1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 55 Ajdabiya

On the morning of June 1448, 6, Isaac assembled all his troops in the port of Sirte and officially announced that he would attack Cyrenaica and resolve the Mamluk threat in one fell swoop.

For this battle, Isaac gathered all his forces.

The First Guards Corps had more than a thousand men;
The Second Guards Corps had more than a thousand men;
The Purple Guards numbered more than a thousand men;
The Slaves Legion consisted of more than 3,000 men;

The Dobruja Legion had more than 1,500 men;
More than 4,000 tribesmen were recruited;

Adnan, Count of Ugu, had five hundred men under him;

The Duke of Parma assisted with an army of more than 1,500 men;
Five hundred Yaroslav mercenaries sent by Grand Prince Constantine of Morea.

There were a total of more than 15,000 people, plus conscripted civilians and sailors, the total number reached 30,000, claiming to be 100,000.

The Orc Corps, which suffered heavy losses in the Siege of Soult, stayed in the Principality to replenish its personnel.

In order to prevent the tribal forces from causing chaos, Isaac took away almost all of their manpower, leaving behind a group of old, weak and sick people.

After ensuring basic security in the west and south, Isaac prepared to have a good fight with Yusuf in the east.

Because the supply capacity of the road between Sirte and the port of Brega was extremely poor, Isaac divided his army into two groups.

He would first take a group of elite troops with him and pass through the desert corridor along the coastline. All commercial transport ships and requisitioned civilian ships would provide supply support for the expedition.

On June 1448, 6, Isaac led 10 vanguard troops from the port of Brega to the northwest, opening the curtain of the war.

……

Ajdabiya, an important town in southwestern Cyrenaica, is located southwest of Birinci and can be reached in one day by horseback riding.

The climate here is Mediterranean, with relatively suitable conditions. There are many oases around, there will be precipitation in winter, and several seasonal dry rivers will often form around it.

The residents here lead a pastoral and farming life, mainly making a living by grazing and harvesting meat, milk and furs.

In autumn and winter, many residents would go to the dry rivers to sow a round of wheat and harvest it in the spring.

As early as the ancient Greek period, colonists from Greek city-states set foot on this land, discovered this fertile land in the north of the desert, named it Cyrenaica, and took root here.

Later, the Kingdom of Cyrenaica established by the Greeks surrendered to Egypt and Rome successively, but retained a considerable degree of autonomy.

It was not until the rise of Islam that the entire North Africa was completely dyed green.

Today, through the Roman roads and Greek ruins here, we can still vaguely see traces of the former Christian influence.

The city of Ajdabiya had a population of about 7,000 people, a low wall, and a garrison of only 1,000 soldiers, and was controlled by Yusuf's cronies.

The city of Ajdabiya is the key to the core area of ​​Cyrenaica and must be controlled in our own hands.

"Your Highness, ahead is the town of Farigh, a subordinate town of Ajdabiya."

Isaac's guide, Archon Ajanus of Brega, introduced.

"The Jacob we released has now overthrown the new Sheikh and re-established his ownership of the town."

"He is a little hesitant now and doesn't want to fulfill his previous promise."

Isaac recalled that when Jacob was still imprisoned in his cage, he knelt on the ground and begged him to let him go back, swearing eternal loyalty.

Isaac spread out the map and looked for the location of his camp.

Outside the city of Ajdabiya, the towns of Farigh, Molde Spring and Babusa are arranged along an arc to protect the city of Ajdabiya.

There were many Berber tribes living a semi-nomadic and semi-sedentary life, and they were the main source of conscripts.

And now, because Isaac had put back the former tribal Sheikhs, there was widespread confusion.

The three towns are sparsely populated and have weak military forces, so they are not a concern.

"Order Ibrahim to lead 400 Purple Guards cavalry to capture the farthest Molde Spring, Mikhail to lead two regiments of the Guards to besiege the town of Babusai, and Mehmet to lead the remaining troops to follow me into the town of Farigh."

"After taking the city, hold your ground and wait for orders."

"Yes!"

The army was divided into two parts, heading northwest and northeast respectively.

"Ajanus, go and give a message to Jacob Shekh in Farig and ask him about it."

"Are you ready to face my 100,000-man army?"

"If you don't surrender now, when the city is captured, your entire family will be killed!"

Isaac stared coldly at Farrig in the distance.

Due to supply issues, it was actually impossible for him to bring all the troops with him. Four thousand people were already the limit.

Isaac didn't want to use his existing troops to fight a war of attrition with these local tyrants.

