1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 395 Dungeon Fighter
Looking down from the sky, the inner plateau of the Anatolian Peninsula appears desolate. Most of the place is covered with khaki representing dry land and dark brown representing mountains. The green representing vegetation is scattered on the edges of the mountains and in the river valleys, in sharp contrast to the large tracts of green on the north, south and west coasts.

Of course, this does not mean that the interior of the plateau is as barren as the Sahara Desert. The altitude here is relatively high, the average temperature is not that hot, and there are more rivers and lakes. Cities such as Ankara, Konya, Karaman and others have very good development prospects and have the potential to become medium-to-large cities.

The center of the Anatolian Plateau is the Tuz Salt Lake located between Ankara and Konya. The climate here is hot, rainfall is scarce, and a large amount of salt covers the surface. Even nomadic tribes are reluctant to come here to graze. It is also the only place in the entire plateau that can be called "uninhabited".

There are large cities on the west, north and south sides of the central saline-alkali land. Meltwater from the mountains and precipitation in spring and winter flow into rivers, nourishing the earth. However, the situation on the east side of the saline-alkali land is much worse. In the records of Strabo, a famous ancient Roman geographer, this land was called "Cappadocia".

The specific scope of Cappadocia has never been determined. It is generally believed that it is located in the transition zone from the central saline-alkali land to the Armenian Plateau. To the north is the Pontic Mountains on the Black Sea coast, and to the south is the Taurus Mountains. From west to east, the altitude gradually increases, and the climate type also transitions from semi-arid steppe climate to Mediterranean temperate continental climate.

The climatic conditions in Cappadocia are not as good as those in the west, south and north coasts. The land is also relatively barren, with nomadic pastures widespread. The farming conditions are not good, but the animal husbandry conditions are pretty good.

In the southwest of the Cappadocia region, a cavalry team was slowly advancing towards the northwest.

This land is close to the central saline-alkali land, with the Chris River flowing into the Black Sea to the north and the Taurus Mountains to the south across the Cilician Plain. The climatic conditions are actually quite good, but it cannot support a large population - the geological conditions here are really not very good, karst landforms are widespread, the soil is very thin and contains little nutrients, exposed rocks and eroded cliffs are everywhere, the farming areas are small and scattered, and nomadic tribes are relatively rare.

This land nominally belongs to the Karamanbey Kingdom. It is located in the triangular area surrounded by the three small towns of Kayseri, Nevşehir and Nide. It is a "no man's land". The residents living here rarely interact with the outside world and are willing to be forgotten by the world.

The roads here are blocked and the terrain is complex. There are almost no tourists and almost no caravans. The cavalry team walked for half a day without encountering a single person.

Their attire is somewhat strange, roughly the same as that of the Turkic and Turkmen herders of the Anatolian Plateau, but they still retain some Christian characteristics. Their language is also very peculiar, like a patchwork of Greek and Turkic.

These are the Karamanians, a peculiar ethnic group living in the Cappadocia region. They tend to be Turkic in culture and living habits, but they retain their Orthodox beliefs. They seem out of place in Cappadocia, a region that has been occupied by Turkic Muslims for hundreds of years.

There are many different opinions among later historians about the origin of the Karamanians, and no definitive conclusion has been reached. Even the Karamanians themselves are not quite sure. Perhaps they were Turkic tribes that migrated to the Eastern Roman territory in earlier times and were baptized, or perhaps they were Cappadocian Christians who stayed there after the Eastern Roman retreat, or perhaps they were both, and they merged into one because of the same beliefs and the same experiences.

In the original time and space, this group of Karamanians had been living on this land, paying taxes honestly to the Ottoman Empire and being loyal to the Ottoman Sultan. Some of them lived in small towns like Kayseri, while others led a nomadic life. The open and inclusive religious policy of the early Ottoman Empire allowed them to retain their beliefs and relatively intact Christian communities and Christian tribes. The relationship between them and local Muslims was pretty good, at least it did not evolve into mortal enemies.

