1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Yusuf retreated.

When he finally began to mobilize his troops, he realized that he had virtually no forces at his disposal.

Following his defeat at Surt, he gathered the remnants of his army and used them as a foundation on which to rebuild the Bilinchi Legion.

He currently commands a Bilinchi Legion of over two thousand men, as well as a camel cavalry unit of five hundred and a Mamluk heavy cavalry unit of one hundred and fifty.

The Mamluk heavy cavalry were a legacy left to him by his father, whom he had always been reluctant to deploy; as a result, their strength remained well-preserved.

The remaining 2,500 troops were mostly new recruits, conscripted from the city and having only been in the army for a month. Their combat effectiveness was difficult to assess.

Powerful emirs like Yusuf would generally purchase Circassian slaves from the Black Sea to serve as their personal Mamluk troops. They would entrust these troops with their merchant guilds, castles and armies, and would rarely employ local Berbers.

Following his crushing defeat, Yusuf had no time to rebuild his private army and was forced to conscript men from Bilinchi City.

Accompanied by the imam of the city's mosque, Yusuf and several tribal sheikhs negotiated hard outside the city and finally managed to recruit 2,500 tribesmen under the banner of holy war.

In Anatolia or Cairo, the mere mention of a holy war would have inspired fanatics to take up arms and march to battle.

However, in tribal North Africa, the population was concentrated among tribal sheikhs and there were few free men. A call to arms was met with little response.

Many citizens of the city were willing to wage a holy war, but they had no means of doing so.

After waiting for almost a week, Yusuf finally set out with his army of 4,000 men to rescue them.

He personally led the vanguard cavalry at full speed and, on the way, they encountered refugees who had escaped from Ajdabiya.

According to the refugees, the Greeks had 10,000 fierce troops who spewed fireballs as if blessed by Malik, the angel of fire.

Yusuf did not dare engage Surt's army in a decisive battle.

Bilinchi was a strong city and it would be much more useful to bring these troops back to defend it than to engage in open combat...

...

On 23 June 1448, after stabilizing the situation in Ajdabiya, Isaac marched north and captured several coastal ports.

After the fall of Ajdabiya, there were no more defenses around Bilinchi.

Yusuf retreated to Bilinchi and prepared to wear down Isaac's troops by fighting them from behind the city walls.

On 25 June, the follow-up forces, which had been prepared in advance, arrived at the outskirts of Ajdabiya from land and sea, ready to surround Bilinchi at any moment.

At the same time, the Mediterranean fleet was deployed in full force to ensure the smooth flow of maritime transport routes and intercept Mamluk merchant ships.

"Bilinchi is a strong city with complete defenses, many large granaries, a large population, abundant water sources, and plenty of weapons."

"Yusuf has joined forces with the Sunni imams in the city and called on the citizens to resist in the name of holy war. The religious atmosphere in the city is intense. If we attack by force, there will likely be heavy casualties."

At the military meeting, Isaac briefed the commanders on the current situation.

"There are currently 3,000 regular troops, 2,000 tribesmen and an estimated 3,000 jihadists in Bilinchi, and possibly more."

"News of our invasion of Yusuf must already have reached Sultan Chakmak's desk. Even if Yusuf refuses to ask for help, Cairo will not sit idly by."

"We must prepare as quickly as possible!"

Isaac looked serious.

To be honest, he had underestimated this land, where Islam has been deeply rooted for hundreds of years. He had not expected so many fanatical Muslims to rally against his invasion.

In North Africa, where tribes form the backbone of society, there are already so many jihadists. If this were Cairo or Tunis, wouldn't the entire city be against us?

"What plans do you have? Speak up."

Isaac looked at the generals seated below him.

"Your Highness, we should quickly arrange siege engines and cannons, draft laborers from nearby areas and use them to attack the city, depleting the enemy's ammunition!"

Baron Ibrahim said immediately.

"The walls of Bilinchi are solid and have been reinforced by generations of emirs. We cannot transport our large cannons there, and small siege engines will not be effective in the short term."

"Bilinchi has abundant military equipment reserves, as well as a well-established military manufacturing industry and blacksmith district. We don't need to worry about military equipment for the time being. That's not right."

Isaac rejected Ibrahim's suggestion to attack.

"Your Highness, Bilinchi is located by the sea. Can we use the navy to launch an amphibious assault?"

Mikhail asked.

"The port defenses of Bilinchi are intact. A rash landing would be tantamount to suicide."

