1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 70: Self-willed
"My dear son, Prince Isaac of Cyrenaica, to be honest, I am disappointed with your plan..."

"Putting aside the impact of supporting pirates on the empire's reputation, how do you plan to deal with the Venetians and the Ottomans?"

"Sultan Murad has been staying in the palace in Adrianople these days, enjoying his old age. I don't think you should anger a sleeping lion..."

This is a letter from his father, the Roman Emperor Constantine XI, and it contains some accusations.

"Dear Isaac, I regret to tell you that your behavior this time was really out of line. Almost all the members of parliament were very angry about your support for pirates."

"I must remind you that the Republic's trade interests in the Mamluks and the Eastern Mediterranean cannot be violated. If you insist on doing so, we will..."

The letter came from Archon Miletus of Constantinople. Apparently, this Venetian who had a good relationship with Isaac was also quite dissatisfied with his behavior.

"Dear King of Cyrenaica, Holy Warrior Isaac, we are sorry to inform you that we are currently unable to join your maritime crusade for the following reasons..."

This letter came from the Knights Hospitaller of Rhodes. They were almost wiped out by Sultan Chakmak in 1444. Now they have become somewhat cautious and unwilling to cause trouble.

Isaac sighed and threw aside the letters, which contained varying degrees of severity.

He picked up a delicate little letter with the Avis royal coat of arms painted on it and the scent of lavender.

"Dear Isaac, this is my second letter to you. Last time you mentioned that the best way to understand the style of a royal family is to observe the territory they govern. Uncle Enrique and Uncle Pedro also said something similar..."

"In the last few months, I have been traveling north from Birinci through Naples to visit my uncle, King Afonso of Aragon, who has been very kind to me,"

"According to your method, I have left my footprints in many places, including the pious Rome, the wealthy Venice, the literary Milan, and the emerging Parma."

"Your brother, Duke John of the Palaiologos family, received me. He is a good man..."

"I found that after crossing the Alps, it was hard to feel the upbeat atmosphere of northern Italy. The people were ignorant and stupid, and the nobles were pedantic and barbaric. The further inland, the more obvious this situation was..."

"The noble ladies here were very surprised by my arrival. They may not be allowed to leave their father's or husband's territory in their entire lives."

"Every time I think of this, I feel lucky that I was born in Portugal, an open country."

"Alas, I never thought that the southern German region is so primitive. Maybe I should have gone to France and Burgundy before..."

"When I write this letter, I am on my way to Vienna and will go to Prague later. I hope these two cities can give me some surprises."

Isaac pouted.

Prague could indeed bring her a surprise, but as for Vienna, forget it.

Ever since Henry VII of the Luxembourg Dynasty set Prague as the capital of the Holy Roman Empire, Vienna, which was once quite good, fell into decline. It later experienced many upheavals and has never been able to develop.

"By the way, I heard some unpleasant rumors during my travels about your naval adventures..."

"I don't have a deep relationship with you, but I can feel that you are a wise and resourceful monarch who will definitely make the right choice."

"Yours forever, Leonor."

At the end, Isaac's tense face finally showed a little smile.

There are still people who believe in themselves!

"His Majesty!"

The door was pushed open, and the anxious Prime Minister of the Kingdom, Isurt, rushed in, waving two documents in his hands.

"What is it that has you so anxious, dear Iseult?"

"Your Majesty, you must immediately stop all support for the maritime crusade,"

"This is a letter from the Doge's Palace in Venice and the Papal City in the Vatican."

Isaac felt a headache looking at these complicated Latin symbols.

"Read it, Iseult."

"Your Majesty, I have read it twice,"

Iseult was visibly anxious.

"The Venetians have sternly warned us not to infringe on their trade interests in the eastern Mediterranean, or they will attack us,"

"The Mamluks are definitely behind this."

Isaac took a quick look and found that it was roughly the same as Miloto's warning.

"What does His Holiness say?"

"His Majesty Nicholas has now begun to realize the seriousness of the problem and is implicitly reminding you to be careful about the occasions and targets of holy war."

"He doesn't want to see us break with the Venetians."

"understood."

Isaac nodded and motioned for Iseult to sit down.

"This is the Privateering Decree that I, Captain Fidel, and Captain Giovanni devised together. Take a look at it."

Isaac handed Iseult the draft of the decree he had prepared.

"His Majesty!"

Iseult slammed the table.

"Did you take my words to heart?"

"You must, immediately, stop all actions related to the Eastern Mediterranean, otherwise it will be too late!"

"Our current naval power is no match for the Venetians. Those pirates have no loyalty at all and will never fight the Venetians for us!"

