1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 80: Shining Like a Star

The first heavy rain in 1449 arrived as expected, clearing away the summer heat and drought and turning the yellow land of Cyrenaica green again.

In southern Cyrenaica, several dry rivers began to flow, bringing life to the people living along the banks.

Under the arrangement of the consul, the people began to plant grains on both sides of the dry river, trying to complete a harvest before the dry season arrived.

In the Green Mountain region, Christians from Cilicia and Egypt moved into new homes, were allocated land, and watched with joy as the seedlings thrived under the nourishment of rain.

Greek Orthodox Christians relocated from the Morea and other places were settled preferentially around Birinci to cultivate the most fertile land in the Derna Valley.

Thanks to the hard work of Agriculture Ministers Mix and Alex, the first round of three-field crop rotation experiment was a great success.

Planting the same wheat, the yield in the experimental field was one-third higher than that in ordinary fields.

Isaac immediately decided to send agricultural officials to various places to investigate and gradually implement the three-field rotation system.

Except for the Sirte area, the Cyrenaica region has abundant rainfall, vast land and sparse population, and the agricultural prospects are promising, so crop rotation can be adopted.

As for the Jufra and Ajdabiya regions in the desert and saline-alkali land, there is not much arable land, so we can just give it a try.

Even if it doesn't work, it's better to plant more alfalfa than to abandon it.

In the northern part of the Grand Principality of Sirte, road construction is gradually underway to connect various gathering places together.

The first batch of post stations have been set up on the main roads. Each post station is staffed with three to five messengers, maintaining a dozen horses and camels, and is responsible for conveying messages from the central government.

Under Isaac's arrangement, every large village in the farming area was staffed with lower-level priests from the Greek Orthodox Church. In addition to spreading the gospel of the Lord, they were also responsible for conveying messages from the center of the kingdom and strengthening control over the local areas.

After dinner in the evening, everyone would sit together and listen to the priest slowly reading the news he got from the post station messenger, informing them of policies that were closely related to the people.

These priests had been trained by Isaac and knew what to say and what not to say.

"God will not support polygamy, and all men who ever have more than one woman can choose only one of them as their wife."

"However, His Majesty the Emperor has allowed you to continue living together."

Therefore, the Muslims who originally had several wives understood that after converting to Orthodoxy, they could only legally have one wife, but the original women did not have to be driven away, and the emperor would turn a blind eye.

"Your Majesty is planning to recruit more medical students. The tuition will be borne by the Kingdom Center, and young people with a basic knowledge of Greek will be given priority."

So, several interested young people in the village began to pester the priest and practice Greek every day.

“Your Majesty will further regulate the slave laws. Tribal slaves who escape from the tribe will be protected by the laws after being registered.”

So, several escaped slaves breathed a sigh of relief.

"The textile workshops in the nearby cities are hiring workers. Careful children and women are preferred."

"The slaughterhouse only recruits strong men."

Therefore, the villagers took advantage of the slack season in farming and followed the newly repaired dirt road to the nearby towns to earn money to supplement their family income.

"Your Majesty is promoting crop rotation. There will be agricultural officials coming to give you guidance. You must seize this opportunity."

So, the villagers, skeptical, marked out a small piece of land and tried the new method from the center of the kingdom.

"Your Majesty won the Battle of Kerkennah, defeated the Hafsid dynasty, occupied Misrata, forced the surrender of the city of Malfa, and officially established the Misrata ruling district."

So the villagers applauded loudly. Although they might have no idea about these distant place names and had no idea where Kerkenna was, this did not prevent them from paying respect to the king who had won every battle.

In this way, roads became the kingdom's neurons, post stations became the kingdom's synapses, and priests transmitted information transmitters representing the center of the kingdom to local people.

After several years of purges, the Grand Duchy of Soult was basically stable. The indigenous people in Cyrenaica were very rare, and the new immigrants gathered around several large cities without causing any trouble.

There are still many Muslim tribes in the desert further south of the Green Mountain region that have not yet submitted, but their strength is weak and scattered, and they are not enough to cause harm to the kingdom.

As Isaac won victory after victory, the internal and external forces that had been expecting Isaac to suffer a great defeat in foreign wars were disappointed one after another. They gave up their efforts and could only lament the unfairness of fate.

On the eastern border of the kingdom, the basic structure of the Tobruk Military District has been established, with a total garrison of 1,500 people, and militia can be recruited from local areas when necessary.

Outside Tobruk, the regicide Marzia temporarily took charge of the military and political affairs of Baydi, and led the relatively elite troops inherited from Yusuf to fight back and forth with the Mamluk tribes in the east.

