1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 391 Cathedral of Armed Forces

Time flies, Constantinople enters the mild spring, the warm sun brings vitality, the ice and snow melt, and all things revive.

At the northern section of the Theodosian Wall, Isaac and his guards walked out of the Golden Gate and headed southwest along the asphalt gravel road.

The people along the way naturally saw Isaac's carriage. They waved their hands excitedly and cheered for the emperor who brought them a better life.

In a carriage, Isaac held the scepter that symbolized imperial power, thinking quietly.

The conflict in the western Mediterranean had ended, the shipping route was opened, and the Eastern Roman Empire began to shift its focus to the east, preparing to continue its advance into Anatolia.

During the years when the Eastern Roman Empire devoted itself to the western Mediterranean, there were some changes in the Aquarius Dynasty in the east. Uzum Hassan caused a lot of trouble to Isaac, both openly and secretly, and almost killed his second son Alexios on the battlefield.

Among all these, what bothered Isaac the most was the reunification of the Mamluk Dynasty. According to intelligence, Uzun Hassan was also the mastermind behind this.

After the Eastern Roman Empire and the Barcelona Alliance went to war, Uzun Hassan had other ideas. He did not contact the Sultan in Cairo directly, but instead set his sights on the Mamluk noble Kayit Bey who was expelled from Cairo to Damascus. Kayit Bey had always been prestigious among Mamluk officers and was a staunch military powerist, very different from the Mamluk bureaucrats whose morale had been corrupted by extravagant life.

At that time, the rebellious prince Uguru of the Aq Qoyunlu fled to Syria. Kaitbey kindly entertained him, but secretly contacted the defeated soldiers he brought with him. With the help of Uzung Hassan, he gained the trust of several leaders. Half a year later, he killed Uguru and handed his body to Uzung Hassan.

In return, Uzungol Hassan provided him with some mercenaries and some Ottoman artillery and muskets for attacking cities.

However, even at this time, Egypt was still divided internally, and Qiyit Beg could not squeeze in at all. The two major mercenary groups arranged by the Eastern Roman Empire continued to expand and manipulate the war in an attempt to keep the division going.

However, Egypt eventually achieved unification, and the two major mercenary groups instantly lost their basis for existence and their status in Egypt was precarious.

Of course, this was not because the Egyptians were too brave, nor because the two major mercenary groups had internal problems, but was the final result caused by a series of reasons.

Since the opening of the new sea route, Indian Ocean commodities began to enter the Mediterranean from the Atlantic, Egypt's commodity transit status declined, and the Eastern Roman Empire's trade focus shifted from the Eastern Mediterranean to the Western Mediterranean. The advancement of agricultural technology and the prosperity of the Black Sea trade meant that the Eastern Roman mainland no longer needed too much Egyptian grain. The abnormal prosperity of Elysium agriculture caused Egyptian wheat, which was originally exported to Atlantic countries, to lose its market, and the interest ties between Eastern Roman merchants and Egyptian merchants gradually broke.

Although the Eastern Roman Empire ostensibly pursued a "free trade" policy, this was obviously a cover to deceive foreigners. It still implemented trade protectionism internally and prohibited merchants from shipping too much Egyptian wheat to their homeland.

Low grain prices hurt farmers. If grain prices are too low, local landlords will switch to growing tobacco and raising sheep, which will not be worth the cost.

As a result, in the court of Cairo, more and more Mamluk merchants who were originally engaged in Indian Ocean trade stood against the Eastern Roman Empire. The Eastern Roman Empire's trade expansion in the Indian Ocean did shatter their iron rice bowl, and the trade volume between the two countries also decreased rapidly, making it difficult to make up for the previous gap. This is an irreconcilable contradiction.

However, if that were all, it would not be so easy to defeat the two major mercenary groups - the Sultan of Cairo was still counting on them to resist the usurping Sultan in the south.

However, a sudden change in southern Egypt caught the two major mercenary groups off guard - the Nubians collapsed completely, and the separatist forces in Upper Egypt fell into chaos.

The Nubians believed in Coptic Orthodoxy and once created a splendid civilization. Later, they split into three major kingdoms. After the rise of the Mamluk dynasty, they were forced to submit to them and endured Muslim infiltration and encroachment for centuries.

In the Egyptian civil war more than a decade ago, the divided Sultan of Upper Egypt relied on the power of Nubian Christians to resist the attack of the Sultan of Cairo. The mercenaries and the Nubians tacitly prolonged the war in an attempt to profit from it.

However, the good times did not last long. A series of actions by the two major mercenary groups in the Nile Delta caused a large number of Muslim refugees, who could no longer bear the exploitation and oppression of the Cairo government, to move south, attacking the Sultanate of Upper Egypt and several small Nubian kingdoms. Religious conflicts intensified and eventually evolved into total chaos, and the military threat from the south was wiped out.

