1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 361 Catania Dam Burst
With heavy rain falling, moist water vapor from the west descended on various areas along the Mediterranean coast. Just like tens of millions of years ago, the westerly winds once again defeated the subtropical high pressure, and the warm and humid winter in the Mediterranean world officially arrived.

There was a light rain in the sky, and the road became muddy and slippery. On the dirt road in the mountainous area northwest of the Catania Plain, a group of militiamen walked westward. They were wearing homemade hats and hooded robes made by the villagers, and they looked up at the dark sky from time to time, their eyes full of anxiety.

In front of the crowd, the militia captain was riding a donkey with his eyebrows twisted into a knot.

"Hurry up, we have to reinforce the levee before the heavy rain comes, and don't let the flood destroy our village!"

"Everyone, cheer up! We are defending our homeland!"

"Yes!"

The militiamen roared in unison and quickened their pace.

The rain gradually got heavier, and the militia captain was in a mess as he urged his donkey along.

After the Eastern Roman Empire captured the Notto Valley, it implemented a conciliatory policy in the area, distributing food to the people, organizing entertainment activities, and allocating basic land in order to gain their support and loyalty.

In addition to these policies on people's livelihood, the Eastern Roman Empire also organized the Sicilian Self-Defense Force in the occupied area of ​​​​the Noto Valley. Every autonomous village and town had to participate. It was a semi-permanent local militia with a current strength of 1,000 people.

The Sicilian Self-Defense Force did not need to participate in the war against the Kingdom of Aragon, nor did they need to march with the Eastern Roman army. Their only responsibility was to defend their own property, including houses, farmland, livestock and tools.

Facts have proved that this capitalist private ownership model has won the Eastern Roman Empire a lot of favor from the Sicilian people. During the rule of the Kingdom of Aragon, they had almost nothing, and the Spanish rulers could requisition their food, horses, ironware and labor at will during the war. However, the Eastern Roman emperor had not done such immoral things in the empire for a long time. If necessary, he basically adopted a redemption model, and the villagers could earn a lot of money by following the army.

During these months of war, the Spanish rulers' taxation continued to increase, and more and more Sicilians were attracted to this model. More and more people ran from the Aragon-controlled area to the Eastern Roman-controlled area. This group of unruly and selfish Sicilians may not have much centripetal force towards either country. They are just for their own interests.

The militia captain named Martini was also a member of the Sicilian Self-Defense Force. When the Eastern Roman army arrived at the village where he had lived for generations, the grain-collecting team of Marquis of Gatis had just left. The village was in a mess, and the people were shouting and crying, not knowing how to survive the next difficult winter.

Along with the Eastern Roman soldiers came food, clothing, coke, medicine and priests. The abundant daily necessities alleviated the villagers' urgent needs. The new medicines made several children suffering from malaria miraculously recover. The priests sent by the Archbishop of Syracuse also told them that the Eastern Roman emperor was the Sicilian monarch recognized by God. There was no need to exclude him because of slightly different religious rituals. They should love the emperor as they loved their father and respect his rule.

This is indeed the case. Under the rule of the Eastern Roman Empire, the local church in Sicily obtained the most basic autonomy. The Sicilians could perform Western rituals, make the sign of the cross on their chests according to the original customs, receive bread and wine according to the original customs, and decide independently whether to ferment them.

Martini, who had just lost his father, immediately joined the Sicilian Self-Defense Force. Because of his tall appearance and stronger body, he successfully became the captain of the militia. He received old weapons from the Syracuse warehouse and was ordered to guard his village and resist the grain and tax collection by the Aragonese rulers.

Later, an Eastern Roman regular army settled down in the river valley plain near the village. Unlike what many villagers thought, they did not oppress the people at will, nor did they forcibly collect their means of production. Occasionally, when they needed food or services, the quartermaster would also pay them real money.

Martini had seen them, and what he saw in their eyes was indifference rather than tyranny, disdain rather than greed. He knew very well that the reason these soldiers did not rob everywhere like most armies of the same era was not because they were incapable, nor because they really regarded the Sicilian people as their compatriots in a very short time, but because of the pride buried in their hearts.

The emperor's military pay was sufficient, and the salary they earned in the army was enough to provide a good life for the whole family. Compared with the dazzling array of goods and various entertainments in the big cities along the Aegean coast, the Sicilian villages seemed so poor and crude that the soldiers simply looked down on them and did not need to ruin their reputation for these small amounts of money.

