1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 232 Aegean Sea Barrier

The city of Ichel is located on the northern coast of the eastern Mediterranean Sea, on the southern foot of the Taurus Mountains.

A few years ago, Karaman's predecessor Bey Ibrahim II died. Karaman's sons fought for the throne and the civil war continued. The Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II took the opportunity to invade on a large scale, eliminate those who disobeyed, cultivate his confidants, and support puppets.

Among Karaman's princes, only the eldest prince Ishak did not have the blood of the Ottoman family. Therefore, he was established as the legitimate heir by the previous Bey. However, this person had mediocre qualifications and limited abilities. Faced with the aggressive Ottoman Empire, he had no ability to fight back and could only pin his hopes on the interference of external forces.

Unfortunately, of the two external forces willing to help Prince Ishak fight against the Ottomans, the Eastern Roman Empire and the White Ayun Dynasty were busy with wars and had no energy to sort out Karaman's chaotic situation, nor were they prepared to fight the Ottomans to the end for him.

As a result, Ishaq suffered heavy casualties and fled southward, hiding in the city of Ichel surrounded by mountains and seas, hoping to hold on and wait for the situation to change.

Due to limited national strength, Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II did not bring the entire territory of Karaman under his direct jurisdiction, but instead divided the country into small territories, preserving the interests of local powerful people to the greatest extent and reducing their rebellious sentiments.

In the autumn of 1464, Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II led an army of to besiege the city of Icel, using the right to rule the city to lure the Karaman princes to send wave after wave of vassal troops to the battlefield.

At that time, there were still 7,000 defenders in the city of Ichel, 6,000 of whom belonged to Prince Ishak's private army, of which 3,000 were West African slave soldiers.

The other thousand men were reinforcements from the Eastern Roman Empire, belonging to the 9th Legion of the Praetorian Guard. They were originally reorganized from the Guard of the Kingdom of Cyprus and had experienced several wars, so their combat effectiveness was still acceptable.

The siege lasted for several months. The Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II intended to deplete the strength of the Karaman princes and was not in a hurry to capture the city. He used the city walls to continuously bleed the Karaman people and dragged the siege until the end of 1464.

On December 1464, 12, a rebellion broke out in the city of Icel. Some nobles of Karaman who were unwilling to continue the war led their soldiers to attack Prince Ishak's camp.

Since the opinions of the Karaman nobles were not unanimous, many old ministers who had been under the rule of the previous Bayend did not want to see the only legitimate heir of Ibrahim II die, so they leaked the news to Prince Ishak.

However, the rebels had already opened the city gates, and more than 20,000 soldiers filed in. Prince Ishak saw that the situation was hopeless, so he retreated to the port under the protection of the West African Guards and the 9th Legion of the Guards. He took his money and confidants and boarded the Eastern Roman ships, and went into exile overseas.

Since then, the Karamanbey Kingdom no longer existed as an independent country, and several large cities were divided and occupied by princes, thus becoming a vassal state of the Ottoman Empire.

The Eastern Roman warship Archon was sailing on the sparkling sea. The exiled Bey Ishak of Karaman stood on the edge of the deck, looking at the smoking city in the north with a sad expression.

"Sir Bey, we are now heading to Cyprus to get some supplies, and then we will immediately go to Constantinople. Your fate will be decided there."

Julian, deputy commander of the 9th Legion of the Guards, walked up to Ishak and gazed at the northern continent with him.

"Captain Julian, in your opinion, how will your emperor deal with us?"

Prince Ishaq forced a smile.

"I don't know, Lord Bey."

Julian shook his head.

"But what is certain is that His Majesty will not seek your life. We will certainly retake Asia Minor in the future. At that time, you may be able to return to Karaman and continue to serve as Bey."

Julian looked at Ishak.

"However, you are a smart man, so you know what the price is."

"Don't worry, as soon as I arrive in Constantinople, I will immediately ask the Patriarch to baptize me and officially become an Orthodox Christian."