At this time, Qaiyt Beh, who had already taken control of the situation in Syria, began to march towards Cairo. The weak army in Cairo did not put up any resistance at all. Some military nobles who supported Qaiyt Beh directly opened the door for him.

Kaitbay immediately launched a massacre in Cairo. All bureaucrats and merchants who had colluded with the Eastern Roman Empire were killed, and the Nile River was almost dyed red with blood.

At that time, the Eastern Roman Empire was fighting with the Western Europeans, and a large number of legions were not in the country, so they were unable to provide much support to the mercenary groups. The change of ownership of Cairo and the destruction of the Nubian allies forced the two major mercenary groups to withdraw their forces and gather in Alexandria.

Isaac knew something about Kayit Bey. He was considered the most accomplished monarch in the late Mamluk period. Born as a Mamluk military officer, he had defeated the Ottoman Empire at the height of its power in the Battle of Adana in the original time and space, extending the life of the Mamluk dynasty by several decades.

His style was very tough, and he was indeed able to unite the Muslim forces that were dissatisfied with the two major mercenary groups and use the most brutal means to break down all political resistance.

Among the Egyptians who colluded with the two major mercenary groups, there were wealthy businessmen and corrupt officials, but no military personnel - the mercenary groups stole their jobs, so naturally their relationship would not be good.

It turned out that when the military chose to use the most violent means to purge the government, those who handled the purse strings and the pens were completely powerless to resist.

You talk to me about interests? You talk to me about governance? You talk to me about rules? Sorry, I only talk to you about swords.

Now, Qaiyt Bay was reorganizing the Mamluk internal affairs, directly abandoning the chaotic southern border and the still separate Matruh region, and trying to integrate the richest Lower Egypt and Syria.

What made Isaac feel relieved was that the tough new sultan did not choose to directly confront the Eastern Roman Empire, but instead asked the two major mercenary groups to withdraw from the country and return to the empire in the name of ending the civil war.

As for the two major mercenary groups, Isaac was unwilling to blame them. When Kaitbeh marched towards Egypt, their troops were still scattered in the castles of various cities. The sudden collapse of the upper political allies allowed Kaitbeh to enter Cairo effortlessly. The castle of the mercenary group was immediately besieged. The mercenaries stationed there soon accepted Kaitbeh’s conditions, abandoned the castle, entered the headquarters in Alexandria, and prepared to return to the empire by ship.

In response to Kayit Bay's request, Isaac was prepared to wait and see how far the courageous and warlike Mamluk Sultan could go.

He chose to reuse more conservative military personnel and massacre bureaucrats and businessmen who colluded with the mercenary groups. This approach certainly enabled him to consolidate his position in the short term, but it also brought hidden worries - the government was paralyzed, fiscal revenue decreased, and the huge army became increasingly difficult to support.

The development of events also confirmed Isaac's prediction. Even though Sultan Qiyitbay explicitly demanded that the Eastern Roman forces withdraw from Egypt, he did not tear up the previous "Cairo Trade Treaty" and still welcomed Eastern Roman merchants to engage in trade activities.

Of course, Isaac couldn't use normal thinking to understand a group of soldiers who might become excited at any time. When they went crazy, they didn't care about the consequences at all.

Thinking of this, Isaac rubbed his brows and decided not to think about these difficult problems anymore.

New sea routes were opened up, food problems were solved, Egypt's importance to the Eastern Roman Empire declined, the decline of Nubian Christians was a historical inevitability, and Egypt's Mamluk bureaucracy was even more hopeless.

The Mamluk army reorganized by Kait Bey can mobilize up to 80,000 people, but due to financial scarcity, corruption of officers, and the monopoly of Circassian slaves by the Eastern Roman Empire, the Mamluks are no longer as strong as before. If Isaac is willing, he can use the whole country's strength to completely defeat the Mamluks. Kait Bey has no hope of victory at all.

However, even after years of chaos and even though many of its subordinate regions were almost independent, the Mamluks still controlled a population of over 8 million. It was easy to conquer them, but the subsequent governance was obviously a huge problem.

In Isaac's plan, Anatolia, which is closest to the core of the Aegean Sea, is ranked first, the Levant, which has important religious value, is ranked second, and Egypt, which has basically no special products, is ranked last. It is expected to take decades, and this is just to conquer. Stabilization and assimilation will take longer, and perhaps it will be impossible to complete at all.

He is already forty-six years old and is about to reach the age of fifty. Entering the twilight of his life, he is no longer the young man with unlimited energy and lofty ambitions.

Isaac sighed, put aside his thoughts and looked at the scenery outside the window.

This is the suburb of Constantinople, also a densely populated area. The Three Cities of David are located not far ahead, and their size is also constantly expanding.