However, when the time entered modern times, nationalism began to erupt, the old system of the Ottoman Empire collapsed step by step, and the Turkish nation was gradually established. The situation of these people became very embarrassing - because of their Orthodox beliefs, the Turks would not regard them as their compatriots, even though they had almost no difference from Turkish Muslims except for their beliefs.

Later, Kemal's efforts to turn the tide shattered the Greeks' "great ideal". The wave of Greek-Turkish population exchange changed the lives of countless people. This exchange was more of a religious purification movement than an ethnic exchange. The Kingdom of Greece only wanted Orthodox Christians and drove the Greek-speaking Greek Muslims to Turkey, and the Republic of Turkey only wanted Muslims and drove the Turkic-speaking Turkic Christians to Greece.

The Karamanians were part of the great population exchange between Greece and Turkey. They suddenly lost their homeland and went to a "homeland" they had never seen before, but were discriminated against by the Greeks because of their different language and culture.

Of course, in the 21st century, these Orthodox Christians have basically integrated into Greek society. The same religion provides excellent soil for assimilation, and language is something that can be changed very quickly.

In the original time and space, before the great exchange of population between Greece and Turkey, the Turks had systematically massacred nearly 700,000 Greek Orthodox Christians, but still drove about 1.5 million Greek Orthodox Christians to the Kingdom of Greece in several exchanges, of which about 300,000 were Karamanians, that is, Cappadocian Christians.

You have to know that the Republic of Turkey at that time had a population of only about 13 million. There were a large number of industrialists and high-level talents among the Greek Orthodox Christians. Their departure caused Turkey's economic development to stagnate for a long time.

Because the Ottoman Empire in the middle and late periods had never intervened in human affairs and ruled for hundreds of years, the population growth rate was far below the Eurasian average, and some areas even experienced negative growth. Coupled with the influence of religious assimilation, in the Anatolian Peninsula in the 15th century, the number of residents who maintained the Orthodox faith should have exceeded two million. In addition to the west and north that had been recovered by the Eastern Roman Empire, another large gathering area was Cappadocia.

Of course, due to Isaac's interference, the hatred between Muslims and Christians continued to deepen. Before the recovery of western and northern Anatolia, a considerable number of Greek Orthodox Christians had been transported to North Africa and the Balkans. The Turkic states that held on to central and eastern Anatolia were also continuously expelling Greek Orthodox Christians. The Christian communities in the inland of the plateau were already very rare, and Cappadocia was considered the best preserved one. They dominated some areas, had their own tribes, villages and towns, and could pull out an army when necessary. Karaman Bey did not dare to be too harsh on them.

Because they have been out of the control of the empire for too long and are located in the eastern inland, these Cappadocian Orthodox Christians have experienced a generational gap in cultural inheritance. They have no concept of "Rome" and have basically integrated into the local society.

For a long time, these Karamanians maintained a peaceful coexistence with the Turkic Muslims. They lived intermingled and had basically no conflicts. The Karamanians exchanged more taxes and heavier military service for the religious tolerance of the Muslim rulers, and this situation remained the same for hundreds of years since the Eastern Roman Empire retreated.

However, after the Eastern Roman Empire revived, the situation changed slightly. Karaman Bey no longer trusted them as much as before. He placed the Muslim tribes that originally lived in the west and were driven out of their homes by the Eastern Roman Empire near the Christian gathering areas to monitor and check them.

These Muslim refugees had witnessed the cruel methods of the Eastern Roman Empire and had developed considerable hatred towards the Christian community. They were unwilling to accept the Karamanians like the local Muslims did, and denounced them as running dogs of the "Greek emperor", repeatedly provoking conflicts and intensifying hatred.

At the same time, although the Eastern Roman Empire signed armistice agreements with several Turkic countries, its secret subversion never stopped. Some missionaries began to enter the Christian gathering areas in Cappadocia from the south to promote Roman national ideas, religious sacred ideas, and the only emperor of the Orthodox Church.

In this era, there was no such thing as borders, and human activities were limited to cities and villages. It was very easy to send out some wandering missionaries, especially to a region like Cappadocia that already had a local Orthodox Church.