Ishaq said quickly.

"As for my army..."

There was a glimmer of self-mockery in his eyes.

"I didn't expect that at this last moment, the most loyal ones would be the West African slave soldiers. They would not have any objections."

"They have no territory in Ichel City, and no interests. Their lives and fortunes are all in your hands, so they will naturally not participate in the rebellion."

Julian nodded.

"Those West African blacks... do we need to convert them to Orthodoxy as well?"

Ishaq asked.

"That... I don't know. You still need to seek the opinions of the Emperor and the Patriarch."

Julian did not answer directly.

"As far as I know, His Majesty is respectful of West Africans who are willing to convert to Orthodoxy. Some nobles of the Kingdom of Kongo have chosen to become priests after being baptized. They have even been allowed to give speeches at Hagia Sophia and have received considerable courtesy."

"Of course, the Roman nobility still discriminated against black people and only showed superficial respect to the priests."

Ishak was obviously not interested in the Eastern Roman affairs. He continued to look at Anatolia which was getting farther and farther away, his eyes full of nostalgia and reluctance.

"I never expected that the hundreds of years of foundation of the Karaman Beys would be destroyed in my hands."

"This is only a temporary setback, Lord Bey."

Julian said comfortingly.

"Your Majesty will eventually return to Anatolia, and the Aries King Uzon Hasan will also have the time to spare his troops."

"Baron Julian, do you really think that Uzon Hassan can survive the attack of the Black Sheep King Jahan Shah?"

Ishaq shook his head gloomily.

"As far as I know, the Black Sheep Dynasty has already conquered half of Persia. Its military is at its peak. In terms of population and territory, I'm afraid it's slightly better than yours."

"You can't say that, Lord Bey."

Julian shook his head.

"The Black Sheep Dynasty could not get rid of the semi-nomadic lifestyle after all. Jahan Shah's territory was divided and occupied by tribal leaders and local tyrants, and the central government had little control over the local areas. It was precisely because of this that he was able to capture a large area of ​​land in such a short period of time. It was also because of this that once he suffered a major defeat, his enemies could quickly capture his territory and destroy his dynasty by enfeoffment of local tyrants."

"When Timur was in power, he gathered craftsmen and scholars from all over the country to the vicinity of Samarkand, causing the rest of the territory to decline rapidly. The production capacity of western Persia was very low, and the level of science and technology was very backward. Jahan Shah had no way to quickly improve his strength from it."

Julian paused.

"Besides, Jahan Shah is a Shia after all, and the Black Sheep Dynasty is a mixture of religions, which is a big hidden danger."

"Aries King Uzon Hassan is a very good monarch. You can say he is arrogant, but you can never say he is mediocre."

Ishaq nodded silently, and the distant continent gradually became blurred.

"My Lord Bey, I heard that one of your sons was unwilling to surrender to the Osmans, nor was he willing to leave with us. He took part of the army and hid in the Taurus Mountains to fight guerrilla warfare. Is that true?"

Julian asked again.

"Yes, that is my second son Wu Can. He has been smart and good at soothing the soldiers since he was young. I originally planned to train him as my successor, but he just didn't want to leave with me. He even argued with reason at the meeting, which made the Baron laugh."

“I don’t know if he can survive the joint encirclement and suppression by the Ottomans and the rebels.”

Ishaq nodded with some regret.

"He is a great man who dares to do what others do not do."

Julian looked at Ishak.

"Lord Bey, you don't have to worry too much. Mehmed II tore the entire Karaman into pieces and allowed the princes to attack each other. Haha, it's hard to say whether this is good or bad."

Julian looked at the distant continent with profound emotion.

The two men stopped talking, the fleet continued sailing, and the West African blacks sang the songs of their homeland, low and sad.

The port of Ichel is very close to Cyprus, with the northern port of Kyrenia just around the corner.

