1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 362 Prelude to the Final Battle
When heavy rains hit Sicily, the Iberian Peninsula, far across the Mediterranean, also welcomed its own winter. Due to the mountainous terrain and fragmented terrain of the peninsula, the specific conditions were very different.

Except for the Tabara Desert in the southeast, the coastal areas of the Iberian Peninsula are warm and humid. Crops begin to thrive under the nourishment of rainfall, and the scene is full of vitality.

However, due to the influence of the terrain, it is difficult for moist water vapor from the Atlantic Ocean to enter the interior of the peninsula. The Meseta Plateau in the center of Iberia has a semi-arid temperate grassland climate with an average annual precipitation of about 400 mm, and there is not much rainfall even in winter.

By the end of 1475, the War of the Castilian Succession finally reached its climax. Queen Juana was trapped in Toledo, while the other two forces had made full preparations for war. Whoever entered Toledo first would be king. The two armies ignored the towns and villages in the corners and poured into the Meseta Plateau, rushing straight towards the city of Toledo.

During the march, local princes of Castile also took sides. When the two armies arrived at the center of Meseta, the number of soldiers had increased greatly. This storm was drawing more and more people in.

The Tagus River, the largest river on the Iberian Peninsula, divides the Meseta Plateau into two parts. The city of Toledo is located right in the center. Prince Fernando of Aragon led an army of more than 30,000 people to camp on the north bank of the Tagus River, and the Eastern Roman Crown Prince Justinian led more than 20,000 people to camp on the south bank of the Tagus River. The two sides of the war confronted each other along the Tagus River, eyeing each other covetously and sharpening their swords.

Queen Juana of Toledo was still struggling to support her kingdom, although she knew that after losing most of her supporters, it would be difficult for her to maintain her father's crown. She was fortunate to be able to get a decent ending.

The flow of the middle reaches of the Tagus River is gentle, and it has washed out a relatively fertile valley between two mountain ranges. To the north of the valley is the Central Mountain Range, and to the south of the valley is the Toledo Mountains. The valley in the middle is called the New Castile Basin, which is the most densely populated area in central Iberia. Currently, both Fernando's army and Carlos' army are stationed here.

On the north bank of the Tagus River, north of Toledo, in the city of Madrid.

The city of Madrid is located on the banks of the Manzanares River and has a temperate continental climate with extremely hot summers and extremely cold winters. The water, heat and agricultural conditions are relatively good, and it has the potential to develop into a metropolis.

However, among the many famous big cities in Iberia, Madrid is very inconspicuous. It does not have such a long history, many specialties worthy of praise, nor a brilliant culture and a prosperous economy. If it were not for the fact that King Enrique III of Castile ordered the construction of the Pardo Palace when he rebuilt the city of Madrid, this city would hardly have become one of the residences of the monarchs of Castile.

Up to now, Madrid is still a small city. In the original time and space, it was not until Philip V, who favored Madrid, built large-scale projects here that this city truly became the capital of Spain.

Of course, even after becoming the capital, Madrid, located deep in the interior, still failed to develop into a truly modern metropolis, and was far behind other Western European capitals. This situation was not fundamentally changed until the dictator Franco came to power.

However, since the city of Madrid was originally developed from a military fortress, its defense facilities were very complete. After Prince Fernando, who went south to fight for hegemony, occupied this place, he stationed his army here and began to coerce and bribe Queen Juana who was trapped in Toledo.

In fact, at the beginning of the Iberian conflict, the nobles in the Kingdom of Aragon were generally consistent on the affairs of the Kingdom of Castile and acquiesced to Fernando's claim to the throne of Castile, but two different voices emerged among them.

One group believed that Aragon should not be too dependent on the Kingdom of France, nor should it push Queen Juana of Castile too hard. Ferdinand could recognize Juana's legitimate throne, and the two sides could form a royal merger through marriage, and Aragon and Castile could also form a special united kingdom.

