1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 318: Raz the False King
Nearly two months had passed since that decisive battle, the outcome of which spread rapidly across the Mediterranean world via sea and land trade routes, causing a sensation.

The entire Christian world had a rather contradictory attitude towards this matter. On the one hand, they were excited about the demise and defeat of Muslim countries. On the other hand, they felt increasingly threatened by the increasingly powerful Eastern Roman Empire.

But no matter what, in their eyes, this war has always been a great victory for the Christian world, a punishment of justice over evil, and a conquest of civilization over barbarism.

The Vatican immediately sent a letter to Constantinople, congratulating its brothers in the East for defeating the powerful enemy and proposing to set the day of the Ottoman Empire's demise as a memorial day.

In addition, in their letter they encouraged the Eastern Empire to continue its attack on the remaining Muslim forces in Anatolia, and euphemistically expressed the general idea of ​​the Western Church, which was to have the Eastern Empire deploy its naval and land forces on the eastern battlefield to avoid harming the West.

As for other Catholic forces, their reactions varied. The Kingdom of Portugal and the Kingdom of Naples sent congratulatory letters and proposed to continue lending. Countries such as the Archduchy of Austria and the Kingdom of England, which had little connection with the Eastern Roman Empire, only sent some empty and boring letters and did not care much about it.

The Republic of Venice, squeezed in the Adriatic Sea, felt very uneasy. On the one hand, it eased relations with the Kingdom of Hungary, agreed to their conditions, recognized some treaties signed between Marshal Colleoni and Matthias I, ceded some cities to the Kingdom of Hungary, and acquiesced in Marshal Colleoni's familial transformation of Dalmatia.

On the other hand, the Venetians began to contact the Florentine Republic and the Kingdom of France, which were also dissatisfied with the Eastern Roman Empire, hoping to rely on the alliance to maintain their last dignity.

It is worth mentioning that the Duchy of Milan, the most powerful country in northern Italy, stood out at this critical juncture. Duke Galeazzo, known as a "tyrant", firmly rejected the archbishop's advice. Not only did he not send a congratulatory letter to Constantinople, but he wrote a letter asking Constantinople to abolish the Homestead Law, stop helping Milanese refugees, and return all Milanese farmers who had fled to the western border. Naturally, his request was rejected.

In Central Europe, Matthias I of the House of Hunyadi was still competing with Ulaszlo II of the House of Jagiellon for the throne of Bohemia. Both sides controlled part of the territory of the old Kingdom of Bohemia, and each won over a group of local nobles. They also claimed to be the only king of Bohemia, and conflicts and frictions broke out over this fertile land.

As for the Muslim world, their days became even more difficult after this war. It was a foregone conclusion that the Christian forces would regain the eastern Mediterranean. Following Iberia and central North Africa, Anatolia was also about to usher in a "Reconquista".

In the devastated Anatolia, the defeat of the White Ayun Dynasty and the escape of Uzung Hasan left a mess. Out of fear, the beys and emirs in various places still attached themselves to the banner of the White Ayun Dynasty, but their autonomy was greatly enhanced. Uzung Hasan, who fled in a hurry, did not have enough prestige and strength to support his ambition to control Anatolia.

On the plateau, Padisa Uzung Hasan of the White Ayun Dynasty left Bayezid, the last descendant of the Ottoman Dynasty, in Ankara and handed over large tracts of territory on the plateau to him, hoping that he would rebuild the country's strength and stop the advance of the Eastern Roman Empire.

After the death of Mehmed II, Bayezid gathered his old subordinates in Ankara, rebuilt the Ottoman Sultanate, and pledged allegiance to the Aq Qoyunlu dynasty, becoming Bayezid II.

However, the Ottoman Sultanate rebuilt by Bayezid was no longer the powerful country it once was. The political and military systems that once dominated the Muslim world had completely collapsed. In order to maintain his status, Sultan Bayezid had to seek help from local forces. He no longer had the absolute power like his ancestors, and became an ordinary Turkic nomadic country.

After Bursa was captured, a large area of ​​territory on the eastern coast of the Aegean Sea fell into the hands of the Eastern Roman Empire. This was the core area of ​​Ottoman civilization. A large number of Islamic scholars and Muslim people began to flee eastward to avoid being hunted down by the Eastern Roman Empire. While preserving their cultural roots, they also brought population and a series of frictions to the Turkic countries in the east. The Islamic academic center in Anatolia began to shift eastward.