I hope this Jacob Shekh can be more sensible.

That night, the news of the fall of the towns of Babuse and Molde Spring reached the town of Farig, and Jacob Shekh announced his conversion to Orthodoxy and his loyalty to Isaac.

The next day, Isaac entered the town of Fariq, and the road to Ajdabiya was clear.

……

In Bilinchi, Emir Yusuf sat on his throne, looking at the ministers arguing below, his mind in turmoil.

After escaping from the city of Surt, he lost his army and authority.

If you cannot recruit soldiers, the Guild of Commerce will not support you and the tribe will not obey you.

If the Chamber of Commerce does not support you and the tribes do not obey you, you will not be able to recruit soldiers.

Yusuf found himself in a vicious circle.

This dilemma is not unsolvable, but it will take time.

When the spy reported that the Principality of Soult was teaching its western neighbors a lesson, he and his staff breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as I can give myself two years to lick my scars, I will be able to return to Sirte with a stronger army!

However, just last night, news came that Sirte had launched a massive offensive.

The staff who were once full of high ambitions suddenly panicked, blaming and attacking each other.

Now the opinions of the ministers are mainly divided into two factions.

One group believed that they should immediately ask Cairo for help and ask them to send a large army to eliminate the invading Kafirs in one fell swoop.

Most of them were local landlords and gentry who were afraid that the Christians would deprive them of their land.

The other faction was strongly opposed to inviting reinforcements from Cairo, believing that this would allow the forces of the Chakmak Sultan to enter Birinchi, thereby weakening Yusuf's power.

Most of these people were Yusuf's advisers and administrative officials at all levels. They had no status in the local area and relied entirely on the power given by Yusuf to maintain their affluent lives.

However, these people were unable to come up with a solution to the problem at hand.

"Emir, I think the most important task now is to ensure that the city of Ajdabiya is not lost and to guard the southern gate of Bilinchi."

An aide stepped forward.

"How can we defend it? There are only a thousand soldiers in Ajdabiya, and the commander is Basmu, that flattering villain!"

"Basmu is the governor appointed by the Emir. Are you questioning his decision?"

"you……"

Yusuf could no longer bear it and stood up suddenly.

"Ajdabiya must not be lost. Gather the troops today and follow me south to rescue Ajdabiya tomorrow!"

……

"Governor Basmu sent you here, but are you going to surrender?"

Isaac sat in the camp outside the town of Fagri and received the envoys from Ajdabiya.

The messenger was a little embarrassed.

"Your Highness, the city of Ajdabiya has no grudge against you. Governor Basmu is willing to provide you with 2,000 ducats of military pay. Can you bypass Ajdabiya?"

As soon as he said this, everyone present laughed at Governor Basmu's stupidity. "Two hundred thousand ducats, and I will withdraw my troops immediately."

After laughing, Isaac looked down at the messenger and said sarcastically.

"Your Highness, this..."

"Tell Basmu that he can surrender now and save his life."

Isaac didn't want to waste any more time with the envoy, so he ordered his guards to kick him out.

The next day, Isaac gathered the armies and besieged Ajdabiya.

Although this city does not have tall walls, it has relatively complete defensive facilities such as castles, and tunnels are spread throughout the city. A rash attack would drag one's own army into endless street fighting, which would not be worth the cost.

Isaac took the lead in seizing the farms and wells outside the city to replenish his military supplies, while isolating the defenders in the city in terms of resources.

That night, the unfortunate messenger once again entered Isaac's camp.

This time, Basmu was willing to surrender to Isaac, but asked for the title of Count of Ajdabiya.

Isaac simply drove the messenger away.

Mikhail fought dozens of battles to get the title of count. What makes you so lucky?
If I give you the city of Ajdabiya so easily, what will the other nobles think?
Are you willing to take your people to the far frontier like Count Adnan?

After the messenger reported the situation, Basmu was so angry that he vowed to fight Isaac to the death.

Isaac ignored Basmu's anger and dispersed his cavalry to hunt down Muslim tribes and look for possible reinforcements from Yusuf.

The key point of this war is the city of Birinchi. If we can force Yusuf to lead his troops to come to the rescue and defeat Yusuf's main force in a field battle, the pressure of besieging Birinchi will be much less in the future.

Isaac didn't think that Yusuf, who couldn't command Bilinchi at this time, could still mobilize a field force of 4,000 men.

The militia recruited from the city may be able to defend the city, but forcibly pulling them out for a field battle may backfire and lead to the collapse of an entire army.

After waiting for a whole week, Isaac failed to capture Yusuf's main force, but instead captured the disheveled Governor Basmu.