On the southern frontier of the kingdom, Count Adnan successfully built the road between Ugu and Jufra according to the standards of a second-class national road with his extraordinary perseverance and determination, connecting his territory to the trade network of the Cyrenaica United Chamber of Commerce.

At the same time, the pseudo-King Abdullah of the Fezzan central government and the rebellious Fatiya tribe fought back and forth for the hard-won water sources and pastures in the desert.

Count Adnan took the opportunity to develop himself, recruit talents, subdue subordinate tribes, work hard to govern, and wait for the right opportunity.

"I will leave the kingdom's western border under your jurisdiction."

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

In the Black Castle, Isaac placed his sword on the shoulders of Hamza, who had come from the city of Melfa, and appointed him the Count of Melfa.

The city of Melfa is located between Misrata and Tripoli, controlling the passage between the two cities.

After Count Mikhail forced Prince Omar, who was besieged in Misrata, to surrender, he advanced towards the city of Melfa.

After the events in Tripoli, Hamza finally gave up and drove out the Sunni Ulema in the city. With the introduction of a cleric from the local Orthodox community, he formally surrendered to Isaac.

Although Hamza surrendered, the city of Melfa was still firmly controlled by his son, and there were still more than 2,000 soldiers in the city.

After taking Misrata and establishing the Misrata ruling district, Isaac did not intend to continue to move troops towards Tripoli further west.

After years of war, his own treasury was becoming increasingly empty and could no longer support a large-scale offensive.

Many money-making things are just getting started and cannot provide Isaac with large-scale financial support for the time being.

The sugarcane plantations of St. William, the navigational medicine and allicin of Bilinchi, the firearms factories of Alagai, the gold trade in West Africa, and the pirate raids in the Governorate of St. Simon all take time to ferment.

Always relying on war spoils and fighting to support the war is extremely risky.

If there is any defeat, it will collapse instantly and return to its original form.

As the clock slowly but irreversibly moves towards 1453, Isaac can no longer gamble with his hard-earned inheritance.

Since Hamza is willing to pledge allegiance, let's just go with the flow.

The Hafsid Dynasty was like a centipede that was about to die, but it was still alive. After they occupied St. Simon Island, their core waters were completely under the attack of their own navy, and there was no safety at all.

After waiting for a few years, until the territory prospers, trade develops, and your wallet is full, it will be time to move west again.

By then, Hafs will be further weakened, and I will be stronger and stronger, and the war will not be as difficult as it is now.

As for this little earl who is blocking the road, if he doesn't know what's best for him, just kill him.

"I heard that your second son, Melebu, is just ten years old. I wonder if he is willing to go to Bilinchi to study?"

Isaac put away his sword and said with a smile.

“It’s his pleasure.”

Hamza knew that this was a necessary condition for the emperor to grant him privileges.

He was just a second son. He had many sons, so Hamza didn't care as long as he was not the heir.

In November 1449, envoys from Tripoli and Tunis arrived in Birinci one after another.

The envoys from Tripoli were very sensible and were willing to pay tribute every year in exchange for temporary peace.

Isaac would not believe the words like "eternal barrier" spoken by the envoy - this is what Constantinople said to the Ottomans every year.

As for the envoys from Tunis, they looked powerful but weak inside. They immediately asked Isaac to withdraw from all the occupied territories and generously said that "bygone days would not be taken seriously."

Isaac simply drove him away.

After the Battle of Kerkennah, the Hafsid dynasty had no ability to resist looting and could only be slaughtered.

As for the land, with the cities of Tripoli and Melfa as buffer zones, it would be difficult for Yahya's army to enter its core area in a short period of time.

After finishing a day's government affairs, Isaac rubbed his sore eyes, returned to his room, and poured himself a glass of wine.

After several years of fighting, he successfully established a foundation, stabilized domestic affairs, and pacified the border.

Conditions in the Cyrenaica region are not bad, especially in the Green Mountain area. In some places, the annual precipitation can reach more than 500 mm, which is similar to that in the North China Plain.

After a period of looting and expulsion, the local indigenous population has decreased dramatically, leaving large tracts of land waiting for new immigrants to settle in.

The war is over, it's time to recuperate, sort out domestic affairs, and wait for the flowers to bloom.

……

The raindrops fell on the carefully groomed grass, splashed on the freshly picked flowers, and flowed down the veins of the petals to the ground. It was raining in Bursa, but Mohammed did not cry.

