1444, Byzantium Resurrects

The battle raged from midnight until dawn.

The remaining soldiers in the Ottoman siege camp knelt dejectedly on the ground, awaiting their fate.

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, the Janissary corps under the city walls retreated, leaving their comrades who had already climbed the walls to fight alone.

Even so, the Janissaries fought fiercely and inflicted heavy casualties on Constantine's army.

Soon after, Ibrahim's infantry arrived on the battlefield, and with fresh troops joining the fray, the tide of battle began to turn in favor of the Eastern Romans.

The remaining Janissaries began to despair, and one after another, they threw down their weapons and surrendered to Constantine.

In fact, this battle mainly broke the siege of the eastern city walls and did not cause too many casualties.

Isaac did not pursue the fleeing central guard and Janissaries.

He simply did not have the ability to do so.

When the last group of Janissaries surrendered to the Eastern Roman Empire, the cavalry brought by Isaac all breathed a sigh of relief, jumped off their horses, and collapsed on the ground.

They had been racing since noon and had charged twice.

Not to mention the men, even the horses couldn't take it anymore.

Isaac instructed Conte to take care of the exhausted soldiers, then climbed the city wall and found Constantine, who was covered in blood and standing with his sword in hand.

"Father, how are you?"

Isaac asked with concern.

"I'm fine. Thank goodness you made it in time."

Constantine smiled weakly.

"You're truly my son. You're so brave to charge straight into the Ottoman camp."

"If it weren't for you holding back the Ottoman main force, we wouldn't have succeeded so easily."

Isaac said.

Constantine waved his hand.

"Never mind, go rest first. The Ottomans may attack again."

Isaac shook his head.

"Father, the Ottomans won't attack again."

"Oh? Why are you so sure?"

If it were 1451, after Mehmed II's second reign, Isaac would have been certain that the enemy would not give up.

They lost this time, but next time they would break through Corinth's defenses with more troops.

If the Ottomans launched a full-scale attack, he would be completely unable to withstand them.

The Ottomans were not without tactical failures. Timur, Skanderbeg, Hunyadi, and even Constantine had all defeated Ottoman armies in battle.

However, their strategic position was too advantageous, allowing them to lose many times. The more they lost, the stronger they became; the more they fought, the braver they grew.

Fortunately, the current Ottoman leaders are the incompetent middle-aged Murad II and his peace-seeking faction led by Grand Vizier Khalil.

There is a very strange phenomenon in the Ottoman cabinet.

The pure-blooded Turkic traditional nobility did not want to fight, fearing that it would provoke a coalition of Western European countries, leading to a protracted war that would harm their interests.

On the contrary, the former Christians led by Zagan Pasha were very enthusiastic about expansion and firmly supported the destruction of Constantinople's defenses and the elimination of all pagan forces.

Murad II himself favored Khalil Pasha and promoted him to Grand Vizier.

According to official history, after Murad II invaded the Isthmus of Corinth, he merely plundered it extensively and surprisingly abandoned direct occupation, returning the territory to Constantine.

With insufficient military supplies and equipment, and having suffered such a defeat, Murad II was likely to send envoys to negotiate peace.

After all, Murad II had other troubles to deal with besides the disobedient Byzantine Empire.

If the situation dragged on, the small countries of Eastern Europe would likely start to rebel.

As expected, the next day, envoys arrived from Murad II's camp with a message.

The conditions were quite simple.

First, return all the territories occupied by the Grand Duke of Athens.

Second, release all the captured soldiers.

Third, the Eastern Roman Empire will remain a vassal state of the Ottoman Empire and pay tribute every year.

Fourth, pay 50,000 ducats in compensation.

"The first three conditions are negotiable, but we can't possibly come up with 50,000 ducats."

Constantine's face turned grim.

"Who among you is willing to negotiate with the Ottomans?"

Constantine looked at the generals sitting below him and finally turned to his beloved son Isaac.

Why are you looking at me? I'd rather die than go.

The Ottomans loved to take the heirs of vassal states as hostages in order to interfere in their internal affairs.

Many Eastern European warriors, such as Skanderbeg, Grand Duke Stefan, and Vlad III the Impaler, had done this dishonorable job and spent their days in the Sultan's palace.

Isaac lowered his head and refused to look at Constantine's eyes.

