1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 77: Battle of the Sea
On August 1449, 8, a fleet of fire warships led by the Virgin Mary, escorted by the Saint Nicholas, entered the port of Tesouk in the north of Djerba Island, preparing for the final naval battle.

After more than half a month of cleaning, the entire port of Tesuque has changed a lot. Pirates who smelled the scent of money came here one after another, established forward bases here, and robbed the Gabes coast.

Fidel and Giovanni were both naval officers and did not know how to effectively manage the newly occupied lands. They only implemented military control in Castel La Spezia and Porto Tesuque, and left the rest of the countryside to its own devices.

Currently, there are nearly three thousand Muslim civilians on the island, scattered across various villages on the island.

This island has an important strategic location and is an indispensable part of Isaac's naval plan. It must be firmly controlled in his own hands.

In the simple house in Tesuque Port, Isaac looked at the newly surveyed map and thought about strategy.

Prior to this, Isaac had discussed with Prime Minister Isult and was not prepared to hand over Djerba Island to the jurisdiction of the royal government.

Isaac planned to use this place as a pirate port.

Muslim pirates in the Gabes Sea were also very rampant, often robbing passing Christian merchant ships. Introducing obedient pirates would be a good way to fight against them.

As long as the pirates are not stupid, they will be able to see the potential value of this island and will find ways to obtain the right to dock and resupply here to facilitate their looting activities.

At this time, the privateering license that was once ridiculed by many pirates became very useful.

The sale of privateering licenses, the collection of repair and service fees, the huge profits of brothels and casinos...

Just thinking about it, Isaac seemed to be able to hear the sound of gold coins clinking.

As for reputation, I'm sorry, but gold is better.

The settlement of immigrants, the formation of the Knights Templar, the cost of the army, the maintenance and expansion of the navy, the construction of national roads and post stations...

For a long time, the territory's income was not enough to cover its expenses, and these necessary expenditures were all supported by Isaac's private property.

In order to save money, Isaac cut down on administrative agencies, reduced royal expenditures, did not build palaces, did not use luxury goods, and saved every silver coin that could be saved to realize his ideal of restoring the country.

Fame? Once I defeat the Ottomans and the Mamluks, people will sing my praises.

Isaac called Fidel and Giovanni and told them his plan.

“I am going to divide the administrative planning of Djerba into two parts.”

Isaac motioned for the two to sit down and pointed at the map.

"Several villages in the north have established free ports with Tesuque as their center, serving as a branch base for the Mediterranean Fleet, allowing pirate forces with privateering licenses to take root here."

"Giovanni has commanded effectively, so I hereby appoint you as the deputy captain of the Mediterranean Fleet, responsible for the management of the Freeport."

"You can set up a pirate meeting here to regulate nearby pirate behavior and bring several large pirate forces into our circle of interests."

"Besides that, port expansion, ship registration, and shore defense are all your responsibilities."

"I will send someone to assist you with specific tax matters."

Giovanni nodded.

"You must guard this sea fortress for me."

Isaac looked Giovanni in the eyes.

"I will definitely not let your majesty down!"

Giovanni rose, looking excited and serious.

The pirates were domineering and xenophobic, so Giovanni, who was born a pirate and familiar with maritime affairs, was the most suitable person to lead them.

Isaac waved him to sit down and then pointed his finger to the south.

"Djerba was renamed Saint Simon Island, and the Castel La Spezia in the south and several nearby villages were placed under the jurisdiction of the Knights of Saint Simon."

La Spezia Castle is strategically located, controlling the throat between the mainland and the island, and is the focus of island defense.

Isaac did not dare to entrust such a military stronghold to the pirates for defense, even though Giovanni himself was trustworthy.

These pirates have always had extremely flexible moral bottom lines and almost no loyalty.

As long as the benefits are sufficient, they may betray their Christian brothers at any time and throw themselves into the arms of Muslims.

"I have written to Conte, the Grand Master of the Knights of Saint Simon. He will bring some knights and attendants here to establish a branch, spread religion, and wield the sword for the Lord."

"Do you have anything else to add?"

The two knew that this was His Majesty's final decision and could not be changed at all, so they shook their heads.

"In that case, let's not talk about this for now,"

Isaac drew a large circle on the nearby sea with St. Simon's Island as the center.

"Have you observed the latest situation of the Hafs fleet?"

The two looked at each other and Giovanni spoke.

