1444, Byzantium Resurrects

A group of horsemen galloped across the arid land to the south of Surt.

Judging by their clothing, the riders appeared to be local Bedouin tribesmen.

They surrounded a Bedouin nobleman, shielding him from any arrows that might be fired.

"Ahmed! Are the camels catching up?"

The young nobleman shouted to a rider beside him.

"No! They've probably been overtaken!"

The nobleman's eyes darkened.

This was to be expected. Camels were the main means of transport in the desert; they could carry people and goods, but they couldn't run fast.

The cavalry charged over a small hill and suddenly came upon a group of cavalrymen on the road ahead.

There were about 200 of them, clad in light armor and dark blue cloaks bearing the Cross of Constantine.

They were mainly armed with sabers, and some were equipped with maces and battle axes.

The cavalry were stationed on the road ahead, resting and waiting, clearly having been there for some time.

It was the Oak Corps cavalry, led by Knight Conte.

"Hussein of the Imran tribe! Surrender! We will spare your life!" Conte ordered the guide to shout.

Conte ordered the guide to shout.

Hussein and Ahmed exchanged glances.

"Should we split up and charge?"

Ahmed sighed.

"We have no choice but to try."

Over forty desert horses, driven by their riders" whips, split into two groups and charged to the left and right respectively.

The Occitan Corps remained motionless, watching with mocking smiles as the horses became trapped in a deadly battle.

Before they had travelled dozens of meters, the horses on both sides suddenly collapsed to the ground, whinnying in pain.

Their riders were thrown several meters away, some unconscious and others severely injured.

Horse-tripping ropes! "Damn it, Kafir..."

Hussein was lucky, landing on a grassy patch with only some scrapes.

Before he could finish cursing, a knight of Conte grabbed him by the hair and soldiers rushed forward to bind him tightly.

Then he saw Ahmed, who was in the same predicament.

Isaac rode his horse out from the side.

"Hussein, eldest son of the current Imran tribal sheikh."

Isaac whispered the information he had obtained from Urda.

"Unloved by his father, his position as heir was taken by his half-brother."

"It seems that your father really didn't like you. Otherwise, why would he send you to the dangerous depths of the desert to trade?"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, how pitiful."

Isaac shook his head.

"Shut up, Kafir!"

Ahmed shouted angrily.

"Ahmed is the son of the former Imran tribal chief, the nephew of the current chief and the cousin of Hussein. They grew up together."

Isaac continued to read.

"What are you? A league of losers?"

"What do you want to do to us? You know he doesn't like me, so you should know he won't pay anything for me," Hussein said.

Hussein said.

"I'm going to give you a chance."

Isaac said slowly.

"You two are both capable, and the camel caravan behind you has brought in a lot of loot. The stronghold you've established in that small oasis in the desert is also quite valuable."

"Convert to our faith, swear allegiance to me and I guarantee you'll split the Imran tribe equally. Everyone can become a new sheikh."

"You'll never have to endure your brother or uncle's mockery again. The tribal nobles who looked down on you yesterday will be begging at your feet tomorrow."

Isaac coaxed them.

"Shut up, kafir! We will not follow in the footsteps of the devil!"

Hussein shouted angrily.

Ahmed, who was standing nearby, remained silent.

He looked at the fierce army around him.

"Your Highness! I am willing to pledge allegiance to you! As long as you can help me regain the tribe that is rightfully mine!"

Ahmed shouted.

"You're mad, Ahmed!"

Hussein roared.

Ahmed ignored him.

Hussein twisted his body anxiously and crawled towards him.

Conte kicked him away.

He fell to the ground, moaning in pain.

Before he could lift his head, a sharp sword was pressed against his neck.

The cold blade slid lightly across his skin and Hussein couldn't help but swallow.

"Your father treated you so unfairly, yet you are still so foolish."

Isaac crouched down and stared coldly at Hussein, who was covered in cold sweat.

"Anyway, your cousin has already sworn allegiance to me. I don't need you."

"But think carefully. If you die, the whole tribe will belong to Ahmed."

Isaac looked at Hussein regretfully.

"Conte..."

"Sir..."

"Have you made up your mind?"

"After you conquer the tribe, please hand my brother and his mother over to me."

Hussein said through gritted teeth.

Isaac remained silent.

The soldiers stepped forward and untied Husayn.

He stood up and dusted himself off.

"Your Highness, I know of a secret path with a well that could provide supplies. It leads straight to the tribe and will reduce your losses."

Hussein reported.

Ahmed glared at Hussein.

