On March 20, Vitus received news that frontline troops captured Erzincan.
This city is located on the border of the Eastern Roman Empire and White Sheep.
Uzong Hassan once sent a construction team to build an additional new-style city wall at Erzincan, but was blocked by the Eastern Roman Empire Frontier Army, and the wall-building plan was shelved.
Therefore, Erzincan's defenses were weak. Eastern Roman Empire Artillery It took only two days to blast through the breach, and the commandos swarmed in and captured the entire city by force.
Vitus told the staff, "Notify us and go to Erzincan tomorrow to join the main force."
Going south from Trebizond is an ancient trade route with a long history.
In the past two years, Eastern Roman Empire has recruited a large number of prisoners of war to carry out construction work, digging drainage ditches and laying gravel roads in certain sections, greatly improving the passability of the road.
After walking for more than half an hour, the road began to really climb up, and the army entered the southern foothills of the Pontic Mountains, where dense pine forests grow.
Every once in a while, there are military stations next to the road. The outside of the military station is a wooden wall, and a large open space is cleared inside to facilitate the repair of damaged carriages and the replenishment of fodder and drinking water for Harness Horse.
The military depot also built many wooden sheds for shelter. In rainy and snowy weather, carriages could take shelter under the wooden sheds to prevent food from getting wet and becoming moldy.
Leo followed the convoy, and the initial excitement gradually dissipated.
The cold wind was howling, melted snow from the mountains was flowing in the drainage ditch next to the road, and clouds were accumulating from the west. The leaden cloud base pressure was very low, which meant that it was likely to rain in the evening.
At four o'clock in the afternoon, the direct troops and Hermes Brigade stopped in an open valley.
The military station here is of high standard, with walls and trenches outside, and more than 800 barracks built inside, making it look like a small town.
Leo and a group of the Military Academy students were assigned to a barracks. There were twelve simple wooden beds in the barracks. There was an oil lamp hanging on the wall near the door, and there was still less than half of the olive oil in it.
"The temperature in mountainous areas is lower than that along the coast. Fortunately, we don't have to camp in the wild."
Leo put down his luggage and took out a thick military blanket and laid it on the bed.
At this time, the smell of food came from the direction of the canteen. He took his lunch box and went over to queue and received a piece of black bread and a bowl of bacon and vegetable soup.
"Sure enough, the army's lunch and dinner are the same, without any change."
Leo carried the package and walked on the mountain road for a whole day. He was hungry and complained in his heart, and quickly ate all the food in front of him.
At noon on the 24th, Leo arrived at the southern foot of the mountain range.
Standing on the high ridge and looking southward, there is less rainfall in the interior, sparse vegetation, and rolling hills extending southward, with an overall dry yellow tone.
The journey down the mountain is relatively easy, but a few sections have steep gradients that require special attention from those accompanying you.
A thick rope is tied to the back of each carriage, and 4 to 6 soldiers drag it behind to prevent the vehicle from suddenly losing control.
Not only that, the vehicle is also equipped with a newly invented braking device Adrian University.
The structure of this device is simple. The driver uses a brake lever to control the wooden pole under the vehicle. Under the action of the lever principle, the brake wooden block is pressed against the side of the wheel, and the vehicle is slowed down by friction.
Every time this device is used, the friction between the brake block and the side of the wheel will produce a sharp friction sound and a pungent smell, like the wood is burnt.
In Leo's observation, the brake wood block is rarely used and needs to be replaced after a few uses. However, this thing is only the cheapest wood and costs almost nothing.
On the 25th, they walked out of the hilly area, and their view broadened. In the distance was a meandering gray-blue river, with light green winter wheat fields and meadows on both sides.
As early as a few days ago, Second Light Cavalry Brigade received the message and was waiting on the edge of the hill in advance.
Seeing the purple flag depicting dozens of patterns, two thousand Tatars cavalry and hundreds of Greece cavalry let out a high-pitched roar, "Mpat! (Imperator)"
The shouting continued, frightening the surrounding birds into flying into the vast and distant sky.
