1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 74 Accident
On the vast Mediterranean Sea, the sun is shining, the sky is clear and cloudless, and the breeze is gentle.

Between the sea and the sky, a line of warships moved slowly with their sails hoisted high, and on the sails were painted the emblem of a double-headed eagle.

The warship in the front had a graceful shape and high sides, cutting through the waves in the ocean, leaving a foamy wake.

Sharp Greek words were painted on the hull: Archon.

On the deck, the sailors, under the command of the first mate, skillfully completed their tasks while shouting slogans, swearing, laughing, and saying obscene words that made the noble lady blush.

In the captain's room, Captain Giovanni Giustitiani from Genoa turned a deaf ear to the obscenities and just flipped through his logbook.

"On June 1449, 6, it was sunny. We officially set out. We never expected that our target was not the Mamluks or Ottomans in the east, but the Hafsid dynasty in the west."

"Oh my God! King Isaac's move was truly a stroke of genius. I'm afraid the fleet of the Hafsid dynasty didn't even have time to assemble."

"Lord, please bless us to return victoriously!"

……

"On June 1449, 6, Yun, the Grand Archon found a suitable harbor for docking. The people here call it New Beilefa..."

"We use this place as a base to harass merchant ships from Misrata and Tripoli while waiting for follow-up ships."

"June 1449, 6, cloudy. The wind is good today. We are cleaning up the area around Malfa. This is the biggest harvest our fleet has ever had since setting out. We have captured 16 Muslim slaves alone."

"Pirates with letters of marque can follow us and carve up the little villages we have left."

"Jetna joined forces with several small pirate ships to plunder a wealthy fishing village and reportedly made a great harvest."

"No wonder they have been missing for the past few days. I'm afraid they have been transporting goods at sea."

"Today we encountered a Muslim warship. It was small and dilapidated. As soon as it saw us, it turned and fled."

"These idiots!"

"June 1449, 6, sunny. The results of the war continue to expand. Today, many pirate forces arrived in New Beilefa, trying to obtain supplies here so that they can go further west to participate in this feast."

"Humph! You just stood by and watched, and now you want to get a piece of the pie? No way!"

"Captain Fidel is ready to use New Belefa as a forward base, open to all pirates with licenses,"

"We discussed and decided to leave some sailors and slaves in New Beilefa, and at the same time requested Count Mikhail, who was at the foot of Misrata, to send troops to serve as a garrison here."

……

"June 1449, 6, sunny. We encountered the fleet of Tripoli. It is said that this city is famous for its trade. The Merchant Council has a good naval force. Although it lacks in offense, it is more than enough for defense."

"Alas! Tripoli Port has complete defense facilities, including crossbows, artillery, and everything else. The number of soldiers is sufficient and their combat effectiveness is high. They are not easy to deal with."

"It is a pity to allow such a rich city to fall into the hands of pagans!"

"But our jihad cannot continue if Tripoli remains in the hands of the infidels."

"The range of the transport fleet and the privateering fleet is limited. Relying solely on the supplies from the New Beilefa, they cannot reach Hafs' most prosperous trade routes."

"On July 1449, 7, Captain Fidel received a letter from Bilinchi, saying that we have a new mission."

"After discussion, we decided to split the entire fleet into two parts. The caravels and large galleys capable of long-distance navigation will continue to sail northwest, while the remaining fleet will use New Belefa as a base to continue looting."

"July 1449, 7. We continued sailing with enough supplies, avoiding the prosperous trade routes and hiding ourselves, like a hunter lurking in the dark."

……

"July 1449, 7, continuing the voyage, nothing happened today, the sailors played cards, may God forgive them."

Giovanni put down his pen, closed his logbook, stretched himself, and yawned loudly.

"Captain, Captain Fidel wants you to attend a meeting."

The second mate pushed the door open and Giovanni nodded.

A small sampan was lowered from the Archon and headed towards the Grand Duke of Moria behind.

When Giovanni arrived at the captain's room, the small room was already packed with people, all captains of various ships.

Captain Fidel nodded to Giovanni, motioning him to sit next to him, side by side with Captain Henry of the San Nicolas.

Giovanni thanked the fleet captain, smiled at Captain Henry, and sat in the reserved seat.

