in war.

The cavalry of Isaac's other armies probably had the same configuration, except that in desert areas, mules were not as useful as camels.

A real cavalry needs at least three horses: one for carrying goods, one for daily walking, and one as a war horse.

Top-level heavy cavalry sometimes requires four to five horses and two to three servants.

This is why most people can't afford to play the Ironclad Paladin.

After the Eastern Roman Empire lost all its horse-breeding land, it became difficult to find suitable war horses. Isaac's army is currently equipped with a variety of horses, using whatever is available.

The Surt tribesmen have a lot of desert horses, so you can try to equip them later.

"Teacher Mikhail, long time no see!"

Isaac gave Mikhail a big hug as he just got off the dock.

Mikhail also looked at his students with satisfaction.

In two years, he grew a lot taller, his originally pale skin color became healthier, and his body became much stronger.

"What is the current situation of the Empire?"

When talking about the empire, Mikhail's face fell.

"Don't mention it. Moria is fine. Land conflicts occasionally occur, but your father's prestige is high and he can suppress it."

“The capital is nothing like it.”

"The clergy were arguing about one thing and another, and the nobles were fighting for power and gain, fighting for a position like the chief wardrobe clerk in the royal household."

"Sfrangis was sent as an envoy to Rome, and now there is no one to deal with the situation."

Isaac was silent and sighed.

"Let's not talk about this anymore. Have you received the salaries of the Guards?"

"Got it. After you executed the corrupt officials with great vigor last time, no one dared to embezzle for the time being."

"How is the formation of the Second Legion going?"

"We are still short of officers. According to your request, we will prioritize the combat effectiveness of the First Legion. Therefore, we only have 200 people for the time being and are currently training."

"Don't worry, wait a few more years. After the first batch of students from the Royal Knight Academy graduate, this problem will be solved."

Isaac also explained to Mikhail the points that need to be paid attention to during the march in North Africa and several common diseases in North Africa and how to deal with them.

"Go and rest first. We'll wait for the enemy to attack this time."

Mikhail took the order and left.

On November 1446, 11, Isaac received an urgent letter from Ahmed Sheikh, a nomad in the south, summoning the commanders of all armies.

"Look everyone, the enemy is finally coming."

Isaac tossed the letter onto the war table.

After everyone passed it around and read it, they looked at Isaac with worry.

"Any ideas?"

No one answered.

"You don't want to say anything? Then I'll tell you."

"The enemy has spent a lot of money this time."

"We learned from the captured prisoners that the enemy army was led by King Abdullah of the tribal kingdom himself."

"The kingdom has 2000 standing troops and over 6000 conscripted tribesmen."

"The Kingdom's regular soldiers are definitely stronger than the tribesmen, but I don't know their exact strength."

"The bad news is that for us, the first battle will be the decisive battle. Once we are defeated, we will not have time to regroup and prepare for battle, and we will be driven away directly."

"The good news is that if we defeat this tribal alliance, their already low central authority will be further weakened, and our next move will go very smoothly."

"Mehmet, tell me first, what ideas do you have?"

Mehmet did not answer Isaac's question directly, but frowned and thought for a moment.

"Lord Isurt, I wonder how much food and fodder is in the city?"

He turned to Iseult.

"Enough to feed the entire army for four months."

"Lord Lancelot, are the city walls strong enough to withstand a siege of more than 8000 people?"

Lancelot shook his head. Due to insufficient labor, the progress of the city wall construction was not ideal.

"Then, Your Highness, I suggest that all the Purple Guards and Black Legion from the Moria region be mobilized here."

"In this way, we can still have two months of food and fodder. As long as we can successfully defeat the invading enemy within these two months, we will win."

Isaac thought for a moment.

"Maruna, what do you think?"

"Your Highness, there is a feasible place. From north to south, the water source gradually decreases. It is impossible for all of their more than 8000 people to be stationed in one place."

