Mistra

After a long while, he passed through a stone gate and entered the middle city located on the mountainside. The architecture here was more magnificent, the streets were relatively clean and tidy, and occasionally, a small squad of patrolling soldiers could be seen.

Before the sun set, Vitus arrived at the hilltop palace. The style of this building was quite unique, blending both Byzantine and Frankish influences.

It must have cost a fortune to renovate a castle left behind by the Franks into a Byzantine-style palace more suitable for daily living.

Led by the guards, Vitus met Theodore and his wife, Cleopa Malatesta, and was invited to dine with them.

Taking advantage of the gaps between the maids serving dishes, he inquired about the current situation on the peninsula, including the specific circumstances of the Principality of Achaea, the distribution of their forces, and the scale of the Morea army.

At this point, Cleopa spoke up before her husband could, "Morea has indeed received the Emperor's order, but the Emperor has not considered our difficulties. The Principality of Achaea implements a Western European feudal system and has built a large number of castles within its borders. If we start a war now, it means soldiers will have to conduct sieges in winter, which would result in too many losses. Why not choose another time?"

Vitus replied, "The Mediterranean is prone to rough seas in winter, preventing outside powers from interfering; it is the perfect time to deal with the Principality of Achaea. News of the army's assembly has already spread. The longer we drag this out, the more likely it is that Venice, the Ottoman, or Naples will send troops. I intend to start the war next week. Furthermore, Constantinople has promised to send military provisions; exactly how much is there?"

The respondent was still Cleopa. She wore a bitter expression, like a poor woman facing a debt collector at her door.

"The harvests have been poor in recent years, and farmers everywhere need to repair water conservancy facilities during the off-season. We can spare at most 1,500 men. I hear you have been victorious in the Italy theater and even participated in the wars between England and France; your command ability far exceeds that of the Duke of Achaea. These troops should be enough."

That's it? She is clearly just fobbing me off!

Vitus turned his gaze toward his brother, only to receive an awkward smile in return. He understood everything at once. It was likely that Theodore wanted to preserve his strength but was unwilling to openly defy the Emperor's orders, so he had his wife step forward to haggle.

The next morning, Vitus requested the supply list and personnel roster from Theodore, then took the documents to the warehouse at the foot of the mountain to ensure his army would be fed with this year's newly harvested wheat.

After checking the rations, the next items were the draft horses and wagons. Vitus led his guards to inspect them item by item, even personally checking the hooves to determine if the horses could handle the long transport mission.

Not only that, he forcibly demanded a large amount of thick wool cloth and tents, as well as 4,000 sets of winter clothing and related cooking utensils, much to Theodore's distress.

This guy spent two years with Italian merchants and learned their penny-pinching ways. No, I must get rid of him as soon as possible.

Three days later, Theodore assembled the local militia and handed over the command and the personnel roster to Vitus, reminding him to depart as soon as possible and not to delay the upcoming war.

"Why is it all spear-wielding militia? Where are the cavalry, crossbowmen, and heavy infantry?" Vitus looked at these cowering, poorly equipped farmers, estimating that their combat effectiveness was not even as good as 500 mercenaries.

He returned the roster to Theodore, "This war cannot be fought. I might as well go back to Italy and scrape by. I hear Milan and Venice are about to go to war again, and Sigismund in the Germany region is also recruiting men..."

In front of everyone, the two brothers bickered for over ten minutes, like a pair of country peddlers caught in a dispute. In the end, Vitus managed to secure 130 warhorses to form a scout cavalry unit.

On October 5th, Vitus's troops arrived at Mistra. He entrusted the task of selecting scouts to Piero and Marcus.

"Last year, we were ambushed by the Milan army and almost lost our lives; this shows the importance of reconnaissance. In addition to horse scouts, I also want to form an infantry company suitable for mountain reconnaissance. You must select the members carefully."

After repeated instructions, Vitus left the camp and headed to the hilltop to find Theodore, only to be blocked in the living room by Cleopa.

This time, Cleopa was draped in a simple dark brown wool cloak. The collar was not made of luxurious mink or fox fur, but of less insulating rabbit fur, and beneath the cloak was an outdated "Cotehardie" dress. She wore no jewelry and had no makeup on, looking like a bankrupt Italian noblewoman.

"Your brother is ill and is currently not seeing guests. Just tell me whatever you need."

Vitus had originally intended to ask for a group of carpenters and blacksmiths, but he hadn't expected his second brother to fake an illness to avoid him! He was forced to spend his own money to recruit twenty camp followers in the market, having them modify ordinary supply wagons into "Wagenburg".

For the following week, Vitus remained in Mistra, busy reorganizing the troops and talking to the junior officers one by one to familiarize himself with their personalities, strengths, and weaknesses.

In the meantime, he went to the hilltop once more to request a batch of colored cloth to make flags. Theodore continued to stay in his bedroom to "recuperate," and Cleopa's attire became increasingly plain. This time, she had changed into a Greek peasant woman's outfit, hinting that Vitus should leave immediately, as Morea had no more supplies to spare.

On October 13th, the army finally set out. 4,000 soldiers marched slowly toward the northwest along the ancient mountain road.

According to known information, the Principality of Achaea possessed over a hundred knightly fiefs. The Duke was unable to maintain a standing army, and upon learning that the Eastern Roman Empire was about to attack, he was busy recruiting mercenaries, though the exact number was unknown.

At noon the next day, Vitus arrived at the border between the two countries and was blocked by a stone castle. The garrison sent a messenger to ask for the Greek commander's intentions.

"What else could I be doing? Obviously, I am here to suppress the rebels under the Emperor's decree!"

After saying this, he drove the messenger away and ordered his men to construct an artillery position. In just one afternoon, they breached the outer walls. The heavy infantry swarmed through the gap, quickly capturing the castle and killing the resisting nobles and a small number of attendants.

Seeing this, the remaining garrison laid down their arms and surrendered, with some even requesting to join the Eastern Roman army.

Not only that, as Vitus continued his advance the next day, farmers would occasionally take the initiative to lead the way and provide information on nearby garrisons. The enthusiasm of the populace far exceeded his expectations.

In 1204, the Fourth Crusaders destroyed the Eastern Roman Empire and established numerous Western European feudal states on its lands. Knights from France and Germany transformed themselves into the rulers of the Greeks.

Clearly, these rulers of a different culture and heretical faith were destined never to gain the trust of the common people, who were more than willing to welcome the Eastern Roman army.

"I overestimated the strength of the Principality of Achaea. The people are so disgusted by the rule of the Latin nobles that it seems the Duke cannot conscript militia and must rely on mercenaries to fight me. With the hearts of the people on my side, this war is already won."