1444, Byzantium Resurrects

On 25 August, the siege officially began. Due to the lack of large-scale defensive weapons, the defenders were at a disadvantage.

The Mamluk vizier Ashraf attacked with precision, inflicting heavy casualties on the defenders.

On 10 September, the decisive battle erupted. Ashraf played his final card, disguising his elite Mamluk troops as ordinary tribal warriors. Caught off guard, the defenders had their defences breached in a single charge.

The Mamluks stormed the city walls while the defenders had few reserves left.

"Grand Duke Isaac led his personal guard, raised the flag and took to the field himself to boost morale, which barely stabilised the situation."

"At the critical moment, the long-lost Slave Legion appeared on the south side of the encircling camp rather than the west side, as Ashraf had expected."

This fresh force rushed into the camp, killing indiscriminately and setting fires everywhere.

The morale of the defenders in the city was greatly boosted while the Mamluks began to collapse.

In an emergency, Ashraf ordered the jihadists who had been withdrawn to take their place while he led his elite private soldiers and the Mamluks in an escape to the east.

Zaghan Pasha closed the report and drank a glass of water in one gulp.

Mehmed, sitting on a chair beside him, was still lost in thought about the Battle of Tobruk.

"Your Highness?"

"Zaghan, I was thinking that if it had been me, I might not have been able to resist taking action when Mansur was leading the troops."

"But then you wouldn't have been able to teach the Mamluks a lesson."

Mehmed sighed, unsure whether he felt regret or admiration.

"Isaac is truly a man of immense courage."

Zagan nodded.

"In this battle, the Mamluks lost none of their elite troops, but they suffered heavy financial and reputational losses."

"They spent a fortune hiring the Venetian fleet, only to end up with this result. Now the whole of Cairo must be in chaos."

"Ashraf's reputation has been severely damaged, and the Ulemas now see him as an enemy. Sultan Chakmak must be in a difficult position."

Mehmed agreed wholeheartedly.

"I'm not sure what Chakmak is thinking."

"But one thing is certain: the Mamluks will not be able to organise such a large army again for a long time."

"This time, they invested nearly 40,000 troops, all of whom were lost."

"Isaac's battle has brought about a long period of peace."

After a moment, Mehmed seemed to think of something.

"By the way, Zagan, why is today's intelligence so detailed?"

"Has Your Majesty finally seen the light?"

Zagan Pasha fell silent and shook his head.

Mehmed was taken aback.

"Did you pay for it yourself?"

"Everything I have is entrusted to you. Your wishes are my wishes."

Zagan Pasha bowed deeply.

Mehmed stood up, his expression solemn, and patted his good friend on the back.

"Zagan, I remember you're from the navy, right?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Your Majesty doesn't value the navy very much, so there's nothing I can do."

"In that case, I'll pay for it myself. You can form a fleet and become its captain."

Mehmed paused.

"If I ascend to that position in the future, You will become Grand Vizier and also command the navy."

Zagan was deeply moved and knelt down to express his gratitude.

Mehmed helped him up.

"All right, all right, now let's return from the Bayrge and face the enemy before us!"

"White Knight Hunyadi... Huh, how impressive!"

The door opened.

"Your Highness, the envoys of the Grand Dukes of Serbia and Wallachia have arrived!"

...

At the same time as the Battle of Tobruk, turmoil arose again in the Balkan Peninsula.

Having stabilized the domestic situation in September 1448, the Hungarian regent 'White Knight' Hunyadi János joined forces with the Albanian League and Wallachia to launch a new offensive against the Ottomans in a last-ditch effort.

Upon hearing of the war, Ottoman Sultan Murad II withdrew his troops from the Albanian Alliance's fortress at Sventigrad and hurried to the north-western border.

For reasons unknown, Serbian Grand Prince Branković refused to allow Albanian troops to enter the country to join the war, leaving Skanderbeg helpless.

On 17 October 1448, the Battle of Kosovo broke out.

Having waited in vain for Skanderbeg to arrive, Hunyadi was forced to lead his 24,000-strong Hungarian army against the 50,000-strong Ottoman army led by Sultan Murad II.

In this battle, the outnumbered Hungarians fought fiercely against the Ottomans and the fighting went back and forth.

At a critical moment, the Wallachians defected and joined the Ottoman side, turning their swords against their fellow Christians.