The other faction opposed the marriage, firmly denied Juana's legitimate claim, advocated pro-French sentiment, and wanted Ferdinand to marry the French princess in exchange for the support of Louis XI.

As his own strength did not allow it, Prince Ferdinand of Aragon finally chose to accept the support of France and made a marriage contract with the daughter of Louis XI. At the same time, he completely denounced Juana as an illegitimate daughter and was determined to snatch the crown from her head.

In addition, in order to obtain more troops, Fernando, under the advice of Louis XI, used the few remaining royal territories in Castile as bait to recruit many wandering knights and mercenaries from the Kingdom of France, completely ignoring Juana.

This series of operations did win Fernando a considerable number of French soldiers, but it also caused Juana's faction to be extremely disgusted with him. In addition to Queen Juana herself, a considerable number of old ministers of Trastamara regarded Fernando as a traitor and firmly opposed handing over the crown to him.

As for Carlos, he was originally an outsider, and the Eastern Roman Empire did not make any territorial claims in the Kingdom of Castile. After all, there is a difference between introducing the influence of the Holy See and introducing the influence of France.

Fernando knew all about this, and he also knew that he might have fallen into Louis XI's trap, but he could not say anything about it.

The Kingdom of Aragon had suffered great damage at the hands of his good father, Juan II. Without relying on France, he would have almost no chance of defeating the Carlists. Since he chose to rely on France, he naturally had to pay the corresponding price.

The drizzle had just stopped, and the winter sky was clear and cloudless. In the Pardo Palace in Madrid, a middle-aged officer was waiting in the lounge accompanied by his entourage. Their armor was outlined with iris patterns on a blue background, which obviously came from the Kingdom of France.

"Is there any cigarette?"

Perhaps he was tired of waiting, the middle-aged officer looked at Aragon's servant beside him.

"Only Athens brand of oriental tobacco."

The servant was startled and brought a cigarette box.

"The former mayor of Madrid loved this kind of smoke and left us a lot of it."

"It doesn't matter. Anything is fine."

The middle-aged officer picked up a spiced cigarette at random, ignored the owl pattern on the cigarette box, and took out a fine cylindrical metal box from his pocket.

The metal box is made of brass and has a double-headed eagle emblem engraved on the surface.

"The tinderbox, a new gadget of the Greeks, is made of flint and tinder, and is said to be a reference to the fire-making tools of the ancient Egyptians."

The officer explained, lit a cigarette with the tinderbox, took a puff, and raised the corners of his mouth slightly.

"Hephaestus brand, a product of the Royal Fine Workshop. I seized it on the battlefield not long ago."

The attendants immediately complimented him, and the middle-aged officer was also very pleased. He gave a vivid account of the battle, invited the attendants to smoke, and showed off his trophies.

The Aragonese servant looked at the candle burning brightly on the table, and knowing that the French officer was trying to show off, he left without making a sound.

"Oh, the Aragonese are really rude."

Seeing the servant leave, the middle-aged officer snorted coldly and switched to French.

"Not only are they rude, but their fighting ability is also very weak. We are the only ones who can fight the war."

"Yes, in the previous few encounters, your troops successfully escaped back to the north bank of the Tagus River, and several Aragonese units either fled in all directions or surrendered."

An attendant flattered him with a smile, but the middle-aged officer's face froze and he stopped talking.

His name is Bethness. He was born in Lyon. He once participated in the Hundred Years' War between England and France and is currently a squad leader of the King's Musketeers.

The King's Musketeers was a military reform carried out by Louis XI based on the Eastern Roman Empire. It adopted large square tactics and currently has 3,000 members, a quarter of whom are musketeers.

The King's Musketeers was Louis XI's private army and one of his means to strengthen his royal power. Most of its members were citizens rather than nobles. Bethnis, the squad leader, was the son of a workshop owner.

Louis XI also accepted the advice of military experts, attempting to play to the country's strengths and use the King's Musketeers and the Royal Cavalry together to cooperate with each other and thus gain greater advantages on the battlefield.

