1444, Byzantium Resurrects

"Quick! All troops, advance! Leave the elite troops on the opposite side behind!"

Isaac spurred his horse and raised his sword high.

The flag bearer waved the signal flag and, instantly, the infantry formations in the center and on the left wing ended their defensive maneuvers and charged towards the enemy center under their commanders' guidance.

Meanwhile, Mehmed's cavalry were pursuing the enemy's scattered left wing. Flames divided the ranks and thick smoke rolled through the formation, temporarily cutting off communication.

The plan was to deploy the infantry to destroy the enemy's main force, wait for Mehmed to recover and then use the momentum to charge the enemy's formation and achieve complete victory.

This depended on Isaac's infantry holding back the enemy's center.

In the center of the camp, King Abdullah looked helplessly in the direction that Adnan Sheikh had left.

The left and right wings had completely collapsed, and although his center was elite, it no longer had the advantage in numbers or morale.

The 1,200 infantrymen forming the army in front of him were the result of several generations of his family's blood, sweat and tears.

Professional armorers, weaponsmiths and instructors had transformed these slaves into a fearsome army.

It was with this army that he had risen above the other sheikhs to become supreme king.

And today...

"The front ranks, form a line to block the enemy. The cavalry will retreat with me."

He spoke these words slowly, as if drained of all strength.

"We will die for His Majesty!"

The commander of the front ranks shouted before mounting his warhorse and moving forward to take control of the formation.

"Hold your ground! Hold your ground!"

At the forefront were the vanguard infantry of the First Legion of the Imperial Guard. Originally intended to defend against possible cavalry charges, they were equipped with spears and chain mail, and were now using them as a spearhead to pierce the enemy's formation.

Clang!

The spears struck the shields, making a piercing sound.

The two sides engaged in battle and began to fight fiercely.

After the initial rush, the Imperial Guards quickly found themselves in a desperate struggle.

The enemy army advanced and retreated in an orderly manner, attacking and defending with restraint — a far cry from the ordinary conscripted tribesmen.

At one point, the Imperial Guards were even pushed back.

"Kill! For Rome!"

Mikhail roared, clad in heavy armor and wearing a helmet that covered his face, as he led his guards straight into the fray.

Blood spattered everywhere and limbs flew as both sides fought with blind fury, heedless of anything else; their sole focus was on plunging their swords into their enemies' chests and smashing their skulls with iron hammers.

Just as the battle was reaching a stalemate, the Purple Guard's infantry arrived and charged into the enemy ranks from the side.

Meanwhile, the Black Battalion ignored the fleeing Ad southerners and charged straight at the Kingdom's regular army from the other side.

Under this three-pronged attack, the enemy, though exceptionally brave, gradually began to retreat.

"The king has fled! We are defeated!"

Isaac ordered someone to shout in the local Arabic dialect.

The soldiers turned around and saw that the cavalry reinforcements had fled, leaving only their own army isolated on the battlefield.

"Lay down your weapons and surrender immediately!"

More and more voices began ringing in the ears of the enemy soldiers.

Clang!

A young, fearful face dropped the knife in his hand.

He was beheaded by a small squad leader with a single stroke of his sword.

"Death to those who mention surrender!"

Whoosh!

Before the words had finished being spoken, an arrow struck the squad leader in the throat. He staggered and fell, collapsing in the sand.

Meanwhile, in the Purple Guard formation, Hakan fired several arrows, shooting down some of the fiercest soldiers.

He shook his powerful bow with satisfaction; the Baileo tribe crest on it shone even brighter.

"We surrender!"

An enemy soldier shouted, throwing down his weapon and kneeling on the ground.

Gradually, more and more enemy soldiers began to surrender. After the last of the diehards had been cleared out, the battle came to an end.

Isaac spurred his horse forward and rode straight to the battlefield, where the victorious soldiers looked eagerly at their lord.

Isaac smiled slightly.

"Soldiers of Rome, I am proud of you. After the war, all those who have distinguished themselves will be rewarded."

Meanwhile, the sound of hooves rang out as Mehmed led a group of prisoners with their hands tied together and dragged along the ground, begging for mercy.

The cavalry battle had also ended.

They dismounted and knelt on one knee.

"Your Highness, we were unable to catch up with the fleeing King Abdullah."

"These are all the tribal nobles we captured."

Isaac helped Mehmed up and patted him on the shoulder.

"I saw that. That foolish king was very decisive. He abandoned his vanguard." "It's not your fault."

Isaac turned his head and looked at the soldiers.

"Return to camp! Let's celebrate our victory!"

...

That day, the soldiers enjoyed a delicious meal of camel meat.

Isaac went around distributing his treasured wine to them.

Clearing up the battlefield, tending to the wounded, taking stock of losses and capturing prisoners were all troublesome tasks, so Isaac simply ignored them.

It was better to drink and be merry.