The Hungarian army was defeated, and Hunyadi escaped alone, only to be captured by the Serbian Grand Prince Branković in route.

The last offensive of the Hungarian Shield against the Ottomans was thus declared a complete failure, and they switched from offence to defense.

Following this battle, the Ottoman Sultan was unrivalled for a time, and his fame reverberated throughout the Balkans.

...

Cyrenaica, Bilinchi City.

Seeing the tattered Mamluk flags in the hands of the soldiers below and the crowds of prisoners, Yusuf knew that his time was up.

The city's residents began to riot; countless people covered their faces and wept, kneeling and praying as if the end of the world had come.

The soldiers on the city walls stood in a daze, staring blankly at the cavalry running back and forth below.

Their hopes had been pinned on the ruler of Egypt and Syria, the arrogant Mamluk Sultan Chakmak, but he had been defeated.

Not only had the holy warriors from Cairo failed to drive out the invaders; they had been defeated and driven back in disarray.

Bilinchi was now completely isolated, surrounded by fierce marauders outside the city and a fleet of ships offshore.

The only reason they did not surrender was their fear of possible massacres at the hands of the Christians.

Apart from Bilinchi, several other large coastal cities were also in a state of confusion, clinging to their last shred of hope and defending themselves.

Faced with the desperate struggle of the Muslims in the coastal cities, Isaac had no easy answers.

Although he had won the Battle of Tobruk, he had suffered heavy losses and was unwilling to waste his troops on a siege.

On 2 October 1448, after consulting representatives from the political, religious and commercial sectors, Isaac signed the Green Mountain Act.

This bill stipulated that a conciliatory policy would be adopted towards the remaining Muslim forces in the four major coastal cities.

Muslims willing to convert would be recognized as legal citizens of the principality, while those refusing could leave the Cyrenaica region by ship for Cairo or Tunis; the Mediterranean fleet would no longer interfere.

Yusuf Emir, the instigator of the war, was excluded from the amnesty.

The act was valid until 2 November, after which no further action would be taken.

To demonstrate his sincerity, Isaac ordered his men to shoot arrows bearing the Green Mountain Act into several cities and withdrew the fleets patrolling the outskirts.

Initially, no one was willing to believe Isaac's assurances.

In the minds of the Muslims at that time, the name 'Isaac Palaiologos' was synonymous with the devil.

However, as time passed and they realized that there were no warships blocking their way, some daring Muslims began attempting to flee the city by sea.

They discovered that the decree was true.

Suddenly, several cities were in an uproar.

From morning to night, countless panicked residents headed to the port every day, taking whatever possessions they could carry and leaving their homes for an unknown destination.

This great migration lasted for nearly a month.

During that time, almost 10,000 Muslims set out on their journey across the Mediterranean Sea. Some successfully reached Tunis and Cairo, while others were attacked by pirates and perished at sea.

Although Isaac promised not to attack them, he did not guarantee their safety. Slave traders from Genoa and pirates from the Knights Hospitaller were quick to follow.

In the last week of October, the cities of Mardi and Bada surrendered one after another.

These two cities had small, inconveniently located ports and many Muslims were still stranded there.

After several rounds of negotiations, Isaac reached an agreement with the local forces of the two cities, allowing the Muslims to return to the Mamluk Sultanate by land. Isaac would provide them with food and water along the way.

Of course, this came at a price.

All property in the cities became Isaac's private property, and Muslims were not permitted to take anything with them.

Want to keep your property and land?

No problem — just convert to Orthodox Christianity.

Through Isaac's diplomatic maneuvering, several large commercial families announced their collective conversion to Orthodox Christianity and renounced their faith in Allah.

On 28 October, the merchants of Derna rose up in rebellion, opening the city gates and surrendering. The governor and the ulema fled by boat.

The entire Cyrenaica region was now left with only the lonely city of Bilinchi.

...

Clang!

An empty wine bottle was thrown to the ground and shattered.

Yusuf lay on the bed, surrounded by wine bottles and broken glass.

He stared blankly at the dim wall.

It was all over.

If the Mamluk reinforcements won, his territory would certainly be divided up, but he would probably still be able to keep Bilinchi and the surrounding area.

Now, though, he couldn't even save his own life, let alone his territory.

The Christians had offered a high reward for his head and the various factions in the city were keeping a close watch on the palace, preventing Yusuf from leaving.

