1444, Byzantium Resurrects

On the vast Atlantic Ocean, strong winds swept across the waves as a fleet of ships sailed southwest.

The fleet appeared to be composed of two forces. At the front were four caravels flying the flag of the Kingdom of Portugal, which was white with red borders and five small blue shields arranged in a cross.

The two ships following behind bear the purple double-headed eagle.

Several transport ships bring up the rear.

Isaac sits in the cabin of the Grand Duke of Moriah, struggling to suppress his seasickness as he forces himself to write a few letters.

One was addressed to his father, Constantine, instructing him to keep an eye on the progress of the Ottoman army's mobilization and to immediately abandon the Athens region and retreat to the Corinthian Wall if he detected any large-scale military movements.

In addition, Isaac urged Constantine to give up his illusions and evacuate the people of Athens and Thebes as soon as possible.

One was addressed to Pope Eugene IV, thanking him for his support of the printing press and explaining his charitable work in Montpellier.

Isaac revealed everything about his expedition, claiming that he had undertaken it to "spread the gospel of Christ" and asking the pope to recognize his achievements.

This was also to prevent Portugal from reneging on its agreement, although the likelihood of that was close to zero.

The last letter was sent to Grand Master Andrew, who was in charge of trade affairs in Montferrat.

The letter first praised Lothair's efforts and hinted that he would be given a higher position in the future.

It then briefly explained the current focus of the trading company.

Apart from dividends, all funds in the public accounts would be used to expand the fleet. Since the first trial voyage had achieved good results, they should go ahead with it.

The Ottomans were like a temporarily wounded wolf, gradually licking the wounds of 1444 and waiting to bear their fangs.

In the original timeline, Murad II decided in 1446 to punish Constantinople for its "aggression" and launched a large-scale offensive.

They invaded the Isthmus of Corinth and returned with more than 60,000 prisoners.

With Isaac's advance preparations, would the Corinthian Wall be able to withstand the Ottoman iron hooves?

Time was running out.

"Tell Kerman and Ibrahim to remain vigilant at all times, not to underestimate the enemy, not to be greedy for small gains, and to withdraw immediately at the slightest sign of trouble."

"May you be in good health, and may the empire live forever."

Isaac put down his pen and smiled wryly at his ugly handwriting on the ship.

The letters were crooked, but the emotions were genuine.

Once he reached the Madeira Islands, he would send these letters.

Isaac looked out the window and saw the vague outline of the islands on the horizon.

A cheer rose from the sailors on the deck.

They had finally arrived.

The Madeira Islands were a Portuguese colony in the Atlantic Ocean, where a small town had been established to supply and repair passing exploration ships.

The fleet stayed in Madeira for a day to replenish their fresh water and food supplies.

Isaac handed the letters to the governor of the island and asked him to find a way to send them back to Lisbon.

Isaac and Captain Fernando discussed the matter and decided to give the sailors a good rest to relieve their tension.

Early the next morning, the sailors who had spent the night on the island returned to the fleet.

South of Madeira, they would have to pass through a vast area of headwinds, with barren coastlines resembling the Sahara Desert.

This place was once known as the end of the world and deterred many adventurous ships.

After taking roll call, the fleet set sail.

They expected to arrive at the Canary Islands in a day to resupply and then continue their exploration of the West African coast.

Isaac glanced at the rough map but couldn't make much sense of it. Feeling dizzy, he went to his cabin to rest early.

A day later, the fleet arrived at Tijjane, the capital of the Canary Islands.

Although the journey was bumpy, there were no major incidents along the way.

The Kingdom of the Canary Islands is located southwest of Morocco and is currently ruled by the French explorer Jean de Bézencourt.

Jean de Bézencourt discovered and conquered this archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean in 1404 and submitted to Castile.

The island has few indigenous inhabitants and average natural conditions. Bézencourt relocated some people here to live as a forward base for Castile in the south.

Before the development of tourism, the islands had little economic value.

After De Bézencourt's death, his nephew had no desire to inherit this territory far from the European continent and sold it directly to the Portuguese.

This incident also led to a dispute between Portugal and Castile.

Of course, these are all afterthoughts and have nothing to do with Isaac.

Now, Isaac was planning to acquire a seaport in the Canary Islands as a staging ground for his empire's plundering of West Africa.

At that time, the Canary Islands Kingdom's center of power was mainly on Gran Canaria, with several large islands to the east also inhabited.