They had discovered the path together and planned to use it to negotiate terms, but Hussein had revealed it prematurely.

"Fine, you'll get one hundred more tents when we divide the tribe."

Hussein was overjoyed.

Meanwhile, the soldiers untied the riders who had been tripped by horses and returned the less severely injured horses to them.

More than thirty people silently divided into two groups and stood beside Hussein and Ahmed.

Soon, Mehmed arrived with the camel caravan and the remaining troops.

Isaac counted the number of people who had participated in the battle.

The Occitan Regiment had 200 cavalrymen, the Purple Guard had 300, and the tribal auxiliaries numbered over 700.

"How many men does your father have?"

"Normally, he only has 100 regular guards. After you occupied the port, however, the number increased to 200. However, by mobilizing the various subordinate tribes, he can muster up to 2,000 cavalry and camel riders."

Ahmed interjected.

"Do any of the subordinate tribes support you?"

"Some do, but they can't compare to the Great Sheikh."

"Yes, as long as you can defeat Imran in one battle, the other small tribes will surrender."

"Lead the way."

"Yes!"

The two were overjoyed.

...

The Imran Oasis is located southwest of Surt.

This place is in a valley surrounded by several low mountains.

The terrain has formed a freshwater lake and patches of wet soil along it, which are rare in North Africa and can be used to grow crops.

Several small forests grow near the lake, where herders cultivate olive and fig trees as cash crops, which also help to prevent wind and sand erosion.

The Imran tribe lives here and leads a semi-nomadic, semi-sedentary lifestyle. The Imran Oasis is at the center of their territory, with numerous smaller tribes scattered around it.

During the busy season, these smaller tribes gather in Imran to trade, and the Imran tribe transports goods to Surt Port in exchange for valuable production materials and handicrafts.

The best part of the oasis belongs to the tribal sheikh, whose herds can graze on the most fertile pastures and drink the sweet lake water.

The entire tribe comprises more than 7,000 people, and in extreme cases, they can recruit 1,000 horsemen.

"That rebellious son hasn't come back yet?"

The Imran sheikh asked the young man below him angrily in the camp.

"Father, perhaps my dear brother has fled with the caravan to join another tribe?" The young man replied sarcastically.

"You fool..."

Imran, the tribal chief, suddenly began coughing violently and choking.

The young man handed his father a cup of wine.

"Father, you should take care of your health. The entire tribe depends on you."

Imran's face softened slightly.

"Don't worry. I will clear all obstacles for you before I die..."

A guard rushed in.

"Sheikh! The caravan is back!"

"It seems they brought back quite a lot!"

Everyone rushed outside.

Isaac looked around. The lake was surrounded by fertile fields and low hills suitable for grazing, and trees blocked the wind and sand. The natural conditions were excellent. It was indeed a good place.

The tribe's defenses were well organized. There were moats and sentries on the outside and arrow towers and palisades on the inside. A direct assault would result in heavy casualties.

Meanwhile, Ahmed and Hussein were negotiating with the tribal patrol cavalry in the distance. Everything seemed to be going well.

Meanwhile, the cavalry hid behind a small hill behind Isaac, blocking the enemy's view.

Imran, the Grand Sheikh, rode up on his camel and looked coldly at his good-for-nothing eldest son.

A guard of more than ten men followed him.

"Why are you back so late?"

"There were a lot of things to trade, so I went to a more distant tribe and was delayed."

"Hmph!"

Imran Shah turned his head away.

"Dear brother, you didn't go to the brothel in Jufra to fool around, did you? You're covered in cold sweat..."

"No, Haq, not everyone is like you. After all, your mother is from there."

"Shut up! Don't talk to your brother like that!"

Imran's face turned red with anger.

"Apologize to your brother!"

Imran thought his son would obey his orders as before.

But then he saw Hussein's twisted face.

"I still had a glimmer of hope..." "What did you say?"

"I said, "Good riddance.""

Hussein drew his Saber and cut off his father's head.

"Kill!"

Isaac swung his sword, and a group of cavalrymen crossed the hill and charged towards Imran's oasis.

Everyone was still reeling from Hussein's killing of his father and had not organized an effective defense.

"I am Imran's new sheikh! Kneel and surrender!"

Hussein shouted, raising his blood-stained head.

The Conte knights cavalry instantly broke through the enemy lines assembled in haste and charged into the tribe.

Hussein's younger brother, Bahadur, had just mounted a camel to flee when Conte caught up with him, kicked him off, and sent him crashing heavily to the ground.

Isaac and his bodyguards remained on the hill, watching silently as Imran raised his eagle flag.