Over the years, some have suggested expanding the city of Constantinople by connecting the three acropolises with a wider curved wall to replace the Theodosian Wall and become Constantinople's first line of defense.

This kind of "ring-style" city wall is an old tradition of Constantinople. Historically, all of Constantinople's several expansions were done in this way.

However, Isaac did not accept their suggestion for the time being. The cost of this project was too huge, and expanding the city did not necessarily require building longer walls.

As time goes by, the city walls will become an obstacle to urban development. Isaac prefers to adopt an "Acropolis" model similar to the Ottoman kuriye, and build buildings directly outside the city walls.

As for the defense system, the Balkan Peninsula controlled by the Eastern Roman Empire is surrounded by the sea on three sides, with mountains in the northwest and the Danube River in the north, which is most vulnerable to attack.

The Eastern Roman Empire was invincible on the water. If its naval hegemony still existed, it would not be so easy for external enemies to reach Constantinople.

If the Imperial Navy cannot even defend its sea borders, then everything else is out of the question, because foreign enemies will simply bypass the mountains and land in the richest core areas from the sea.

"Your Majesty, we are ready to go up the mountain, please sit tight!"

The royal coachman shouted warnings, whipped the horses with whips, and quickly walked up the mountain road.

The mountain was not high, and the royal cavalry quickly arrived at the camp on the mountain. The carriage stopped in front of a heavy stone tablet.

Isaac jumped off the carriage, walked towards the stone tablet, gently touched the cold wall of the tablet, and traced the marks on the stone tablet.

This hill is called Mount Maltepe, about two kilometers away from the Theodosian Walls. Twenty-five years ago, the arrogant Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II led his army to approach Constantinople, and the Sultan's golden and red tent was stationed here.

After the Battle of Constantinople, the Ottoman army retreated like a tide, leaving behind a mess. Isaac ordered people to collect their belongings and erect a stone tablet here.

"Osman stops here." Isaac recited the inscription on the stone tablet softly.

Later, this hill became a popular place for the citizens of Constantinople to go for spring outings. Grandfathers would often bring their grandchildren here to tell them about the history of the past and let them cherish the hard-won prosperity.

Not long ago, Isaac continued his cultural project in an attempt to consolidate national consciousness and decided to make use of this commemorative hill so that future generations would always remember it and Rome would never forget it.

Isaac gathered a number of engineers and asked them to draw a sketch of a magnificent building through oral instructions. He then immediately put the plan into action. Over the past few months, the camp where the Ottoman Sultan had been stationed had been cleared, various building materials had been transported here, a large number of engineers and workers had rushed here, and several engineering regiments had also joined the construction boom.

Isaac walked away, leaving the stone tablet behind, and entered the engineering camp.

The atmosphere in the camp was very lively. When they saw Isaac coming, they bowed and saluted. Isaac waved back and walked into the camp in the center under everyone's gaze.

In the camp, Army Minister Ibrahim and Engineering Consultant Leonardo da Vinci were having a heated discussion, pointing at the sketches on the table from time to time.

"Your Majesty, you are here!"

Leonardo bowed dramatically and immediately complained.

"Can't you give me a few days off? I've been designing projects and drawing blueprints for you these past few years, and I haven't even been to the hot springs in Pamukkale for a long time!"

"Work hard for a while. If this project is successfully completed, I will make you a baron and grant you the honor of a fifth-level elder. The position of Minister of Engineering will be vacant, and the position of Minister of Literature and Art will be established soon. You can choose either of the two positions."

"You are already the royal family's official painter and engineering consultant. Just tell me what you want in the future. I will satisfy you in every way I can."

Isaac finished speaking and smiled.

It's so hard to meet such a great genius, how can we not make good use of him?

"This……"

Da Vinci's eyes lit up and he looked a little hopeful.

"Your Majesty, the initial construction materials have been basically prepared, and we are now laying the foundation."

Ibrahim saluted.

"Mr. Leonardo, is the building height you specified a bit too high? This will greatly increase the difficulty of construction."

"No, it's monumental just like that."

Isaac shook his head in denial, sticking to his original opinion.

What Isaac wanted to build was a Byzantine cathedral, which would be larger than the Hagia Sophia, with every detail precisely designed and of historical significance.

The width of the main building of the cathedral is 1453 Roman feet to commemorate the Battle of Constantinople in 1453, the diameter of the dome is 30 Roman steps to commemorate the upcoming 122th anniversary, and the maximum height is Roman steps to commemorate the days of hard fighting starting from the Ottoman army's clearance of the outer strongholds.

122 Roman steps is approximately 178 meters. At the end of the 15th century, this was already a very tall building. Once completed, it would become the tallest church in the world and the closest place to heaven.

