1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 85 Flowers and Swords

On the Sea of ​​Marmara, a fleet sailed north.

The mist on the sea had just cleared, the outline of the distant city was getting closer and closer, and more and more merchant ships were traveling on the sea.

“Is this Constantinople?”

On the flagship Grand Duke Moria, Leonor looked out the window with a puzzled look.

The city is indeed huge, the landmark buildings are still there, and the port is also acceptable.

However, the city was filled with an air of old age and decay, and was desolate and dilapidated everywhere, which was very inconsistent with the image of the holy city she had obtained from the book.

In the books of Western European travelers, Constantinople was described as an incomparable city with a bustling crowd, a stable and affluent life, merchants from all over the world coming here to trade, and the whole city was like an exquisite work of art.

Even if it declines, it won't fall to this point, right?
Leonor turned her head and looked at Isaac with a smile.

Is this what you are using to deceive me?
"Uh……"

Isaac smiled awkwardly, not knowing how to answer.

"According to its geographical location, Constantinople is located on the main trade route between the East and the West, and controls the important trade route between the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. How could it have declined to this extent?"

Leonor was a little confused.

Isaac sighed inwardly.

Her view was common among Western European nobles. Everyone knew that Constantinople had declined, but they still had unrealistic fantasies about it.

In fact, it was not Constantinople but the Sea of ​​Marmara and the two straits nearby that guarded the main artery between the East and the West and controlled the important trade route between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.

The Bosphorus connects the Sea of ​​Marmara and the Black Sea, and the Dardanelles connects the Aegean Sea and the Sea of ​​Marmara. These two straits, together with several small islands in the Sea of ​​Marmara, can firmly control the trade between Asia and Europe.

When the empire was strong, the powerful navy was able to completely control the sea power of the Sea of ​​Marmara, and merchants traveling back and forth would honestly go to Constantinople to pay taxes, providing a large amount of income for the empire.

Basil II relied on the trade profits of Constantinople to defeat Bulgaria, which was at its peak.

It can be said that as long as the Sea of ​​Marmara is not lost, Constantinople will continue to prosper.

However, two civil wars caused the empire to fall into ruin, and it lost control of the two straits and gradually lost almost all of its outer territories. Only the isolated city of Constantinople remained, which has survived to this day thanks to the Theodosian Walls and a few strokes of luck.

"We just passed through the Dardanelles. What do you think?"

Isaac did not directly answer Leonor's question, but changed the subject.

Leonor tilted her head and thought for a moment.

"An Ottoman patrol boat?"

Isaac nodded.

“The last time I passed through there, there weren’t nearly as many patrol boats.”

"But their ships are so small and broken that they can't pose any real threat to us, right?"

"Ships can be built and bought, that's not the point."

"The point is that this shows that the Ottomans have gradually begun to realize the importance of the straits and the navy, and are trying to use and control them."

There was a hint of anxiety in Isaac's eyes.

"Just think about it, if the Ottomans build fortresses on both sides of the strait, install large-caliber cannons, and intercept passing ships, what can we do?"

For a moment, both of them were silent.

The Dardanelles is long and narrow, with the narrowest point being only 1.2 kilometers. If the Ottomans were ruthless enough to build cannon fortresses and naval ports along the coast, the only passage to the Sea of ​​Marmara would also be fraught with danger.

Not to mention the even narrower Bosphorus Strait.

"But building such a fortress is not an easy task, right? It will definitely take an astronomical amount of time and money."

"Not only that, this behavior hurts the interests of the commercial republics and the Ottoman nobility. The Sultan will definitely face joint pressure from both home and abroad."

"Does Murad II really have such courage?"

Leonor raised her doubts.

Isaac raised an eyebrow.

Murad II certainly didn't, but his son was a rare hero.

In terms of strategic vision, he is not as good as Orhan I; in terms of governing methods, he is not as good as Murad II; in terms of tactical talent, he is not as good as Bayezid I.

However, Muhammad had one advantage that far exceeded that of ordinary people, and that was his unshakable determination.

Be indomitable and tenacious. No matter where you fall, you will get up again with all your might.

He is determined in his goal and will overcome and move forward step by step, no matter how great the difficulties are.

He was not afraid of failure. The strong national power of the Ottoman Empire enabled him to make a comeback immediately after his failure. He returned even more powerful, while his enemies gradually lost the strength and will to continue fighting in the repeated blows.

Historically, Mehmed II withstood the pressure and built the Cutthroat Fort, and with the support of the country's huge national strength, it took less than four months.

Isaac shook his head and put aside all distracting thoughts.

No matter what, the road must continue.

The ship docked, and the city defense commander Theophilus Palaiologos looked at Isaac and Leonor with a smile on his face.

