1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 46: Enemies from both sides
On the night of February 1448, 2, in the town of Linton.

In the date palm grove outside the town, forest rangers are patrolling at night, driving away small animals that eat the dates and guarding against date thieves.

The firelight flickered, and the drunken forest ranger hummed a little tune as he walked through the jujube forest. From time to time, rustling sounds could be heard in the forest, and occasionally the sound of flapping wings could be heard.

Rabbits and birds are the two main pests.

The forest rangers shouted loudly to drive away the rabbits that were gnawing on the trunks of the date trees and the birds that were stealing the dates.

"Ok?"

The ranger rubbed his eyes and saw a dark figure in front of him.

"Hey! You! Put down what you're holding!"

blow--

An arrow suddenly shot out and hit the tree trunk next to the ranger.

The ranger was shocked and broke out in a cold sweat.

There are thieves who come here to steal dates from time to time, but even if they are caught on the spot, they will only be beaten up and it will not escalate to the point of taking lives.

It was just stealing a date, why?
The ranger turned his head, looked at the arrow, and his eyes widened.

This special bone arrow, with tribal totems painted on it, is only used by the Berber tribes in the western desert.

The tribes rebelled? The Hafsid dynasty attacked?
Half sober, he immediately threw away the torch and ran towards the town.

It's just guarding a forest, why risk your life?
Although the town has no city walls, there are many watchtowers and fortifications built on the edge, so you will be safe if you run there.

He ran desperately in the date forest. The archer behind him kept shooting arrows. The archer was obviously more agile. His arrows kept coming and his steps were getting faster and faster.

The ranger used his familiarity with the terrain to circle back and forth. He knew that if he couldn't shake off the enemy in the woods, he would have no chance of survival when he reached the plains.

The footsteps behind me became farther and farther away until they could no longer be heard.

The ranger breathed a sigh of relief and ran towards his cabin at the edge of the woods.

The woods gradually thinned out and the cabin came into view.

The ranger climbed over a ditch and ran into the stable next to the cabin, panting, and climbed onto his old horse.

……

"Haven't the spies come back yet?"

The centurion asked from a hill far away from the town.

"not yet."

"No more waiting, notify the other two hundred-man teams, we will charge first, and they will follow!"

The centurion patted his horse's back and led more than a hundred cavalrymen to rush towards the distant town of Linton.

Their eyes were full of excitement and cruelty.

The few small tribes they had plundered before were financially deficient and had a sparse population, so they could not satisfy their desires at all.

It is said that the newly built town of Linton is prosperous and wealthy, and the Christians are cowardly and incompetent, and they will collapse with just a slight kick.

So what are you waiting for? Go to town, eat the fattest lamb leg, and sleep with the most beautiful woman!
The cavalrymen shouted, raising a cloud of yellow sand behind them.

Dang——dang——dang——

The big bell in the central watchtower of Linton Town rang with a rapid sound.

The centurion thought something was wrong.

Some idiot must have let the news slip!
He turned his head, looked into the cavalrymen's eyes that were blinded by desire, and gritted his teeth.

"Keep charging! The Kafirs are not ready yet!"

When they entered the shooting range of the sentry towers, the two outermost sentry towers began to shoot arrows. Several cavalrymen were hit by stray arrows, groaned, and fell to the ground.

"Rush over!"

the Centurion roared.

More than a hundred cavalrymen crossed the trench and rushed straight into the residential area of ​​the town.

In the east of Linton Town, Afif was lying on his bed, and he could hear the bells and shouts outside the window in a daze. His parents were anxiously calling his name outside the door, and his younger brother was crying loudly.

He pushed the door open in a daze.

"Afif! Hurry up and put on your shoes, let's go to the central watchtower, there is a castle!"

"What's going on here?"

His father threw his clothes and shoes at his face and then pulled out a machete.

"The Hafsid Dynasty has attacked. The West City has already fallen. They came so quickly that the tribes outside didn't even have time to inform us."

The father opened the door, protected his wife and two sons, and ran along the street towards the central watchtower.

There were many residents on the street who had the same purpose as them and went to the sentry tower to seek shelter.

Afif's mind went blank.

West City has fallen? How about the tailor shop?
Is Sophia okay?

"Get out of the way! Get out of the way!"

In the crowd, a group of Dobruja guards separated the crowd and headed west to set up a defense line.

They are the garrison of Governor St. Joseph in the town of Linton. Originally there were 150 people. Last year, due to the Milan War, 100 people were withdrawn, and now there are only 50 people.