Isaac rejected the idea outright.

In this day and age, naval landings were extremely difficult and required close coordination between the army and navy, something his troops were clearly incapable of achieving.

Seeing that no one else spoke, Isaac sighed.

These generals were too narrow-minded, fixated on a single point on the map and thinking only of capturing Bilinchi City.

The real strategy should not focus on the gain or loss of a single city, but rather on the rise and fall of the enemy's forces.

The key to this war no longer lay with Yusuf or Isaac, but with the Egyptian Sultan, Chakmak.

"Everyone, look over here!"

Isaac spread out the map.

"Yusuf is a trapped beast and is no longer a concern. What we really need to focus all our efforts on are the reinforcements from Cairo."

"How many are there? Are they elite troops? Who is leading them?"

These factors will determine our success or failure.

"We cannot control Sultan Chakmak's thoughts, nor can we determine the number or quality of the reinforcements."

But we can use certain means to indirectly weaken them."

Isaac found Ajdabiya on the map, bypassed the small dot representing Bilinchi, crossed the green mountain region and stopped at a place name on the coastline:

Tobruk.

"The city of Tobruk was first established by ancient Greek colonists as an agricultural and pastoral base, as well as an outer fortress of Bilinchi. It is the eastern gateway to the Cyrenaica region."

"From Tobruk eastwards to Alexandria, there is nothing but endless desert, occasionally dotted with oases."

"If the Mamluks send large reinforcements, they will inevitably make their final resupply here."

"Our goal is to take this place."

Isaac finished speaking and looked at the generals, who were deep in thought.

"Your Highness, it is a long way from Bilinchi to Tobruk, and there are many important cities along the way. Won't that delay us considerably?"

"The area near Tobruk is also flat, so it will be hard to resist the Mamluk reinforcements."

Mehmed stood up and said.

Isaac smiled.

"We will not attack any of the coastal cities, such as Beda, Meirji and Derna."

"When Yusuf fled back to Bilinchi, he withdrew all the troops from these cities, leaving only militias and fanatical jihadists to guard them."

These people can defend the fortified cities and cause us a lot of trouble, but they are completely incapable of fighting in open terrain.

"We'll just need to send a small contingent of cavalry to monitor them."

The generals still had many questions, but Isaac had no intention of explaining further.

Some things would become clear once they had experienced them firsthand.

"Legion Commander Nikiforos!"

"Your Highness!"

"You will lead the Second Legion of the Imperial Guard and the Grand Duke's Guard of the Duke of Parma to monitor Bilinchi City. I am also assigning 2,500 tribal militiamen to your command!"

"Don't worry, Your Highness. Yusuf's troops are barely holding the city and wouldn't dare engage in open combat."

Nikiforos patted his broad chest.

"Legion Commander Eldosh!"

"You will lead the Slave Legion of over three thousand men, along with five hundred tribal militiamen who have sworn allegiance to us. Abandon the major cities and advance deep into the rural areas and towns in cavalry units of a hundred men, striking at the local Muslim forces as you go."

"The entire Green Mountain region is your hunting ground."

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

Eldosh knelt to show his gratitude, looking back smugly at the envious glances of the other generals.

It seemed that Prince Isaac still favored the Slave Legion the most! The Green Mountains were not very high, with an average altitude of only 600 meters, and there were no dangerous passes.

They had a Mediterranean climate with annual rainfall exceeding 600 millimeters, making them ideal for agriculture and the heartland of the entire Cyrenaica region.

Grapes, wheat, barley, olive oil, citrus fruits... anything that can be grown in Europe can be grown here.

The residents were wealthy and peaceful, unlike their neighbors, who had to endure long periods of drought.

This wealth, accumulated over many years, would be perfect for filling Isaac's increasingly empty coffers.

"The rest of the troops will be under my command. We will march straight to Tobruk and find supplies there."

"Commander Yaroslav, Count Adnan."

The two men stepped forward and saluted.

"You are all cavalrymen. As the vanguard of the army, you will set out first to reconnoiter the terrain. Do not engage in battle."

"Yes!"

After making all the necessary arrangements, Isaac raised his wine glass and gazed at the deep red wine rippling in the candlelight.

"I hope that next time we raise our cups, it will be in the city of Bilinchi."

"At my feet will kneel Yusuf, begging for mercy, and the ground will be covered with the tattered banner of the Mamluk Sultan."

"Your hands will hold slaves and livestock, and your pockets will be filled with gold coins bearing the image of Chakmak."

