1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 354: The End of the Reconquest
The sky was clear and cloudless, and the sunlight shone on the white snow in the mountains, reflecting a golden color.

Spring in the Sierra Nevada is full of vitality, and it would be a beautiful season if it weren't for the annoying smoke and gunfire.

Since the Siege of Granada began, the land at the foot of the Sierra Nevada has suffered from war. The once green farmland has been burned to ashes, the once fertile land is overgrown with weeds, the once prosperous market is deserted, and the once bustling city is left with only broken walls and ruins.

Cannons roared, smoke filled the air, the wounded wailed, and soldiers shouted. For this pearl of Iberia, Christians and Muslims left more than 20,000 bodies in half a year. Every inch of land and every section of the city wall was soaked with the blood of both sides of the decisive battle.

The intensity of this battle and the heavy casualties far exceeded any battle in Iberian history. The Christian coalition composed of the Eastern Roman expeditionary force, the Knights Hospitaller, the Knights of Santiago and the private army of the Count of Cordoba was firmly blocked for half a year. The Muslims in the city fought bloody battles for half a year under the command of Moorish fighters, fell into desperate situations countless times, and survived countless times.

Now, this city, once the largest in Iberia, has run out of fuel, is short of food, poorly equipped, and its broken walls cannot be repaired due to lack of stone. The militiamen can hardly achieve a better casualty ratio in the battle to defend the city, and can only use their lives to plug the holes in the walls.

An isolated city is difficult to defend. What is more worrying than the shortage of supplies is always the human heart. Although the Moorish monarchs have repeatedly declared that reinforcements are coming, there are rumors that the Watas family in North Africa is about to launch an attack on Christians. Today, not many people are willing to believe this beautiful lie.

At present, the city walls of Granada have been damaged in many places, the Christian coalition has occupied half of the city, and the remaining defenders of the Nasrid family have fled to the Alhambudda Palace, and are only one step away from final defeat.

The allied camps outside the city rose and fell, and various flags fluttered up and down. Among these flags, a red cross flag was particularly conspicuous.

Under the Red Cross flag, monks and nuns shuttled between beds to provide treatment for the wounded and sick. The sanitary conditions in the camp were checked by special personnel, and a large amount of strong liquor was used for surgical disinfection and wound cleaning.

Compared with the united Granada defenders, the Christian coalition had many disagreements in the initial period due to conflicts in culture, beliefs and interests. The Eastern Roman expeditionary force and the Cordoba private army were dissatisfied with each other, and the Knights Hospitaller and the Knights of Santiago were at loggerheads.

This kind of thing was unavoidable and slowed down the siege to a great extent, allowing the Granada people to survive. The Knights Hospitaller opened a gap, but the Knights of Santiago refused to rescue. The private army of Cordoba retreated, and the Eastern Roman expeditionary force only wanted to laugh at their incompetence.

General Gonzalo, who served as the commander-in-chief, was not very good at these matters. He had been trying his best to think of ways to break through the city wall in a short period of time. He was very annoyed by the conflicts within the coalition forces. He wrote letters to his good friend Justinian to complain and ask him to come back quickly to stabilize the situation.

However, Justinian was also busy with various affairs. His son Carlos was too young. Diplomacy, communication, exchange of interests... all these things fell on his shoulders, making him unable to extricate himself.

A month ago, seeing that Granada had been under siege for a long time, Isabella, who was far away in Malaga, became a little angry. She brought her son Carlos to Granada in the north to stand up for Gonzalo. She used a combination of firmness and flexibility to force the various military forces to put aside their grudges and fight the enemy together.

In terms of bloodline, Isabella was the daughter of the former king of Castile, with the blood of the Trastamara family flowing in her veins. She was the legitimate descendant of the Trastamara family of Castile. If she had not married into a foreign country, she would have been the most legitimate heir to the Kingdom of Castile.

In terms of identity, she was the empress of the Eastern Roman Empire and the biological mother of King Carlos. Neither the Eastern Roman expeditionary force, the Cordoba private army nor several knightly orders could ignore her wishes.

After arriving at the military camp, Isabella had some conversations with the "Kingmaker" Alonso and successfully persuaded him to hand over the military power to his younger brother Gonzalo. She also met with several senior knights together with him and successfully suppressed the conflict.

Gonzalo divided his troops into more than a dozen groups, with each group taking turns to go into battle and rest. He formulated strict military orders and publicly punished more than a dozen middle and lower-level officers who "remained motionless when friendly forces were in trouble."

In addition, Isabella also visited the military camps with her son Carlos to inspect the situation. She found that except for the Eastern Roman army, the other armies had serious problems in the treatment of the wounded and hygiene. Many wounded soldiers could not receive effective treatment at all, and minor injuries were delayed into serious injuries, and serious injuries were delayed into death.

