1444, Byzantium Resurrects

The city lord's mansion, Surt.

The distant cannon fire had stopped, and the enemy army had begun to charge. Their cries of battle seemed to come from far away yet also close at hand.

Isult sat at his desk. In front of him was a piece of white paper with a few lines scribbled on it.

On the table stood a jug of wine and a glass.

He covered his face with both hands, shutting out the light, but he couldn't stop himself from panicking about the future.

The city had been under siege for ten days, and he had barely slept.

The walls of Lancelot had only been built two years ago and, in terms of height, hardness, and width, they were barely adequate; they could hardly be called a stronghold.

Under the relentless bombardment of the enemy's siege weapons, the walls were riddled with holes and teetering on the brink of collapse; only human lives remained to plug the gaps.

Now, those lives were running out as well.

The enemy had launched a final assault, clearly unwilling to continue the siege any longer.

A series of hurried footsteps could be heard, and the gate was pushed open with a loud bang.

"My lord, the western castle has fallen, and the White Castle is in dire straits. The enemy is about to enter the city. What should we do?"

Isult sat there in a daze.

After a long time, he spoke.

"Go to the dock and tell the militia guards to reopen the waterway and allow people to escape."

At the beginning of the war, Isult had announced that the city would be defended to the death and the port sealed off until the prince returned. This was intended to boost morale within the city and unite all forces, but it also prevented too many people from fleeing and affecting the morale of the defenders.

He must have offended many merchants and nobles in the city because of this.

Isult shook his head.

Looking at the situation now, it was clear that this policy could not continue.

"Sir, what should we do?"

The attendant asked anxiously.

"You go to the harbor and escape by boat."

Isult quickly signed a permit allowing the attendant to board an official transport ship.

"My lord, what about you?"

The Minister of the Interior waved his hand, signaling to the attendant to leave.

The attendant opened his mouth but stopped himself.

He took two steps back and bowed deeply.

As he listened to the attendant's hurried footsteps growing fainter and fainter, Isult sighed and poured himself a glass of wine.

He raised his glass and slowly savored the last hint of spiciness and bitterness.

It didn't taste that good; he couldn't fathom why His Highness liked it so much! He put down the glass, picked up his pen, and stared at the paper.

"Dear Brother George, by the time you receive this letter, I will already..."

He couldn't bring himself to write the rest of the letter.

A commotion sounded like it was coming from the harbor.

Whenever he was away, the city descended into chaos.

Isult picked up the wine bottle and walked impatiently onto the castle's terrace to see what was happening.

Stepping outside, the bright sunlight made his eyes water.

Rubbing his eyes, he looked towards the harbor.

Bang!

The wine glass shattered into pieces.

A fleet had appeared on the distant coast, and some small boats were already docked at the shore. Well-trained soldiers rushed from the ships and headed straight for the smoke.

He saw Mikhail, that old bastard, riding a tall horse and waving his hands, grinning stupidly at him.

...

"Your Highness, that is Ougay ahead."

The merchant Urda pointed to the dilapidated town in the distance and said to Isaac.

"There are no special products there. The only valuable commodity is salt, but there is no shortage of salt in this area."

"The temperature difference between day and night is extreme, and there are no trees, so many tribes use the oil that gushes out of the ground for heating."

"They mainly live by fishing..."

"Enough, enough!"

Isaac waved his hand, interrupting the long speech.

"How many people live in this small town?"

Urda thought carefully for a moment.

"When I came here last year, there were about a thousand."

"Another two thousand live in the surrounding tribes."

"There's only so much water here, so the population won't increase."

Isaac thought for a moment.

"Then there's no need to make any preparations. We can just send in the entire army."

"Let Eldosh lead the Slave Legion as the vanguard and have the more than 200 cadets from the Royal Knight Academy follow."

"The first task is to secure the water source."

With a single command, the advance troops began to move, and the transport fleet quickly docked, soldiers pouring out.

The fishermen on the shore looked on in shock as more and more soldiers, armed with sharp blades, ran down from the fleet.

"Shoot! Leave only one alive for questioning!"

Eldosh ordered, a cruel light flashing in his eyes.

Whoosh, whoosh...

The soldiers drew their bows and arrows and began shooting indiscriminately.

The fishermen scattered in all directions, but they couldn't escape death's clutches.

Soon, the coastal fishermen had been slaughtered, and the survivors fled to the town.

Eldosh let out a loud roar and charged forward on his horse.

By the time Isaac dismounted, the situation in the town had been brought under control, and the administrator appointed by the Mamluks had surrendered and been taken into custody.

Isaac rode his Andalusian horse through the desolate streets and headed straight for the town center.

The magistrate's mansion stood out as the only bright spot in the entire town.