The advantage of the phalanx is its strong firepower, which can effectively fight against cavalry. The disadvantage is its slow movement, poor maneuverability, and obvious loopholes in pursuing remaining enemies. More than ten years after the reform of the phalanx, the Eastern Roman Empire also discovered this shortcoming and began to use the phalanx in conjunction with cavalry more and more.

It turns out that if the commander manipulates them properly, both the Slavic cavalry and the Guards Dragoon can achieve good results in cooperation with the large square infantry.

In this Iberian Civil War, both France and Eastern Rome used the latest military tactics. In addition to defeating the enemy, another purpose was of course to train troops.

From ancient times to the present, the conflict-ridden Iberia has always been the best training ground.

Two months ago, Fernando, eager to win, took advantage of the low water level of the Tagus River and sent part of his troops across the river to the south, trying to destroy the towns and villages south of the Tagus River, making it difficult for the Eastern Roman army to supply.

However, due to the low overall military quality of the Iberian Peninsula and the mixed quality of Fernando's troops, some soldiers who were rushing to cross the river to the south forgot military orders and were defeated by Gonzalo's troops who came on a forced march, forcing them to look north in panic.

The defeat in this small-scale battle shattered Fernando's plan for a quick victory. The Eastern Roman army arrived at the camp on the south bank of the Tagus River as scheduled. Fernando was forced to withdraw to Madrid. He did not dare to attack the Royal City of Toledo rashly, for fear of forcing Queen Juana to completely side with Carlos.

"Sir Bethany, the king invites you in."

The wooden door opened and a guard bowed slightly to Bethness.

"Well, have the distinguished guests you just mentioned left?"

Bethness stood up and put out her cigarette.

"We came here on the orders of King Louis to help you resist the expansion of the Greeks. There are guests more distinguished than us..."

The guards were accustomed to Bethness's arrogance and led him to the meeting room without saying a word.

In the corridor, a group of Mudejar merchants in gorgeous clothes came towards us. They looked a little solemn and were talking in low voices.

Obviously, they were the "distinguished guests" that Fernando had just received.

"Oh?"

Bethanis glanced at the Mudéjar merchants and a sarcastic smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Is your Majesty out of money again?"

The Mudejar merchant did not hear what Bethnis said. He bowed slightly to him and hurried away. Bethnis did not return the greeting and walked straight into the meeting room.

"Dear King Fernando, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Bethany bowed and said hello.

"I just met your distinguished guest. If you are short of funds, you can continue to seek help from our merchants. Believe me, as long as there are enough collaterals, they will be happy to provide you with loans." "That's not necessary. I asked them to come here for nothing to do with funds."

Fernando interrupted Bethnis with a smile and pointed to a seat.

"Sit down, what do you want from me?"

The maid brought coffee to Bethany. Bethany sat down, thought for a moment, and looked at Fernando.

"Your Majesty Fernando, I just received instructions from King Louis and rushed here immediately."

Bethness said.

"King Louis wants to tell you that the situation in France has changed. The soldiers he provided to you may be transferred back to the country at any time. Please be prepared."

"what!"

Fernando stood up on the spot, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Why? What happened to France?"

"France is fine. It's just a chain reaction caused by the Burgundy War."

Bethany did not hide it.

"Charles the Bold's war with the Duchy of Lorraine and the Swiss Confederation has been going on for a long time, and both sides are really angry."

"Charles the Bold captured Nancy in a bloody battle not long ago and is continuing his march southward."

"This... Does King Louis think that Duke Charles can achieve the final victory?"

Fernando sat down puzzled.

"He told me at our last meeting that Charlie the Bold would fail."

"No, King Louis said in the letter that according to his observation, Charles the Bold's rule in Nancy is very unstable, his army is very tired, and has no sufficient supplies."

"On the contrary, the Swiss Confederation's army has been ready for battle, gathering strength for a long time, and is waiting to strike a heavy blow to Charles the Bold."

Bethany shook her head.

"But our bold Charles still rushed south without hesitation, without listening to anyone's advice."