Isaac took Leonor's delicate little hand and set foot on the land of Constantinople.

"Your Majesty, Princess, welcome home."

……

"Mother, what are you thinking about?"

Constantine whispered in Queen Mother Helena's ear.

"I was thinking, there hasn't been such a lively scene here for a long time."

In the garden of the palace, the emperor and his relatives were having a gathering.

Constantine XI and his mother, Queen Mother Helena, sat at the table, watching everyone quietly.

Archduke Thomas and Baron Conti sat aside drinking and chatting, while Baron Conti's wife, Princess Helena, sat next to her husband and father, listening to the conversation between the two most important men in her life.

Queen Jelena of Cyprus had followed Isaac to Constantinople and was chatting and laughing with Catherine, the wife of Grand Duke Thomas, when her daughter Charlotte screamed and slashed at the air with a toy sword.

After the two fled Cyprus, King John II ignored them, as if the two people who left had nothing to do with him at all.

On the grass nearby, Leonor was holding a baby and Isaac was staring at her intently.

"Hey! Don't get so close, you'll scare her!"

Leonor pouted in dissatisfaction.

Isaac chuckled.

"Grow up quickly, little Zoe. When you grow up, I will marry you—"

The next second, the baby opened his eyes, just in time to see Isaac’s face, and cried out “wow”.

Leonor glared at Isaac and handed the crying Zoe to the nanny.

Zoe Palaiologos, the second daughter of Grand Duke Thomas, was the last princess of the Eastern Roman Empire and the first empress dowager of the Russian Tsardom.

With her superb political skills, her son Vasily III successfully overthrew Ivan III's original heir and sat on the highest throne in Moscow, allowing the bloodline of the Eastern Roman royal family to continue to flourish in the icy north.

Zoe promoted the concept of the "Third Rome" in the Kremlin, painted the eagle emblem on the coat of arms of Moscow, and engraved glory in Rurik's blood, so that this Viking family from the north could regard themselves as descendants of the Eastern Roman Empire.

But now, she is just a one-year-old baby.

"Is the ceremony tomorrow?"

Queen Mother Helena looked at the young and enthusiastic appearance of her children and grandchildren, with a smile on her lips.

"Yes, we have already negotiated with the Avish family, and Cardinal Isidore will preside over the wedding and coronation ceremonies."

Constantine quickly swallowed the wine in his mouth and nodded.

"It's great that you're all back."

The Queen Mother looked up at the sky, her eyes full of memories.

"If your father and brother saw what Isaac has accomplished today, they would be very pleased."

……

Constantinople is bustling today.

Citizens from all over the city walked out of their homes, onto the central streets, laughing and crowding towards Hagia Sophia.

Their emperor is getting married.

Outside Hagia Sophia, guards dressed in their most gorgeous dresses kept the crowd at bay to protect the sanctity of the wedding.

In the crowd, the eunuchs of the palace held large exquisite bags and distributed the sugar cakes produced in the Governorate of St. William to the eagerly waiting crowd, saying "Long live the Saint William". Then, under the admiring eyes of the crowd, the heavily armored infantrymen of the First Regiment of the Guards walked onto the central street and cleared the way for the carriages.

Salutes blasted, eagle flags flew, and a luxurious carriage drove straight along the flower-covered avenue toward Hagia Sophia.

The crowd cheered and stretched their heads to try to catch a glimpse of the queen's beautiful face.

The carriage slowly stopped in front of the cathedral. Prince Enrique smiled and got off the carriage first, taking Leonor's outstretched hand.

Princess Leonor Avis of Portugal and the Algarve Kingdom, wearing a wedding dress, came to the world like a goddess who had fallen into the mortal world.

For a moment, the surrounding citizens were speechless, shocked by the beauty and grace of the new queen.

Prince Enrique held Leonor's hand and walked towards the cathedral step by step.

Through her wedding dress, Leonor looked into the distance and saw the heroic figure outside the church getting closer and closer.

Sharp eyes, proud face, wearing a purple robe, standing tall.

Prince Enrique stopped in front of the church and Leonor took the beautiful flowers from Isaac's hands.

Isaac held out his hand and smiled.

Enrique was the first to applaud, and the guests cheered together, watching the newlyweds walk into the church.

"May God bless you, dear sister."

Joana, who served as the chief bridesmaid, was waiting at the door, smiling as she tied the headbands on Leonor and Isaac's heads.

The two people are connected by a ribbon, symbolizing the good wishes of a happy marriage.

Cardinal Isidore smiled and fed the two men wine and ritual bread, symbolizing Christ's blessing.

With God as witness, the two exchanged rings and put them on each other's ring fingers.

“God says, you will have breakfast together, you will have joy together.”