It is said that when Governor Basmu was captured by camel riders, he was accompanied by only a few followers and was sleeping soundly in a stable on a farm outside the city.

"Your Highness! I am willing to lead the entire city of Ajdabiya to surrender to you!"

Basmu fell to his knees at Isaac's feet.

"Then why are you here?"

After the explanation, Isaac suddenly understood.

The news that Governor Basmu was negotiating terms with Isaac and preparing to surrender somehow got out, and the Ulema in the city were furious. They started a rebellion, imprisoned the governor, and announced that they would resist to the end.

Basmu's followers bribed the prison warden and escaped with Basmu.

This was not good news for Isaac.

It seems that the entire Ulema class in North Africa has regarded Isaac as a scourge and the conflict is completely irreconcilable.

In the future, when attacking the city, with these people restraining them, the defenders who attempt to surrender will be cautious and will resist more resolutely.

"Your Highness! Your heroic name is known to everyone from Misrata to Bilinchi! It is the greatest honor of my life to follow a hero like you..."

Basmu began his own show in an attempt to win Isaac's favor.

Until he saw Isaac's impatient look.

"I don't want your praise, I want Ajdabiya."

"Of course, Your Highness, I..."

"Can you give it to me?"

Isaac leaned forward and stared at Basmu, who was huddled together.

"The rebels have almost taken control of the entire city..."

"That means you are useless."

Isaac shook his head regretfully and opened his mouth to call the guards.

"Your Highness!"

Basmu's shout was filled with tears.

"I know a tunnel that leads directly to my residence in the city, which is large enough for a few soldiers to pass through!"

……

"Wow, so much gold!"

After sending a vanguard to explore the way and confirming that what Basmu said was true, Isaac led 500 guards from a farm outside the city, pushed open the secret door, walked down the winding passage, and came to the basement that Basmu mentioned.

The luxury here immediately shocked everyone present.

Boxes of gold coins minted by various countries were piled up in the corners, as well as sculptures, ivory, spices, silk...

There was a study, a living room, a lounge, an armory, and everything else. The soldiers even found two scantily clad dancers in the bedroom.

No wonder he didn’t want to tell you before he died. You have emptied all the wealth in Ajdabiya!
Isaac turned around and looked at Basmu who was grinning.

"Your Highness... these are all yours..."

There was a flash of pain in his eyes.

Isaac made a rough estimate and found that this underground palace was worth more than 5,000 ducats of gold coins.

"What else are you hiding? Tell me."

"I give you permission to take five hundred ducats and your two women and settle in Surt."

"Thank you, Your Highness, but it's really gone..."

"Then your five hundred gold coins are gone too."

Isaac raised the blueprint in his hand.

This was what he had just taken out of a golden cup.

"Your Highness, this is my last treasure hiding place..."

"This is a cellar I dug under the western wall of Bilinchi when I was Yusuf's treasurer."

“Why didn’t you use it later?”

Speaking of this, Basmu immediately looked sad.

"The earthquake collapsed the city wall, revealing the gold. Yusuf considered it a blessing from Allah and happily put it in his pocket..."

Isaac's eyes suddenly lit up.

……

On the night of June 1448, 6, Isaac suddenly emerged from the Governor's Palace with 22 elite soldiers, and then went to the nearby military camp. While the defenders were sleeping, they poured kerosene and burned and killed people.

The poor garrison had just been awakened by the sentinels, with neither armor nor weapons at hand. They ran out of the tents in a daze, only to see a sea of ​​fire.

The summer is dry, and the fire is blown by the wind, lighting up the entire sky red.

The garrison soldiers tried desperately to escape from the barracks, but they met Soult soldiers who had been prepared outside.

The soldiers who escaped were unarmed, and some had their eyebrows and hair burned by the flames. They were basically lambs to be slaughtered.

They couldn't understand why the enemies were pouring out of the Governor's Palace.

Isaac then opened the south gate, and the rest of the army waiting outside quickly entered and occupied important positions in the city.

In the mosque at the corner of the city, the Sunni Ulema would rather die than surrender. They relied on the surrounding castles and trenches to gather some of the defeated soldiers to hold their ground. Count Mikhail led his troops to attack but failed.

The next day, the messenger sent by Isaac was beheaded by the Ulema and his head was thrown out of the castle.

Isaac was furious and ordered his men to load jars of kerosene and lime into small catapults in the city and fire them at the mosque and surrounding castles.

Amidst the raging flames, the city of Ajdabiya fell.

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(End of this chapter)