However, many retired veterans and strong men also joined their team and went to the battlefield together.

Afif searched anxiously but could not find Sophia's father among the crowd of veterans.

"The central sentry tower has limited space! It cannot sustain the attack for too long!"

"The fast horses heading to Saint Joseph's for help have already set out! What we need to do is buy time!"

The leading guard captain shouted,
"All men, bring your swords and guns, and fight the enemy with me! Protect your wives and children!"

The guard's translator repeated it in a different language.

Soon, many men took up their swords, walked out of the crowd and stood with the guards under the worried eyes of their families.

"Afif! Protect your mother and brother!"

The father held Afif and looked into his confused eyes, hoping to get a positive answer.

Afif nodded.

The mother wiped away her tears but did not stop him because she knew her husband's character.

"Come on!"

The father yelled.

The sound of horse hooves could be heard on the street in the distance.

Afif was pushed into the central watchtower by the crowd in a daze.

So this is war.

He thought to himself.

No flowers and wine, no gold and glory.

Only separation.

He stood on the tower, watching his father's back disappear in the crowd going in the opposite direction, and then watched the crowd going in the opposite direction disappear around the corner of the street.

After a while, the sound of fighting was heard.

The women and children on the central watchtower cried and raised the cross, praying to their God to bless their loved ones to return safely.

The sounds of fighting continued intermittently for nearly two hours until the last scream stopped.

The sound of horse hooves could be heard, trampling on the pool of blood, making a sticky sound.

The people on the tower stared at the street, hoping that it was their loved ones who appeared.

They were disappointed.

The cavalry of the Hafsid dynasty, covered in blood, appeared in the sight of the crowd on the tower.

Suddenly, a low cry was heard all around.

In the cavalry, the centurion stood in the front, holding a human head in anger.

When we came, there were three full centuries, but now there are less than 150 men left.

The enemy's fighting spirit was very determined. More than 400 militiamen, young and old, picked up the simplest weapons and blocked them for two full hours.

Relying on their knowledge of the terrain and house structure, they divided themselves into several groups and carried out guerrilla warfare, causing heavy casualties to the cavalry.

Finally, the centurion had to order the cavalry to dismount and fight on foot, using their local superior force to compress the militia into the last street.

At that time, he was so angry that he did not allow surrender and slaughtered them all.

Daybreak is almost here, and no matter how stupid the enemy is, reinforcements will surely arrive soon.

Besides, the tower on the opposite side was not easy to deal with. Thinking of this, he felt annoyed again.

collapse--

He kicked his head high up and sent it flying down the tower.

"Bring up all the prisoners!"

The cavalrymen behind him dragged up the prisoners, including men, women, young and old. These were the spoils of war they had captured when they broke through the Xicheng District.

But now, there was obviously no time to take them away.

"killed."

The centurion gave the order coldly.

The cavalrymen behind him grinned and thrust their sabers into the chests of the captives.

The centurion looked at the wooden expressions of the people on the tower and felt a sense of pleasure in his heart.

"withdraw!"

The remaining cavalrymen mounted their horses, took what gold and silver they could take with them, and soon disappeared from the edge of sight.

Only a mess was left.

……

"My Lord, last night, tribes and towns on the western border were invaded by a group of cavalry led by the Emir of Misrata of the Hafsid Dynasty. They were not aiming to occupy the land, but were probably just the vanguard of the harassment."

Isurte rubbed the aching corners of his eyes, his eyebrows twisted into a rope.

"Go on."

"Because too many troops were drawn from the Milan War and the Albanian War, our border defenses were empty and we were unable to respond in a hurry."

"The St. Joseph's Administrative Region is one of the worst-hit areas. Governor Ghazi has been on an expedition with His Highness and has not yet returned, so he is slow to react."

"At present, second-tier tribes from all over the country have begun to rush to the border. Hussein Sheikh arrived in Linton Town in time and saved most of the women and children."

"Ahmad Sheikh defeated a group of Centurions that tried to bypass them from the south and captured their Centurion."

"Send commendations to Hussein and Ahmed. When Your Highness returns, I will recommend them for merit."

If we were to say who is most afraid of a counterattack from Islamic forces, it would be the sheikhs of the large tribes who took the lead in converting. After contributing a large amount of money and property, other tribes may be accepted by the Islamic world again.

If the Islamic forces regain control of this land, they will have only one ending, which is death and annihilation of their clan.

