Mistra

After a long while, he passed through a stone city gate and entered the middle city halfway up the mountain. The buildings here were more imposing, the streets relatively clean and orderly, and every so often he spotted a small patrol of soldiers.

Before sunset, Vitus arrived at the palace atop the mountain. The building had a distinctive style, blending Byzantine and Frankish elements.

"Turning a castle left behind by the Franks into a Byzantine palace more suited to daily life must have cost a pretty penny."

Escorted by guards, Vitus met Theodore and his wife, Cleopa Malatesta, who had invited him to dinner.

While the maids were serving the dishes, he asked about the current situation on the peninsula, including the specifics of Achaea and the distribution of its forces, as well as the size of Morea's army.

At that moment, Cleopa spoke before her husband. "Morea did receive the emperor's orders, but the emperor hasn't considered our difficulties. The Principality of Achaea follows the feudal system of Western Europe and has built a great many castles throughout its territory. If we go to war now, our soldiers will have to lay siege to them in winter, and our losses will be too great. Wouldn't it be better to choose another time?"

Vitus said, "The Mediterranean is rougher in winter, so outside powers can't interfere. It's the perfect time to deal with the Principality of Achaea. News of the army's mustering has already spread. The longer we wait, the greater the chance that Venice, the Ottomans, or Naples will send troops. I plan to begin the campaign next week. Also, Constantinople promised to send provisions. How much exactly?"

Cleopa answered again, her face troubled, like a poor woman with a creditor at her door.

"Harvests have been poor in recent years, and farmers everywhere need to repair the irrigation works during the slack season. At most, we can spare fifteen hundred men. I've heard you won victory after victory on the Italian battlefields and even fought in the English-French war. Your command is far superior to the duke of Achaea's, so these troops should be enough."

That's it? She was obviously brushing me off!

Vitus looked to his older brother, but all he got was an awkward smile. He understood everything at once. Theodore probably wanted to conserve his strength but was unwilling to openly disobey the emperor's orders, so he had his wife haggle on his behalf.

The next morning, Vitus asked Theodore for an inventory of supplies and a roster of personnel. Then he took the documents down to the warehouses to make sure his army could eat this year's freshly harvested wheat.

After checking the provisions, he moved on to the draft horses and wagons. Vitus and his guards inspected them one by one. He even examined the horses' hooves himself to judge whether they could endure a long transport journey.

That wasn't all. He demanded a large quantity of heavy wool cloth and tents, as well as four thousand sets of winter clothing and the necessary cooking equipment, much to Theodore's dismay.

"That fellow spent two years among Italian merchants and learned all their penny-pinching ways. No, I have to get rid of him as soon as possible."

Three days later, Theodore mustered the local militia and handed over command and the roster to Vitus, urging him to set out quickly and not delay the coming war.

"Why are they all spearmen? Where are the cavalry, archers, and heavy infantry?" Vitus surveyed the farmers, who looked timid and were poorly equipped. He reckoned they weren't even as good in a fight as five hundred mercenaries.

He handed the roster back to Theodore. "There's no way to fight a war like this. I might as well go back to scraping by in Italy. I hear Milan and Venice are about to go to war again, and Sigismund in Germany is recruiting men..."

In front of everyone, the two brothers bickered for more than ten minutes, like a pair of country peddlers locked in an argument. In the end, Vitus managed to secure one hundred and thirty warhorses to form a scout cavalry unit.

On October 5, Vitus's troops arrived in Mistra. He entrusted Piero and Marcus with selecting the scouts.

"Last year, we were ambushed by the Milanese and nearly lost our lives. That shows just how important reconnaissance is. Besides mounted scouts, I also want to form an infantry company suited to scouting in the mountains. Choose its members with great care."

After repeating his instructions several times, Vitus left the camp and headed up the mountain to find Theodore. Instead, Cleopa stopped him in the living room.

This time, Cleopa wore a plain, dark-brown wool cloak. Its collar was rabbit fur, which offered little warmth, rather than luxurious mink or fox fur. Beneath the cloak was an outdated Cotehardie dress. She wore no jewelry and no makeup, looking like an Italian noblewoman fallen on hard times.

"Your brother is ill and can't receive visitors for the time being. Whatever you need, you can tell me."

Vitus had meant to ask for a group of carpenters and blacksmiths. He hadn't expected his second brother to feign illness and refuse to come out! Forced to spend his own money, he recruited twenty traveling craftsmen at the market and had them convert ordinary baggage wagons into Wagenburgs.

For the next week, Vitus stayed in Mistra, busy reorganizing the troops. He spoke with each junior officer in turn, getting to know their personalities and strengths and weaknesses.

Midway through, he went up the mountain once more to request a supply of colored cloth for making flags. Theodore remained in his bedroom, supposedly recovering. Cleopa dressed more plainly still, this time in the clothes of a Greek peasant woman, hinting that Vitus should hurry up and leave. Morea had no supplies to spare.

On October 13, the army finally set out. Four thousand soldiers moved slowly northwest along the ancient mountain road.

According to the information available, the Principality of Achaea had more than a hundred knightly fiefs. The duke couldn't maintain a standing army, and after learning that the Eastern Roman Empire was about to attack, he had begun recruiting mercenaries on short notice. Their numbers were unknown.

At noon the next day, Vitus reached the border between the two countries, where a stone castle blocked his way. The garrison sent out a messenger to ask the Greek commander what he intended to do.

"What else would I be doing? I'm here by imperial decree to punish the rebels, of course!"

With that, he sent the messenger away and ordered his men to build artillery positions. In just one afternoon, they breached the outer wall. The heavy infantry surged through the gap and quickly captured the castle, killing the nobles who resisted and a handful of their attendants.

Seeing this, the remaining defenders laid down their weapons and surrendered. Some even asked to join the Eastern Roman army.

What's more, Vitus continued his advance the next day. Every so often, farmers volunteered to guide the army and provide information about nearby garrisons. The people's enthusiasm far exceeded his expectations.

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

It was clear that these rulers, with their foreign culture and heretical faith, could never earn the trust of the people at the bottom. The common folk would rather welcome the Eastern Roman army.

"I overestimated the strength of the Principality of Achaea. The people hate Latin rule so much that the duke probably can't call up a militia and will have to rely on mercenaries to fight me. The people are on my side. This war is as good as won."