"Once our fleet is destroyed by the Venetians, those pirate leaders who were happily drinking with you the last second will immediately change their faces and follow the Venetians to divide up our territory!"

"How can you be so stubborn!"

Iseult's voice was so loud that it startled Isaac.

After saying these words, Isurte immediately realized his own irrationality.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, I mean no offense, but you really shouldn't..."

"enough!"

Isaac stood up suddenly and yelled at Isurt.

"I am the co-emperor, and you are not."

"Go out."

Isurt was shocked, as if he didn't know this lord who was usually kind and courteous.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Iseult bowed and turned away, his disappointment evident in his words.

……

"Have you heard? The Doge's Palace in Venice has issued a warning to King Isaac."

"I knew this would happen. The Venetians will not let them mess up the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean..."

"Alas, it's better to stir up trouble. If we don't, there will be no way out for us pirates..."

"Hey, I just heard that Prime Minister Isurt advised King Isaac and was kicked out of his study by him."

"It seems that our King Isaac is determined to go his own way this time..."

"Haha, great! Once they are defeated by the Venetians, can't we still... huh?"

"Should we still accept the king's invitation?"

"Of course! Letters of marque are good things, and besides, we haven't agreed to work for him."

Under the promotion of some people with ulterior motives, this "holy war" gradually changed its nature.

Many foreign forces were puzzled by Isaac's stubbornness and thought he was too proud to face the wrath of the Venetians.

The pirates were also divided into several factions. Some pirates gloated over Isaac's misfortune, waiting to see him make a fool of himself and prepare to get a piece of the pie in this war.

There were also some pirates who firmly supported the holy war and opposed Venice, which did business with pagans. Most of these pirates were fanatics and Genoese.

For a time, the city of Bilinqi was in a state of panic, and everyone saw enemies as enemies. It became the focus of public opinion.

Isaac knew nothing about these things.

At this time, he came to his own territory in Albania, the city of Ohlon.

The city of Olon is located in southwest Albania, on the eastern side of the Strait of Otranto, very close to the Taranto Peninsula.

In the Albanian Alliance, the princes in the south have always been outside Skanderbeg's core circle, flirting with forces such as Epirus in the south, Naples in the west, and the Ottoman Empire in the east.

Every time foreign enemies invaded, these southern princes would symbolically provide Skanderbeg with troops and money and food to express their support for national independence.

Baron Maruna led the Black Legion to help Skanderbeg successfully defend against Venice's counterattack. After retaking the city of Dania, the sovereignty of the city of Aulon was transferred to Isaac.

The ruling family here was unwilling to recognize Isaac's sovereignty and tried to unite with the Ottomans to resist.

But he chose a bad time, for the Ottomans were busy fighting the White Knight Hunyadi and had no time to bother with him.

After Baron Maruna received the news, he acted decisively and led the Black Legion to occupy the city with an absolute numerical advantage. The former ruling family fled overseas.

The city of Ohlon has a large population. There are mountains and rivers crisscrossing in the east, making it easy to defend but difficult to attack. In the north, it is connected to the Albanian coastal plain, which has flat terrain and is not easy to defend. Baron Maruna attacked from this side and caught the defenders off guard.

"Your Majesty, I am sorry that I was unable to attend your coronation ceremony due to my busy schedule." Baron Maruna knelt respectfully on one knee in front of Isaac and made up for the belated allegiance ceremony.

Isaac drew out his sword and laid it gently on his shoulder.

"We have fought very well in the past few battles in Albania. Keep up the good work."

Maruna smiled.

In fact, he did not have any outstanding strategic vision, and his tactics were just mediocre.

Those battles that seemed to be helped by God were all completed under Skanderbeg's command.

"Outside the city of Aulong, the outermost village at Juha Cape is yours."

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

Maruna knelt down to thank him.

"How many troops do you have now?"

"Two thousand Black Legion soldiers. This is the quota you stipulated."

"The local Albanian militia can probably mobilize several hundred more men."

Two thousand people, all of whom were Maruna’s own trusted men, was a bit too many.

"So many? Can the city supply them all?"

Maruna was stunned, his head turned, he swallowed, and the word "yes" remained on his lips.

“It’s a little difficult.”

"How about this, these two thousand people are divided into two teams. One team will be sent to Tobruk. I want to train them to become military district garrison soldiers."

"Yes!"

Maruna lowered his eyes.

"Baron Maruna, listen to my orders!"

Isaac shouted loudly.

"Follow your orders!"

"After consideration, I have officially decided to establish the Aulon Military Region, which, like the Tobruk Military Region, will be directly under the jurisdiction of the Royal Government."

"Appoint you as the first military district commander, and be fully responsible for the military affairs of Aulong City, including the construction of fortifications, the appointment of junior officers, and the purchase of military equipment. Just report to the central government for approval."