The territory on the eastern coast of the Aegean Sea was the core territory of the Eastern Roman Empire. Apart from the Roman people who believed in Eastern Orthodoxy, no other beliefs or nationalities were allowed.

The scattered towns that were still resisting were conquered one after another, and armed reclamation groups from the Balkans and Africa crossed the sea to the newly conquered lands one after another. Together with the local Orthodox Christians in Anatolia, they launched a wave of re-colonization movement.

At the same time, on the southern coast of the Black Sea, with the demise of the Ottoman Empire and the withdrawal of the White Arowana Army, the Ottoman Empire's staunch supporter, the Kandar Bey State, also met its own demise. This country had weak military strength to begin with. If there was anything special about it, it was that Kandar attached more importance to the navy than other Turkic Bey states, and had reaped a lot of benefits from the Black Sea trade by relying on its fleet.

However, their enemy possessed the most powerful navy in the Mediterranean world and controlled absolute hegemony over the Black Sea and the Sea of ​​Marmara. The maritime trade on which Kandal depended for its survival had been cut off for many years, and its national power declined day by day. It was defeated step by step under Gonzalo's attack.

After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the Eastern Roman Empire formulated a policy for recovering lost territory for the next ten years, advocating first west then east, first north then south, first coastal then inland, first liberating the coastal territories with more Orthodox Christians, and then slowly encroaching on the inland areas that had been completely Islamized.

In this context, Crown Prince Justinian, who was in charge of commanding the troops, divided tens of thousands of troops into two routes. One was led by Army Minister Ibrahim, who was responsible for pacifying the western coast of Anatolia. The other was led by him personally, crossing the river from the city of Sakarya, entering the coastal lowlands north of Anatolia, and heading east to attack the Kingdom of Kandal Bey with the northern army led by Gonzalo.

On June 1472, 6, the two armies met in Sinop. With the cooperation of the Black Sea Fleet, they successfully captured this crucial port, officially forming the entire Constantinople-Batumi route.

The remnants of the Kandal Bey State were still holding out near the capital, Kastamonu, which was located between two mountain ranges and the Eastern Roman Empire's troops had not yet reached here.

The city of Sinop was ablaze with smoke. The Eastern Roman army had completely taken control of the city. The Cossacks from the East European steppes and the Circassians from the northern foothills of the Caucasus were looting the Muslim residential areas in the city. The Eastern Roman regular army was stationed in the Christian residential areas to protect them.

There are many ships docked in the port. In addition to some warships of the Eastern Roman Empire's Black Sea Fleet, there are also a large number of armed merchant ships. Most of them come from various slave traders' guilds. They have always liked to follow the army and purchase Muslim slaves in the occupied areas.

The Port of Sinop is one of the largest ports on the northern coast of Anatolia. It has a narrow peninsula protruding to the east. On the south side of the peninsula is a natural semicircular bay. Because the bay goes deep inland, it can shelter from winds from all directions and is a very good natural harbor.

But precisely because of this, the urban area of ​​Sinop is distributed around the bay in a strip shape, without a connected city wall, making it easy to attack but difficult to defend. As long as control of the sea is lost, a large fleet of the attacking side can easily take it.

This is also the biggest disadvantage of port cities. Not all ports have the unique geographical advantages like Constantinople, which can block the most vulnerable bays with iron chains.

By the dock, Justinian and Gonzalo sat on lounge chairs, basking in the sun and smoking Cuban cigars.

There were cries of fear and shouting in the city, but this did not make the two instigators feel any pity, as they were enjoying the hard-earned victory and peace.

Over the years, the Eastern Roman Empire's ruling ideas on the former Muslim regions had become more mature. The first to arrive were the army, bringing the iron laws of the empire, followed by merchants, who assessed local wealth and took away local Muslims. Then came government officials, who brought order to the empire, and finally immigrants, who revitalized this place.

In addition to colonies, the Eastern Roman Empire's shooting army conscription system also required a large number of slaves. Before the war began, the emperor's officials would send people to each manor and slave trader's guild, asking the manor owners and slave owners to hand over the trained slaves to the empire. After the war, the surviving slaves would embark on a completely different life. The empire would return two to three times the number of new slaves to the slave owners, and also ask them to select one of them for training.

The so-called training means prohibiting excessive exploitation and not letting them engage in labor that destroys their bodies. At least the empire must be given a man who can carry a weapon.

"Congratulations! The Aq Qoyunlu Dynasty has also fallen to the Empire. Anatolia is now in our hands."