"Victory!"

...

Count Adnan rode his desert horse along the dry, hard road, his mind restless.

Yaroslav, who was ahead of him, was in high spirits, rushing from the front to the rear of the troop and shouting loudly as he whipped the slaves who lagged behind.

The two men set out from the city of Ajdabiya with a light and fast vanguard, passing through the Green Mountains and carefully bypassing large cities for fifteen days until they reached the border between the grasslands and the desert.

Two days ago, they had easily captured the undefended city of Matua, handing it over to the Slave army that had arrived shortly afterwards. They then continued their advance eastward.

Tobruk was in sight, but it was not their main target.

They joined forces with the Sheik tribe, who had secretly pledged allegiance to Isaac, and plundered the city, forcing the defenders to retreat.

Next...

"Count, the Gabi Well is right in front of us. Should we split up and block them like last time?"

Count Adnan came to his senses and looked at Yaroslav, who was riding towards him.

This Russian from Kiev was clearly eager for war and plunder.

Adnan nodded without saying a word.

Over a thousand cavalrymen, divided into two groups, surrounded the oasis in the basin.

The women and children who had stayed behind looked at the fierce invaders in panic and scattered in all directions.

The elderly smiled bitterly.

Over the past two years, their fresh blood had almost been completely drained by several wars.

Yusuf had attacked Surt, taking away a group of young, religiously fanatical warriors who never returned.

Following the Christian attack, Yusuf continued to recruit soldiers, taking the middle-aged men and half-grown children away.

A few days ago, Tobruk was attacked and the governor sent the last of his fighting men to defend the city.

The elderly, infirm and disabled were left to defend the oasis. Facing a cavalry of over a thousand, they were like lambs led to the slaughter, unable to offer any resistance.

Yaroslav shouted loudly as he galloped forward, killing indiscriminately and showing no mercy to these poor people.

Adnan walked behind him, his eyes downcast.

An old man rushed through the blockade and knelt at Adnan's horse's feet.

A bodyguard was about to swing his sword, but Adnan stopped him.

"General, we surrender! Spare these women and children. We will all be your slaves, herding your livestock and offering you the finest furs..."

Tears streamed down the old man's pale face as he clung desperately to the horse's leg, begging for mercy.

In the desert, the victor takes everything from the defeated, enslaving their people but not killing them indiscriminately.

Adnan sighed deeply, his expression complex.

"Go and call the leader, Yaroslav. We will discuss what to do with these tribesmen."

After a short while, Yaroslav rode up, covered in blood.

"What is it?"

he asked in Greek.

Seeing the trembling Berber old man, Yaroslav spoke harshly.

"Yaroslav, they are the prince's slaves. Please stop the killing."

Yaroslav raised his eyebrows.

"You must know very well what the prince ordered before he left."

"The prince didn't order you to kill them all."

The two men stood there, facing each other.

Yaroslav sneered.

"Fine, send someone to take them to the Slave army."

"I will report everything to His Highness. If anything goes wrong, he will hold you responsible!"

Yaroslav pulled on the reins and rode away.

"General..."

The old man approached him pitifully.

"You cannot stay here any longer. My men will take you west."

Adnan stared into the distance. Yaroslav had not lied. He had stopped the slaughter and gathered the tribesmen together as they rushed towards them.

"This place is going to be destroyed."

In July 1448, Isaac ordered Yaroslav and Adnan to lead the vanguard to the outskirts of Tobruk.

After intimidating the city's garrison, the vanguard destroyed all the large water sources, including wells and oases, in the west and south of Tobruk.

It is difficult to improve the desert's ecological environment, but easy to destroy.

The well openings were blocked with stones and sand, the population was driven westward, the trees in the oases were cut down and the large water sources, which were difficult to block, were polluted.

Large numbers of rotting corpses floated in the water, and the risk of plague meant that no one dared to pass by and quench their thirst.

To maximize the impact, they also brought a large number of dead pigs, slit their bellies open and threw them into the most visible locations on the water's surface.

They employed every underhanded tactic imaginable, including lime, saline soil, poison and manure.

For a time, the entire eastern region of Tobruk became a no-go area for all living creatures.

-----------

You can read +70 advanced chapters on my Patreon

Patreon(.)com/Magnus27

TIER 1 you'll get +15 ADVANCE CHAPTERS

TIER 2 you'll get +40 ADVANCE CHAPTERS

TIER 3 you'll get +70 ADVANCE CHAPTERS