Walking further south for thirty miles, the outline of Erzincan appeared in front of us. A huge gap was blown out of the west city wall. Some prisoners of war were clearing the ruins and rebuilding the defenses.
Due to the large number of troops assembled, the city could not accommodate all the soldiers. Some troops were stationed in villages or manors on the outskirts of the city, with flags flying everywhere.
"Finally we're here."
Leo recalled his brother's words and thought he was right. Marching in the wild was indeed torture.
"Oh, I hope to rest in the city for two more days."
He carried his backpack and continued to move forward. Not far away was an apricot tree orchard, with pink and white petals covering the branches, and a slightly sweet aroma wafting in the wind.
There were several almond trees next to the roadside, with drooping branches. Some war horses raised their heads restlessly, wanting to nibble on these fresh and delicious petals.
Soon, the convoy arrived near the city gate. The earth-yellow city wall was taller than it looked from a distance, about the height of seven adults. The city gate was open, revealing the empty street scene inside.
After entering the city, the air was filled with a faint smell of blood and burning. The houses near the city gate were destroyed by Mortar. The farther away from the city gate, the better preserved the houses were.
At the beginning of the year, the residents in the city had a premonition of the coming war and fled in advance. At this moment, only soldiers patrolling the streets and vehicles transporting luggage were left.
During the street fighting, the official residence in the center of the town was severely damaged. Vitus set up the command post in a wealthy businessman's residence not far away. He convened a meeting with senior military officials to inquire about recent details.
Marcus replied, "The food of Cappadocia and Konya has been transported to the front line. Damien is moving eastward and plans to besiege Erzurum. There is a new-style city wall built there, which can last at least a month."
Erzurum is an important border defense town of White Sheep. It is not surprising that it has a new-style city wall.
Vitus has long been mentally prepared. As technology and combat concepts spread outward, sooner or later there will be a wave of construction of Trace Italienne throughout Europe.
He observed the map and found that the location of White Sheep Main Force was not marked on it. The enemy should be hiding somewhere, waiting for an opportunity to launch a surprise attack.
However, Vitus brought seven Cavalry Brigade this time, as well as the light cavalry battalion and Dragoons battalion under the regiment. The number of cavalry was close to 20,000.
The cavalry force is large enough to create a wide reconnaissance area, and there will never be a situation where tens of thousands of enemy troops appear quietly and the Eastern Roman Empire main force is unprepared.
If the enemy attacks the grain transport convoy, the nearby Eastern Roman Empire cavalry will rush to the rescue. The longer the delay, the greater the number of reinforcements.
The grain transport infantry has Plate Armor, muskets, and Three-Pounder. Its protection and firepower are stronger than those of the nomadic cavalry, and the exchange ratio can reach at least 1:3.
"This tactic will not have the effect of depriving us of food. It will only consume our cavalry and auxiliary infantry. With White Sheep's family background, can it afford it?"
According to the plan before the war, the expeditionary force will start from Erzincan, go all the way east, capture Erzurum, Gyumri, and join Georgia Army.
Vitus drew on the map with a ruler and compass, and sent some troops to capture towns or settlements in the northeast to cover the flanks of Damien's troops.
The main force stayed at Erzincan, waiting for further changes in the situation.
After receiving the order from the Chinese army, many cavalry left Erzincan.
Second Dragon Cavalry Brigade traveled eastward for dozens of miles, and when they reached a fork in the road, Boranov led two battalions away from the main force and turned onto a trail heading northeast.
The road was a mixture of gravel and hard soil, with shallow grooves washed out by winter rains. The vehicles following the cavalry bumped forward, slowing down the entire team.
Boranov From noon to afternoon, the scenery along the way was almost unchanged, silent and desolate.
Spring on the plateau comes even later, and the wild grasses have just sprouted, crawling low on the ground and gradually extending to the end of the field of vision, like a gray-green carpet.
In the evening, a village appeared on the slope on the north side of the road. The outer earth wall collapsed with many gaps. Outside the wall, several apricot trees were blooming, and their pink and white petals shivered in the cold wind.