The villagers in the garrison were very surprised by this group of proud and highly qualified soldiers. After knowing that they would not hurt themselves at will, many brave villagers started doing business with the soldiers, providing the local citrus specialty to the wealthy quartermaster in exchange for candy, tobacco and other high-end supplies for the soldiers.

Under the emperor's mandatory requirement, the uniforms of the Eastern Roman regular army were not cheap but beautiful. They looked majestic and powerful when marching, and set off the tall and handsome bodies of the soldiers to the fullest. Wherever they went, they would always attract admiring eyes from all directions. Children looked at the muskets on their backs with envy, and girls would always hide in the dark, secretly watching these handsome young men.

After the Eastern Roman soldiers were stationed in a place, there would always be a baby boom after a year. The priests and military judges would try to control it at first, but they could not resist the local girls throwing themselves at them, so they just let it go.

The laws of the Eastern Roman Empire stipulated that any Christian baby whose parents were citizens of the empire or born within the empire would automatically acquire citizenship rights. When these mixed-race babies grew up, they would often choose to live in the Eastern Roman Empire because of the more generous welfare benefits. Of course, the Eastern Roman Empire, which lacked population, would accept everyone.

A few days later, another engineering corps arrived at the village of Martini. They began to build dams and dig river channels on the river north of the village, and also hired many villagers to carry construction materials for them.

At first, the villagers were very happy. Sicily, with its Mediterranean climate, is always hit by heavy rains in winter, especially in the low-lying Catania Plain, where floods are commonplace. If they could use the power of the Eastern Roman Empire to build water conservancy projects and control floods, their lives would be greatly improved.

Therefore, when the Eastern Roman Engineer Corps proposed to build a dam, nearby villagers enthusiastically signed up and spontaneously came to the construction site to assist the Engineer Corps in completing the construction.

However, after the dams were built to a certain extent, some knowledgeable villagers vaguely realized that something was wrong. These dams seemed to be shoddy. The engineering corps not only turned a blind eye to this, but also prohibited the villagers from reinforcing them at will. The regular army stationed there also began to set up blockades to prohibit the villagers from leaving at will.

In addition, members of the engineering corps often went to various sections of the river to survey hydrology and carry out various plans that the villagers found difficult to understand. Government officials began to purchase village land and persuade villagers to leave their hometown and move to the Noto Valley in the south.

Some villagers were successfully persuaded and went south to Noto with the money from selling their land. Some technical talents even moved their families directly to major cities along the Aegean coast, where they could have a better life.

However, some stubborn and elderly villagers were unwilling to leave their homes, and by the winter of 1475, nearly half of the villagers still remained where they were.

The first heavy rain soon arrived, and the many dams built by the Eastern Roman Engineer Corps successfully achieved the expected effect. However, the construction strength of some dams was obviously unable to sustain until the next spring, and the eventual breach was a foregone conclusion.

Not only that, due to human intervention, the flow direction of some rivers was slightly changed, thus some villages were away from the threat of floods, while other villages happened to be blocked downstream of the flood and became victims of the plan.

As a result, the Sicilian Self-Defense Force began to organize itself, hoping to help the Eastern Roman Engineer Corps reinforce the dam and defend their homeland.

The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and the engineering camp ahead was vaguely visible. They were stationed on a high ground, and below the high ground was one of the river-blocking dams they had built in the past few months.

"Stop! The front has been put under military control. No one is allowed to enter!"

A patrol cavalry team blocked the militia's path. They were wearing blood-red uniforms and their armor had obvious North African characteristics.

This is the Slavic team, and Maldini has seen them.

"Captain, we are the Third Militia Regiment of the Sicilian Self-Defense Force. We are fully equipped and have come to reinforce the riverbank!"

Martini spoke loudly in Sicilian, pointing to the baskets, pickaxes and shovels in the hands of the militiamen.

"Okay, I understand. You don't have to worry about this matter! His Majesty the Emperor and his government will take care of it!"

Captain Slaves thought hard about what Maldini said and responded simply in Latin.

Sicilian is a local branch of Italian and can be considered an extension of Latin. If you speak it slower and with clearer pronunciation, although you cannot fully understand what it means, you can still understand its meaning.