After drinking with his soldiers until midnight, he returned to the camp and fell asleep.

The war was over and there were no local forces left to drive Isaac away.

The fatigue of the past few days and the joy of victory overwhelmed him, leaving him feeling exhausted.

He had sweet dreams.

His snoring continued until noon the next day.

The soldiers on patrol heard him and covered their faces, laughing.

Then Isaac rushed out of his tent, chose a campfire at random and sat down on the ground beside it.

He grabbed the meat roasting on the fire and stuffed it into his mouth.

The soldiers eating nearby stared in amazement.

After finishing his meal, it was time to get down to business.

"Send word! All officers, report to my council chamber immediately!"

Isaac ordered his bodyguards.

Soon, the commanders of various legions entered Isaac's tent and saw him sitting on the main seat.

He waved his hand, motioning for everyone to sit down.

"Your Highness, the battlefield has been cleared and the casualties on both sides are still being counted."

Mikhail spoke first.

"We'll discuss that later. What about the remnants of the enemy army?"

"Most of the enemy cavalry and camel riders have been lost. Some of the remaining soldiers have surrendered and the rest have fled south."

"Part of Adnan's army has fled to the Maber Green Oasis. Their intentions are unclear for now, but it seems they intend to hold their ground."

"King Abdullah has not returned to the Maber Green Oasis, and his whereabouts are unknown."

Isaac pondered for a moment.

"In that case, let us gather our forces and head to the foot of Mabr City to see what Adnan has to say."

"Send our vassal tribes to deliver a message saying that Adnan has rebelled, Fatiye has been killed in battle and the king has been defeated and is missing."

"Let's put pressure on them."

Everyone took their orders and left.

The Maber Oasis was strategically important and had to be captured.

A small tribe could be negotiated with, but if they had any other intentions, the fate of King Abdullah, who was now fleeing in panic, would be theirs.

On 11 November 1446, Isaac gathered his troops and set off for the oasis.

En route, he continued to take in defeated soldiers and place them in prisoner-of-war camps. These prisoners would later be handed over to Eldosh and the allied tribes that had participated in the battle would receive some of them.

Upon arriving at the oasis, Isaac set up camp and sent envoys into the city with a letter. The letter contained only a few cold words:

Surrender or die.

Given his overwhelming victory, he was forcing Maber to surrender.

These tribes were tough and would not respond to kindness.

He then ordered his entire cavalry force to spread out and intercept any merchants trying to enter the city. They were to control the traffic arteries and seal off the entire city.

He was straightforward and direct in expressing his attitude.

That night, Adnan sent his son Murdar to Isaac's camp to negotiate terms.

Isaac sat high on his throne, with the vassal tribes to his left and the legion commanders to his right.

"I offer my most sincere respects, great Prince Isaac."

Murdar lowered himself into a kneeling position.

"Your actions do not seem sincere."

Isaac did not look at him, responding coldly.

"Your Highness, my father had already intended to surrender; otherwise, he would not have retreated from the battlefield. We mainly defended the city to guard against the remnants of Abdullah's rebel army."

Murdar said, without any hint of humiliation or arrogance.

Isaac smiled without comment.

"In that case, I would like to stay in Maber tonight. Is that acceptable?"

"Of course, but..."

Murdar looked up at Isaac.

"There are some in our tribe who disagree with my father's decision to pledge allegiance to you. We fear they may resort to desperate measures."

As soon as he had finished speaking, everyone glared at him.

"No problem. My army will wipe them out," Isaac said indifferently.

Isaac said indifferently.

Murdar did not respond, just stared at Isaac.

"Speak! What do you want?" "Let's be frank!"

"My father agrees to lead the tribe in converting to the true religion, pledging allegiance to you in return for taxes and soldiers. In return, he wants the title of Earl of Maber."

After he had finished speaking, everyone turned their attention to Isaac.

He tapped the table lightly and did not answer immediately.

This was a very serious matter.

Not only did it concern the future settlement of the recently surrendered tribe, but also the interests of all the commanders present.

Those who had followed him into battle naturally had their own desires; they couldn't possibly have fought solely out of love.

Isaac had deliberately suppressed this issue, which had not been exposed until now, when Murdar brought it to the surface.

The question of whether to divide or centralize power had troubled all monarchs throughout history.

In the early days of the Byzantine Empire, for example, the bureaucratic system was highly developed, with military commanders overseeing military affairs and governors overseeing civil affairs. Occasionally, some lifelong proedria were granted, and for the most part, everyone performed their duties and checked and balanced each other.

However, as the authority of the central government declined later, military commanders began to interfere in civil affairs. Gradually, they became warlords and hereditary rulers, turning into local forces.

After 1204, the military district system became a mere formality and the feudal system of fiefdoms from Western Europe began to prevail.

Sometimes, monarchs were unable to centralize power due to a lack of management skills.