Many people in this fleet were old followers of King Isaac, who had followed him through the high temperatures and mosquitoes in West Africa, and had fought wits and courage with the Ottoman fleet in Corinthia. They were very proud and paid little attention to Giovanni, who had left his post halfway through his career.

Fortunately, Captain Fidel was a fair leader who treated Giovanni well and relied heavily on his navigation command ability and sea-land coordination ability.

In previous operations, Giovanni was always the first to lead the Marines onto the beach, paving the way for follow-up troops.

"I called everyone here to announce the fleet's subsequent plans."

Everyone nodded, already prepared in their hearts.

"This morning, we captured a fishing boat and learned from them that we are about to reach the destination of this mission."

"This time, we will stay away from the mainland, conduct landing operations, and take advantage of the enemy's lack of knowledge of our location to catch them off guard."

"Besides that, we will be fighting alone this time, without the support of the army for the time being."

Fleet Captain Fidel looked at the naval officers with an unprecedented serious look.

"We must take the target, hold on until help arrives, and do our best to stop the Muslim counterattack."

"This time, I will gather the best sailors on all the ships and put them under the command of Captain Giovanni."

Fidel turned to Giovanni and greeted him.

In an instant, all eyes were focused on this new colleague who was said to be deeply trusted by His Majesty. Even Giovanni, with his temperament, couldn't help feeling a little nervous.

"The success or failure of our mission today not only affects whether we can intervene in Hafs's richest Mediterranean trade in the future, but also affects the future development of our navy."

Fidel ignored Giovanni's little thoughts and just followed Isaac's instructions.

"If we can take this place, our connection with the West African colonies will be even closer. We can bypass the difficult Tripoli and directly threaten Hafs's hinterland, thus making this monster, which is still alive and kicking, continue to bleed."

"Everyone, without further ado,"

Fidel stood up and showed Isaac's orders to the captains.

"Your Majesty has ordered that Djerba be taken!"

……

The evening in Tripoli is peaceful and elegant. The white Mediterranean bride has restrained her daytime beauty and looks like a noble lady who has washed away all the makeup, graceful and lazy.

The curfew has not yet begun, and vendors from all over are seizing the last opportunity to sell their remaining goods to passers-by.

Shouts, laughter, noise, the neighing of horses and the humming of camels formed a symphony in the bustling evening of Tripoli.

The siege of Misrata did not affect the happiness and peace of Tripoli. Instead, the merchants who changed their route from Misrata made it even more lively.

The atmosphere of worldly life is the most soothing to the hearts of ordinary people. No matter whether they are nobles or commoners, they all like to walk on the city streets before sunset, visit the places they usually like to visit, and see if the prices of their favorite products have been reduced.

Obviously, the Payir messenger who came all the way from Tunis was not one of them.

At this time, the poor messenger was standing on the rooftop of a property belonging to the Hafs family in the city, holding a glass of water, staring blankly at the setting sun and the darkening sky.

After many days of wrangling, the messenger had no idea how to fulfill his promise to Caliph Yahya.

These successful and arrogant businessmen did not take his identity as the envoy of Hafs seriously at all. They were indifferent to him and kept him aside.

The Payir envoy carried a large amount of money when he left, and now a large part of this gold has gone into the pockets of merchants.

These merchants seemed to have an agreement. They accepted the gifts but did nothing.

The key point is that the Payir envoy has no way to deal with them at all.

Messenger Payer had no idea about Albert's progress next door, but he estimated that it was about the same as his.

It seemed that the businessmen were asking for too much. Payer repeatedly recalled his negotiation process, but he had no idea.

Da, da, da——

Hearing voices from behind, Payer straightened his clothes, wiped away his distressed expression, and replaced it with a confident face.

"Atta, Baikal invites you to his mansion."

Payer's son and adjutant lowered his head and looked at him respectfully.

"Baker? The merchant who took two thousand ducats from us?"

Payer frowned.
This Baker is a member of the Merchant Council. He always smiles at everyone and doesn't care much about government affairs.

"Yes."

The son nodded.

"He also said that he could solve your troubles."

Payer's heart moved, but his expression remained calm.

"Okay, get the carriage ready."

The carriage stopped in a sparsely populated suburb in the last rays of the setting sun.

Payer felt a little uneasy as he looked at the sentries at the door and the patrolling guards who were watching him closely.

Baiker stood at the door, laughing happily and stretching out his arms to the Payel messenger, as if he had met an old friend whom he had not seen for many years.