In Isabella's view, this situation not only seriously affected the morale of the army, but also brought the hidden danger of the spread of the plague. Even if the medical conditions of the Eastern Roman expeditionary army were relatively good with the support of the emperor's real money, as long as the plague spread, they would inevitably be harmed.

So, Isabella discussed with the officers and wrote a letter to Isaac in Carthage. After obtaining their consent, she formally established the Christian Transnational Medical Association, turned the flag of the Knights Hospitaller over, and used a red cross on a white background as the flag of the Medical Association.

The Eastern Roman Empire and the Knights Hospitaller provided medical technology, the Count of Cordoba and the Knights of Santiago provided manpower, and the basic framework of the Red Cross was established. Compared with other medical religious orders such as the Knights Hospitaller and the Order of Saint Lazarus, the Red Cross does not have any military nature, and its entire meaning of existence is to provide medical assistance.

After conducting some visits and investigations, Isabella decided, against all odds, to use female nurses rather than male nurses as the main rescue force. In her opinion, women are careful, gentle and kind, and can bring warmth and love to the wounded in pain, which helps their spiritual recovery.

Thus, the first group of medical nuns who had received simple training appeared in the sick tents. Together with the professionally trained Eastern Roman doctors, they saved the lives of many wounded soldiers.

In order to boost the low morale, Isabella issued several decrees in the name of Carlos. On the one hand, she conferred titles on dozens of knights of the kingdom and granted more than a dozen castles and villages. On the other hand, she asked the Eastern Roman Empire for a loan to buy supplies including tobacco, liquor, and candy to boost the morale of the army both spiritually and physically.

After the implementation of this set of policies, the contradictions among the coalition forces were eliminated, and with renewed morale and improved organization, they launched another fierce attack on Granada.

On April 1475, 4, after another round of exchange of interests with the Vatican, Justinian once again achieved a diplomatic breakthrough and successfully obtained the help of the Order of Catarata for Carlos. More than half of the Knights of Catarata were willing to recognize Carlos' throne, and the other half chose to support Fernando of the Kingdom of Aragon.

At this time in Iberia, the Knights were still a force that could not be ignored. The most powerful Knights of Santiago and Karathewa controlled a population of over 100,000.

In addition to these large knightly orders, there were also a large number of small knightly orders active in Iberia, such as the Order of Montesa, the Order of Alcantara, the Order of the Ribbon, the Order of the Axe and the Order of the Vase. They either pledged allegiance to the Church or submitted to the king, and were all heroes in the Iberian reconquest movement.

As the reconquest progressed, their importance declined. Secular monarchs became increasingly intolerant of a group of military organizations that served directly under the Holy See. The position of Grand Master of many knightly orders began to be concurrently held by the king. This was also one of the points of conflict between the kingdoms of Castile, Aragon and other kingdoms and the Roman See.

Justinian's way of dealing with them was also very simple. He simply gave up centralization, recognized all their rights, recognized their special status, and compromised with the Holy See in exchange for their loyalty.

It is now the end of the 15th century. After experiencing the Black Death and the Great Schism, the Vatican is no longer the spiritual glue of Western European countries, but the "cancer" and "vampire" of all Western Europe, and the biggest obstacle to the centralization of monarchy. This is also an important reason why the Eastern Roman Empire chose to be friendly with the Vatican.

The more arrogant the Roman Catholic Church becomes, the weaker the Western European countries will become, the deeper the contradictions between the two sides will become, and one day, the flames of the Reformation will become more intense.

Facts have proved that this conspiracy is completely feasible. The Pope and the cardinals certainly knew the Eastern Roman Empire's little calculations, but they were also selfish. They didn't care about the feelings of the lower class people. They were busy annexing pieces of territory to their own names and accumulating wealth through rounds of indulgences.

Although the Roman Curia is the highest religious organization in the entire Western European world, in fact, the status of each nation in the Curia is still different. More than a century ago, most of the cardinals were French. After the Great Schism, the vast majority of cardinals became Italians, and most of them came from local wealthy families. They were highly regional and selfish, and certainly would not put the interests of Western Europe as a whole first.

In this holy war against Granada, Pope Sixtus IV, as expected, once again issued a large number of indulgences in the name of the Crusades, but only less than one twentieth of them actually fell into the pocket of the "holy warrior" Carlos.

When Justinian arrived at the battlefield with the Knights of Catarava, the fragile balance was completely broken by the arrival of fresh troops. The Granada army was defeated one after another on various sections of the city walls. Seeing that their gods were indifferent, many desperate Muslims believed that they were abandoned by Allah, so they chose to surrender to Carlos, were baptized as Christians, and became what people called "Moriscos".