“I sent a question to Urda, the executive president of the Sirte United Chamber of Commerce, asking why their intelligence system in Misrata is so backward?”

"My Lord, Urdata..."

"what happened?"

"He also accompanied His Highness on the expedition, responsible for expanding the trade network to the Parma region."

Isurt had a headache.

"Send an urgent letter to His Highness. The fleet in Misrata should not be enough to contain the Mediterranean Fleet. Request it to return quickly."

"An urgent letter to Ibrahim, commander of the Purple Guards, requesting him to lead part of the troops north to Saint Josephran."

"Gather all tribes and vassals and gather at Fort Narsis."

He paused and looked at his assistant's worried eyes.

Theoretically, this was far beyond his authority; even the Supreme Military Commander Mikhail did not have such power.

"If His Highness comes back to blame me, I will just resign."

"Send a letter to Dobruja leader Guhes and his second son Saipan, asking them to contribute their troops and go to the east to defend."

"Surter's Orc Corps cannot be moved for the time being until His Highness returns."

"You mean, my Lord, the East?"

Iseult glanced at the assistant impatiently.

"Yes, East!"

"The Hafsids are in such a bad situation, yet they dare to provoke us. Cyrenaica or even Cairo must be behind them!"

……

East of Tripoli, west of the port of Sirte, and the city of Misrata.

"Asshole! Who told you to march so quickly?"

A richly dressed Muslim youth yelled at a middle-aged man dressed as a general.

"Neither Barge nor Cairo have given a precise answer. How dare you march alone?"

"Your Highness, please forgive me for my presumptuous behavior,"

The middle-aged general apologized respectfully, but there was a hint of contempt in his eyes.

"The intelligence department has received news that the Milan War has just ended, and Grand Duke Isaac of Soult has not yet returned with his army. This is the best time for us to take action!"

"You...father-in-law, can't you wait for Emir Yusuf of Barqa to respond?"

Omar opened his mouth to curse, but when he saw the general's gradually cold eyes, he swallowed the curse words.

"Time is running out."

"What if we suffer heavy losses? Hamza, you said you would kill a few brothers for me and take Tunis and Kairouan!"

Hamza looked at his son-in-law with a stern look.

His family had been a powerful force in Misrata since the period of the Almohad Caliphate, and the usurpation of power by the Hafsid dynasty did not affect the development and growth of the family.

It has been run from generation to generation, and by the time he got here, it had already been deeply rooted in Misrata.

So Hamza began to use Prince Umar to participate in the power struggle.

As early as when the Principality of Sirte was just established, Hamza sensed the crisis and suggested a crusade against Tunisia.

But the intensifying power struggle spread from Tunisia all the way to Misrata.

Omar's brother, the emir who occupied Tripoli, tried to support close forces and overthrow Misrata.

It eventually led to a war.

There were no major battles, but small conflicts continued.

It was common for subordinate tribes on both sides to cross the border and fight each other.

When he freed up his hands again, the Grand Duchy of Soult had stabilized its position and was no longer so weak and vulnerable.

If we don't take advantage of Surt's main force leaving and severely defeat it this time, I'm afraid we will never have another chance in the future.

"If I had known you were so short-sighted, I should have married my daughter to one of your brothers."

Omer panicked and apologized quickly.

Hamza sighed.

This son-in-law fits everyone's stereotype of a playboy, a pile of useless mud.

But wasn't that what I saw in him in the first place?

If I were a prince with great talent and ambition, I would probably not be able to sleep well every day.

"It's time to rest, Your Highness."

Hamza got up and left, leaving Umar standing there in frustration.

Hamza walked out of the hall and looked at the eastern sky.

In fact, he was also very anxious.

Is Yusuf really a fool, trying to sit back and wait for the benefits?

In the distance, to the east, out of Hamza's sight, a large army was gathering.

There were conscripted tribal militias, private soldiers of various Islamic nobles, elite cavalry belonging to the Emir, and even a small team of Mamluk heavy cavalry.

All in all, the number of people could reach eight thousand.

Contrary to what Hamza had speculated, Yusuf not only did not try to take advantage of the situation, but was also prepared to destroy the Grand Principality of Sirte in one battle.

For this jihad, Yusuf assembled almost all the troops at his disposal.

He looked at the mighty army and his heart was filled with pride.

How could a tiny Soult stop his mighty army?
He looked far away towards the west.

Sirte - Misrata - Tripoli

"Sir, get ready!"

Yusuf nodded and swung the sword left by his father Barsbe.

"set off!"

(End of this chapter)