1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 82 Rose and Cannon

The Christmas bells ring, announcing the arrival of the new year.

Under Isaac's instructions, the entire Kingdom of Cyrenaica held large-scale celebrations, with new and old believers celebrating the festival together, and everyone's face was filled with joy.

This time, Isaac did not save money. He held grand celebrations in major cities to share the joy with the people, even in a somewhat deliberate way.

There was no other way. The ethnic composition of Isaac's territory was complex, and it was very difficult to achieve national identity. Isaac simply chose a more practical religious identity.

Use religious sentiment to unite the various ethnic groups and fight against the Muslim forces that are eyeing them from all directions.

In the short term, this policy works very well.

Of course, various problems will arise afterwards, and we will have to trust in the wisdom of future generations.

The old year has passed and the new year’s bells are ringing.

For the whole of Europe, 1450 was destined to be a year of strife.

In Western Europe, King Charles VII of France, who was determined to recover lost territory, joined forces with the Duke of Brittany to recover the French territory occupied by the King of England and drive the invaders into the sea.

Since King Charles of France ascended the throne, he has carried out drastic reforms on the entire financial and military systems of France, established financial and taxation institutions and standing troops directly under the royal family, and freed the Kingdom of France from its heavy dependence on the big feudal lords.

On the other side of the strait, the Kingdom of England was mired in a power struggle. The domestic nobles had experienced the long Anglo-French War but had not gained any benefits, which led to their lack of interest in continuing to participate in the war.

King Henry VI of England possessed many virtues that ordinary people did not have. He was noble in character, generous, thrifty, elegant, and devout in his faith.

However, as a king, in addition to his congenital mental illness, he had another fatal flaw - extreme weakness.

His wife, Margaret of Anjou, was a shrewd and capable woman who was extremely power-hungry. She controlled the government and was determined to take back the power that Henry VI had once delegated to the nobles.

Amid the multi-party game, the whole of England became eerily quiet.

The Lancaster family, the red rose blooming in England and France, is about to face a series of storms.

On the Balkan Peninsula, Albania, which had just calmed down, is in turmoil again.

After the defeat in the Battle of Kosovo in 1448, Hunyadi fled alone and was captured by Archbishop Brankovic while passing through Serbia.

Durad Brankovic originally planned to hand Hunyadi over to the Ottomans in exchange for the Sultan's trust. Later, under the strong dissuasion of the pro-Hungarian nobles and the church in the country, he reluctantly released Hunyadi in exchange for a large ransom.

After receiving the ransom, Brankovic immediately handed the money bag to Murad II in order to seek temporary peace.

Hunyadi fled back to his country, but his prestige was no longer as high-spirited as before, and he no longer had the same enthusiasm as when he launched the Varna Crusade.

"I am exhausted and unable to organize another large crusade. Young warrior, I hope you can continue to fight."

In his letter to Skanderbeg, the White Knight Hunyadi said this.

Skanderbeg lived up to his expectations and raised the banner of Christ to fight against the Ottoman army.

Throughout 1449, Skanderbeg led his army to ravage the land of Serbia and severely taught Brankovic, the diehard traitor, a lesson.

The Archduke of Serbia was unable to resist Skanderbeg's forces and asked Murad II for help.

Murad II immediately sent Boyar Pasha to aid Serbia, and at the same time sent a large army to the border, forcing Skanderbeg to guard his homeland.

Due to the huge gap in military strength, Skanderbeg's troops remaining in Serbia suffered repeated defeats, and the morale of the Albanians gradually declined.

Murad II was therefore convinced of Albania's weakness and prepared to destroy this country founded by traitors in one fell swoop.

In early 1450, Ottoman Sultan Murad II assembled an army of and marched towards the Albanian border.

The Ottoman army of 100,000 was equipped with a powerful new weapon - the giant cannon.

There are a total of ten of these devastating strategic weapons, each three meters long and weighing five tons. Each can fire a giant shell weighing up to 0.2 tons at a time and is specifically designed to deal with Albania's sturdy mountain fortresses.

Suddenly, the whole of Europe was in an uproar, and almost everyone pessimistically believed that this time, Skanderbeg would die in the wrath of the Ottomans.

"But a storm never defeats a great warrior, it only highlights his bravery."