"The Black Legion was divided into two parts, becoming garrison soldiers in the Tobruk Military District and the Oron Military District respectively."

“In addition to this, you also need to explore the potential of the countryside and establish a military district conscription system.”

To be honest, the people here still have very little loyalty to the new rulers and are now in a state of lowest acquiescence. It is impossible to expect them to be loyal to outsiders.

Take your time, time will heal everything.

"Administrative officials will be sent by the central government. During the war, you can take charge of government affairs."

"Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty!"

Maruna smiled.

After careful consideration, Isaac decided to separate the military district system from the regional administrative agency and place it under direct central jurisdiction to avoid chaos caused by conflicts of authority and thus enhance the strength of the military district.

"Olon is a nail we planted next to the Ottoman Empire. It is our bridgehead into the Balkans and even southern Italy. You must defend it!"

Isaac helped Maruna up and spoke earnestly.

"I will definitely live up to His Majesty's trust!"

"Your brother is doing well in the Royal Knight Academy, don't worry."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"By the way, how are Mansreti's repair shop and shipyard doing? Has the idea I proposed last time been realized?"

Maruna stood up, smiling.

"The repair shop has already started to make a profit, and the shipyard can now build small transport ships. This area is not like North Africa, with dense forests, so you don't have to worry about that."

"As for your idea, I believe this Hussite naval designer will give you a surprise."

……

On June 1449, 6, Isaac returned to Birinci, and Captain Fidel and Captain Giovanni handed Isaac the revised "Privateer Statute".

The next day, Isaac, against all odds, officially promulgated the "Privateer Act".

The statute was complex and centered around privateering letters of marque.

In short, as long as you have a privateering license, you are a legal jihadist recognized by the royal government and can enjoy various benefits.

Of course, if anyone is found to have privately robbed a merchant ship of a fellow clan member, his license will be revoked and his property on land will be confiscated.

Isaac's "Privateer Act" quickly caused a sensation among pirates. Everyone was amazed at the king's willingness to accept a group of pirates, and lamented his subsequent fate.

On June 1449, 6, Isaac assembled all the warships and transport ships of all sizes who were willing to participate in the holy war, totaling nearly one hundred ships.

Most of the pirate ships are small galleys like the "Smart Billy" that can only carry a dozen people. The truly powerful large pirate forces are still waiting and watching.

Isaac and Iseult stood on the dock and watched the last of the white sail disappear into the sky.

Although the weather was hot, Isurt still felt a chill to the bone.

"Your Majesty, I will organize the militias from various places."

"why?"

"To prevent a possible landing in Venice."

Isaac smiled.

"My dear Iseult, do you think I am a stubborn and stubborn tyrant who doesn't listen to good advice?"

"You are wise and powerful, and I am not well-educated, so how can I judge you rashly?"

Isurt said stiffly.

“Do you know Peter the Great of Cyprus?”

"His Majesty!"

Isurt could no longer contain his anger.

"Peter I has been traveling around the courts of Western European countries all year round, calling for a holy war. He has already divided up the interests with other countries, so they will not become an obstacle."

"Genoa had not yet declined, and Venice did not monopolize the Mamluk trade like it does today. They could even become a helper to Peter the Great."

"Most importantly, Peter I carried out a very successful strategic deception. Everyone thought he was going to attack Jerusalem. The Mamluks even gathered their troops in the holy city, leaving no soldiers anywhere else. This is how Alexandria won!"

"And you?"

"Let the Mamluks, Ottomans, and Venetians know your plan in advance. They have already made preparations!"

"The Venetian fleet is stationed in Candia and Naxos, the Mamluks call for a holy war, and the Ottomans deploy troops in Constantinople and Corinth."

"The Eastern Mediterranean is now a dead end for you, a dead end from which there is no return!"

"Is this what you wanted?"

The sea breeze blew and the two were silent.

"According to what you said, the most important factor in Peter the Great's success was strategic deception?"

"Your Majesty, the Mamluks have already suffered a loss once, they will definitely not--"

"Politicians in all countries now share the same idea as you, right?"

"Of course! You—"

Isaac waved his hand, looked at the distant sea, and stopped Isurt.

"now it's right."

……

"This...isn't this right?"

"Captain, are we going in the wrong direction?"

"That's right."

On the Grand Duke of Morea, the navigator at the helm found the fleet captain Fidel.

“That’s the direction.”

Captain Fidel took out an imperial edict and showed it to everyone.

"Your Majesty has ordered that the entire fleet head west, targeting the Hafsid Dynasty."

"Send the flag signal, let's go!"

(End of this chapter)