Latin is one of the two official languages ​​of the Eastern Roman Empire, and is gradually gaining an increasingly important position. Senior officials and senior military officers must know Latin. This is not because Latin is so beautiful, nor because Latin is the language of our ancestors, but because Latin is used so widely. After learning Latin, the other languages ​​derived from Latin are much simpler and easier to learn.

"But...but why?"

Maldini was very puzzled.

“These dams are about to burst!”

"The old people in the village said that if these dams really burst, a large amount of river water will pour into the Amanano River. Although our village is located on a relatively high ground, several orchards will still be washed away!"

"Oh."

Captain Slavius ​​looked calm.

"Which village are you from?"

"Norrland Village."

Maldini said truthfully.

"It's the village at the outermost edge of the Empire's controlled area."

"Then don't worry. The emperor has bought several orchards near the river on your way here."

Captain Slaves fumbled in his waterproof bag, pulled out a document, and handed it to Martini.

"If you are worried about flooding, then move south as soon as possible. This is part of the plan and no one has the right to change it."

"If you are reluctant to part with your farmland, you can sell it all to the emperor. In any case, you won't suffer too much loss."

Martini didn't quite understand it, but he recognized the name of his village, the name of the village elder and the emperor's seal, and believed Captain Slaves' words a little more.

“It turns out that you didn’t intend to control the flood at all, but to use it.”

Martini murmured.

"I'm afraid that many people will lose their families because of this."

"We have done everything we can in the Empire-controlled areas to relocate people southward, buy land with money, and settle them in the Notto Valley."

Captain Slaves said slowly.

"The Marquis of Gatis of Aragon has been collecting grain in the Aragonese-controlled area, forcing a large number of people to flee. There are not many people left in the villages near Catania. Those who are willing to stay are either diehard Aragonese or vested interests. Their lives have nothing to do with the emperor."

"Okay, I'll go back now and try to get all the villagers to evacuate south before the dam breaks."

Maldini sighed helplessly.

"The emperor is indeed benevolent and kind. In other countries, monarchs would never adopt such a redemption policy."

"Buying land, relocating people, settling them...I'm afraid it will cost the emperor a lot of money, right?"

Captain Slaves smiled, shook his head, and did not answer.

Haha, the emperor is the most shrewd businessman and he will never do anything that loses money. When this flood recedes, the Engineering Corps will use the latest technology to build truly complete water conservancy facilities to completely solve the flooding in the Catania Plain and turn it into a paradise in Sicily.

At that time, they might even spend a higher price to buy the land back.

"It's raining heavily. We have to make final preparations. Please go back as soon as possible."

Captain Slaves said to Maldini.

Martini nodded, bowed slightly, and led the team back the way they came.

...Under the gloomy sky, the city of Catania lay quietly in the bay. Not far away, Mount Etna stood majestically. Its snow-white peak was covered by dark clouds. The dark and steep mountain looked like a ferocious beast, baring its fangs at the city below.

"It's done!"

At the construction site in the dock area, as the last fortress was completed, engineers and soldiers cheered, and the conscripted laborers breathed a sigh of relief.

Since the walls of Catania had only been repaired a few years ago, the Marquis of Gatiss placed these fortifications mainly at the docks in order to defend against the Eastern Roman Empire's unrivaled navy.

In the view of Marquis Gatis, although the coastline near Catania is very long, most of it is cliffs and reefs that are difficult to land on. As long as this port can be firmly defended, the Eastern Roman army can only waste time on the muddy Catania Plain.

"Your Excellency the Marquis, I have accomplished your mission!"

Next to the Marquis of Gatiss, a middle-aged man who looked like an engineer wiped the water from his forehead, and the joy in his eyes almost became tangible.

"On behalf of His Majesty the King, I thank you for your efforts."

The Marquis of Gatiss patted the engineer on the shoulder, and his frown relaxed a little.

"With your fortifications, we'll be able to hold out until next year."

The engineer nodded heavily, staring at his masterpiece.

This line of defense consisted of a fortress, several blockhouses, a dozen watchtowers and countless chevaux-de-frise trenches. The Marquis of Gatiss drove away all the nearby citizens, requisitioned their houses and converted them into these fortifications.

The most important fortress has a distinct Italian style and is a typical "Italian bastion". Although it is not large in scale, it is equipped with three main guns, eight secondary guns and more than a dozen crossbows, plus musket mounting points and small catapults. It can be said to be armed to the teeth and it took the engineers more than half a year's hard work.