In addition to priests, the Eastern Roman Empire also sent a number of spies and secret agents to Cappadocia. They often appeared in places where conflicts were most intense, and used various means to sow discord between Orthodox Christians and Muslims, murdering Islamic scholars, throwing oil cans into mosques, throwing lard into Islamic baths... they used every possible means.

You don't want to rebel? Sorry, the emperor won't allow it.

As a result, the relatively peaceful social order gradually collapsed, religious conflicts in Cappadocia gradually intensified, and the Orthodox Christians in Cappadocia began to develop a consciousness of resistance under the leadership of Eastern Roman missionaries and the oppression of Muslims. The strong external pressure forced the originally independent Christian communities to unite and fight for their faith and for survival.

In 1477, the leaders of the Karamanian Christians held a meeting under the chairmanship of Eastern Roman missionaries and decided to unite and fight against the Muslims, with the most powerful nomadic leader as the leader.

That leader did not have any special talents, he just inherited the family business from his father and grandfather, but his son was a good officer and brave man. He had participated in many wars and fought many battles for the Karamanbey Kingdom. He possessed high martial arts skills and qualified command ability.

With the help of missionaries, the leader quickly reorganized several tribes and villages that had always been friendly with each other, and immediately found an ancient document in his home, claiming that he was the illegitimate descendant of John Aksukh, a famous general of the Komnenos dynasty, and that he should restore the family glory and change the family name to Aksukh.

Then, the leader's son, Matthias Aksuh, took over as head of the self-defense force and organized a militia to protect Christians and their property.

At the same time, the Eastern Roman Empire communicated with the Hebrew merchants who fled to Ramazanbeyi through a spy network, and through them transported some sophisticated weapons to Cappadocia in the north to arm Matthias's self-defense force.

The Eastern Roman government had a consistent attitude towards the Hebrews who were willing to be friendly with the empire: they could either convert to Orthodox Christianity and live like Romans within the empire, or leave the empire with the property permitted and go wherever they wanted.

If the Hebrews in a Muslim city insisted on being loyal to the Muslim monarch and were unwilling to provide help to the Christians, then sorry, all their property would be confiscated and they would be immediately reduced to slaves, enjoying the same treatment as the diehard Muslims.

After obtaining weapons and equipment, the Cappadocian Self-Defense Forces began to carry out premeditated counterattacks against the Muslim community. Several Muslim tribes that first provoked the conflict were massacred and expelled, and the scattered Christian gathering areas gradually became one.

This situation soon attracted the attention of Karaman Bey. He did not trust Christians very much and did try to use Muslim refugees to check and balance the Cappadocian Christians, but he really did not want to force them all to rebel, and he really did not dare to force them all to rebel - these people were not citizens and farmers living in the big cities in the north and west coasts, they really had military power.

Therefore, Karaman Bey sent people to negotiate with the Christians on the one hand, and on the other hand, he made two plans and began to mobilize troops to encircle and suppress the Christians.

Karamanbay Ucan was a daring and courageous monarch who had fooled both the Eastern Roman Empire and the Aq Qoyunlu in the Battle of the Wilderness. He took money from the Eastern Roman Empire, abandoned Uzon Hasan in the decisive battle, and did not fulfill his original promise, choosing to establish himself as king.

When preparing for the encirclement and suppression, Wu Can wisely sent people to block several mountain roads in the south, making it impossible for the Eastern Roman Empire to transport supplies to the Cappadocian Christians through the Hebrews. His encirclement and suppression plan was well organized, and the various armies were like a spider web, trapping the Christian gathering areas.

Wu Can believed that if the plan was implemented smoothly, the Christians would definitely lay down their arms, and both sides would take a step back, and the past relationship could be maintained.

However, just as he was waiting for the results of the negotiations with great confidence, the news of Uzung Hasan's death came, and then the army of the Eastern Roman Empire began to march towards Anatolia.

Although Wucan did not like the White Aries Turkmen very much, he had to admit that Uzonk Hasan was the only Muslim monarch who was capable of competing with the Eastern Roman Empire on the front battlefield. In the inland areas, the Eastern Roman Empire could not enjoy the benefits of the shipping system. If Uzonk Hasan was still there, he could completely delay the pace of the Eastern Roman army with his numerical advantage and continuous nomadic harassment.