"As far as I know, he has already driven away all the Greek military advisers because the Greeks urged him to give up going south and recuperate."

"King Louis believed that no matter how this war ended, whether Charles the Bold won or not, his military power would be at an all-time low, and our opportunity was now."

"Doesn't Bold Charlie know that?"

Fernando asked.

"Of course I know, but he couldn't stop. He wanted to win so much, and he kept winning, so much so that he forgot what a miserable defeat was."

Bethany smiled sarcastically.

"In fact, when Edward IV of England was bribed by our King Louis, Charles the Bold should have withdrawn, but he refused."

"Just wait and see. In a few months, he will be completely broken."

Fernando nodded, thinking.

"Approximately how long will it take?"

"I don't know. Everything is up to King Louis."

Bethness said.

"Whatever you're planning, I suggest you speed it up."

"I understand."

Fernando sighed.

"The spies reported that Juana has lost control. The person in charge of Toledo's defense is ostensibly Don Juan, the knight commander of the late King Enrique, but in reality, the archbishop and the nobles have a say."

"The Archbishop doesn't really care who will be the king. The same is true for the other nobles. They only care about how much of their own interests can be preserved."

"Now, they have become the most idle party, waiting for the price between us."

"If we attack Toledo, they will accept the Greeks' offer and open the south gate, and vice versa."

"Then you'd better contact the forces in the city and gain more support."

Bettenis suggested.

"Although the fake King Carlos is only a child, his parents are not good people. Princess Isabella is the eldest daughter of the previous king. The nobles who originally supported Prince Alfonso have a lot of good feelings towards her. The Inquisition was also her handiwork. The extreme priests also favor her."

"There is also the 'Cossack' Justinian, who is deep-minded and good at socializing. Although he is not very talented in military strategy, he can win the favor of soldiers and generals. What he likes to do most is to make contacts everywhere and sow discord. On the surface, he is high-sounding, but secretly he is full of shady tricks."

"Just like... just like your King Louis."

Fernando laughed and shook his head.

Bethany frowned and said nothing.

"Okay, let me make it short. I have sent you a copy of my military newspaper. Do you know the details?"

Fernando took a sip of his coffee.

"Our preliminary work has had some effect. The development of the south bank of the Tagus River is not as good as that of the north bank. The Greeks are far away from their homeland and the coast, so supply is a big problem."

"Due to the lack of sufficient supplies and the need to guard against our crossing of the river, their army was divided into three parts. The main force of the army was stationed in the small town of Mora, south of Toledo. The private army of the Carlos nobles was stationed at a ferry west of Mora, and the Knights' soldiers were stationed in Villacañas, east of Mora."

"Furthermore, for the same reason, the Greeks were far slower than us in collecting civilian ships, and they had to build simple ships on the south bank of the Tagus River."

Fernando said.

"According to my guess, the Greeks definitely want to end the war in a short period of time. They are too dependent on the ocean, and the inland supply situation is very poor. There are also conflicts within the coalition forces. The longer the time drags on, the worse their situation will become."

"But, as far as I know, Justinian and Isabella are also actively communicating with Juana's faction, and some even proposed a marriage between Juana and Carlos."

"So, you can't win by dragging it out."

Bethness said.

"If we continue to delay, Juana might surrender to the Greek coalition before they fall apart due to supply and conflicts, and our reinforcements might leave by then."

"Yeah, that's a real problem."

Fernando sighed.

"I have been dealing with the Inquisition recently and have met with many people. I have some ideas about this war. You can just arrive at the designated location. I will notify you when everything is arranged."

"We should have taken more time to prepare, but since everyone can't wait, let's do it as soon as possible."

Fernando drank the coffee in one gulp, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes.

"The Greeks are causing trouble everywhere, but Iberia is still ours after all, and we have the final say!"

On November 1475, 11, Fernando's army stationed in Madrid completed its repairs and began to march south again, deploying troops along the Tagus River.

(End of this chapter)