In the Black Castle, Isaac said this to the Albanian envoy.

In response to Murad II's invasion, Skanderbeg sent his nephew, Hamsa of the Castrioti family, to the Ohlonian military region for help.

Seeing the seriousness of the matter, the military governors Maruna and Morris did not dare to act on their own and sent an envoy with Hamsa to Birinchi.

"Your Majesty, my uncle will be very happy to hear you say this."

Hamsa was obviously not as happy as he said, and his face was full of anxiety.

Before this, he had visited the courts of many Christian monarchs, but received only verbal sympathy and meager assistance.

"I heard that you defeated the Hafsid dynasty and gained unprecedented prestige. I wonder if you can bring your army with you to help us deal with the Ottoman threat?"

"It is my honor that your uncle is willing to share the credit of defeating the Ottomans with me."

Hamsa stared at Isaac's lips, eager to get a positive answer from him.

"However, our treasury is currently empty and our territory is not stable. The Mamluks and Hafs are eyeing us covetously from the east and west, and the Fezzan regime in the south is still intent on stealing. This..."

Isaac looked troubled.

Hamsa gave Isaac a long look.

"Your Majesty, I know that you once took advantage of the alliance's crisis and used some tricks to take away the ruling power of Aulon City from us."

"My uncle regrets this very much."

"This time, we will not continue to exchange our territory for your sympathy, nor will we trade the homeland where the Albanians have lived for generations for your reinforcements."

"If you still hold on to this unrealistic desire, then please let us end this meeting."

"With or without your support, we will fight the Ottomans to the death."

Hamsa stood up, bowed, and turned to leave.

"What a ruthless and martial Castrioti family."

Isaac couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

"The Ottomans are our common enemy. As the emperor of the Romans, it is my inherent duty to fight against the Ottomans."

"Tell your uncle that I will help him."

……

On February 1450, 2, aid from the Kingdom of Cyrenaica arrived at Emperor Isaac's Castle and joined the military district garrison.

Isaac sent out the Second Legion of the Guards, led by Nikephoros, and the Corps of Cadets, led by Instructor Dilin.

The Second Legion of the Guards had 1,000 men, the Cadet Corps had 400 men, the Aulon Military District Garrison had 400 men, plus Isaac's newly added medical team, musketeer team, and engineering team, totaling more than 2,000 men.

In addition, Isaac signed an agreement with Skanderbeg to provide him with food and slaves at a discount, and also provide him with muskets and artillery when necessary.

From the lineup, it can be seen that Isaac's main purpose of participating in the war is to train troops, improve the quality of soldiers in actual combat, and at the same time test the feasibility of new tactics.

On March 1450, 3, under the leadership of Baron Maruna and Legion Commander Nikephoros, Cyrenaica's reinforcements arrived at the Kruje Mountains Fortress, Skanderbeg's base camp. Kruje Castle is the Castrioti family castle, located in the Kruje Mountains, backed by a rocky mountain, guarding a strategic road, and easy to defend but difficult to attack.

As the Ottoman army approached, Skanderbeg thought again and again and decided to abandon the castles and towns on the outskirts that were difficult to defend. The army gathered at the Kruye Fortress and fought a desperate battle with the Ottomans.

The wind was howling in the mountains, and the red double-headed black eagle flag was flying above the castle, declaring sovereignty.

On the parade ground outside the castle, Skanderbeg, riding a maroon horse, reviewed the assembled troops with his confidants and guards.

Albania has a small population, a small territory, a scarce military industry, and has experienced many wars, so it has no ability to establish an elite standing army.

Except for Skanderbeg's 500-man guards, most of the conscripted troops were dressed in simple clothes, armed with farm forks and hunting bows, and some militiamen were even using simple slings.

They were poorly equipped, malnourished, and looked terrified.

A few months ago, in the battle with the Ottoman-Serbian coalition, under the reckless command of commander George Ariantien, they were defeated repeatedly and had no ability to fight back.

Now, with an Ottoman army of 100,000 on the march, the mere thought of it is terrifying enough.

Even if leader Skanderbeg is a genius, can he really lead the Albanian people to drive out the invaders?

Skanderbeg looked at his warriors silently.

He had tried his best, pulling out all the troops he could, hiring all the wandering mercenary groups he could find, and seeking help from the courts of various countries.