Gonzalo said with a grin, exhaling a puff of light blue smoke.

"It's still early."

Justinian grunted.

"This place has been ravaged by the Saracens for many years. There are too many of them. We can't climb to the plateau in a short time."

"First, take down the places where there is a certain basis for rule, and we can deal with the rest later."

Justinian smiled slightly, raised his head, squinted his eyes, and looked at the blue sky.

"What happened to the two Saracen leaders you just mentioned?"

Gonzalo looked at Justinian.

"They are the two Turks who took your money in advance and were the first to escape from the battlefield."

"Mesud, the Emir of Germyan, declared his loyalty to us and converted to Orthodoxy with hundreds of his subordinates. I named him the Count of Germyan and allocated him a small county near Afyon as a buffer zone."

Justinian said.

"As for Wu Can, this guy is really bold. He collected the most money. He also said before that he would convert to the Orthodox Church, but he regretted it in the end."

Justinian blew out a puff of smoke.

"After Uzung Hassan retreated, he took the opportunity to occupy most of the old Karaman territory, including the city of Konya, and proclaimed himself the Karaman Sultan. In name, he pledged allegiance to the Aqqari, but in fact he was completely independent."

"Now, Uzon Hassan has supported three large vassals and many subordinate tribes in Anatolia, hoping that they can delay our advance."

"Osman, Karaman, Adana... Only Karaman's Wucan is capable and has collected many deserters."

"Isn't his father still in your hands?"

Gonzalo thought about it.

"That Ishak has converted to Orthodoxy. Perhaps we can support him and fund him to go to Karaman and fight against Wucan."

"died."

Justinian sighed.

"I have long wanted to support him as the Duke of Karaman. He has been staying in Cyprus, ready to land at any time."

"It's a pity that his health was too poor. He died of illness at the beginning of this year and didn't live to see the day of the final battle."

Gonzalo nodded and continued to ask.

"What about the southern coast of the Black Sea? What are you going to do?"

"There are still some Orthodox Christians here. Father intends to govern them directly and set up three first-level administrative districts, with Samsun, Kastamonu and Trebizond as the capitals respectively."

“Once we capture Kastamonu, this place will be divided into the Kastamonu Military District.”

"Kastamonu is easy to say... Trebizond?"

Gonzalo raised an eyebrow.

"Are you ready to take action against them?"

"The false king of Raz does not respect orthodoxy. As an orthodox Christian, he has always bowed to the Saracens and paid tribute. He should have perished long ago."

Justinian raised his head and looked far to the east.

"Although the Pseudo-Dynasty of Trebizond reached a compromise with Constantinople a long time ago and no longer claimed to be emperor, they still entertain themselves behind closed doors. Father has decided to deal with them."

"Trebizond is very weak. It occupies one of the best places in Anatolia, but it doesn't even have a standing army of 1,000 people. It always relies on the Aries to protect it, and internal disputes continue."

"This... kowtow to the Saracens is a necessity and understandable."

Gonzalo was skeptical.

"Just as a punishment?"

"of course not."

Justinian said as a matter of course.

"There are hundreds of thousands of Greek Orthodox Christians in that area. It will be an important base for us on the southern coast of the Black Sea and an important tentacle for advancing into the Caucasus."

"The most important thing is that the people of Trebizond are loyal to the Empire. Now that Aries is weak, we may be able to regain this land through diplomatic means."

"Father has already sent a diplomat, and they should be arriving soon."

"So how do you plan to get the Komnenos family to abdicate voluntarily?"

Gonzalo asked.

"Why don't you let me take some people to teach them a lesson?"

"Don't worry. Father always said that war is just a continuation of politics. Why resort to force if you can get something at the diplomatic table?"

Justinian shook his head.

"It's the same as before. We plan to use the strategy of redemption and exchange. We will give them a sum of money, and then exchange their colonial land for Trebizond, and then make them the Duke of Brazil or Venezuela."

"After all, they are Orthodox Christians and have been quite cooperative before. We can't be too harsh on them."

"Will they be willing to accept the change of seal?"

Gonzalo still had some doubts.

"Hmph, if they refuse to accept this, then they are sinners of the nation, and our fleet and army will judge them."

Justinian snorted.

"The struggle for imperial power has always been like this. I am merciful in changing the title!"

"Okay, whatever."

Gonzalo shrugged.

"What are you going to do next?"