The islands to the west were completely undeveloped, with only a small number of indigenous people living a very primitive life.

Isaac set his sights on La Palma Island, located west of Gran Canaria.

The island had a mild climate and rich vegetation, with a huge crater ten kilometers in diameter at its center and fertile soil suitable for growing crops.

The island's rugged terrain made it an ideal location for a large castle, easy to defend and difficult to attack.

The Kingdom of the Canary Islands nominally held sovereignty over the island, but aside from the indigenous people, it was completely barren.

At that time, West Africa had not yet been fully developed, and the Canary Islands did not hold the strategic importance they would later acquire. The Spanish merely regarded them as a base for exploration.

Therefore, there was no immediate need to worry about the wrath of the Castilians.

The more Isaac thought about it, the more feasible the plan seemed.

"Lothair, go find Desenbeko and sound him out."

Isaac sent Lothair away and took Fidel and Maruna for a tour of the port of Tijice.

It was an ordinary port town, mostly populated by Spaniards, with a small number of French and indigenous people.

Although small, the port had everything it needed, including a church, a market, a blacksmith's shop, and a slaughterhouse.

If there was anything distinctive about it, it was probably the large number of ship repair shops and brothels, which were typical of a coastal town.

A servant reported that Desenbeko had invited Isaac to come forward for a chat.

Isaac took Fidel with him and, led by the servant, went to Desenbeko's back garden.

"Help yourself to something to eat, prince from afar."

Desenbeko invited Isaac to join him for afternoon tea.

The food was quite sumptuous, typical French afternoon tea, with bread spread with jam, honey cakes, and a bottle of wine from Burgundy.

He seemed to know how to enjoy himself.

Isaac didn't hesitate and picked up his knife and fork and began to eat heartily.

Desenbeko watched Isaac wolf down his food.

After a while, Isaac swallowed the last piece of bread and sighed contentedly.

"Thank you for the hospitality, dear Majesty. Since leaving Lisbon, I haven't had such a sumptuous afternoon tea in a long time."

Desenbeko shrugged.

"I heard you want to build a port in the west and move here to keep me company?"

"Yes."

Isaac admitted generously.

They were both old foxes, so there was no need to beat around the bush.

Desenbeko poured himself a glass of wine.

"How do you plan to deal with the Spanish?"

"They're too busy right now. In a few years, or a decade, they'll come with their fleet and take everything you've worked so hard to build."

Isaac wasn't too worried.

Things were bad in Iberia right now. The reconquest was not yet complete, and Castile was far from being the powerful Spanish empire it would one day become.

By the time they resolved their internal strife and turned their attention to the ocean, decades would have passed.

Who would be stronger then?

Isaac did not answer Desenbeko question, but smiled at him.

"Which island have you set your sights on?"

"La Palma."

Desenbeko thought carefully.

"That volcanic island? What are you going to do there?"

The next day, Isaac got his wish and planted the purple double-headed eagle flag on the soil of La Palma. The price was 1,000 gold ducats.

"Your Highness, although this place is barren, the soil quality and marine resources are excellent, and it can support a large population."

Lothair grabbed a handful of volcanic ash-rich soil and stamped his feet on the soft ground.

Isaac planned to build a port town here, requiring no financial support, as long as it could be self-sufficient.

"Lothair, return to Lisbon immediately and find Conte. Have him bring the refugees here to settle."

"Here are 1,000 ducats. You may send people to slave markets across the land to purchase Slavic slaves. They must be Orthodox Christians."

"Yes!"

This was the first time he had been entrusted with such an important task, and Lothair was extremely excited.

In Isaac's plan, a population of 5,000 would be sufficient for this transit town, if the island could sustain itself.

Although the island had favorable water and heat conditions and fertile soil, its rugged mountains and limited coastal plains made further development costly.

The indigenous people fled inland in panic upon seeing Isaac's large ships.

When Conte arrived, he would have to clean things up.

After two more days of repairs, Captain Fernando sent a word to Isaac to continue the expedition.

The fleet bid farewell to the Canary Islands and continued south.

The coast became more desolate, and the waves more violent.

That night, a strong wind blew across the sea.

Waves several meters high crashed violently against the ship's hull, and the wind whipped up a torrential rain. In the distant sky, lightning flashed.

Isaac struggled out of the cabin door.

On the deck, Captain Fidel ran around, shouting orders.