If it weren't for his fear of his loyal and skilled bodyguards, they would already have taken action.

The city was in chaos. Rich merchants and ulemas, regardless of their own safety, begged for mercy and boarded early ships bound for Cairo, abandoning the city to its fate.

The army had scattered and the tribesmen had begun to loot the city. Some of the militiamen fled, while others joined the looters.

The Mamluk elite, who were treated like treasures, did not obey his orders. Not only did they fail to quell the unrest, they also occupied several neighborhoods and began collecting protection money.

Why...?

Despite his many efforts, he had failed time and time again.

Yusuf couldn't understand.

He was driven from the Sultan's throne, first to Cairo, then to Alexandria and finally to Bilinchi.

Time and again, he tried to rise up, only to be crushed.

Where could he escape to now?

Yusuf smiled bitterly.

There was a commotion outside the door.

A figure burst in, covered in blood and holding a knife in one hand and a severed head in the other.

"Marzia, have you killed your brother-in-law?"

Yusuf pointed at the severed head.

It belonged to the captain of his personal guard — a loyal old servant.

"The old man was stubborn and deserved to die."

Marzia said coldly.

"We have discussed it with several officials and decided to support your younger brother, Yergubai, the son of Barsi, as the new ruler, and to continue the resistance."

"What are you going to do?"

Yusuf smiled bitterly.

"Continue to resist?"

How could a ten-year-old child possibly do that?

"Are you prepared to abandon Allah?"

"That's none of your concern."

Marzia said coldly.

"Marzia, I've been good to you."

The deputy captain looked guilty and pressed his lips tightly together.

"That's exactly why they sent me here."

"There's a new master here. Please leave."

It was clear that Marzia did not want to kill Yusuf.

"Marzia, help me..."

Yusuf crawled up and fell heavily onto the floor.

He hadn't eaten anything for a long time, surviving only on the fermented grape juice his father had left him.

Using his weak arms, Yusuf propped himself up and crawled towards the armour rack.

He slowly stroked the armor that Sultan Balsabe had once worn, feeling every crack with his fingers.

With great effort, he put on piece after piece: the inner lining, the greaves, the breastplate and, finally, the helmet.

When he had finished, he sat down on the edge of the bed, panting heavily.

He fished his father's sword out of the glass shards and gazed at it fondly.

He drew the sword and stood up with all his might.

Marzia's eyes widened with fear, as if she had seen the former Sultan Balsabe, renowned for his glory.

Yusuf charged forward strangely, and Marzia instinctively raised her sword to block him.

Ssshhhh—

The sword easily pierced the damaged armor and stabbed Yusuf in the chest.

A look of relief flashed across his face.

He held Balasbe's sword in both hands.

"Give it to... Yergubai..."

Clang!

Marzia's face filled with terror. He dropped the sword and looked at the hand that had killed his ruler.

On 30 October 1448, Emir Yusuf of Bilinchi was killed by Marzia, the deputy commander of his rebel bodyguard. The city's factions then elected Balasbe's son — Yusuf's younger brother — the ten-year-old Yergubai, as the new emir.

That night, Yergubai renounced his title and surrendered to Isaac.

The next day, Isaac led his army into Bilinchi and accepted Yergubia's allegiance.

With that, the Cyrenaica War came to an end.

A total of over 60,000 troops were deployed by both sides and fierce battles were fought around Tobruk.

Due to the lack of large-scale defensive weaponry, casualties were heavy, with over 6,000 dead or wounded in the Sultani forces and over 15,000 in the Mamluk forces.

Through this war, Isaac eliminated the Mamluk threat from the east, reversed his strategic disadvantage and gained control of the strategically important fortified city of Tobruk.

However, the Mamluk commander, Ashraf, was quick to abandon the battlefield, fleeing eastward with the remaining elite Mamluk forces and local militias. They were met by a fleet and successfully returned to Matruh Port, denying Isaac the opportunity to annihilate the Mamluk elite.

By plundering the vast wealth of the Green Mountains, Isaac's coffers gradually filled up, providing him with sufficient funds to support his next move.

The only drawback was that, after this battle, the Venetians would surely have him in their sights.

Expanding the navy was urgent.

On 31 October 1448, Isaac established the Kingdom of Cyrenaica, making Bilinchi its capital.

On the same day, Emperor John VIII passed away suddenly, aged fifty-eight.

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