But now, Uzung Hassan was dead and the White Sheep Dynasty was in civil strife. Ucan Bey suddenly panicked. On the one hand, he promised huge benefits to the Cappadocian Christians, and on the other hand, he was forced to withdraw his army to the west to the cities of Konya and Karaman.

However, the Cappadocian Christians were not fools. They had long stopped believing the lies of the Muslims. The Eastern Roman army was about to liberate them, and the era of the Turks was about to end.

No matter how much autonomy you give me, I can only be a second-class citizen, but in the Eastern Roman Empire, I can be a superior person.

On May 5, the Eastern Roman Empire's navy and army captured the city of Antalya, and Karaman's army fled in panic. The next morning, the Cappadocian Self-Defense Forces raided the small town of Kayseri, killing all of the more than 10 Muslims in the city and restored its ancient name, Caesarea.

Since then, the Karamanbey Kingdom has faced the embarrassing situation of being attacked from both the east and the west. Its actual control area is limited to the cities of Konya and Karaman. Ucanbey used the mountains to build a defense line, trying to delay and wait for changes.

On the vast wasteland, Matthias Aksukh raised his right hand and the cavalry slowly stopped.

"Father Olivia, are you sure the map is correct?"

Matthias looked around and looked at the priest beside him with some confusion.

"There seems to be only one small village built in a small valley. Look, it's the one in front."

"They barely interact with anyone, and didn't even attend the tribal alliance."

Father Olivia picked up the map and compared it again and again.

"If this is the only gathering point in this area, then this must be it."

"The map was drawn by someone sent by the emperor, so there will be no mistakes."

Matthias was speechless for a moment, curled his lips and shook his head, but still led the cavalry towards the village.

This small village is located at the foot of the hillside. The view is blocked by layers of cliffs, making it difficult for others to find it. The spring water in the mountains irrigates a relatively fertile land, and golden ears of wheat sway in the breeze.

The wooden buildings in the village look dilapidated and depressed. The architectural style is undoubtedly Orthodox, but there is no church, and even the other living facilities are pitifully few. There are only scattered houses and large tracts of farmland. The paintings and carvings on the cliffs have a strong religious flavor.

"There are no churches, no warehouses, no taverns, no mills or bakeries, very few houses, but a lot of farmland."

Matthias observed the village with doubts and immediately found something strange.

“This village is strange.”

It is summer now, and the winter wheat planted last autumn has matured. Farmers in the fields are harvesting wheat ears quickly, seeming to be impatient.

The joyful harvest songs reached the ears of the cavalry. Unlike the language of the Karamanians, this was authentic Greek, just mixed with local accents.

"There's not even a threshing floor. How did they survive?"

Matthias became even more confused.

"Let's go and have a look!"

A cavalry of more than one hundred people surrounded the villagers and moved towards them. Upon seeing this, the villagers immediately stopped their work and looked nervously at the sudden appearance of the uninvited guests, as if they were very surprised by their arrival.

These villagers are generally short and strong, with pale skin, and always squinting their eyes, as if they are not used to the strong sunlight.

"I am Matthias from the Aksukh family, the commander of the Cappadocian Self-Defense Forces."

Matthias reined in his horse, glanced at the villagers, and spoke in standard Greek, which he had just learned not long ago.

"Where are your priests and elders? Come out and speak!"

After hesitating for a while, an elder came out and bowed deeply to Matthias.

"Respected General, hello, I am the oldest person in this village. Forgive our ignorance, I don't know how I offended you..."

"We are all good Christians. Not many people usually come here... Please forgive us for being Christians. We can provide you with some food and fodder..."

"We don't intend to use violence against you, and we are not bandits who want food and fodder, so keep it for yourself."

Matthias waved his hand with amusement, and his tone softened. "Don't worry, although these people I brought with me look vicious, they are all first-class good people. I can control them."

The elder's nervous expression relaxed a little. He licked his lips and spoke hesitantly.

"I'm sorry, sir. We don't usually have anyone here. How did you find me?"