In ancient times, there was a saying that the best knight could run from his lord's castle for three days, and the land he could reach in that time was the area his lord could effectively control.

Other places further away had to be managed by subordinate vassals.

Before Isaac, he had granted some titles in the La Palma, Bigez and Saint Nicholas Islands, but these were empty promises, and the vassals had to develop the territories themselves to demonstrate their commitment.

Isaac had already decided regarding the granting of titles in the Grand Duchy of Surt.

"Murdar, your father was a wise man and deserves the title of count, but not in Maber."

"I had a dream last night in which I saw a magnificent cathedral being built in Maber. I believe this is the will of the gods, and I must fulfill it."

Isaac spoke nonsense.

"Then where will you settle us?"

Isaac opened the map, found Maber and slid his finger down to a dot.

Uguchi, located at the foot of Mount Seba, was the site of King Abdullah's private pasture.

"I can grant your father the title of Earl of Uguchi."

Murdar's face turned pale.

The ecological environment here was not bad, but it was surrounded by hostile tribes. If they moved here, they would not be able to live in peace for long.

"The tribesmen of the former city of Maber who are willing to follow your father may leave; those who are unwilling may stay."

"This is my final act of mercy."

Murdar nodded and returned to report the news.

Knight Conte and Ibrahim exchanged glances; their eyes were filled with expectation.

Isaac saw his subordinates' behavior and closed his eyes, pretending not to know anything.

The geography of North Africa was too complex to hand over to the administrative department. That would be both unrealistic and counterproductive.

Important cities and large oases had to be controlled personally, while the management of secondary cities and oases was entrusted to the Dobroja people and allied tribes. More remote and isolated areas could be granted to large tribal sheikhs who had surrendered.

Isaac planned to implement a modified feudal system for his own subordinates.

As the name suggests, land would be granted to meritorious subjects, who would have ownership and usage rights. Isaac would send people to manage the land daily and collect regular payments from the feudal lords.

If their descendants wanted to inherit the fiefdom, they would need to obtain their lord's consent and pay a large sum of money.

This was also a compromise between the monarch and his subjects.

That night, seeing no movement in the city, Isaac raided several small tribes outside the city and distributed their members among his slaves.

The following morning, Adnan, the sheikh of the Maber tribe, emerged from the city and pledged allegiance to Isaac, accepting all his conditions.

From then on, Palaiologos controlled the largest oasis city in the Jufra Oasis.

He renamed it Narcissus Fortress in memory of the popular eunuch general.

Isaac subsequently gathered his troops and launched a large-scale sweep of the entire Jufra Oasis Cluster.

With the help of Earl Adnan, Isaac essentially completed the sweep of the surrounding areas on 20 November 1446.

Tribes that refused to submit were conquered outright, and their people were distributed among the subordinate tribes and his own slave troops.

Those that submitted were required to convert to the true faith and provide supplies.

On 1 December 1446, Isaac returned to Narcissus Fortress to preside over the post-war distribution of rewards.

In this battle, the Grand Duchy of Sulte lost over 2,900 troops, and an estimated 4,000 enemy troops were eliminated.

Over 1,000 desert horses, 4,000 camels and countless sheep were captured.

Most of these were provisions prepared by the Maber tribe for the royal army, but Isaac had no intention of returning them.

At dawn, Archbishop Elster of Surt arrived and baptized all the tribesmen and sheikhs who had surrendered.

They all appeared extremely devout, but Isaac was convinced that, if the Muslim forces returned, they would swiftly revert to their former ways.

The sheikhs of these small tribes could be swayed, but Count Adnan had no choice but to see this through to the end.

He already had a bad reputation among the Sunnis, and now he had taken the lead in conversion, which had angered the king. There was no turning back.

"Adnan Maber!"

The messenger shouted.

Adnan stepped forward and knelt respectfully before Isaac.

"You have admitted your mistake and made amends, which is a great virtue. I hereby grant you the title of Earl of Uguchi and the land around Uguchi Oasis as your domain."

"The 2,000 tribesmen willing to follow you will swear allegiance to you and become your subjects. I hope you will treat them well."

"To help you regain your domain, I am allocating 500 soldiers, 500 horses and 500 camels as a personal gift."

Adnan Maber, you may leave.

He slowly walked down the steps, looking at the city he had once devoted himself to.

If he hadn't run away all those years ago and had helped the king withstand the attack, would he be celebrating victory now?

Or would he have suffered an even more miserable defeat, dying with his entire clan wiped out?

He smiled, shook his head and pushed his complicated emotions aside.

Most of the tribe had followed him, still believing in the sheikh who had once led them to glory.

For the sake of those who supported him, he could not give up.

He straightened his clothes and stepped out of the hall, recalling his youth when he had led his loyal tribe members on campaigns east and west, eliminating threats to his domain and establishing it.

Now, he would do it all again.

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