Isaac dismounted and entered the study.

Eldosh and Instructor Dillin were already waiting nearby with two Slave Legion soldiers, who were dragging a bald, fat man into the room.

"Your Highness, we have questioned him. This is the Mamluk's qadi, Ayyanas."

"We haven't tortured him yet, and he has already confessed everything."

Ayyanas smiled broadly, his fat cheeks wrinkling, and nodded quickly.

As the qadi of this place, he was responsible for civil affairs and communication with the tribes.

"This is not a Mamluk transit station, but all transport routes pass through here."

Dilin handed Isaac a piece of paper on which all the information that Ayyanas had confessed to was recorded.

Isaac glanced at it but could not find the information he wanted most.

"Ayyanas?"

The poor qadi knelt on the ground, writhing and trying to crawl to Isaac's feet.

"Do you know where Emir Yusuf's military supply station is?"

Ayyanas nodded frantically.

Isaac waved his hand, signaling to the soldiers to untie the qadi.

Ayyanas broke free of his bonds, stretched his arms, and sighed with relief.

"Where is it?"

"The Port of Breiga, Your Highness."

"Why are you so sure?"

"I am from Breiga."

"How strong are the troops there?"

Ayyanas thought for a moment.

"During the reign of the former Sultan Balsabe, at most 5,000 troops were stationed near Breiga to guard the granaries."

"After Sultan Chakmak came to power, this number was reduced to 2,000."

"Just a few days ago, Emir Yusuf mobilized another thousand troops to support the front lines, so there are definitely not many troops in Breiga Port at the moment."

"You are very knowledgeable."

Ayyanas seemed to have gained great honor. He stood up straight, puffed out his chest, and watched the fat on his belly jiggle up and down.

"I am at your service, Your Highness!"

He was joking. He was neither Circassian nor Caucasian. He would only ever be a katib, so why risk his life?

Dilin snorted disdainfully beside him, and Eldosh curled his lips.

Ayyanas seemed not to hear them; his smile remained broad.

Isaac looked at him.

The port of Breiga was only a day's journey away from the town of Ougay.

Isaac began to calculate the troops at his disposal.

Eldosh's army numbered 2,000, Dilin's cadet corps had over 200, and Gazi had brought 800 from the Dobrogea army.

The rest of the army had been taken by Mikhail to support the defense of Surt.

With a total of 3,000 troops and a few hundred locally recruited cannon fodder, they had more than enough to take Bregan Port.

Capturing Breiga Port would alleviate the water shortage and prevent the remaining enemy troops in Bilinchi from reinforcing Yusuf.

This would leave the attacking army completely isolated.

Isaac had an idea.

"Defect to the good side. Very good."

"Since you are from Breiga, you can be my guide."

"If we successfully capture this city, you will be the Protector of Breiga."

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

Ayyanas immediately knelt down and kissed Isaac's shoes.

After a moment, he stood up, bowed respectfully, and looked at Isaac hopefully, narrowing his small eyes. "Your Highness, my family is quite influential in the port of Breiga and has two hundred private soldiers. Do you think you need them?"

Isaac glanced at him.

"Do you have any say in your family?"

Ayyanas shook his head and smiled slyly.

"The governor of Breiga is extremely suspicious. As long as you send word back to the city that I have defected, he will naturally force my father to rebel."

"If your family can first take control of the situation in Breiga, quell the unrest in the city, and seal the warehouses, then your loyalty will be rewarded with the position of magistrate and the title of lord."

Unlike the tribunes, who were responsible for public safety and registration, magistrates held real power.

Ayyanas danced with joy and shouted that he would leave immediately.

Isaac stopped him.

"One of the duties of a Katib is to oversee the day-to-day affairs of the local tribes, isn't it?"

Ayyanas nodded.

"Go and summon all the tribal sheikhs in this area. I have something to tell them."

Half an hour later, Isaac met with the local sheikhs.

They were ragged and looked obsequious.

This was their first impression of him.

Clearly, Magistrate Ayyanas had already warned them.

"I have two things to tell you. After I'm done, you can go."

"First, gather all the able-bodied men in your tribes and follow me into battle. There will be 300 men, so divide them up yourselves."

The sheikhs nodded in agreement.

"Secondly, send someone to the siege camp at Surt to spread the news that Ougay and Breiga have fallen."

"Make sure the news spreads throughout the entire army."

The sheikhs looked at each other, confused.

Isaac did not bother to explain, simply sending them away.

...

That evening, in the city of Breiga, Wali sat in his study feeling uneasy.

That morning, news had arrived from Ougay that his eldest son, Ayyanas, had surrendered to the Kafir, even telling their commander all about Breiga.