In the Red Cross camp, medical staff came in and out. They were busy carrying the wounded on the battlefield into the tents and delivering spirits and steamed cloth from the warehouse to each medical barracks.

In the camp, Justinian and Isabella took Carlos to inspect the tents. Under the guidance of his parents, little Carlos also followed their example and comforted the wounded lying on the beds.

This kind of comfort started very early. At first, Carlos was very uncomfortable with the smell of blood, and was frightened by the bloody broken arms and limbs, but under Isabella's repeated insistence, he was dragged over, and over time, he got used to it.

"Carlos, remember, they are warriors who fight for you, and you are their king. The king's power is granted by God, but the monarch's authority needs the recognition of the people and the nobles."

Isabella warned patiently as they walked down the road.

"You are what they call an outsider. If you want to gain more support, you must not pretend to be noble."

"When they are most helpless and desperate, you have to let them know that the king is not only with them, but also brings them gentle nurses, abundant supplies, comfortable beds and glorious titles. In this way, they will recognize you and be loyal to you."

"I understand, Mother."

Carlos whispered.

"But why do people waste their lives for reasons that are hard to understand?"

"When I first came here, Malaga and Granada were both beautiful cities. Now, they are in ruins. Is this the territory I will rule?"

"You once said that the Red Cross will provide assistance to everyone, regardless of culture and language. Are the Moors not considered human beings? Why can the Moorish wounded only die in despair?"

Isabella was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to explain to her son, and looked at Justinian.

Justinian smiled and patted Carlos' head.

"You are still young, don't worry about these things. When you grow up, you will understand them naturally."

Justinian said.

"But you know that you will be a monarch in the future and should put your subjects first. You have to do whatever your subjects want you to do, and sometimes you even have to abandon your personal feelings. Your subjects hate Muslims and want to kill them all, so you have to do everything you can to satisfy them."

"Your grandfather was the most clear about this. Everything he did was entirely for the Roman people. He shared all the current benefits with the people and took all the possible accusations in the future on himself."

"I hope you remember that."

Of course Carlos didn't understand and lowered his head.

"I miss my brother. He said he would build a beautiful world for me."

"Hehe, maybe."

Justinian was quite pleased with Carlos' words.

"Go, check on your subjects before you accept the Moor's surrender!"

……

Not far away, the battle at the Alhambuda Palace was very fierce. The Christian coalition forces that rushed into the city were clearing out one block after another, forcing the remaining Granada defenders towards the Red Fort.

Due to King Carlos's ban, no artillery is allowed to fire at the Alhambuda Palace, and no army is allowed to wantonly destroy the palace. This magnificent building is a cultural treasure of all mankind and will also be the political center of Carlos in the future. It must not be destroyed easily.

On the tower of the Alhambudda Palace, the king's brother Zagar, dressed in full armor, commanded the final resistance. During the more than half a year of siege, this resolute and courageous Moorish fighter brought immeasurable damage to the Christian coalition forces. He made full use of the restrictions of the mountainous terrain on artillery and muskets, and resolutely fought back against the Christians on various city walls and fortresses.

However, at this point, there was nothing he could do. The Christian coalition, which had been rife with contradictions, had miraculously come together, the expected plague had not occurred, the food in the city had long been exhausted, and many people had resorted to eating their own children.

"Oh Allah... Are you really going to abandon your most loyal believers?" Another tower raised the flag of Carlos. Zagar closed his eyes in pain and clenched the hilt of the knife in his hand.

"Lord Zagar, His Majesty invites you to come over!"

A voice was heard, and an old eunuch came over.

"Your Majesty is waiting for you in the bedroom."

Zagar was silent for a moment, nodded, and wiped the blood-stained armor.

Picking up his depressed mood, Zagar pushed aside the soldiers and walked towards the bedroom in the palace.

Pushing open the door, a strong smell of medicine instantly rushed into Zagar's nose, and the dim bedroom was dead silent.

Lying on his sickbed, Ali Hassan, the last monarch of the Kingdom of Granada, tried hard to open his eyes and look at his younger brother.

During the last difficult winter, in order to solve the food crisis, Ali Hassan decided to reduce the food rations of soldiers and citizens, and took the lead in filling their stomachs with hardtack mixed with wild vegetables and sawdust.

Ali Hassan's actions inspired many desperate soldiers and civilians, but they also strained his already aging body. Years of hard work and worry turned into illness, which weighed down his shoulders.

"His Majesty……"

Zagar came to the bed and knelt on one knee.

"I heard a noise. Christians are coming into town."

Ali Hassan sighed.

"Zagar, I'm afraid we are going to lose."

