1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 7 Christmas and Rome

The anti-bandit plan went very smoothly, and it was indeed the case for Isaac.

Isaac first wiped out several small bandit groups that took advantage of the chaos to rob and sell them into slavery.

Isaac has always regarded himself as the patron saint of the Roman people.

No one can bully the people of Rome without my permission!

Then Isaac just stayed still.

Caravan robberies are still occurring.

The Chamber of Commerce finally couldn't hold back any longer and reluctantly delivered the supplies that Isaac requested.

The church also contacted foreign firearms dealers to purchase guns.

After having his fill, Isaac finally did some work.

They swept the village with the sound of gongs and drums, stopping every step, for fear that Ibrahim and the others would not know.

After catching a few petty thieves and making a round of it, Isaac ran back into the city and announced that the bandit problem had been eliminated.

After proving that what His Royal Highness said was true, the merchants celebrated and the church felt relieved, and finally the trade route was opened before Christmas.

The weapons and funds promised by the church gradually arrived.

It doesn’t matter if it’s not there yet, Ibrahim hasn’t gone far.

Peng--Peng--

Isaac and Mikhail inspected the newly arrived muskets in the parade ground.

Italian engineer Martinez on the side kept introducing the advantages of this musket.

"Your Highness, Captain, this is our latest matchlock gun, which can fire small projectiles. A skilled shooter can fire two rounds in one minute!"

He was clearly proud.

The Mongol westward invasion and trade with the Arabs led to the gradual introduction of Eastern technologies such as gunpowder into Europe. By this time, Europeans had already figured out the optimal gunpowder ratio and discovered the benefits of gunpowder granulation.

Heavy artillery was widely used in siege warfare, and small matchlock guns were also equipped by major powers.

The Ottoman Janissary Guard was the first professional army in Europe to be equipped with muskets.

Of course, the Byzantine Empire also had musket units, but their numbers were relatively small and they were not organized into a complete system. They always served as auxiliary forces for the infantry.

To be honest, the old-fashioned matchlock gun cannot compare with the powerful bow and crossbow in terms of accuracy, range and firing speed. Its only advantage is that it is easy to use.

It takes at least a year to train a skilled English longbowman, and three months to train a Genoese crossbowman.

Moreover, not everyone can use it skillfully. Without the strength, they cannot pull the bowstring at all.

However, it only takes a month for a musketeer to go from apprentice to proficient. After mastering the trick, women and children can also use it skillfully.

Coupled with the fact that firearms can scare enemy horses and undermine morale, this weapon, which is suitable for both young and old, is showing its effectiveness in more and more places.

The Latin knights were initially disdainful of this civilian weapon, but soon the Czech Hussite chariots taught them a lesson.

By installing muskets and small cannons on the chariots and surrounding them with shields, the hedgehogs made it impossible for the German and French knights to attack them.

The era of bows and crossbows is passing, and firearms are gradually becoming the protagonist of wars.

"Mikhail, what do you think?"

"Your Highness, although this type of musket has decent damage, it is inconvenient to move, and the gunpowder is easily affected by moisture. It is not suitable for long-distance offensive operations, but it may be effective in defense."

Isaac remained noncommittal.

"Mr. Martinez, did you make these muskets?"

Martinez puffed out his chest with pride.

"I designed all of these. There is a professional factory in my hometown where skilled workers will continuously produce these weapons of war."

“How many doors did you bring?”

"The bishop ordered 300, and I brought 400."

"I want the remaining 100 as well. Can you provide instructors and maintenance technicians?"

"As it should be, my dear prince!"

Martinez was overjoyed.

In the evening, Isaac gathered his team again.

This time Isaac decided to expand the guard to a flag team with a total of 300 people, with Mikhail as the captain of the flag.

It consists of a cavalry unit of 20 people, two infantry units of 30 people, a Serbian archer unit of people and a musketeer unit of people.

All team members are recruited from Greek Orthodox Christians.

In addition, three hundred muskets were handed over to Thomas, who was in charge of the construction of the wall, and were installed on the Wall of Corinth.

All the artillery raised by the church will also be used to strengthen the Corinth Wall.

At that time, artillery was difficult to transport and was only widely used in sieges and defenses, so it was appropriate to allocate it to the Corinth Wall.

There are still 70 muskets, and Isaac has some new ideas.

"Captain Fidel, I plan to install 60 muskets on three galleys. When we engage in a boarding battle, we can fire a salvo and catch the enemy off guard. What do you think?"

Fidel thought about it and nodded slowly.

"You can give it a try, Your Highness."

"Let's do it this way. The remaining 10 matchlock guns will be used as backup and for training. We will purchase more later."

"Regarding the two cogs of Athens..."

"Incorporate it into your fleet and form combat effectiveness as soon as possible."

For the next half month, Mikhail was busy forming troops, Fidel was busy training the fleet and testing the muskets, and everyone was very busy, so Isaac became an idle person.

Apart from participating in regular training with the Old Guard every day and chatting with them afterwards, Isaac has almost nothing to do.

Most of the soldiers were very satisfied with Isaac as their master. They trained and talked nonsense together every day, and his salary had never been deducted.

He would make surprise inspections of the army mess halls from time to time and eat with the soldiers.