Messenger Payer had no choice but to smile as well. After exchanging a few pleasantries, the two men walked arm in arm into the big house.

Not long after entering the house, Messenger Payil immediately felt something was wrong.

There was no furniture, no lights, no servants.

Payer was about to speak when a black bag was covered over his head, and then he heard Becker's voice in his ears.

"Don't move, don't talk, just follow me."

Payer could feel a sharp knife against his waist. He swallowed and nodded quickly.

Two big men flanked the messenger on the left and right, and Baiker led the way in front.

Messenger Payer clearly felt that he had walked into a dark and damp tunnel. The tunnel was very narrow and it was easy to hit his head.

Several people twisted and turned in the tunnel, and finally, the feeling of being in a small space came to an abrupt end.

"arrive."

Baker said calmly.

The black bag was opened, and the sudden light stung the messenger's eyes and made him burst into tears.

"Sitting in front of you is,"

A familiar yet unfamiliar voice sounded, with pride and superiority, echoing in the empty underground hall.

"Legal Emir of Tripolitania, Lord of Tripoli, grandson of Caliph Aziz,"

"Nasirlan Hafs."

Messenger Payil removed his hands that were blocking the light and saw clearly the middle-aged prince sitting on the throne in front of him.

At this moment, he was wearing pajamas, without a single decoration, but he looked noble and proud, completely different from the cowardly and incompetent person he was during the day.

On both sides of him, several strong and tall armored warriors guarded him, looking straight ahead.

The messenger looked around. The entire underground palace was filled with a strong murderous atmosphere. It was equipped with armories, training grounds, granaries and reservoirs.

"you……"

"Surprised?"

Nasirlan was obviously very satisfied with the messenger's shock, with a smile on his face.

The messenger nodded. This place really shocked him.

"You are the first person to come here except my cronies."

"It's my pleasure."

The messenger immediately bowed, giving the shrewd prince the respect he deserved.

"Let's not waste any more time. Do you know why I asked Becker to call you here?"

The messenger already had a vague guess, but remained silent, waiting for Nasirlan to speak himself.

"I want to overthrow Zakarich and achieve my freedom."

Nasirlan's eyes suddenly became fierce. He turned his head and stared at Payil fiercely.

"This old man has held me captive like a slave for five years, five whole years!"

"Do you know how I spent my time?"

"During the past five years, I have continuously lowered my own status, made myself weak and incompetent, and made him let down his guard!"

"It was not until the year before last that this old man began to give me a little freedom, just like a slave owner changing the shackles on the slaves from iron to wooden. It was meaningless."

"I started to spend lavishly, building luxurious palaces, capturing many women, and ruining my reputation among the people, in order to eliminate his vigilance."

"He must be sneering in his heart as he sees me occupying civilian houses and building a palace, haha..."

"What he doesn't know is that my father was once the governor of Tripoli, and when he was in office, he built a secret passage."

"This underground passage leads to a secret port, which can be used to obtain assistance from the outside world when the city is under siege."

"Based on this, I have gradually expanded my underground power until today."

"Every night, I would give the two prostitutes that old man sent to monitor me a special aphrodisiac, and then send one of my doubles to sleep with them."

At this point, Nasirlan's eyes sparkled with pleasure and complacency as he looked into the messenger's eyes, enjoying his surprised expression.

“Everything I have done has been for today.”

Messenger Payer began to feel a little frightened, but he still pretended to remain calm.

"What are you going to do?"

"I have 150 elite soldiers. Some of the city guards are dissatisfied with the Merchant Council. I cannot control them, but I can definitely cause internal strife among them so that I cannot intervene."

"As for Zakaria's guards, we need to discuss this. Perhaps we can use your help."

"After this is accomplished, I will submit to the jurisdiction of the Tunisian Caliphate, become the Emir of Tripoli, and stop the attack of the Christians."

"Your son will be waiting here for our good news."

Two soldiers pushed out Payer's son. The poor boy huddled up in a ball, his body trembling.

The messenger's eyes turned and he sighed inwardly.

Do I still have a choice?

I'm afraid if I dare to say no, my head will be moved instantly.

But, does this seem like an opportunity?
That’s all!

"Please give your orders, Your Highness."

The messenger knelt on one knee.

(End of this chapter)