Kyrenia is a medium-sized port, but due to its proximity to Karaman, it benefited from the slave trade and population exchange. The port has been expanded several times, and its population has increased year by year. It has gradually shown a trend of catching up with the southern ports.

There seemed to be a celebration going on here, with the people rejoicing and parading along the streets holding statues of their patron saint. Many merchants bought up cheap beer and provided it free of charge to the parading citizens.

"What happened?"

As the fleet approached the shore, Ishaq Bey asked in confusion.

Julian ignored him and called over a few dock workers, chatting with them in low voices for a while, with a happy smile on his face.

"Lord Bey, they are celebrating and blessing the victory of the empire."

"Oh? Where is the victory?"

Ishaq Bey asked.

"A week ago, with the help of the citizens, the Minister of Military Affairs, Marquis Mikhail, finally conquered the capital of Crete, Heraklion, and liberated the entire island of Crete."

Julian said with a smile.

"It's been four years. This war has not been easy."

Ishaq was silent for a moment and made an awkward sign of the cross on his chest.

At this time, even louder cheers broke out not far away, and the citizens sang and danced.

"This……"

Ishak Bey looked at Julian, somewhat confused.

The noise grew louder and louder, and several sailors came running over excitedly.

"My Lord Baron, My Lord Bey, three days ago, your majesty defeated the Bulgarians in Varna. Mahmoud was defeated and killed. They no longer have the strength to fight back."

Julian nodded in surprise and raised his eyebrows at Ishak Bey who was standing there in a daze.

"You...are you mistaken? That was Mahmoud, the Mahmoud who defeated the tens of thousands of Karaman troops with only a few thousand elite cavalry!"

Ishaq looked at the sailor in shock.

"That's right, Lord Bey. This is absolutely true. The news of the great victory is spreading to every corner of the empire through the post station network."

The sailor said with a smile.

"We dare not lie about this kind of thing."

Julian searched his pockets and handed a purse to the sailor.

"Tonight is a day off. Take your brothers and buy some wine. Have a few more drinks for His Majesty's health."

The sailors ran off cheering, and Julian turned to Ishak.

"Lord Bey, do you believe what I say now?"

"As long as you can gain His Majesty's trust, restoring the country is not impossible."

Ishaq was silent for a long time and looked at Julian.

"Baron, where is the church in the city?"

"I...I'm going to get baptized now!"

……

Across the sea, the city of Ichel was holding an entry ceremony. Several nobles who led the rebellion were waiting outside the city lord's mansion with gifts, while the citizens poked their heads out from between the ruins and watched expressionlessly as rows of soldiers marched arrogantly through the streets.

In this war that lasted for several years, the people at the bottom of society were still the ones who suffered the most. Their money was used as military supplies, their children were forcibly conscripted into the army, some returned home with honors, but were then dragged back to the battlefield, while many more died in a foreign land, never to return.

As overseas expatriates of the Kingdom of Armenia, all Armenian Orthodox Christians in Asia Minor could board the fleet of the Eastern Roman Empire and travel to North Africa and the Balkans to establish villages and cultivate fields on the land allocated to them by the government.

According to the reclamation decree of the Eastern Roman Empire, newly reclaimed land was tax-free for one year after registration, and the tax rate was halved for two years. Villages with more reclaimed wasteland also enjoyed preferential treatment in the purchase of serfs and leasing of livestock.

In addition, all rivers, lakes, mountains and forests belong directly to the central government of the empire, and all citizens can legally exploit them, and no lord or official can interfere.

Of course, if the villagers reclaimed land and refused to report it, and the circumstances were too serious, they would be directly exiled to New Thrace. If one person committed a crime, the whole family would be held accountable and the whole village would be punished.

Compared to these Armenians, Karaman Muslims had much fewer choices. They could only watch with envy as Armenian Orthodox Christians boarded ships and headed for the land under the sun, and then continued to do heavy work and continue to watch the fruits of their labor being taken away by the upper class. But then again, the Eastern Roman Empire's religious control was not strict, and it was willing to accept all the lower-class people who converted to Orthodoxy, whether sincerely or not.