"Lower the sails! Hurry up, you bastard!"

"Gunner! Check the cannon bolts! Do you want to see this heavy metal frame fly at you?"

"First mate! Go check the water level in the hold. Don't let our food get flooded!"

Seeing Isaac come out, Fidel hurriedly supported him.

Fidel shouted at Isaac.

"Your Highness, please go into the hold. I'll take command here!"

"Captain, how are the other ships? I can't see anything!"

Isaac also shouted, trying to drown out the sound of the wind and thunder.

"We've been separated! Our general position is still correct, but we can confirm that two transport ships have been capsized!"

"The Saint Nicholas is also gone, blown away by the wind!"

Squeak—la—

A mast snapped and crashed heavily onto the deck.

A wave crashed in, and a sailor lost his footing and collided with Fidel, who was thrown into the air, half his body hanging in midair, clinging desperately to the ship's rail.

Isaac rushed over and pulled him up with all his strength.

Isaac looked around at the sailors. Some were repairing the deck, some were desperately trying to secure the cannons, and many more were crying and pulling out crosses to pray.

A nameless fire burned in Isaac's heart.

Without a word, he hugged the fallen mast and began to push it to a safe location.

The mast was soaked with water and very heavy, and the deck was covered with water, making it impossible to get a grip. Isaac couldn't move it at all.

Fidel ran over and helped him lift the mast.

"Your Highness, I..."

The sail rope chief walked up guiltily and apologized for his mistake.

Isaac forced a smile at him.

"Belisarius never scolds soldiers who make mistakes for the first time."

"Your Highness..." The sail rope chief was clearly very moved.

Come on, what are you standing there for? Quick, come and give us a hand! "What are you standing there for? Come and help us!"

Fidel shouted.

The sail rigger hurriedly picked up the mast.

Gradually, more and more people ran towards Isaac and helped their prince overcome the difficulty.

The second mate, the gunner, the sergeant, then the sailors, the gunners, and even the cooks...

Finally, even the Genoese crossbowmen joined in under Maruna's orders.

One, two, three, lift!

The heavy mast was lifted and everyone worked together to secure it.

The sailors cheered.

"Your Highness, please return to your cabin. I'll take care of this."

Fidel was panting heavily.

"No, I..."

Another wave crashed over the ship, and Isaac lost his footing, slamming into the ship's rail.

Before losing consciousness, Isaac saw everyone on the ship running towards him, their faces filled with anxiety.

...

When he woke up, Isaac was lying on a soft bed.

Captain Fidel saw that Isaac had woken up and hurriedly handed him a cup of water.

He drank it in one gulp.

"Captain, where are we?"

"Your Highness, we are now on the Portuguese island of Gre. Shortly after you fainted, the storm subsided, and Captain Fernando found us and brought us here."

Then Fidel lowered his head.

"We were unable to contact the St. Nicholas."

Isaac shook his head and pushed open the door with Fidel's support.

As soon as he stepped outside, dozens of eyes turned toward Isaac.

The sailors were all waiting for their prince.

Isaac looked at them and noticed that there were significantly fewer familiar faces than before they had set sail.

They hadn't survived the storm.

But the sailors who had survived had been baptized by the storm, and their demeanor was noticeably different.

Isaac spoke slowly.

"Yesterday, we experienced a natural disaster unlike anything we had ever seen before. We lost many dear friends and compatriots, and we were almost buried in the vast ocean."

Many people in the crowd had tears in their eyes.

"Many of you may not understand why I would risk our lives, even our very existence, on this journey."

Isaac paused.

"I promise you, we will return with a bountiful harvest. We will bring gold and slaves back to our homeland. We will return to our homeland with legends and glory."

"We will make the women admire us and the priests bless us,"

"We will make the Venetians who looked down on us look at us with envy, and we will make the Ottomans who hated us gnash their teeth!"

"I hope that when you are old, sitting around the fireplace telling your descendants about your glorious past, you will be able to proudly say to them,"

"I followed the prince of Rome to the land of gold, in the name of God, to fight in all directions!"

"Long live Rome! Glorious Rome and the Roman people shall live forever!"

The crowd fell silent.

Someone in the crowd raised their hands and shouted.

"Long live Rome!"

Gradually, the voices grew louder, and more and more sailors joined in the chant.

The sound pierced the sky, shattering the clouds, and echoed across the land known as the Golden Coast.

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