The engineer's name is Amedeo. His ancestors are all Venetians. His ancestors once participated in the recovery of St. Mark's remains as soldiers, and his family has always been proud of this.

When Amedeo was born, Venice was still immersed in prosperity. In the first half of his life, he witnessed the rise of the Ottoman Empire, the demise and revival of the Eastern Roman Empire and the complete destruction of the Republic of Venice. He hated the Eastern Roman Emperor to the core.

After the fall of the Republic of Venice, the survivors of Venice rebuilt the Republic of St. Mark in the old territory of northern Italy. These people were divided into two factions. One faction advocated enduring humiliation, consolidating the existing territory, improving the treatment of the Lombards, developing their own economy, and temporarily reconciling with the Eastern Roman Empire. The other faction advocated preparing for war, always bearing in mind the shame of the country's destruction and the family's demise, and trying every means to seek opportunities to regain lost territory.

After retreating to the mainland, the number of orthodox Venetians decreased greatly. In order to maintain stability, the Republic of St. Mark had to cede a large number of interests to the northern Italian city-states under its rule. The Lombard power group quickly took shape. They did not have much hatred for the Eastern Roman Empire, nor did they want to regain maritime hegemony. They tended to be moderate in the power struggle, and at the same time continued to demand autonomy and opposed centralization.

The rise of the Lombards completely broke the fragile balance of power in the government of the Republic of San Marco. The radicals were purged and the moderates took power. They showed goodwill to the outside world, actively contacted neighboring countries, and sought to improve hostile relations. They were incompetent internally, amended the laws, and were forced to grant a large amount of autonomy to the Lombard city-state.

This series of changes actually turned the Republic of St. Mark into a loose confederation, with each city-state having its own laws, army and power institutions. If it were not for the remaining radical forces who argued for their rights, the republican government would have almost lost its highest diplomatic power.

Amedeo was one of the radicals. He was now completely disappointed with the Republic of St. Mark. He took advantage of the power struggle to flee abroad and traveled around the Italian peninsula, promoting the "Eastern Roman threat theory" in an attempt to save his homeland that already existed in history books.

However, the Italian countries had little interest in his proposal, and many city-states prohibited him from entering at will. With nowhere else to go, he came to Sicily and found the Marquis of Gatis, who was in charge of military affairs. With his engineering talent, he became his advisor. He then came to Catania and was ordered to build this port defense line.

Looking at this mighty line of defense, Amedeo pursed his lips, and all the bitterness and pain of the past surged into his heart, and he clenched his fists tightly.

"Your Excellency, I once lived in the Venetian colony in Constantinople. When they renovated the Theodosian Walls decades ago, it was me who sent the drawings back to China."

Amedeo said.

"Later, we organized a study of new bastions in Venice, and I was one of the members. I was in charge of the renovation of the two fortresses in Dalmatia."

"When I first started designing the fortress, I also thought about the defense of the Amannano River. I actually spent a lot of time thinking about preventing the Eastern Empire Navy from entering the inland along the Amannano River during the rainy season."

"But as of now, it seems that there is no need to worry. It has rained a few times, but the water level of the Amanor River is still not deep. The Greek ships cannot enter, and the small boats will be blocked by your brave soldiers."

"This is not Venice, where tall buildings can be built, and there are not many wide-view beaches. Please believe me, the Greeks will not be able to capture Catania before next spring."

Amedeo looked sternly at the Marquis of Gatiss.

"If anyone dares to attack us, we will defeat him!"

"Okay, I believe you."

Marquis Gatis looked at the river which was obviously not deep, frowned, thought about it, and finally shook his head.

He is not a native of Catania, has only been here for a year, and does not have a deep understanding of the local geographical environment.

"I heard that you Venetian survivors who are unwilling to compromise with the moderates of St. Mark have formed a Venetian Restoration Party and are now active in Italy?"

“Yes, you are interested in our business?”

Amedeo's eyes lit up.

“We are trying to find like-minded partners.”

"Well... this matter cannot be rushed, but aren't there many high-quality talents in the Venice Restoration Party?"

The Marquis of Gatiss changed the subject, a hint of sarcasm flashing in his eyes.