In the Eastern Roman Empire, only religious sects that swore allegiance to the emperor were allowed to carry out normal religious activities. Ordinary Muslims had no human rights, were not protected by the law, and had no chance of obtaining citizenship. They had to either convert as soon as possible or wait to be caught by the slave squads and thrown into estates and mines.

Of course, there are exceptions to everything, and according to the amendments to religious decrees issued in previous years, any pagan with certain special talents can also be tolerated, including scholars, doctors, artists, writers and various craftsmen.

The empire allowed them to retain their own beliefs, develop their talents in designated cities, earn wealth, and realize their ambitions.

Against this background, many people in southwestern Anatolia could not bear the cruelty of the war and began to migrate to the Eastern Roman Empire. Talents were placed in big cities such as Constantinople and Carthage. Farmers and herdsmen could only convert to Orthodoxy, be separated and dispersed, and placed in various villages and communities as families.

Mehmed II walked along the avenue of Icel and looked around at the ruined streets.

The fall of Icel marked the complete collapse of the Karaman Bey State. The princes all claimed to be the legitimate successors of Karaman, but Mehmed II never granted them the title of Karaman Bey. He divided their territories into pieces, deliberately leaving a lot of disputes and laying the groundwork for subsequent disputes.

"Your Majesty, you have conquered Karaman, our last powerful enemy on the Anatolian Plateau. This is a feat that no previous Sultan has accomplished and it deserves great celebration."

Next to Mehmed II, the Second Vizier Ibrahim said with a smile.

Ibrahim was a member of the Chandar family and the son of the old prime minister Khalil. After the Battle of Constantinople, Khalil chose to sacrifice himself in exchange for the survival of his family. Mehmed II pardoned Ibrahim because of Khalil's hard work and preserved a trace of incense for the Chandar family.

Later, Mehmed II retreated to Anatolia, Zagan Pasha died of illness, and Mahmud was ambivalent. Ibrahim took over Zagan Pasha's former work and assumed the responsibility of managing government affairs.

Since Anatolia was mostly populated by Turks, Mehmed II made a series of reforms to adapt to the situation. The Devshirme sect quickly declined, and traditional Turkish nobles regained control of the government. As their representative, Ibrahim's status became increasingly higher.

"There's nothing to celebrate. We have no way to directly rule Karaman. We can only stabilize this place through various means. How much tax we can collect and how many soldiers we can recruit all depend on the wishes of the local nobles."

There was not much joy in Mehmed II's eyes.

"Your Majesty, the Karaman prince Ishak has probably been taken away by the Greeks. The princes and nobles here certainly don't want to see Prince Ishak ascend the throne again with the support of the Greek emperor. If we call on them to jointly resist the Greek invasion, they should not obstruct us."

"When it comes to their own interests, they won't be so unwise."

Ibrahim analyzed.

"I hope so."

"These cousins ​​are not easy to deal with. Karaman people are born with restless blood. I am very lucky that they don't cause trouble for me."

Ibrahim nodded, looked around, and raised his brow.

"Your Majesty the Sultan?"

"Ok?"

"Why are there so many black people in this city? I looked around and there were probably thousands of them."

Ibrahim pointed to the crowd of people watching on the side of the road. The black people from West Africa stood out among the crowd.

"It was done by the Greek emperor. He exchanged blacks for Armenians. In ten years, he had almost relocated all the Armenians in Karaman, and replaced them with tens of thousands of blacks."

Mehmed II looked around indifferently.

"Black people are cowardly, and plantation owners and mine owners like to use them as heavy laborers. Prince Ishak has also formed a large number of black guards who specialize in sending people to their deaths."

Mehmed II sneered.