"Since you don't want food and won't hurt us, then what is it all about?"

Matthias did not answer directly, but stepped aside to reveal Father Olivia behind him.

"This is Father Olivia from Constantinople, who has been identified as the next bishop of the city of Caesarea."

Matthias introduced.

"Your map, Father, brought us here. It is said that this was the Emperor's will."

"emperor?"

The elder muttered to himself and looked at Olivia.

"Father, why have you come here from afar?"

"We are all Orthodox Christians, and if there is any need, we will do our best to help."

"Emperor Isaac sent me here, so he must have a request."

Father Olivia said calmly, making the sign of the cross on his chest.

"First, allow me to ask a question."

"You tell me."

The elder said quickly.

"Since you are Orthodox Christians and speak Greek, do you consider yourselves Romans? Are you willing to pledge allegiance to Rome and the Roman emperor, the only Orthodox monarch, Isaac of the House of Palaiologos?"

Father Olivia stared at the elder.

"This is an important prerequisite for our peaceful exchanges."

"This……"

The elder looked at the cavalrymen, who were carelessly sharpening their scimitars.

"We are Greek-speaking Orthodox Christians and we naturally pledge allegiance to the emperor... Our ancestors were indeed Romans, but that was a long time ago..."

"We don't want to fight, we just want to live well. Normally, no one will come here. If the emperor attacks, we will just pay taxes and naturally become Romans."

"very good."

Olivia didn't dwell on this topic any longer. These common people had simple thoughts and there was no need to criticize them too much.

"Since you are Romans, then in the name of the emperor, open the entrance to the underground city and let us in."

As soon as these words were spoken, the elder's eyes widened with an expression of disbelief, and the other villagers were also extremely surprised.

"Father, we don't understand what you mean..."

The elder wanted to explain himself.

"We have some cellars, but—"

"The underground city is called Derinkuyu. It has seven or eight floors and more than a thousand rooms. It has vents, wine cellars, corrals, storage rooms, reservoirs, underground rivers, restaurants, chapels, church schools, armories and training grounds. It can accommodate more than 10,000 people."

Olivia recited directly.

"You rely on the surrounding villages to produce food and obtain daily necessities, but you live underground most of the time. In times of crisis, you directly destroy the above-ground buildings and hide in the underground city, making it difficult for invaders to find you."

"You are also in contact with other underground cities, connected through underground passages. In addition to you, there is another relatively large underground city called Kaymakli, located north of Derinkuyu."

"you--"

The elder's eyes were filled with surprise and even some fear.

"How did you know that? Why do you know so much about us?"

"Did the devil tell you that?"

"It's not the devil, it's the emperor."

Olivia raised her head.

"As for why the emperor knew about this, I think it must be God's will. His Majesty Isaac is the savior sent by God for all Orthodox Christians. There is no doubt about that."

The southwestern part of Cappadocia is indeed a magical land. Although it is considered to be the place "closest to the moon on Earth", the soft and dry soil and the soft volcanic rock provide convenience for the construction of underground buildings. Since the Hittite era, the residents here have begun to dig passages and build rooms under their wooden houses to avoid wars and preserve their ethnic groups.

In the countless years that followed, the underground buildings became larger and larger, various living facilities were built, and the residents inside also experienced generations of changes.

After the Battle of Manzikert, the Eastern Roman Empire lost most of Anatolia in a very short period of time, and a large number of Roman survivors shed tears in the dust. The underground cities of Cappadocia became a refuge for many people. Large and small underground cities sprang up like mushrooms after a rain, and their scale expanded rapidly. It was after this that Derinkuyu gradually became the largest and most famous of the many underground cities.

In the original time and space, the underground city in the Cappadocia region would be used until modern times, until the great exchange of population between Greece and Turkey, when the Turkic Muslims completely wiped out the Greek villages and the last batch of Greek Orthodox Christians were forced to leave their homeland, the underground city was completely abandoned.

In the 21st century, more than underground cities have been discovered by the Turks, and more than have been developed. They vary in size, some can only accommodate dozens of people, while others can accommodate tens of thousands of people. As long as there is sufficient food, large underground cities can be used for long-term living.

