After receiving the news of the surrender of the defenders, Krezer ordered the erection of two sea-blocking iron locks to prevent the enemy fleet from breaking into this strait.
"According to the plan, engineers need to erect a link Pontoon Bridge between Attica Peninsula and Chalcis to transport materials and personnel. It should be completed within half a month."
Subsequently, Krezer took a boat, Longboat, and sailed toward Chalcis on the other side.
The city is relatively large, with a total population of only 7,000, and many plots of land are idle, making it far less prosperous than in the classical period.
As a condition of surrender, City Official sealed all paper documents in the official residence in the center of the city. Krezer asked the accompanying civil servants to classify the documents and compile useful information.
"The population of Cyprus and Crete exceeds 200,000, and the area of Euboea is nearly half that of Crete. Why is there only 40,000 people?"
There is no shortage of cultivated land in Euboea. The soil of Lelantine Plain in the south is fertile, and the rest of the area is scattered with small plains. The cultivated land area is absolutely sufficient.
Krezer Looking through the land register, the book records the agricultural land on the island. Most of the land is used to grow cash crops, and less than 30% is used to grow food.
The civil servant looked through Euboea's past records and said, "After 1204, Euboea experienced many wars and its population dropped sharply. In 1390, Venice occupied the entire territory of Euboea and moved some Albania people to settle there. The population growth rate is still slow."
In the afternoon, the accompanying civil servants were still counting various documents and confirming the ownership of the properties. Krezer led a group of cavalry out of the city and entered Lelantine Plain along Lelas River southward.
Now, the Barley on both sides of the road has entered the mature stage, and farmers are seizing the time to harvest crops. Due to the shortage of labor, women and children are also busy in the fields. Grapes and olive trees are planted on the slopes in the distance. The grapevines are covered with ripe deep purple fruits. The silver-green leaves of the olive trees sway back and forth in the autumn wind.
During the march, two reporters from "Golden Horn News" chattered endlessly, arguing about the details of Lelantine War two thousand years ago, and wanted to write an archaeological paper.
"At that time, Chalcis and Eretria competed for control of the mine. A war broke out between the two sides, and Thessaly cavalry was introduced as foreign aid. I heard that nearby farmers plowed the land and occasionally found some bronze weapons, which should be the ancient battlefield of that year."
"There were many wars in the classical period. The bronze remains you collect must conform to the shape of that time, and you must find relevant supporting evidence. Only in this way can they meet the standards of Adrian University and be published in their academic journals."
The two argued for a long time and coincidentally found Legion Deputy Commander Krezer.
The latter's expression was helpless, "I'm from Bohemia, and I know very little about the history of the classical period. I suggest you consult the local church, and you may be able to find useful information."
After a long time, the nearby vegetation became sparse, and large areas of exposed rock formations were seen from time to time. The road became increasingly rough, and the horses unconsciously slowed down.
Following the guide in the atlas, the group found the largest manganese mining area in Euboea. There were some mine caves scattered on the hillside, and rough log pillars were erected at the entrances to prevent the entrances of the mines from collapsing.
Dozens of Miners were naked to the waist, with a layer of gray-black dust sprinkled on their skin, struggling to carry baskets full of ore at the entrance of the cave.
On the other side, a group of Miner were breaking large rocks with hammers, and the crisp hammering sound echoed in the valley.
Manganese ore has a deep black color and can be used as a painting pigment and a black pattern on the surface of fired pottery. It can also be used for firing glass to reduce the variegation of the glass.
Every once in a while, Venice merchant ships return to the mainland loaded with manganese ore and put in Glass Industry of Murano Island. The craftsmen on the island are highly skilled and can produce pure and colorless "crystal glass"." Euboea Population There are only 40,000 Agricultural Tax provided every year. The only valuable ones are these manganese ores and cyan marble (decoration). After recovering Euboea this time, Venice can only obtain manganese ore from other channels."
Krezer asked soldiers to take over the mining area, register relevant information, and prepare to add this content to the report.
Resting for a night in a nearby village, Krezer led some cavalry deep into the southeastern part of the island, where the terrain is rugged and dotted with scattered oak and chestnut trees.
"Hey, look over there!"
A reporter excitedly pointed to the northeast, where there were some stone houses made of huge stones on the hillside in the distance.
Upon closer inspection, there are no residents inside the stone house, and no mortar is used as an adhesive between the stones. The stones are simply stacked to maintain the entire structure.
"This must be a temple from the classical period."
The reporter took out the charcoal and booklet and drew a sketch excitedly. Krezer looked at the map and saw a fortress mark in the southeast corner of the map.
Hermes Brigade submitted a report. A few days ago, two Mountain Battalion were ordered to advance to the southeast. They have a high probability of occupying this fortress.
However, when Krezer arrived at the scene, he found that things were not as simple as imagined. The fortress is located on a windswept promontory. Its appearance is reddish brown and almost blends in with the exposed mountain rocks, so it is called Red Fort.
At the foot of the mountain, the soldiers of Hermes Brigade set up a simple camp. Many soldiers were digging trenches in an attempt to cut off the fortress from the outside world and implement a long-term siege. After a while, the commander of Mountain Infantry, Orlando, came to greet him and reported the current battle situation to the deputy general.
"The owner of the fortress is a French baron, and there are about fifty people inside. The baron refused to surrender, claiming that he would hold on until his death and never leave this ancestral property that has been inherited from generation to generation.
Last night, I tried to attack in the middle of the night and sent a group of soldiers to climb from the bottom of the sea cliff, but they all failed and I lost 21 soldiers, so I had to resort to a long-term siege."
Krezer agrees with what this young officer did.
Red Fort is located in a remote location. Although it stands at the entrance of Karystos Bay, the fortress is old and the thin walls cannot mount artillery and cannot pose a threat to the inside of the bay.
"It doesn't matter. You can build the fortifications with peace of mind. I'll send a team of Militia to take over the defense. Since the Baron wants to persist until he dies of old age, then as he wishes."
In late September, Krezer left Euboea and led part of the army to Peloponnese.
There are two strongholds in the southern part of the peninsula: Modon and Coron.
They are transfer stations for Venice merchant ships. All ships heading to Crete, Levant, and Egypt usually berth here to replenish fresh water and food.
Last year, the relationship between the Eastern Roman Empire and Venice deteriorated sharply. Peloponnese Province assembled a group of Militia to build fortifications on the periphery of the two ports to cut them off from the inland.
After the two sides officially started fighting, Province transferred a part of the garrison and two thousand Militia reinforcements, and the army began to bombard Modon and Coron with artillery. E's city wall. September 20, Modon's city wall was damaged, and Venice soldiers and people fled by boat.
The defenders of Coron held out until the 22nd. When they saw the arrival of Artillery of the Varangian Legion, they reluctantly left by boat.