"The plantation owners and mine owners dare not over-exploit the believers of Allah. The ulema will protect Muslims, but not black slaves."

"Karaman is in turmoil, but grain and mineral output has increased. There is a reason for this."

Ibrahim frowned.

"However, most of the low-quality products they produced were sold to the Greeks, and a large number of high-quality goods were bought from the Greeks. The nobles may have become richer, but the wealth of the entire country continued to flow to Constantinople. This is probably not a good thing."

"Not really. If the Greeks can take it, so can we. I am planning to follow the example of the Greek emperor and build systematic workshop areas in Bursa and Izmir. What do you think?"

Mehmed II looked at Ibrahim.

"It is possible, but I'm afraid we won't be able to sell it as well as the Greeks."

Ibrahim thought about it and shook his head slowly.

"The Greeks have been concentrating workshops for many years, with a large number of craftsmen concentrated in several large cities. After more than a decade of hard work, supporting facilities have become very complete."

"This problem is not a big deal. We can rely on the Ach Brotherhood to reform the industrial system."

Mehmed II said.

"Your Majesty, the Greeks also have a large number of overseas colonies and overseas dumping grounds. The supply of raw materials is very sufficient. No matter how poor the goods made are, the West African blacks will regard them as treasures."

Ibrahim continued.

Mehmed II nodded silently. This was a fatal flaw and there was nothing he could do about it.

"The most important thing is that the Greek navy and pirates are very rampant. Our merchant ships in the Aegean Sea are facing attacks from the enemy at any time. Many merchants are worried about this and turn to land trade."

Mehmed II sighed and thought.

"We can't build up our navy in a short time. We have no money and no time."

“We also recruited as many Muslim pirates as possible and used them to fight against the Greek pirates.”

"Besides, it is impossible for all the Greek fleets to gather in the Aegean Sea. Their maritime trade routes are also long, and they have many enemies."

"That's true. In recent times, the Greek fleet has rarely appeared in the Aegean Sea. They have all gone to fight the Venetians."

Ibrahim nodded.

"By the way, you have been supervising the Aegean Barrier Project. How is it going now?"

Mehmed II asked again.

Since retreating to Anatolia, the Ottoman Empire had been troubled by the increasingly rampant Greek pirates. Many ministers began to suggest building a group of fortresses along the Aegean coast to block pirate attacks and possible landing operations.

The Ottoman territory in Anatolia was rugged, with widespread mountains and hills, and only a few coastal areas with small plains, especially along the Aegean coast.

The landing operation was fraught with difficulties. If a port city that could serve as a supply point could not be captured in a short period of time, the landing troops would quickly be divided and surrounded by the Turkic cavalry coming from all directions and torn to pieces one by one.

Therefore, if the Eastern Roman Empire wanted to attack the Ottoman Empire, there were actually not many landing sites to choose from. As long as the Ottoman army focused on defending these places, it would have a great advantage in the war.

In this context, some ministers proposed to add a series of fortresses and fortresses at strategic locations along the Aegean coast on the basis of the original defense facilities, and to connect the cities, fortresses and fortresses with roads to form a complete organic defense system.

The plan was called the "Aegean Wall".

At present, the initial construction of the Aegean Wall has been completed. The initial construction is centered on the Kocaeli Fortress, connecting to the city of Bursa in the south and the Anatolian Castle in the northwest to protect the capital.

This is the closest area to the Balkan Peninsula, the most important area, and the area most likely to be landed.

"Your Majesty, the initial construction has been completed. We have built three large fortresses, eight medium-sized fortresses, and ten small fortresses. The garrisons are not yet fully in place, but they will all be completed by the beginning of next spring."

Ibrahim reported.

"We can recruit Greek civilians and use these pagans as labor. The quarries there are ready-made and the expenses are acceptable."

"We invited many famous construction engineers from the West, and all large and medium-sized fortresses were modified to adopt bastion-style. This structure allows fortresses to be equipped with artillery, which is more defensive, and the materials used are slightly smaller than the old multi-story castles of the past."