Eight thousand men, this was all the military force Skanderbeg had.

Skanderbeg turned his head to one side. Above the army formation there were flying the golden-red double-headed eagle flag, the Desert Fox flag of the Second Legion of the Guards, and the shield flag of the Ohlone Military District.

There were a total of two thousand soldiers, well-equipped and well-trained.

With their participation, Skanderbeg felt more confident.

"Soldiers!"

Skanderbeg spoke slowly, and his personal soldiers galloped on horseback, spreading the commander's voice to every military formation.

"I believe everyone already knows that our enemies, the Ottomans, led by their old Sultan Murad II, have once again invaded Albania!"

"The enemy is coming with great force, but some people are colluding with foreign enemies, causing our soldiers to sacrifice innocently!"

"Drag him up!"

In full view of the crowd, George Ariantien, tied up behind his back, was carried to the parade ground by soldiers as ferocious as wolves and tigers.

"killed!"

The executioner grinned grimly and chopped off the head in the eyes of everyone's disbelief.

"The previous defeats were all caused by this man, and had nothing to do with the soldiers!"

With just a few words, Skanderbeg successfully transferred the soldiers' fear of defeat to hatred of traitors, which directly boosted their morale.

As for whether this defeated general had colluded with the enemy, it was not important at all.

After executing the "traitors", Skanderbeg continued to give speeches.

"Last night, I had a dream."

"I dreamed that angels and cherubim flew over Albania, bringing God's will."

“I dreamed that Saint George descended from heaven, landed in front of me, and placed a flaming sword in my hand.”

Skanderbeg drew his sword, and somehow it actually began to burn.

The militiamen's eyes were full of amazement as they looked at their leader fanatically.

"He said, I will give you a sword and order you to defend my lord's land."

The soldiers cheered.

"He said, I will give you a sword and order you to choose the warriors of my lord."

The soldiers raised their weapons and saluted their commander wildly.

"He said, I will give you a sword and order you to kill all the powerful enemies of my lord."

"For the glory of the Lord, kill!"

Skanderbeg roared loudly, startling a flock of birds.

"kill!!!"

The soldiers roared loudly, and their voices shook the sky.

……

First, the ferocious rangers began to gallop across the Albanian countryside, bringing a storm of blood;
Secondly, Boyar Pasha arrived at the city of Kruye with his vanguard troops and began to gradually clear the surrounding villages, cut down trees to build camps, and set up siege equipment;
Then, the auxiliary troops of Serbian Archbishop Borankovic sent laborers and food to the military camp to serve the Sultan to the end.

Then, the Muslim camps surrounding the Kruye Castle grew larger and larger, covering the entire mountain and plain, with no end in sight.
Finally, amid thunderous cheers, the crescent flag of Sultan Murad II appeared in the center of the battlefield.

Along with Sultan Murad II, there appeared ten huge cannons with exaggerated shapes. Just one look at them was enough to make people feel cold all over.

Under the protection of his personal guards, Sultan Murad II rode his horse and slowly walked out into the battle.

"See that giant cannon behind me?"

"Surrender the city, or you will all be killed or wounded."

The Sultan spoke gently, as if he were talking about a trivial matter.

The guard beside him took his breath and loudly translated the Sultan's words into the local language and repeated them.

On the castle, the soldiers turned their heads and looked at Skanderbeg standing on the high ground.

"Tell your sultan to withdraw from Albanian territory, or else await the judgment of our Lord."

Skanderbeg drew his bow and shot an arrow towards the center of the battlefield.

Murad II nodded calmly, turned his horse around and returned to the formation as if he was sure of victory.

"Let's fire."

In front of the army, the huge cannon had already been prepared. The artillerymen lit the thick fuse and watched it lead the flame into the huge barrel, releasing the demon from the hellfire.

boom--

The deafening sound of artillery fire shattered the clouds, and several Muslim soldiers who were nearby had bleeding eardrums and fell to the ground.

As everyone looked on in horror, a huge shell streaked through the air, emitting a piercing scream, and slammed heavily into the wall of Kruye Castle.

On May 1450, 5, Ottoman Sultan Murad II led an army of more than 14 to the city of Kruye and confronted the defenders led by Skanderbeg.

The First Battle of Kruye breaks out.

(End of this chapter)