"According to my father's instructions, we will capture Kastamonu and formally destroy the Kingdom of Kandalbeyi."

Justinian said.

"Then, go east to Trebizond and accept the allegiance of the Komnenos family."

"Do you need me to stay here?"

Gonzalo asked.

"After playing for so long, I need to go to the big city to relax."

"Okay, go back. I have already negotiated with my father. He will make you the Count of Samsun. You will get a lot of land in the Samsun area, but the regional governance power will be in the hands of the central government."

Justinian looked at Gonzalo.

"The same is true for other nobles. The land and manors in the countryside are hereditary, but they do not have the right to rule the entire region."

"In addition to these, nobles enjoy some privileges in industrial taxation and overseas exploration, but at the same time, you have to bear corresponding responsibilities, such as sending family members to join the reclamation group and join the army to fight."

Justinian paused.

"Of course, if you want, you can exchange the land of Samsun for a large colony, and the count can be promoted to a duke, which is real power and hereditary."

"Forget it, forget it. I don't like places that are too remote. I've had enough of grasslands and mountains, not to mention the new continent that is even further away."

Gonzalo waved his hands.

"I have to go to Constantinople to relax. If I have time, I have to go to Pamukkale to enjoy the hot springs. It would be great if I could hook up with one or two noble ladies."

Gonzalo chuckled.

"Remember to go see my son. Don't forget that you are Constantine's godfather."

Justinian warned.

"When he grows up a little bit, let him learn military tactics from you. You must teach him well." "Okay, I'll leave tomorrow."

Gonzalo stood up and took a deep breath of the sea breeze that smelled slightly of blood.

……

The city of Trebizond in the northeast corner of Anatolia.

The bustling port faces the ocean, and above the sea, a large fleet is approaching rapidly.

On the leading warship, Marcus Komnenos gazed at the port of Trebizond and the striped flags flying in the harbor with a calm expression.

The diplomat at this time was wearing a formal suit, which was well-cut and made of exquisite materials, which perfectly set off his slender and upright figure. The outer windbreaker and the inner tights were both pure black with red and gold embroidery patterns. The ornaments on the belt were rubies from Venezuela, and the double-headed eagle badge on the chest was made of pure silver. On the right eagle head, the gem-inlaid eagle eyes were shining, and the eagle claws were grasping a scroll.

Like military uniforms, the official uniforms of the Eastern Roman Empire were also designed by the emperor himself, and he ordered all officials, big and small, to wear them on formal occasions. They were a mixture of the aesthetic concepts of the Renaissance as well as the emperor's own ideas. Price was not a big deal, and comfort was secondary. The most important thing was beauty and majesty.

The eagle emblem brooch on the chest can only be worn by high-ranking officials. Marcus's eagle emblem is made of silver, with a scroll under the eagle's claws, his right eye is inlaid with a gem, and his left eye is dull, which represents his official position, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in charge of the East.

If he could be promoted to Foreign Minister, he would be able to light up the eagle eye on his left as well and take charge of all affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"Lord Marcus, Trebizond seems to be caught off guard by our arrival."

An attendant came up and reported to Marcus.

"Do you need me to take a small boat to inform them first?"

"No, Trebizond is imperial territory. As an imperial official, I am qualified to go to any imperial city."

Marcus stopped him.

"Drive straight into the harbor and see how they react."

At Marcus's command, the warship hoisted its sails and headed straight for the port in the south.

This warship is named Emperor Zeno and is the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet. It has been in service for a long time and has undergone two repairs and upgrades. Mahogany with better anti-corrosion properties has been installed in important parts.

The warship came closer and closer, and Marcus could see the entire port clearly.

The Port of Trebizond is located on the southeast coast of the Black Sea, on the northern foot of the Pontic Mountains. There is only a small piece of flat land on the coast. A large number of buildings are built against the mountain, and many villages are scattered on the gentle slopes.

Despite being surrounded by mountains, Trebizond is still one of the largest cities in eastern Anatolia. Its geographical location is very advantageous, allowing it to participate in the Black Sea trade, the Caucasus trade and even the Persian trade at the same time. In its heyday, it accumulated huge wealth through these trade networks and once became the second largest city on the Black Sea.

Now, this port city belongs to the Komnenos family of Trebizond, who fled here after the disaster in 1204. With the support of the Kingdom of Georgia, they established a local regime centered on the city of Trebizond and once occupied most of the northern coast of Anatolia.