"We can gather superior forces to defeat the weaker tribes, and gradually drive the tribesmen off the battlefield."

"Their tribesmen were recruited in a similar way to mercenaries. The monarchs won over the tribal sheikhs by promising them property benefits after the war, thus assembling such a large army,"

"But this makes them very utilitarian. They don't show it when they win a battle, but once they lose a battle and find that they can't share the treasure after the war, they will immediately retreat."

"This is our opportunity."

"very good."

Isaac stood up.

"Notify Fidel to make another trip and transport all the Purple Guards and Black Legion here."

……

Southwest of St. Joseph's, Dafelai Springs.

This is a seasonal water source. Every autumn and winter, the dried-up spring will be filled again with the nourishment of rainwater, and the surrounding tribes will gather here to share what they have.

At this moment, a group of uninvited guests broke in.

Three Bedouin tribes from the southern desert occupied this area.

These Bedouin barbarians drove out the Berber herdsmen who had previously traded here and used it as an outpost for attacking the Principality of Sirte.

Not only that, they also forced nearby nomads to become servants and provide them with supplies.

The unbearable tribesmen went to Ghazi, the governor of Saint Joseph's Land, and Ghazi reported to Isaac.

"Your Highness, the Dafilai Spring is ahead. The Bedouin tribe that occupies this place was ostracized by the Berbers of the tribal alliance, so they were sent out to serve as outposts."

"There are 1000 tribesmen in total. Their overall quality may be better than that of the Berbers, but they are definitely no match for us." Maruna and Isaac rode side by side, followed by all the military cavalry.

400 Purple Guards, 200 Oak Guards, 100 Black Guards, and 100 Royal Guards.

Plus 400 cavalry provided by the Dobruja Seljuks.

Isaac did not bring his tribal retainers with him, as they were unreliable in the face of a powerful enemy.

On the saline-alkali land, the cavalry quietly moved up, climbed up a small hill, and overlooked the camp surrounding the spring below.

Isaac looked from afar and saw that the camp was in a mess. There were no trenches or chevaux de frise, and camels and horses were tied randomly beside the tents.

The Bedouins cursed loudly and forced the local Berbers to build tents for them, while they themselves sat around the fire in groups of three or four, roasting something unknown.

Isaac drew his sword and raised it high above his head.

"kill!"

Soult's cavalry on the high ground raised their sabers high and, guided by the eagle flag, quickly rushed towards the enemy camp.

"Maruna! Those three largest tents! Don't let them escape!"

"You have the final say!"

Maruna whistled and rushed down the hill.

"Take the horses first! Camels can't run fast, leave them alone!"

Maruna yelled.

Following His Highness, we can earn money by fighting wars. There is no such good thing anywhere else.

Tents were trampled by horses, and tribesmen gathered around the fire were killed by sabers.

Maruna cut off the head of a small leader who was trying to organize a resistance.

Another blow from the knife hit the shoulder of a tribesman who was fleeing on horseback. He screamed and fell off his horse, fell to the ground, and was trampled into a pulp by the hooves of the following horses.

The white camp is right in front of us.

He squeezed his legs together and the horse galloped away.

Maruna broke through the tent, only to see Knight Conti knocking out the cursing tribal sheikh with the hilt of his sword.

Next to Shekh was a trembling naked woman, kneeling on the ground and muttering something.

It seems that this guy was committing adultery in broad daylight and was caught by Knight Conte.

"What are you looking at? Want to go up and try the Bedouin flavor?"

The Chevalier de Conti stepped upon his captive and wiped his sword.

"Consider yourself lucky!"

Maruna gritted his teeth, drove his horse away, and looked for the next camp.

But today he was destined to be disappointed.

Of the remaining two shekhs, one ran away and the other was captured by the Purple Guards.

"Your Highness, in this raid we killed 400 enemy soldiers, captured more than 500, seized 700 camels, more than 400 horses, more than 600 sheep, and some small commodities. Two Sheikhs were captured on the spot, and one escaped."