"As you know, building a fortress is not cheap. We have to reduce the number of fortresses. But please rest assured that I have personally checked the site selection, materials and construction of all the fortresses, and they will definitely meet your requirements!"

Ibrahim said.

"We have made regulations on the garrisons of each fortress. Small and medium-sized fortresses will have different numbers of infantry stationed there. In addition to infantry, large fortresses will also have a cavalry unit stationed there to patrol the coast and provide support at any time with their high mobility."

"These soldiers are all conscripted soldiers. Each city is responsible for providing personnel, and we pay part of their salary. They are rotated every six months."

"Their main purpose is to delay the Greek landing troops. There is no need to fight outside the city. Using conscripts is completely sufficient."

"I am sure that if the Greeks land here, they will be beaten to a pulp. Their army will not be able to deploy and exert its full strength."

Upon hearing this, Muhammad II nodded and then looked at Ibrahim.

“Are there enough funds?”

"The initial work was barely done. In recent years, due to the civil unrest in Egypt and the decline of Venice, our ties with Syrian merchants have become closer and closer, and we have also benefited from this great change."

Ibrahim paused.

“Although Syrian merchants are greedy, not all of them are willing to do business with the Greeks. The Governor of Damascus has always been wary of them, and it is very obvious that they are trying to get closer to us.”

"After Karaman's demise, our financial situation should be further alleviated. At least we no longer need to maintain so many troops and fortresses on the southeastern border. We can free up our hands to deal with the expansion of the Greeks."

The two did not continue talking. The soldiers entering the city advanced slowly, and the Lord's Mansion of Ichel City was right in front of them.

Mehmed II stopped his horse and looked at Ibrahim.

"Ibrahim, I actually didn't agree with your Aegean Sea Barrier plan from the beginning. You should know this."

"I understand, Your Majesty."

Ibrahim lowered his brows.

"Since when have the descendants of Ottomans been forced by the cowardly Greeks to build cities to protect themselves and to compromise?"

Mehmed II sighed softly.

"In my opinion, instead of building so many fortresses, it is better to use the funds to expand the army and maintain a high-spirited and well-equipped army, ready to push the Greek landing army back to the sea at any time."

Ibrahim was silent for a moment and shook his head slightly.

"Your Majesty, the times have changed. We are now on the defensive. If we want to fully utilize the advantages of the defenders, we must take advantage of the fortress."

"The Greeks are not without weaknesses. Once Emperor Isaac dies, they will likely fall into civil war again. By then, we will still have a chance to counterattack."

“I hope I can see that day.”

Finally, a smile appeared on Mehmed II's lips.

Just as he was about to enter the City Lord's Mansion, he heard the anxious sound of horse hooves on the road behind him.

The messenger dismounted, knelt before Mehmed II, and handed an envelope into his hand.

Mehmed II opened the envelope, glanced at it quickly, and the smile on his face suddenly disappeared, and his face turned pale.

He closed his eyes in pain and crumpled the letter into a ball with both hands.

"Your Majesty the Sultan, what's wrong?"

Ibrahim asked in a low voice.

Mehmed II opened his eyes, looked up at the sky blankly, and opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

"Mahmood is dead."

Mehmed II said hoarsely.

At the end of 1464, Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II resolved the Karaman issue and stabilized it initially, then led his army westward and returned to the city of Bursa.

In the city, Mehmed II held a grand funeral for Mahmud and sent envoys to Constantinople to request a thousand horses in exchange for Mahmud's body, but was rejected.

After the funeral, Mehmed II announced the immediate start of the second phase of the Aegean Wall construction. He personally led the army to participate in the construction of the project and conscripted all the Greek Orthodox Christians in the city as laborers, forcing them to do heavy work.

The year 1464 passed in the snow and the spring of 1465 was about to arrive.

(End of this chapter)