"Armor masters, cannon makers, musket craftsmen, engineers... I need all these talents. His Majesty the King is also very interested. If you are willing, you can go to Zaragoza and provide services to His Majesty the King."

Seeing that the Marquis of Gatiss, like other rulers in power in Western Europe, was dismissive of Venice's cause of restoration, Amedeo was slightly disappointed, but still nodded.

"I'll ask for you."

Tick ​​- tick -

A few drops of rain fell and hit the Marquis of Gatiss on the head.

Sicily has plenty of rainfall, with annual rainfall in the lowland plains ranging from about 400 to 600 mm, and sometimes exceeding 1,200 mm in the plateau and mountains, mostly concentrated in autumn and winter.

"The rainy season has come, and the Greeks didn't attack after all."

The Marquis of Gatiss said with emotion.

"After all the hassles and spending so much money, we still have to wait until next year."

"Haha, by next year, his so-called Sicilian Freedom Army will probably have been wiped out, and the most important places in Sicily will be intact. There is still a lot to fight."

Amedeo was also optimistic about the war and chuckled.

"You have driven away most of the people in the northern half of the Catania Plain. With your strong defenses and cleared land, the Greeks will probably have a hard time finding all their supplies."

"Well, it's better to be careful. The Greek emperor has been in charge of the army and the government for thirty years, relying on cunning and treachery. I'm afraid he won't take the ordinary path."

The Marquis of Gatiss waved his hand, mounted his horse and prepared to leave.

Walking along the river towards the mansion, Marquis Gatis felt somewhat uneasy. He looked around from time to time, taking in the results of his work over the past few days.

The city walls were reinforced, unruly people were cleared out, barracks were set up in the streets, warehouses were filled with looted food, soldiers were ready to fight at any time in the barracks, and even the weakest port area had been processed and transformed.

Feeling a little relieved, the Marquis of Gatiss shifted his gaze closer. On the shallows of the river, some older children were holding fishing nets and happily catching fish jumping out of the water.

“Has the water level in the Amannano always been this low?”

The Marquis of Gatiss couldn't help but look at the knight beside him.

"We've had a lot of rain here these days, so there should be more rain upstream."

"That's not clear, but look at the marks on the river. They were made by local residents during previous flood seasons."

Chevalier Charles pointed to the white sticks on the riverbank.

"It seems that the water flow has decreased this year."

The Marquis of Gatiss was stunned and felt even more uneasy. A guess that made his hair stand on end lingered in his mind and could not be shaken off.

The noisy sound coming from the front interrupted the Marquis of Gatiss's thoughts. Then, the roaring sound of the rushing water came from far away. Before the Marquis of Gatiss could react, the terrified howling of the residents reached his ears.

"Run!"

"Flood! It's a flood!"

boom!
There were bursts of thunder and streaks of lightning across the dark sky, like a silver dragon, shuttling between the black clouds, turning the wrath of the gods into torrential rain, sprinkling it on the earth.

On November 1475, 11, the first rainstorm in Sicily arrived as expected. The rainstorm first fell in the mountainous areas, the roads became muddy, and the rivers began to rise wildly. Several water storage projects built by the Eastern Roman Empire in the mountainous area northwest of the Catania Plain were soon overwhelmed.

On November 11, the resettlement of civilians in the occupied areas of the Eastern Roman Empire was basically completed. Under the order of Army Minister Ibrahim, several engineering regiments waiting in line blew up the dams. The muddy flood rushed eastward along the excavated river channel and crashed into the Amannano River. The surging waves rushed towards the city of Catania at an alarming speed. In just a few days, the land within dozens of kilometers around Catania turned into a flooded area.

Under the might of nature, a large gap was soon washed out in the tall city wall that Kayaniya once prided itself on. Floods poured into the city, and warehouses, barracks, houses, markets... everything disappeared, leaving only a water town.

For the Kingdom of Aragon, the impact of the Catania dam burst was catastrophic. The Marquis of Gatis lost all his wealth in this city, his 10,000-strong army was scattered, the commander-in-chief fled in panic, all the supplies collected through conquests and the fortifications built with great effort were wasted, and the gateway to Messina was completely opened.

On November 11, the Eastern Mediterranean Fleet of the Eastern Roman Empire appeared outside the almost ruined port of Catania. A marine corps landed on the high refugee camp and began to provide relief and eliminate the remaining enemy forces.

(End of this chapter)