As a result, the cooks would not dare to use 10 groschen silver coins to buy 5 groschen of dishes.

He is also a member of the royal family and fifth in line to the throne.

In troubled times, we should be content to have such a leader.

This is the consensus of most soldiers.

In addition, Isaac also met with some businessmen and clergy to understand their interests.

The main complaint of the local merchants was that the Latins had taken away all their markets and that the Empire exacted heavy taxes from them.

The Venetians and Genoese did not have to pay the Byzantine commercial tax, only the Byzantines had to pay it.

You say it's infuriating or not.

Isaac could only remain sympathetic and offer any assistance except help.

If the emperor dared to say that the tax-free privileges of Latin merchants would be abolished, the Latins would dare to bombard the Grand Palace, and even the Pope would be of no use.

The priest repeatedly tried to test Isaac's attitude towards church unity, but Isaac, who was cunning and sly, would not take the bait.

What do you think of the Pope?

What? I've already eaten, thank you.

Do you believe that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one and the same?

The wine from Provence is truly amazing, no worse than that from Burgundy and Bordeaux.

……

As time went on, the priests lost their patience.

After a few days of leisure, the greatest festival in the Christian world arrived.

In the early morning of January 1, Christmas bells rang amidst the falling snow.

Both Athens and Thebes held grand ceremonies to commemorate the 1445th anniversary of Jesus' birth.

People took to the streets to wish each other well.

The church began distributing Holy Communion and leading prayers.

Constantine and Thomas returned to Athens, and the whole family attended the church ceremony together.

In the evening, Constantine held a family dinner in the Duke's castle.

The Palaiologos family was still very prosperous, with a large crowd of people, young and old, sitting together.

Isaac was too lazy to talk to them, so he just drank some wine and returned to his residence.

There is no commercialization, no Christmas gifts, and no Santa Claus driving a moose sleigh.

Isaac rang the room bell.

Butler Andre appeared before him.

The steward was a servant of his deceased mother. He was loyal to Isaac and one of his most trusted people.

Isaac pulled out four purses, two large and two small.

"Take one to the barracks and distribute it to the soldiers; send the other to the St. Nicholas to make the sailors happy."

"Tell them that His Highness invites them to drink and wishes them everlasting health."

Isaac paused.

"Give a small one to Ibrahim's wife and daughter, and ask them to write a few letters and send them over."

Andre nodded.

"Where's the other one?"

"That's yours, Andre."

"Merry Christmas."

At that moment, Isaac noticed a trace of emotion on the old steward's weather-beaten face.

His Highness has grown up. If the princess were still alive, she would probably be very pleased.

Andre walked out of the room and into the snow.

The next morning, Isaac was awakened by a messenger sent by his father.

The outside is covered with snow, and the whole castle is magnificent.

Athens has a Mediterranean climate and it rarely snows.

But the winter of 1444 was exceptionally cold.

Isaac breathed out a breath of hot air and walked into his father's reception room.

Uncle Thomas was already waiting there.

There was also an old acquaintance - Auxiliary Bishop Foggard.

Isaac greeted them one by one.

Constantine motioned for Isaac to sit down.

After listening to a few sentences, I guess it was about a new round of negotiations on church unification.

This is a big deal.

In fact, the late Byzantine emperors only did three major things: defending the city, asking for help, and holding meetings.

Every time the Ottomans approached Constantinople, the emperor would go to Western Europe for help.

Church unification is one of the conditions for Western aid.

The emperor and most of the ministers agreed with this.

Even the wise clergy would not object.

The greatest resistance comes from civilians.

Every time there are negotiations, the people of Constantinople become angry.

Because they have nothing, they have to grab the cloak of religion and wrap themselves up layer by layer.

Therefore, the Byzantine side mainly relied on dragging the situation.

To be honest, the conditions offered by the Pope were quite lenient.

Not only does it allow the Orthodox Church to retain its unique customs, but it also promises not to interfere with the Orthodox Church.

However, the Greek Orthodox Christians transferred their hatred of the Latins to the Catholics and refused to accept it.

The church unification achieved at the Council of Florence in 1439 became a dead letter due to the deliberate indulgence of the Byzantine emperor.

The Greek Orthodox were unhappy that they had failed to prevent the emperor’s apostasy;
The Roman Catholic Church was also very dissatisfied. They had negotiated for so long but to no avail.

Typical Byzantine "wisdom" that pleases neither side.

After the defeat of the Varna Crusade, the ailing Emperor Ioannis VIII announced the resumption of negotiations, with his brother Constantine taking full charge.

At this time, the two sides are discussing the specific details of the meeting.

"Father, let me go to Rome."

Isaac stood up.

"My fleet can also help escort the priests, saving the money of hiring a fleet."

Constantine and Fogard looked at each other and nodded.
"so be it."

Isaac couldn't interfere in Corinth's affairs. He had done what he should and shouldn't do. He just had to let things take their course.

The Morea Peninsula had almost reached its limit under Constantine's rule.

With only the Morea Peninsula and a half-dead Constantinople, it was obviously impossible to resist the Ottoman army.

We must break out of our limitations and head towards a wider world in order to seek a glimmer of hope for survival.

Isaac could also use his knowledge of historical trends and characters to his advantage.

Let’s go, Rome!
(End of this chapter)