"Your Majesty, in order to preserve our strength, our main fleet did not leave Tesuque Port too far and has been patrolling nearby. We have not observed the main force of Hafs' fleet."

"But some pirates who heard the news seem to have discovered traces of a large fleet near the Kerkennah Islands in the northwest."

“Are their words true or false?”

"It is probably true, Your Majesty. Many people have seen it."

Isaac nodded, picked up the pen, and drew a cross on the map where the Kerkennah Islands were located.

"They should be patrolling back and forth with Sfax as the main port and Kerkennah as the secondary port to prevent us from entering the core waters of Tunisia through the sea corridor between them."

Fidel spoke up.

"Pass on my order. Send a fast small warship to investigate first. After confirming the news is true, the whole army will attack."

The island of San Simon was small in size, and after being razed by Giovanni, it was completely incapable of supplying the huge fleet with military supplies. Continuing to drag on would be disadvantageous to Isaac.

We must find an opportunity quickly and fight a decisive battle.

……

"Captain Demir, enemy ships spotted on the port side!"

In the calm waters in the southwest of the Gulf of Gabes, three galleys lined up, set sail with their sails full, and headed northwest.

It is located on the south side of the Kerkennah Islands and southeast of Sfax, and is an important trade route.

This waterway connects the two major cities of Tripoli and Sfax, and merchant ships usually come and go frequently.

Ships loaded with slaves and olives set sail from Tripoli and headed north. They stopped for a short rest in Sfax, loaded up with local ironware and small handicrafts, and continued to Tunisia in the northwest, or headed directly north to sell in Europe.

Since Isaac vigorously developed the slave trade, Tripoli, with its advantageous location, has taken a share of the bloody North African white slave trade, making it even more prosperous.

Now, with the change of hands of St. Simon Island and the influx of Christian pirates, this sea area is gradually becoming a hunting ground for these sea pirates and is beginning to become full of crises.

"Asshole! Tell me the model, flag and quantity!"

On the galley Ichel, Captain Demir yelled at the sailors climbing up the mast.

"There are four enemy ships in total, all small warships, flying the flag of the Hafsid Dynasty!"

Hearing this, Demir quickly estimated in his mind the relative strength of his own fleet and the enemy fleet, as well as the chances of winning after the battle. The Ichel was a medium-sized galley that originally belonged to the Karaman Bey State and was later transferred to the Ottoman Empire and served the Sultan.

After the Battle of Corinthia, Demir, the deputy captain from Karaman, saw that the situation was not good, so he joined forces with the lower-level sailors to launch an uprising, beheaded the captain sent by the Ottomans, and surrendered to Isaac.

Demir, who had made great contributions in the uprising, converted to Orthodoxy, became the captain of the Ichel, and joined the Mediterranean Fleet.

In this operation, the galley Ichel, which had a great advantage in speed, led the fleet together with two other small galleys.

"How far are the follow-up troops from us?"

"It's not far, about two hours!"

The first mate from Greece reported to Demir.

"The enemy should also be the vanguard of the Hafs fleet. Tell our friendly ships that we are rushing over to hold them back and wait for reinforcements from follow-up forces!"

A few days ago, under the leadership of Captain Demir, the Ichel successfully avoided the enemy's outer patrol ships and sneaked into the vicinity of the Kerkenna Islands, confirming the specific location of Hafs' main fleet.

Demir remembered that after returning from the successful reconnaissance, Captain Fidel, who was always serious, suddenly praised his achievements for the first time.

King Isaac was even more generous. He announced a reward of two hundred ducats and a precious "Isaac Knife", which made his colleagues around him envious.

After the intelligence came back, everyone was very clear that our overall strength was currently dominant, but it would not last long. We must find the main force of the enemy as soon as possible and destroy their resistance in one fell swoop.

The enemy was very cunning and always patrolled around the island chain, trying to wear down the aggressive Christians and not giving them any chance.

This time, if we can capture these four enemy galleys and use ourselves as bait, can we attract the enemy's main force?

DeMille thought it was worth a try.

For a long time, due to his status, he had not had a good time in the Mediterranean Fleet. Although Captain Fidel would not deliberately make things difficult for him because of his status, he would not assign too important tasks to him.

Seeing his colleagues around him being promoted one by one, buying houses in Surt or Bilinchi and getting married, while he himself had achieved nothing, Demir felt very resentful.