"Our casualties totaled 103."

Commander-in-Chief Maruna reports.

Isaac nodded.

Then, the soldiers on the side pushed two shekhs up.

"killed."

Heads fell to the ground.

Then, Isaac killed all the nobles from various tribes in front of everyone.

Their roots were all in the south, so even if they surrendered outwardly, Isaac would not dare to use them.

The prisoners watching on the side looked pale.

"Your Sheikh was defeated by me. According to the rules, I am your new master."

Isaac shouted at them in Arabic.

"All the families and treasures of those chieftains are my rewards to you. From now on, you need to graze on my pasture and fight for me."

The soldiers displayed the captured women and part of the seized treasure to the captives.

Among the women, some were family members brought by the chiefs, and some were captured by looting herdsmen along the way.

But now they are all Isaac's property.

When these lower-class herdsmen in the tribe saw this, their eyes turned red.

"There are 53 women in total, first come first served."

After Isaac said this, he ordered the soldiers to throw a dozen daggers and a sword into the group of prisoners.

Suddenly, a drama of fratricide unfolded in front of Isaac.

Finally, the remaining 300 prisoners who were able to stand up walked forward and knelt on one knee under the leadership of the strongest.

He raised the sword.

"Dear master, we pledge our loyalty to you. Please grant us horses, camels and pastures. We will graze for you and charge under your flag."

Isaac ordered medicine to be applied to the warrior.

"What's your name?"

"I was a slave, I had no name or surname."

"From now on, your name is Erdosh."

This means eagle in Greek.

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

After conquering Erdosh, Isaac divided the camels and horses into two parts, giving one to the Dobruja people as a reward for their loyalty and the other to Erdosh.

Isaac planned to settle Erdosh in the southwest of St. Joseph's Land, where he would graze his cattle at the Dafilai Spring in the fall and winter, and then move to the water source in the north in the summer.

Erdosh has the right to conquer any nearby tribes that disobey him, and he does not have to obey the orders of Archon Saint Josephran.

In the future, all captured nomads can be handed over to Erdosh in the same way as today.

The grassland desert is so vast that we cannot always rely on the Dobruja people and trusted tribes, we must support our own slave tribe.

Over the next few days, Isaac discovered three gathering places of hostile tribes and defeated them one by one using the previous method.

A total of more than 1000 enemy troops were killed. The Berbers were far inferior to the Bedouins, and when they saw that the situation was not right, they immediately surrendered.

Isaac incorporated the captives into his own slave tribe and placed them under the jurisdiction of Erdosh.

Later, the slow-witted Fezzan coalition forces finally realized the problem and gathered at the Jufra Oasis. At the same time, they continued to recruit nomads, not giving Isaac the opportunity to defeat them one by one.

Isaac gritted his teeth and mobilized all his troops to St. Joseph's Land, while also recruiting tribes loyal to him.

On November 1446, 11, the Fezzan tribal coalition marched northward, heading directly for Saint Joseph's land.

The enemy gathered the greatest force they could muster, including 2000 regular soldiers of the kingdom and 5000 tribal people.

A total of more than 7,000 people.

Isaac also tried his best, with 1000 Purple Guards, 1000 Black Legionaries, 1000 First Guards, 200 Oak Legionaries, more than 500 Dobruja cavalry, and 1400 people from affiliated tribes and slaves.

Of course, there were some losses before, and the actual number is even less than this.

A total of more than 5,100 people.

On November 1446, 11, the enemy vanguard appeared in the south of Saint Joseph's Land and fought with Ahmed's troops. The two sides retreated after a brief confrontation and did not engage in further entanglement.

Over the next few days, the cavalry on both sides tested each other and small-scale battles broke out from time to time.

On November 1446, 11, King Abdullah sent an ultimatum to Isaac.

The battle broke out on November 1446, 11.

(End of this chapter)