"Your Majesty... The Red Fort is still standing. The Christians have not fired any cannons, nor have they launched a large-scale attack..."

Zagar looked at his brother's gloomy eyes and whispered comforting words.

"Haha, I know. This is the order from Carlos. He doesn't want this great castle to be reduced to ruins."

Ali Hassan stretched out his withered arm tremblingly, picked up a letter and handed it to Zagar.

"They shot us last night. They want us to surrender, saying they can't bear to destroy the palace."

"I asked some soldiers and they didn't want to fight anymore either."

"Your Majesty...you..."

Zagar sighed, having understood his brother's intention.

"They say that they will allow the Nasir family to survive under their watch. Do you really believe it?"

"It doesn't matter anymore. As they say, we have done everything we can. It's time to fight for a decent ending for ourselves and the people."

Ali Hassan coughed.

"Gonzalo said that if we made it difficult for him, he would be forced to bombard the Red Fort, and then he would be punished by the king, and he would punish all the people of Granada."

"If we accept their proposal, the people may still have a chance of survival."

"What life? Being a slave? Forced to convert?"

Zagar couldn't help but sneer.

Ali Hassan didn't say anything, but tried to open his eyes wide and stared at the beautiful patterns on the ceiling.

"Well, you are the king, you have the final say."

After a while, Zagar smiled bitterly and shook his head.

"But please give me some time."

Ali was stunned, his lips pursed, he stretched out his arm and shook his brother's hand vigorously.

"I'm waiting for you."

Zagar nodded heavily, stood up and left, going to the troop hiding place in the castle.

“If you are willing to sacrifice your life for Allah, follow me!”

Zagar said simply, pulling up the flag of the Kingdom of Granada and holding it high in front.

The side door opened and dozens of Moorish knights rushed out, facing them were thousands of Christian soldiers.

"What does he want to do?"

On the platform, Carlos, who was preparing to surrender, looked at his father beside him in confusion.

"He didn't want to surrender, he wanted to commit suicide, but suicide is a sin that cannot be tolerated, whether for Christians or Muslims."

Justinian stared solemnly at the Moorish cavalry in the distance.

"Although this is a world full of deception and conspiracy, such people are still not uncommon. If they are your subjects, you must use them. If they are your enemies, you must give them due respect after killing them all."

“My father taught me the same way.”

Justinian taught.

"They don't care about their lives or their own interests, they only care about honor and belief, and they are called heroes."

"Remember Giovanni Giustiniani, whom I told you about last time? He was a hero."

"Are you a hero then?"

Carlos asked curiously.

"Probably not."

Justinian smiled and shook his head.

"I asked your grandfather the same question a few years ago."

The Moorish cavalry in the distance began to charge, and General Zagar shouted loudly until he was knocked off his horse by a barrage of bullets.

Justinian crossed himself and sighed.

"He said, I have walked on the bloody road for too long and have long forgotten what it means to be a hero."

On April 1475, 4, after half a year of siege, the city of Granada surrounded by mountains was finally breached by the Christian coalition forces. The commander-in-chief of the Kingdom of Granada, Zagar, pretended to commit suicide, and the last monarch of Granada, Ali Hassan, announced his surrender to King Carlos.

That evening, Carlos entered the Alhambuda Palace and announced a reward for his generals. He awarded eight castles and a dozen villages around Granada to the heroes who participated in the war, conferred titles of eight barons and a dozen knights at one go, and asked Muslim scholars to give Zagar a pure Muslim funeral.

At this point, the Nasrid Dynasty of Granada, which had existed for more than 200 years, was completely destroyed, the last Muslim regime in Western Europe disappeared into the dust of history, and the Reconquista movement that lasted for 800 years finally ended with the victory of the Christian world.

On May 1475, 5, Prince Ferdinand of Aragon refused to recognize King Carlos' claim to Granada and Castile. He gathered an army of 1 people, including more than French soldiers, swore an oath of war in Barcelona, ​​and marched south in a mighty force.

On May 5, under the cover of the navy, 4 vanguard troops of the Eastern Roman army crossed the strait from the port of Malta and landed at the southern tip of Sicily. The engineering corps, carrying a large amount of construction materials, began to repair Sicily’s extremely rotten road system and provide auxiliary work for the army’s departure.

On May 5, the Eastern Roman Emperor Isaac took advantage of the situation to land on Sicily, formally declared war on the King of Aragon, and conducted diplomatic negotiations with local forces.

At this point, the Eastern Roman Empire and the Kingdom of Aragon completely broke off relations, turning from behind-the-scenes conflict to all-out confrontation. Envoys from both sides handed each other declarations of war, and the war began.

(End of this chapter)