Due to my repeated betrayals, I can't go back to the Muslim world. I can only gain His Majesty's trust through my own efforts and integrate into such a large collective.

If I can accomplish great things this time, everyone will definitely have a better view of my image, right?
"Captain! Lower the sails, we are ready for battle!"

Demir gritted his teeth, turned around and yelled at the rigging captain.

Although the enemy had a slight advantage in numbers, their ships were of inferior quality. In addition, Muslims did not like to use firearms, so if a real fight broke out, it was hard to say who would win or lose!

Demir estimated that the few small warships in the lead would probably only be able to restrain each other and would not be able to quickly eliminate each other.

Whether this encounter will be won or not depends on which side's follow-up fleet is the first to enter the battlefield.

"Captain, the enemy ship is coming towards us!"

"Get ready for battle!"

Demir drew his saber, and the Palaeologus crest on the blade shone brightly.

The sun was scorching and the sea was rough. The fleets of both sides were like warriors in heavy armor, slowly approaching each other in the ocean and fighting each other.

……

"The Galliard is a large-scale galley built in Italy. It appeared in the 13th century. It was developed on the basis of the ancient Greek galley and was a representative type of warship in the Middle Ages."

On the Virgin Mary, Isaac sat in the captain's room, listening to Yergubai reading a report.

The report came from Captain Fidel, from his study of Muslim ships not commonly seen in North America.

"The Galliard used a triangular sail."

"In addition to the triangular mast in the middle of the ship, there is also a triangular mast at the bow. For the needs of naval warfare, there is a combat platform at the bow of the "Gali" type galley, which is called a combat platform, also known as the front ship building."

"There is a taller tower at the stern of the ship, which is manned by archers. Soldiers are arranged in fixed combat positions on the central deck."

"There is a triangular pointed bow at the bow of the warship, which acts as a ram to ram enemy warships."

"This type of warship has been adopted and built by many countries and is the first choice of many pirate forces."

"Your Majesty, there is another picture."

Yergubai handed over the report.

"Captain Fidel is really thoughtful."

Isaac took the report and looked at the drawing of the Galleon engraved on it.

This type of galley can be used in various sea sections, especially in the shallow waters of the Mediterranean. It can carry sufficient supplies and has excellent close-range attack capabilities.

It can be said that before the advent of firearms, the Galli boat was the pinnacle of Italy's light shipbuilding industry.

After the Galli boat was spread to Muslim countries, it underwent some localization transformation to make it more like an ancient Arab sailing ship.

Lighten the burden to make it lighter and faster, and add square sails to enable it to adapt to the complex bays along the Mediterranean and Red Sea coasts.

In the Middle Ages, in addition to Italy building and using galleys, France and Ottoman Türkiye also loved this type of ship with multiple functions.

Later, the Hafsid Dynasty, the Marin Dynasty, the Mamluks and other countries also built and used galleys.

The details of the galleys made in different countries are slightly different, but they are basically the same.

In terms of composition, the majority of the Hafsid Dynasty's fleet was made up of pirate ships, or in other words, their fleet was originally pirates who made a living by plundering everywhere.

Such a composition has both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that it can reduce the country's financial burden and avoid the need to spend high long-term maintenance and repair costs on ships.

The downside is that once these pirate ships are separated, it is not easy to gather together and form sufficient combat power.

Fighting alone without coordination, rigid tactics, disorganized command, a preference for boarding battles, and a dislike for using firearms - these are the common problems of the North African Muslim navy.

As a veteran, Isaac was well aware of the shortcomings of the Muslim navy and took corresponding countermeasures.

Raising the ship's sides, fixing the towers, using muskets, and Greek fire are all powerful weapons against the Muslim navy.

As long as he could capture Hafs's main fleet, Isaac could be sure that they would not be a match for him.

The premise is——

"His Majesty!"

"what's up?"

"Naval battle ahead! Captain Demir is holding back the enemy fleet, requesting reinforcements!"

Isaac looked up and saw that it was true.

On the sea ahead, several small and medium-sized warships have become entangled with each other and are difficult to distinguish from each other.

On the other side of the battlefield, a huge fleet was heading this way, but judging from its momentum, it was no weaker than Isaac.

It seems that this is the main force of the enemy that I have been looking for.

Can't you sit still anymore?
Demir, you have done a great job this time!

"Army attack!"

(End of this chapter)