After the Fourth Crusade, the Eastern Roman Empire was in pieces. Among the three local regimes that claimed to be Roman orthodoxy, the Empire of Nicaea was the strongest, while Epirus and Trebizond were almost the same. After the restoration of Michael VIII, the Eastern Roman Empire gradually subdued Epirus and Trebizond. Both countries gave up their claims to Roman orthodoxy and became separatist regimes.

After that, the monarch of Trebizond no longer called himself "Emperor of Rome and the Romans", nor did he use the title "Despot of Trebizond" for a long time. Instead, he called himself "Emperor of Iberia, Peladia and the East" and changed his family name to Megas Komnenos, the Great Komnenos.

Trebizond was worthy of being a country founded by the Romans. It had a long tradition of civil wars. Several civil wars caused by succession disputes exhausted the country's national strength. Since the Ilkhanate had a good attitude towards Christianity in its early days, Trebizond was not destroyed by the Mongols. However, with the decline of Georgia and the re-emergence of Muslim forces, this country in a corner gradually lost its power.

In the later period of Trebizond, the national strength declined further and it could only sit on the fence between various powers. It often married the famous Komnenos princess to various forces in order to exchange for peace and seek asylum through marriage.

The Aq Qoyunlu was the most important protector of Trebizond in the later period. Theodora, the wife of Uzum Hassan, was a famous beauty. With her unrivaled beauty in Persia, she won the favor of Uzum Hassan and was even able to influence the government to a certain extent.

The current monarch of Trebizond is Alexios Megas Komnenos, the younger brother of Hatum Theodora Aries, a young man who was just starting out and the nephew of the previous monarch David Megas Komnenos. After his uncle's death, with the help of his sister Theodora, he squeezed out several cousins ​​and got the throne of Trebizond, but he also lost a large part of his autonomy and almost became a vassal of the Aquarius dynasty.

The arrival of the warships caused the people in the port to stop and watch. Some were horrified, while more were surprised with respect. They were familiar with the emperor's double-headed eagle flag, and a fleet of this size also filled them with awe.

For ordinary people in Trebizond, although they have peculiar accents and their bloodline is slightly different from that of pure Greeks, they still speak Greek, believe in Orthodox Christianity, still consider themselves Romans, and have heard the glorious legends of the Roman Empire from their ancestors.

After all, their ancestors were born under the eagle flag and grew up in the spring breeze.

The Eastern Roman Empire had begun planning for Trebizond very early on. Merchants, scholars and priests from Constantinople came here with the support of the emperor to bring news from Constantinople to the people, and to publicize the emperor's wisdom and bravery, as well as the sacred religious ideas and Roman nationalism.

Although the Komnenos family had warned against these actions and even threatened to ban Constantinople caravans from entering the city to trade, they did not dare to put such empty threats into practice.

Maritime hegemony is not just talk. If you dare to close yourself off, I will bring my fleet to help you open the door.

In the hearts of ordinary people in Trebizond, the emperor of Constantinople is great, sacred, the most powerful holy warrior, and the most benevolent and kind monarch. He treats his enemies as cruelly as tigers and wolves, but treats his people as kindly as spring breeze.

If they could return to the Eastern Empire, they would no longer have to pay heavy taxes, face threats from foreign enemies, or have to scrimp and save in order to pay tribute to Muslim countries.

Looking at their performance, Marcus smiled slightly. The work of his predecessors had been done very well and most of the work had been done.

Several small Trebizond ships wandering in the harbor hesitated for a while, but ultimately did not dare to challenge the absolute authority of the Eastern Roman fleet and made way for the anchorage area.

Several warships docked one after another, and the port guards came forward and looked up at Marcus on the deck.

"Emissary from Constantinople, your arrival is too sudden. Please wait for a moment while we go to the palace to report!"

"random."

Marcus looked up at the palace not far away.

The palace is located on a high point and has a clear view of the port. They must have noticed the arrival of the fleet long ago.

"But please hurry up. I will only wait for half an hour. If my relative still pretends to be deaf and dumb, the Black Sea Fleet will leave immediately."

Marcus said calmly.

"Yes, yes! I'll go right away!"

The captain of the guard wiped the sweat off his forehead, bowed, jumped on his horse, and rushed towards the palace.

Inside the palace, Alexios, the current monarch of Trebizond, paced anxiously, his thin body covered with gorgeous robes.

He held a letter in his hand, which he would open and look at from time to time, his brows sometimes furrowed, sometimes relaxed.