“God said, You are like two pillars of the temple of God, and you are like two strings of a harp.”

Isidore looked serious and recited a solemn oath.

"Isaac Palaiologos, are you willing to marry Leonor Avis and stay with her forever?"

"I am willing."

"Leonor Avis, are you willing to accept Isaac Palaiolo as your husband and live with him through this difficult time?"

"I am willing."

Isidore nodded and looked at everyone.

"Does anyone among you raise any objections?"

No one answered.

"Then let us give our blessing."

"Please help them, God! In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit."

Isaac turned around, looked at the beautiful face of the bride and the expectant eyes of everyone, and was a little dazed for a moment.

"What are you looking at?"

Leonor said angrily.

Isaac finally reacted and pulled her into his arms, feeling the warmth and softness.

On July 1450, 7, in the presence of God and the guests, Isaac and Leonor were officially married.

……

That night, in the Purple Noble Palace.

Isaac got up from the bed and looked at the beautiful person beside him. Suddenly, he felt something was unreal.

He looked out the window and saw a meteor streaking across the sky and falling straight into the southwest corner of the sky.

Isaac seemed to have sensed something, so he put on his coat and was about to get out of bed when a slender, white arm wrapped around his waist from behind.

Isaac turned around and met Leonor's eyes.

"I'm going out for a walk."

Isaac smiled, leaned down, and kissed her softly on the lips.

Isaac walked out of the warm room and into the chill of the night.

There is a small garden outside the house, full of flowers and plants. The petals and leaves are wet with dew and hang down to the ground.

It was late at night, and Constantinople was falling asleep. The Theodosian Walls in the distance were shrouded in darkness, like a crouching beast, stretching out its claws and fangs towards the darkness.

Isaac looked up at the sky, and the trail of the meteor was still faintly visible in the southwest corner.

There was the sound of footsteps behind him. Isaac turned around and saw Leonor's worried eyes.

Isaac took off his coat, put it on his wife, and held her in his arms.

"It's so late, what are you doing out here?"

Leonor glimpsed the budding flowers on the ground.

"Look at the flowers?"

Isaac smiled, looked toward the southwest sky again, and shook his head.

"Look at the sword."

……

"Albanian soldiers!"

Under the same night sky, Skanderbeg rode on his horse and looked at the soldiers in front of him.

"You stood firm with me during the three-month Ottoman siege, and you fought with me under fire for the glory of God."

"We withstood the bombardment of the great artillery, we saw through the Ottoman ruse, we destroyed their tunnels and swept away their soldiers."

"We rode on our fine horses, galloping through the mountains, causing heavy losses to the Serbian and Ottoman transport convoys, and making the Sultan's soldiers suffer from hunger!"

"Under the witness of the world, we have broken countless doubts and defeated the arrogant Ottoman Sultan!"

Skanderbeg drew his sword and swung it towards the sky outside the city.

"And now, they are scared, they are running away, they are evacuating!"

"Just yesterday the Sultan sent me a letter."

"In the letter, this shameless invader, after ravaging our land, shamelessly hopes for peace!"

Skanderbeg took out the letter and tore it to pieces.

"Children of Albania, warriors of Jesus Christ, tell me what choice you will make!"

"Stay alive or give it a try!"

"Today, I will go out of the city to fight and make the invaders pay the price!"

"People who do not want to be slaves, follow me and fight your way out!"

"kill!"

Skanderbeg wore a specially made sheep-horned hat with lighted candles stuck on the corners of the brim. Under the light of the fire, he looked hideous and terrifying.

He took the lead and rushed into the night.

"kill!!!"

The Albanian soldiers put on the same sheep-horned hats, drew their swords, mounted their horses, and galloped away.

In July 1450, the Ottoman Sultan Murad II failed to capture Kruje after a long siege and his morale was low. After looting the surrounding areas of Albania, he prepared to evacuate.

On July 1450, 7, the same day as Isaac's wedding, Skanderbeg seized the opportunity and led 14 soldiers wearing sheep-horned hats to attack the Ottoman camp at night.

The Ottoman soldiers who were packing their luggage were stunned. They never expected that these cowards would dare to go out of the city to fight in the field.

Suddenly, the Ottoman army was in chaos, and Skanderbeg was like a free man, killing indiscriminately.

When the Ottoman army finally reorganized, Skanderbeg went around the mountains, set up an ambush, wiped out more than a thousand Ottoman soldiers, and fled away.

At this point, the three-month Battle of Kruye ended with the Ottomans' complete defeat. The Ottomans suffered more than 20,000 casualties, while Skanderbeg suffered only more than 1,000 casualties.

Skanderbeg defeated 100,000 troops with only 8,000 men, and became famous in one battle.

(End of this chapter)