"In that case, we can first reach a ceasefire agreement, and the specific terms of the treaty will be negotiated by the Constantinople side."

Constantine passed the buck to his own brother.

In the following days, Isaac continued to urge all units to remain on high alert to prevent the Ottomans from reneging on the agreement.

On 30 April 1446, news arrived from Constantinople that the treaty had been concluded.

The emperor accepted the first two suggestions of the Ottomans in their entirety and finally agreed to pay 10,000 ducats in tribute each year.

In addition, the 20,000 war reparations had to be paid immediately.

It was estimated that the emperor would have to borrow money from Latin merchants again.

On 10 May 1446, after receiving 20,000 ducats, the Ottomans marched northwest to the Albanian border.

They plundered Athens, almost reducing this historic city to ruins.

Fortunately, Isaac had the foresight to move most of the population and wealth south of the Great Wall.

Upon receiving news of the Ottoman withdrawal, Isaac finally breathed a sigh of relief.

This was the first time in his life that he had changed the course of history.

The printing press and the West African expedition were events that were bound to happen anyway, but Isaac had simply beaten them to the punch.

Only in the Battle of the Corinthian Wall did Isaac have no certainty of victory and no knowledge of how history would unfold.

Fortunately, through his own efforts, he managed to achieve a relatively favorable outcome.

In the Battle of the Corinthian Wall, the Ottomans lost 8,000 troops and a fleet.

The Eastern Roman Empire lost over 5,000 men, mostly conscripted farmers and militia from nearby villages.

John VIII and Constantine both sent commendations to Isaac, praising his actions and granting him his own prince's guard.

But that was all.

At that moment, the emperor was anxious about the debts owed by Latin merchants, and Constantine had exhausted the treasury for the previous wars.

Isaac understood the Eastern Roman Empire was struggling to cope with its own problems and could hardly offer him any substantial help.

The compensation for the seriously wounded and dead soldiers of the various legions of the guard, the distribution of military pay and rewards, the replenishment of the various legions, and the promotion and punishment of soldiers were all in a mess.

Isaac's military command system was relatively well-developed, but his finances, diplomacy, politics, and military supplies were almost completely neglected.

Changes had to be made.

On 11 May 1446, Isaac, escorted by the Grand Duke of Morea, set off for Constantinople, which he had not seen for a long time.

Isaac did not take his army with him, but stationed them in Morea, gave the soldiers leave, and waited for reinforcements while beginning preparations to form the Second Legion of the Imperial Guard, recruiting all of its members from Morea, Corinth, and other places.

Returning to the imperial capital after more than a year, Isaac felt a little dazed.

Compared to when he left, the atmosphere in the city was even worse.

The emperor was heavily promoting the victory at the Great Wall of Corinth, but few responded.

They only knew that the emperor had borrowed money from the Latin merchants again to pay the war reparations.

At the same time, the annual tribute to the Ottomans increased again.

The emperor had no money and could only collect taxes from them. The Greek districts were even poorer, while the Venetian immigrant district and the Genoese colony of Galata were more prosperous.

The Latin merchants were like leeches, sucking the empire dry and feeding themselves.

Isaac ignored the cold and deserted harbor and market and headed straight for the Grand Palace.

The statue of Justinian still stood beside the palace, overlooking the entire city.

Isaac once again entered the council chamber of his uncle, John VIII.

He walked solemnly forward and knelt down to pay his respects.

"Your Majesty, I have returned."

"It is good that you have returned."

Isaac raised his head and looked at his uncle.

In just one year, John VIII seemed to have aged ten years.

His prominent cheekbones were even more pronounced, and his cloudy eyes tried to show a hint of joy at Isaac's return.

However, prolonged fatigue and despair seemed to have robbed him of his ability to smile, and in the end, his aged face twisted into a grimace.

His grey hair and beard had been hastily trimmed, and patches of stubble poked through the dry, cracked skin.

Isaac felt a chill run down his spine.

This diligent but unsuccessful Basilius was approaching the end of his life.

Isaac looked around. The empty hall contained only the two men.

"Child, I have heard of your efforts for the empire in the West. To be honest, if it were me, I would not have been so decisive and wise."

"Your Majesty..."

John waved his hand.

"You helped the empire greatly at the Great Wall of Corinth, but the empire has nothing to give you in return."

"This is what I will do: from now on, you may take all the books belonging to the royal family and keep them in your printing house."