In the process of excavating the underground city, they also discovered many underground rivers. These underground rivers not only solved their drinking water problem, but also brought opportunities for agricultural production - Cappadocia has abundant sunshine, and as long as there are enough water resources for irrigation, they can even achieve two crops a year or three crops in two years, and the wheat yield per mu is also very high.

It is not impossible to develop agriculture in semi-arid and arid areas. These places have very good light and heat conditions. As long as there is sufficient water for irrigation, the quality and yield of grain crops will even far exceed those of ordinary farmland. For example, in the Nile Delta, where there is almost no rainfall, the yield of wheat, rice and cotton per mu are among the highest in the world. For example, Ankara and Konya in Anatolia have an annual rainfall of only about 350 mm, but they are still some of the most important agricultural areas on the peninsula.

Cappadocia has a unique landform with a large number of natural caves and underground rivers, so water resources are not as scarce as they appear.

The residents of the underground city often build farmland deep in the wilderness or in steep valleys where few people go, and connect it to the main city through underground passages. Once the crops are ripe, they are harvested immediately, transported back underground, and stored.

The network of these underground cities covers the southwestern wilderness of Cappadocia. They connect the scattered farming areas in a safer way. They have their own social governance system, their own foreign trade links, their own religious belief system, manual production capabilities and militia defense system. It is almost a small "country within a country".

The underground city's confidentiality measures are very complete. Every passage was very hidden when it was first built. When foreign enemies come, the residents of the underground city will block the passage with huge stones to make it close to nature. Even if Muslim bandits approach, they may not be able to find it, and even if they do, they cannot enter.

For this reason, there are very few records about the underground city, and almost no direct written records. Later generations can only get a glimpse of the lives of the residents from the murals and stone carvings in the underground city.

In addition to the underground city, the residents of Cappadocia also carve homes out of weathered stone pillars and form settlements in mountain caves. This is a mysterious land that, although desolate and bleak, has a unique charm.

"The emperor has decided to protect you from the invasion of pagans. After Cappadocia is liberated, you will be completely free. You can continue to live in the underground city or move to the ground. It's up to you."

Priest Olivia said, her voice suddenly rising.

"The emperor's army has already conquered Antalya. The southern army is advancing towards Karaman and Konya. The emperor himself is on the island of Cyprus. Karaman Bey won't be able to hold out for long, and Ramazan Bey's rule is about to end."

"All the Romans gathered around the emperor, just as the cities gathered around Jerusalem. This is God's will and cannot be disobeyed."

The simple and pious residents of the underground city immediately bowed their heads, made the sign of the cross, and said Amen.

"Now, my brothers, tell me, are you willing to help the emperor and prove your loyalty through practical actions?"

Olivia glanced at the residents.

"Since this is God's will, please speak."

The elder made the sign of the cross on his chest.

"If it's a reasonable request, we'll do it."

"The north of Derinkuyu is connected to Kaymakli through a tunnel, and the north of Kaymakli is the city of Nevşehir."

Olivia made her intention clear.

“Although Nevşehir does not have a complete city wall, previous Karaman Beys built a number of defensive fortresses at the passes around the city to resist the invasion of the Ottomans.”

"The Cappadocian Self-Defense Forces have already captured Caesarea, and Nevşehir is the next target. We want to know if the underground city's network of passages can be opened to us, allowing the army to pass through, bypass the fortresses around Nevşehir, and appear directly near the city?"

After listening to this, the elder thought for a moment.

"Father, I am usually only in charge of food, so I don't know much about these situations, but I can introduce you to the real person in charge."

"Since you represent the emperor and have accurately revealed our true identity, I think this may really be God's will."

"Derinkuyu is not as good as it used to be. Now there are only a few thousand residents, but our militia is still strong and powerful. We have killed some Saracen herdsmen who accidentally entered the wilderness."

“There are some militia forces in several other dungeons, but it depends on you whether you can convince them.”

After saying that, the elder gave a few instructions to the people behind him, then turned around again and looked at Olivia.

“Follow me, Derinkuyu welcomes you.”

(End of this chapter)