The sentry posts, granaries, armory and large tents...

The enemy tribesmen still put up sporadic resistance, but they were scattered and ineffective.

By evening, Hussein and Ahmed had essentially taken control of the tribe, killing the nobles loyal to their father and brother. They brought the tribal chiefs who had acknowledged their authority to the hill and welcomed Isaac into the oasis.

Isaac entered the camp directly, took the seat of honor that Imran had occupied and accepted the tribal scepter that the knight Conte had handed to him.

His subordinates and Hussein's men stood on either side of him.

"I am Isaac Palaiologo, the new lord of Port Surt from the Roman Empire, and now the new master of the Imran Oasis."

"The former sheikh acted against the law and was killed by his own son, which was well deserved."

"Bring Nuhahqi and the other criminals forward."

Gazi pushed Nuhahqi, who was tied up, his mother and several noblemen loyal to him forward.

Nuhahqi"s mouth was covered, and he cried loudly, tears streaming down his face.

Isaac walked over, stepped on Nuhahqi"s neck and slashed at him with a knife.

His mother fainted on the spot.

"You promised me you would let me deal with him!"

Hussein shouted.

Isaac looked at him coldly.

Stared at by Isaac, Hussein broke out in a cold sweat and swallowed hard.

"I'm sorry, my prince..."

"That woman is yours."

Isaac pointed at Bu Hai's mother.

"Ahmed, kill the rest. Their families and servants are all my spoils of war."

Isaac waved his hand, deciding the fate of the criminals.

He had originally planned to hand the tribe over to Hussein and Ahmed, but he hadn't expected the conditions here to be so favorable. Allowing the Bedouins to graze their animals would simply be a waste of resources.

Therefore, he had to adjust his plan.

"Notify all the subordinate tribes and demand that they come to meet their new lord."

"Yes!"

Isaac stayed in the Imran Oasis for a week while he waited for all the subordinate tribes to arrive.

On 1 September 1446, he held a meeting with the Imran tribe's sheikhs.

As these tribes were smaller than Isaac's army, they did not dare to resist.

Everyone acknowledged Isaac's right to rule Imran.

Isaac renamed Imran "Saint Joseph".

Around half of the tribal sheikhs declared their allegiance to the Lord and converted to true faith, while the others hesitated and refused to convert.

Isaac had no interest in dealing with these minor figures at that time.

Once everything was settled, he wouldn't need to lift a finger to deal with them.

The tribal sheikhs came forward one by one to pledge their allegiance to him.

These people were very pragmatic. If he continued to grow stronger, they would obey him.

"Hussein, Ahmed, come forward."

The two men stepped forward in response.

"Hussein, I grant you the 700 tents of the former Imran tribe in recognition of your achievements."

"You may graze your herds on the grasslands to the west of Saint Joseph's Land. Pay taxes in times of peace and provide troops in times of war."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

He was slightly disappointed.

"Ahmed, I grant you the 600 tents of the former Imran tribe as a reward for your service."

"You may graze your herds in the south of Saint Joseph's Land and you may keep the oasis you have cultivated."

"To the south, as far as Jufra, all the grazing land you can occupy will belong to you."

"Yes!"

Ahmed exclaimed.

The two men and their followers were baptized and, at least in name, became true Christians.

"Gazi!"

"Yes!"

The Seljuk nobleman from Dobruja stepped forward and knelt respectfully before Isaac.

"I appoint you as governor of Saint Joseph. I grant you two hundred tents from the former Imran tribe and permission for your original one thousand people to migrate here and engage in both herding and farming. The eastern grasslands will also serve as your pastures."

You must reconcile conflicts between the tribes, coordinate the distribution of resources and pastures, and develop the arable land in the oases.

In times of peace, you shall pay taxes; in times of war, you shall follow me into battle.

"It is my honor!"

Gazi was very excited.

Finally, with His Highness's blessing, the Dobrogians had found a place to settle down.

After the migration, there would surely be less opposition.

Isaac handed the governor's scepter to Gazi and pinned the insignia on his chest.

"I will continue to fight against those who do not obey. Bring the people and livestock you brought with you and follow me."

Isaac issued his final orders to the sheikhs.

Over the next few weeks, Isaac swept through the areas around Surt, capturing several large wells and oases, eliminating rivals and placing trusted allies in key positions. He also spread the gospel of God.

Meanwhile, news arrived from Europe that the Albanian national hero Skanderbeg had once again defeated the Ottoman army at Otone, with both sides agreeing to a ceasefire and retreating.

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