For the 17-year-old Muhammad, 1449 was undoubtedly a nightmare.

His father Murad II had always disliked him because his mother was a Greek slave.

He also disliked his own son, the babbling little Bayezid, for the same reason.

So Murad II secretly arranged a marriage for Muhammad and married her to Princess Sida from the Kingdom of Dulkadir Bey.

Princess Sida came from a prominent family, was devout in her faith, well-educated, and beautiful. Even the Mamluk Sultan coveted her beauty.

In the eyes of Murad II, she was undoubtedly a very good princess.

However, Murad II did not notice that his son had a stern face and acted cold throughout the grand wedding.

During the three-month wedding, Muhammad did not even see his bride.

After the wedding, the beautiful Princess Sidda was immediately banished to the cold palace and did not receive any favor from her new husband.

Muhammad was not against political marriage. What he hated was that his father did not even ask for his opinion.

Then, on that breezy September day, Muhammad’s mother, Lady Huma, died.

Under the coercion of Murad II, Muhammad was separated from his mother at an early age and went to study in the court of his father and brother, and he spent little time with Mrs. Huma.

Lady Huma was of humble origin, Greek descent, and was a slave, so she did not receive any respect from Murad II at all.

Years of seclusion have wasted my youth, depressed mood has turned my hair white, and youthful hard work has worn down my body.

When her son gave birth to a grandson, she could only see him briefly.

Her son married a beautiful wife, and she hid behind the scenes, silently blessing him.

After a lifetime of hard work, he was rewarded with a small piece of land in the Bursa Mosque.

"May the land where she lies remain fragrant forever."

On the tombstone, Muhammad engraved his lifelong thoughts stroke by stroke.

The rain was getting heavy, and Muhammad stood stubbornly in the rain, letting his whole body get soaked.

"Your Highness..."

Zagan Pasha stood behind him, getting wet in the rain with him.

"What did your Majesty say?"

"Your Majesty said, I understand."

"Hasn't he ever thought of coming to see his mother?"

"Your Majesty is planning a war against the Albanian traitors..."

"Don't lie to me, Zagan."

Mohammed shook his head, looking a little dazed.

"Your Majesty has already given full authority to Khalil on this matter."

Zagan Pasha opened his mouth, not knowing where to start.

"Princess Halima from the Kingdom of Kandal Bey has given birth to a son for Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty is very happy, uh..."

"Ha ha ha ha……"

Mohammed suddenly laughed, a sad and bleak laugh.

"No wonder... several nobles in Bursa ran to Edirne one after another and kept silent to me. It turns out that they went to seek refuge with their new masters. Haha..."

"Khalil and his gang must be very happy. A prince from a noble family, tsk tsk ..."

"My mother died and he was celebrating."

“This is really…hahaha…”

Mohammed staggered and fell, sitting in front of his mother's grave, looking at the dark sky in the distance with empty eyes.

"Zagan, why don't you go?"

"If you go too late, you won't be favored by your new master!"

Mohammed turned his head and gave Zagan behind him a forced smile.

"Ok?"

Only then did he notice that Zagan was followed by a row of fully armed Janissaries.

"Your Highness, no matter when and what happens, I will always stand behind you and block all the hidden arrows for you."

Zagan knelt on one knee with a solemn expression.

The Janissaries behind him also knelt down to show their loyalty.

"They are all young officers from the Janissary Guards. They have received your favor and are absolutely loyal to you."

Mohammed counted them and found only a dozen people.

“What can we do with these people?”

"Your Highness, you don't need to do anything."

Among the officers, the leading one raised his head and looked at the young man.

"Your father is still in his prime, and your brother is still young. You are still the definite heir."

"You are still young, and you have enough time to change the Pashas' views on you, to ease the conflict between you and the Ulema, and to gradually strengthen your power."

"As long as you are here, there is hope."

"You just need to know that we will be loyal to you, and will hold the sword for you to eliminate all powerful enemies."

Muhammad was a little dazed and looked at Zagan Pasha.

"Your Highness, they are of the same origin as me. Khalil cannot tolerate them. They are your natural loyal servants."

Mohammed nodded slowly and fixed his eyes on the young officer.

"well said."

Mohammed looked the officer in the eyes.

Wise, profound, loyal.

"Are you also from Devshielme?"

The Ottoman Empire had always liked to recruit boys from among its Christian subjects and cultivate their loyalty, a system known as Devshirme.

Officials and generals who came from the Devshirme system were known for their loyalty and ability, and Zagan Pasha was one of the best among them.

"Yes!"