Up to now, Western Europeans have set many records in building height. Many churches are over 1072 meters high. The first one is the Lincoln Cathedral in England, which was built in 160 and is about meters high.

The Orthodox world does not like to build tower-style churches that are too tall, and generally adopts an "onion-shaped" dome design. Isaac proposed height requirements for the first time while retaining the Eastern Roman style, hoping that Eastern Roman engineers could break the record set by the English hundreds of years ago.

Compared to hundreds of years ago, human construction technology has made great progress. The Eastern Roman Empire is even preparing to use concrete structures in this project. In Isaac's view, technical barriers no longer exist. As long as they are willing to invest, they can definitely turn the ideas on paper into reality.

Architecture is a technology. In the process of constructing tall buildings, engineers will gain more knowledge and experience, and will definitely leave valuable wealth for future generations.

After all, the idea of ​​touching the sky and seeking more space from the blue sky will surely shine in the distant future.

The cathedral still maintains the Byzantine architectural style, with intricate interior mosaics and delicate relief art to immerse visiting believers.

However, compared with other churches, this church is very special. According to Isaac's request, most of the stones will be dismantled and transported from the remaining mosques in western Anatolia, and the surface floor of the chapel will be made of metal. All the metals used come from swords, cannons and armor captured from the enemy in several wars.

In addition, the murals in this church no longer just describe the religious deeds of Jesus Christ and the Twelve Apostles, but also depict scenes of Eastern Roman soldiers fighting desperately, so that believers no longer just pay respect to the illusory gods, but also to the heroes who defended their country.

The shock of the artillery salvos, the heroism of the cavalry charges, the fearlessness of the spear phalanxes advancing...their contributions are worth commemorating and their history is worth writing.

Isaac invested 100,000 solidus in the cathedral and requested that the interior decoration be extremely beautiful. The portrait of Jesus Christ opposite the door would be decorated with fluorescent stones, which would emit a sacred glow even at night.

In addition to the main building, directly opposite the cathedral will be a stone tablet that reads "The Ottomans Stop Here". Behind it, on the left and on the right are small chapels in circular branches. These chapels are also called "Legion Chapels". The twelve behind it belong to the twelve meritorious warships, and the ones on the left and right belong to the twelve Guards Corps and the twelve Purple Guard Corps respectively. Each chapel carries a special symbol of a legion or warship and has a strong military flavor.

At the foot of Mount Maltepe outside the cathedral, Isaac will also prepare a parade ground planted with purple flowers. From then on, the army of the Eastern Roman Empire will be inspected on the purple parade ground before marching to the border.

This entire religious building will be an important spiritual home for the Eastern Roman people to consolidate their national sentiments and strengthen their martial traditions. It is also a cultural gift that Isaac is determined to leave for the Eastern Roman people. The funds will be borne by Isaac personally and all come from overseas colonies, and will not bring any burden to the people at home.

With a series of arrangements, this church no longer belonged to the gods alone, but to all citizens and soldiers. Isaac rejected the name "St. George's Cathedral" proposed by Leonardo da Vinci and gave it a nice name -

Cathedral of the Armed Forces.

Looking at the blueprint of the Armed Forces Cathedral, Isaac's heart was filled with waves.

"Ibrahim, Leonardo, the Armed Forces Cathedral will be jointly managed by the Ministry of the Army and the Ministry of Engineering. It must be completed as soon as possible, with guaranteed quality and quantity!"

Isaac looked at the two men seriously.

"Nine hundred years ago, the construction of Hagia Sophia took only five years. I think that my country is now as powerful as Justinian the Great, and my construction technology is more advanced than his. I will also give you five years. You must complete the construction before the 1483th anniversary in !"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Ibrahim pounded his chest firmly.

"Your Majesty, I have another question."

Leonardo da Vinci raised his own doubts.

"According to your request, the surface floor of the chapel is made entirely of captured enemy ironware, but judging from the current inventory, it is obviously not enough."

Da Vinci spread his hands.

"You didn't reserve much before, most of it was used for recasting in the arsenal."

Isaac frowned and thought about it.

As Leonardo da Vinci said, Isaac always adhered to the principle of making the best use of everything. The captured enemy weapons were basically sent to major arsenals. There were still a few abandoned royal heavy artillery of the Ottoman Empire, but some of the artillery had to be stored in the exhibition room of the Cathedral of the Armed Forces. The raw materials were obviously not enough.

Just as they were lost in thought, a fast horse came galloping over. The messenger on the horse entered the tent, knelt on one knee, and handed a short letter to Isaac.

Isaac opened the letter, glanced at it, smiled slightly, and looked at the two of them.

"You two, I think your difficulties may be solved."

Isaac crossed himself and handed the letter to Ibrahim.

"Uzon Hassan is dead."

(End of this chapter)