The news was extremely detailed, even describing what Ayyanas had eaten for lunch that day.

It was clear that he had been set up.

As soon as Wali heard the news, he rushed to the governor's office and reprimanded Ayyanas, stating that he had long since severed ties with the family due to his treachery.

Governor Gelmian comforted him, saying that he would not listen to the slander of such a petty person.

Wali wept bitterly and immediately offered to donate money to repair the city defenses.

However, Wali knew that Gelmian was suspicious by nature and would not let the matter rest.

Sure enough, at noon, several young men from families who served in the army were demoted for a minor incident that had occurred years earlier.

Several business rivals took advantage of the situation and forcibly occupied their shops.

Wali had no choice but to grit his teeth and pretend that nothing had happened.

Creak—

The door opened, and a servant entered, hesitating to speak.

"Father, what is troubling you?"

Ayyanas appeared from behind the servant, smiling. He skillfully opened a thick book and took out a bottle of wine.

"You... you dare come back!"

"How did you avoid the patrol?"

Ayyanas drank heavily and belched.

"Father, the secret passage you use for smuggling is still in the same place, and your guards won't stop me from coming home."

"Oh, but I didn't hide it very well just now, so someone might have seen me."

Ayyanas smiled slyly.

"You bastard!"

Wali was so angry that his whole body trembled.

"Father, the governor has already made up his mind to target you. Why don't you join me in rebellion?"

"His Highness Isaac has agreed to let me serve as magistrate."

Wali thought for a moment, his eyes darting back and forth.

Would the governor forgive his family if he took Ayana's head to him now?

He thought about it and decided that there was little hope.

"His Highness has 10,000 troops waiting outside the city."

"With one order, who can stop them?"

Wali sneered.

There definitely weren't ten thousand troops, but a few thousand was possible.

His son was stubborn but also very clever, and he never took risks.

Why not trust him this once? "How can you be sure that the prince will keep his promise?"

Ayyanas took out an imperial edict bearing the double-headed eagle emblem.

Wali called for a family member who knew Greek and had him translate the edict word for word into Arabic.

Ayyanas sat back, watching his father's expression change from hostility to astonishment and finally to flattery.

Wali grabbed his son's hand.

"From today onwards, you are the heir to the family!"

"I also have a secret passageway that leads directly outside the city. Let the prince's army enter the city quickly!"

Ayyanas stopped his father.

"The prince said that we must prove our loyalty."

"You mean..."

"We have to kill the governor and take control of the army in the city."

"That..."

Wali's face looked grim.

Seeing that he was still hesitating, Ayyanas became furious.

"You old fool! I know you have a hidden agenda, so don't try to hide it now!"

"I'll try!"

Wali gritted his teeth.

...

Late at night, Governor Gelmian sat at his desk writing orders by dim candlelight.

"The city of Ougay has been occupied by the Kafir, and food distribution has stopped..."

"Yusuf Emir is in dire straits, and the situation is out of control. Notify Bilinchi immediately and ask Cairo for help..."

In theory, Gelmian did not have to obey Yusuf's orders because the Breiga transit station had always been managed by a governor dispatched from the central government.

Gelmian had once been Balsbe's personal guard and had performed great services. Because Balsbe was cautious and suspicious, he appointed Gelmian governor of Breiga.

However, when Chakmak usurped the throne, Gelmian remained silent.

Therefore, he felt guilty towards Yusuf, Balsbe's son, and did everything he asked.

Gelmian did not agree with this expedition to Surt at all.

Yusuf came in person to ask about his health and reminisce about the past.

The young master seemed as ambitious as his father.

Gelmian's heart softened.

Alas!

The old governor sighed deeply.

Knock, knock, knock—

There was a knock at the door.

"Come in!"

It was his maid, Muna.

"Sir, it's late. Have some hot camel milk to warm yourself up!"

She held out a cup and walked up to Gelmian.

"Muna, why are you here? Where is Adele?"

Gelmian asked cautiously.

"Adele has a fever. She told me to bring you this camel milk."

She raised the cup and took a small sip.

"The temperature is just right. Please have some."

She stood to one side after saying that.

Gelmian nodded and took a sip.

Suddenly, there was a commotion outside the window, coming from the direction of the military camp.

Was someone causing trouble?

Gelmian stood up abruptly but fell heavily to the ground.

Struggling to lift his head, his gaze fell on Muna's seductive lips.

"It's... you..."

Muna covered her mouth with her hands and began to cry.

"Master, I'm sorry..."

"They took my entire family..."

The noise outside grew louder, and the night's tranquility was shattered by the sound of fire and screams.

Gelmian's eyes widened, and his gaze was filled with complex emotions.

They seemed to express both regret and relief.

Breiga City fell.

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