"Your Majesty, walking around will not solve the problem at hand."

An old man sat on the side, quietly watching the young king.

"Vice-Chancellor, in your opinion, how should we deal with Constantinople?"

Alexius stopped and looked at the prime minister sadly.

"We expressed our attitude several years ago. We are willing to pledge allegiance to Emperor Isaac, but we must retain our autonomy, just like my ancestors did to his ancestors."

"Now, they have defeated the Aries, destroyed the Ottomans, and brought their fleet here. They must want to completely annex us!"

"That scoundrel Marcus is so arrogant and doesn't take us seriously at all!"

Alexius was a little angry.

"So, what are you going to do?"

The Prime Minister sighed.

"Resist?"

"My sister sent me a letter. She told me that King Aries will protect us!"

Alexius waved the letter in his hand.

"King Aries? Ha."

The prime minister snorted coldly.

"I suggest you don't pin your hopes on them. As far as I know, they are already overwhelmed. Uzon Hassan has no ability or energy to help you."

"The Aries troops stationed outside the city suddenly left a few days ago and returned to Tabriz. Aren't you wondering why?"

"why?"

Alexius was stunned for a moment.

"The White Aries Dynasty was defeated and military force was needed to suppress the locals. Isn't this normal?"

"When they recover their national strength, they will send troops to protect us!"

"I think it's time for you to pay attention to politics. It's not a good idea to immerse yourself in books all day long."

The prime minister looked at him with disappointment.

"According to intelligence, the Aq Qoyunlu dynasty is going to have a big problem. After the defeat, domestic conflicts broke out. The power group headed by Seljuk Hatun found some clues from somewhere and accused the eldest prince Ugulu of colluding with Constantinople. They believed that it was his betrayal that forced Uzon Hassan to transfer part of the army back to Persia, which led to the defeat of the war."

"Is this... is this true?"

Alexius looked stunned.

"Sister...why didn't she tell me?"

"Whether that's true or not, I'm not sure."

The Prime Minister continued.

"However, it has been confirmed that Ugulu has driven back most of the central government personnel in the Fars region, leaving only his own loyal confidants."

"Ugulu is still recruiting troops in Shiraz and has a lot of extra money for unknown reasons."

"He wrote a letter to Tabriz, saying that it was the incompetence of Khalil and Yaqub that led to the failure of the war, and asked Uzung Hasan to execute the two and re-establish him as the heir."

"Wouldn't that be tantamount to open rebellion?"

Alexius was shocked.

"Yes, the Aries civil war is coming. Wu Zong Hassan is gathering the remaining soldiers and giving up the interests to the local forces. At the same time, he is constantly contacting Wu Gulu through diplomatic means to try to stabilize him."

The Prime Minister said.

"The latest intelligence says that Wu Zong Hasan and Wu Gulu are meeting at a small town in the desert. Except for the guards, neither side will bring any soldiers or horses. This is the final negotiation between father and son."

"Uzon Hassan ceded Anatolia to the Turks and withdrew our troops here, not because he wanted to, but because he had no other choice."

After the prime minister finished speaking, Alexios was silent for a long time.

"You mean that I can't follow my sister's advice and can't defend the city. I should negotiate with Constantinople."

"Defend the city?"

The prime minister smiled bitterly and shook his head.

"An army without any fighting power, people loyal to the empire, merchants wavering between two sides... What can you use to defend yourself?"

"Then we can only negotiate."

Alexius muttered to himself.

"No, you have no bargaining chips in your hands. There is no need for negotiation. I suggest you accept their conditions in full. His Majesty Isaac has always been kind to his own people. If you hand over the entire city and all the documents, he will never treat you unfairly."

The Prime Minister stood up and bowed slightly to Alexios.

"This is my final advice. I am old and after so many years, it is time for me to retire."

"you--"

Alexius stretched out his hand and was about to keep him, but the captain of the guard hurriedly opened the door and ran in.

"Your Majesty, Lord Marcus is waiting at the dock. He said he will only wait for half an hour!"

The captain of the guard reported.

Alexius and the prime minister looked at each other and gritted their teeth.

"Go and ask him to come over—"

Alexius paused in the middle of his speech.

"No, ask him to wait!"

Alexius threw the letter in his hand aside, quickly took off his formal clothes and took off the crown on his head.

"Go and fetch the Tyrant's clothes and crown. Marcus is my brother, and I will go to the dock to greet him in person!"

(End of this chapter)