"In addition, I grant you permission to recruit any number of guards, but the empire will not be responsible for their food and pay."

"You mentioned in your previous letter that you lack management talent. I will have Sphranx help you recruit."

"I will confer upon you the title of Despot, ruling over all the lands you expand."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Isaac expressed his gratitude.

Then, John VIII took Isaac to visit the Empress Dowager, the Empress, and the elders of the Palaiologos family and its affiliated families.

After all this was over, Isaac left the Grand Palace and went to find George Sphranx.

This Sphranx was the last of the Eastern Roman Empire's capable ministers, the right-hand man of John VIII and a good friend and mentor to Constantine.

Since the emperor fell ill, Sphranx had been struggling to hold the empire together.

Isaac met this pillar of the empire in Sphranx's study.

He looked healthy, dressed simply, and was strong and powerful.

His kind smile and cold eyes allowed him to navigate between the Latin merchants and the conservative nobles of the Eastern Roman Empire, while calmly analyzing the essence of the situation and maintaining stability in the capital.

"Isaac, long time no see, you've grown up!"

Sphranx put down his pen and said cheerfully when he saw Isaac come in.

"Everyone has been through a lot this year, my dear George."

"This year, merchants, priests, citizens, you have all worked hard."

Isaac clapped his hands and a servant handed him the gifts.

"These are ivory sculptures and pearl products from the coast of West Africa. I hope you like them."

George took them and played with them for a long time.

"The empire belongs to all Roman citizens, and we all have a responsibility to protect it."

After chatting for a while, Isaac got down to business.

"George, I am currently expanding the empire's territory overseas and am in urgent need of talent. Are there any trustworthy young people in the empire?"

Sphranx smiled.

"Of course, there are many who want to apply for jobs through me. Apart from a few spoiled brats who are just waiting to die, there are still some who are willing to serve the empire. I can't guarantee how capable they are, but at least they are absolutely loyal."

"I have already informed them of your message. They will visit your residence tonight."

Isaac thanked him and took his leave.

He still had a lot to do during his trip to the capital.

Isaac first went to the blacksmith district and found the largest blacksmith's shop in the area.

Isaac took out a drawing and handed it to the blacksmith.

He was a Genoese and did not give Isaac a second glance because of his identity.

"The curved sword itself is not difficult to make, but are you sure you want to use such good materials and engrave so many words?"

The old blacksmith was very puzzled.

Noblemen would sometimes have decorative swords made to show their status, but the weapon on this drawing was clearly designed for war.

"How many? Really fifty?"

"Yes."

The old master shook his head, thinking Isaac was some kind of spendthrift.

"Come back in ten days and bring enough money."

Isaac then paid a visit to Miloto, the magistrate of Venice, to thank him for his support and present him with some specialties from West Africa.

After that, Isaac sent people to move part of the royal library's collection onto the Grand Duke's ship, the Moriah.

He was busy until late at night.

In the evening, Isaac received a group of ambitious young men who had come to apply for jobs.

At the head was Isult, the cousin of George Sforza, also from the Sforza family.

There were seventeen in total, representing various fields of expertise.

Isult, who studied law at the University of Constantinople; Riddle, who studied business at the University of Florence; Andronica, who came from a branch of the Palaiologos family and had trained in martial arts since childhood...

There was also Lancelot, who studied engineering, and Albert, who was fluent in eight languages.

They basically covered all the important positions and included people from all families and social classes.

It seems that Sphranx has put in a lot of effort and conducted a thorough investigation.

After reviewing them, he was generally satisfied.

All of them were retained.

There was no other choice; there was a severe shortage of basic management talent, and currently, everything was being held together by the people under Andre's command.

Since they were willing to leave the comfortable capital and head to the barren frontier, they must have some idealistic motives.

If it doesn't work out, they can always be replaced.

Isaac invited them to dinner.

At the dinner table, Isaac briefly explained his situation to them.

Everyone listened and felt excited.

They began to discuss the matter animatedly.

Their initially reserved attitudes gradually relaxed.

Isaac did not join the discussion, quietly sipping his wine.

Once these people joined his team, he could delegate some of the mundane tasks and free up more time for more important matters.

The victory at the Battle of the Corinthian Wall marked the conclusion of his previous plan.

After a year and a half of effort, he had built a considerable force from nothing.

Where should he go next?

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