After recovering Modon and Coron, the offensive of the Army temporarily stopped.
In the follow-up phase, Krezer's task is to guard Greece.
Thanks to the emperor's illustrious military exploits, the enemy did not have the guts to send a large army to fight Eastern Roman Empire head-on on land. However, the enemy could use the fleet to transport troops, harass the coasts, and destroy Eastern Roman Empire's war potential.
The Greece area faces the sea on three sides and is under the greatest pressure. According to the plan of Privy Council, Varangian Legion, Hermes Brigade, and Dragon Cavalry Brigade are stationed in different areas to deal with the upcoming maritime harassment.
At the end of September, Venice sent a large number of ships, and the strength of the Crete fleet increased sharply, including:
Thirty Galleass battleships, fifty gunboats, forty Armed Merchant Ship (sideguns are installed on the open decks of merchant ships, which can rob enemy merchant ships and can also be used as transport ships), as well as numerous small and medium-sized Galley.
Venice The main body of the Army is Mercenary Regiment. They are temporarily recruiting soldiers and restoring wartime establishment. It is expected that tens of thousands of people will be sent to Crete.
The comprehensive national strength of Venice is far inferior to that of the Eastern Roman Empire. The local strategy is to seek a decisive battle, strive to annihilate Eastern Roman Navy in a short time, and force the other party to negotiate for peace.
Fleet commander Marcello Kanal had this intention. Early October, he commanded this huge fleet to leave Crete and cruise in the waters of the Aegean Sea, looking for traces of the main force of the Greece fleet.
Facing this battle, Fabius wisely chose to retreat.
Our own fleet in Eastern Mediterranean is not as strong as the opponent, with only fifty main battleships and thirty Armed Merchant Ship. The risk of a decisive battle is too high. Venice Army is mixed with a large number of foreign mercenaries, and its morale is low. However, the situation of the Venice navy is completely different. More than half of the people are from the country. These people have skilled navigation skills and a strong will to fight.
From the perspective of Great Council, Army has the risk of launching a coup, so it is deliberately suppressed. The navy has a low probability of launching a coup and is relatively reliable, so it gets more military spending and support.
"This battle can't be fought. Follow the original plan and postpone it for half a year."
Fabius Let the lower-speed warships stay in the port, while those flexible Cruiser cruise around, frantically harassing the enemy's Trade route.
This approach preserved the main force of the Eastern Roman Empire's fleet. The price was that the enemy could attack Eastern Roman Empire civilian ships at will, leaving Aegean Sea's fishing boats and merchant ships very few.
October On the 20th, news from various places came to the Blachernae Palace one after another, complaining that fishermen had lost their livelihoods and business was severely affected.
In this regard, Vitus has limited options. He can only convene a meeting with Cabinet to allocate food aid to the people affected by the war.
"Now, our cultivated land area exceeds Komnenian Dynasty, and our population is only over seven million. Treasury has no shortage of food and can afford to support these fishermen."
The naval strategy was jointly formulated by Privy Council, Admiralty and senior officers, and is in line with the current actual situation. Vitus also does not know how long this situation will last, and can only wait patiently and let frontline officers choose their own combat opportunities.
He asked Patriarch, "How is the mood of the citizens these days?"
"The people are paying attention to Dardanelles Strait. There is a news circulating in the market. It is said that Venetian Fleet intends to storm the strait, breaks into Sea of Marmara, and brings tens of thousands of mercenaries to attack Attack Constantinople." Vitus replied with a smile, "I really hope that their Army main force will come across the sea and fight a land battle with me openly.
It doesn't matter to me whether it's Siege Warfare, a plain battle or a mountain battle. Mercenaries don't appear out of thin air, and their number is limited. If more than 20,000 mercenaries can be annihilated in one battle, subsequent wars will be much easier."
Eastern Roman Empire collected information on the enemy commanders and reviewed their past experiences. They were all second- and third-rate people who achieved military exploits on the Italy battlefield.
If the opponent is Joan of Arc, Skanderbeg, Hunyadi, or Uzong Hassan, Vitus will be more vigilant. The other commanders have limited capabilities. Even if he leads the main enemy force to attack Dardanelles Strait, he will still be confident in pushing the enemy into the sea to feed the fish.
After Patriarch left, Vitus asked Minister Trade and the municipal adjutant for a more detailed report.
Of greatest concern is food supply.
Since mid-September, autumn grains from Thracian Plain, Danube downstream plains, Anatolia west, and Northern Black Sea Coast have successively arrived at Constantinople, and grain prices in the city have declined.
The fish and meat in the city come from Sea of Marmara, and the livestock come from Thrace, Northern Black Sea Coast and other places, and the prices are stable.
In autumn and winter, people's demand for woolen fabrics increases. The raw material of woolen fabrics is wool, mainly from Northern Black Sea Coast and Anatolia, which is also not affected by the war.
"Then what?"
Vitus responded indifferently. He knew the character of his subordinates, who always liked to leave the bad news last. After waiting for a while, the municipal adjutant finally said the bad news:
The prices of green olives and wine have increased, and a large part of these two products come from Greece. The war has caused Aegean Sea shipping to be interrupted, land transportation is inconvenient, and the supply has been reduced.
The price of copperware has also increased.
The Copper Mine of Cyprus is mined in large quantities. Now that the island is in a semi-blockade state, the empire relies more on the Copper Mine of the Pontic Mountains (north of Anatolia).
Vitus replied, "Hungary produces copper ingots and sends caravans there to purchase them. If you cannot buy foreign copper ingots and local supply drops, remember to give priority to ensuring Arsenal's raw materials. During the war, losses are inevitable, we will be affected, and the enemy's situation will only get worse."
Venice's local core industries are shipbuilding, textiles, and glass.
The textile industry needs to use Alum, and Eastern Roman Empire occupies the main export share of Alum. Once the war started, the supply of Alum in the Venice market dropped sharply, and the profits of the textile industry dropped accordingly.
Manganese ore is required to make glass. If Venice loses Euboea, the cost of purchasing raw materials will increase, and Glass Industry's profits will also decrease.
Another income of Venice is re-export Trade: importing Oriental goods from Egypt and transporting them back to the mainland for sale. Eastern Roman Navy is frantically disrupting this route, and Venice's Trade volume is shrinking, which accordingly affects Finance's income.
Vitus It is very clear that this war cannot be won quickly.
Both sides are destined to go through a long and arduous period of attrition, ranging from two years to three to five years, until the navy decides the winner.
Today's Rome is still essentially an agricultural country, with self-cultivating farmers occupying the mainstream of society. The enemy's blockade of the Mediterranean Sea does not delay farmers from planting land and harvesting grain. The people at the bottom still have food to eat, but there are fewer types of goods and a slightly lower living standard. Venice is a merchant country, similar to the ancient Carthage. If it lasts for a long time, they will definitely not last as long as the agricultural country.