The houses in the village are generally low, and the tallest building is a stone church. Upon noticing the arrival of a large number of cavalry, the priest was ringing the bell, urging the villagers to take refuge in the village.
Boranov looked at the rebel guide beside him. "Lead a company into the village to search. If there are no problems, camp here tonight."
After searching, White Sheep Army was not found in the village. The guide and priest explained his purpose and led him to the cavalry unit outside the village.
The priest told Boranov: "Ten days ago, more than a thousand White Sheep infantry evacuated to the southeast, taking away the livestock and grains of our village. Two days ago, a small group of White Sheep cavalry passed by. They were in a hurry and did not enter the village to rest."
Seeing these well-trained Dragoons, the priest had mixed emotions.
He hated the pagan nomads, but he was also worried that the Rome army would be defeated, causing the plateau to become a battlefield between the two armies.
If this is the case, the villages near the road will be destroyed, and it is possible that more than half of the villagers will not survive until the end of the war.
The guide explained, "This time Emperor Vitus personally led the troops, not that idiot Vakhtang. The emperor dispatched a hundred thousand troops, and the most elite Tuna Legion and Attica Legion all participated in the battle. How could this battle be lost?"
Hearing that Vitus led his troops to conquer the country in person, the priest's worries were relieved. However, he was still worried about two things.
The first is the food issue.
Ten days ago, White Sheep Army passed by, and the villagers fled in a hurry. Most of the village's food was looted, making it impossible to provide supplies to the Rome army.
In response, Boranov responded calmly, "Your Majesty knows that the nearby area has been looted by the White Sheep Army. In the near future, Rome will not collect grain. After the summer harvest, you will need to pay 30% of the grain."
Boranov looked at the guard behind him and motioned him to take out a document with the words Greek and Armenia written on it, "This is our notice, you can post it outside the church."
The priest's second concern was church affairs.
For a long time, due to doctrinal disputes, the Armenia church has been regarded as an Eastern heresy. It is like a unique, self-contained island, and has been rejected by the Constantinople church and Roman Curia.
Faced with the priest's question, Boranov pointed to the second half of the notice: "The emperor will not force the integration of the church."
Vitus is following the example of the Macedonian Dynasty. During their nearly two centuries of rule, the contradictions in this area were far less than in the early days of the Eastern Roman Empire.
After listening to the officer's explanation, the priest read the full text of the notice carefully again. His worries gradually dissipated, and he thought to himself:
"Before the summer harvest, life in the village is very difficult, but as long as we survive this period, things should be better in the future."
After resting in the village for a night, Boranov continued on his way.
This area has been war-torn for a long time, and many settlements have been abandoned. Whenever they meet surviving residents, Boranov will explain the emperor's philosophy and post notices outside the church.
In the afternoon, he received a report from the pathfinder cavalry that there was a river valley five miles to the north, and a fort was built on the hillside near the entrance.
The fortress is garrisoned, but no flags have been erected. It is probably a defensive facility built privately by local gentry.
Melik? Boranov remembered a group Border Defense General mentioned in a meeting some time ago.
In the eleventh century, Battle of Manzikert ended, and Eastern Roman Empire was lost to Armenian Highlands. This area was ruled by multiple pagan regimes, and most of the Armenia nobles cut off their inheritance.
However, there are still a few families staying in remote mountainous areas, paying taxes to successive foreign rulers, and barely surviving to this day.
These families were called "Melik" by the Black Sheep Dynasty. After Black Sheep was destroyed, White Sheep continued this name, allowing this group to continue to exist, provided they paid taxes on time.
According to the meaning above, the army should negotiate with Melik first, and then fight if they cannot reach an agreement.
This behavior is completely different from the past. When he regained Balkans and Anatolia, the emperor never thought about compromise. Now that he is wooing the Melik class, Boranov can only think of one reason:
Armenian Highlands and Constantinople are too far away (thousands of kilometers). Central Administration does not have the confidence to completely control this area, so it can only slow down its attitude and reach cooperation with the local church and squires.
"I hope the other person will recognize you."
Boranov inspected the carriage at the end of the team, which contained eight doors Three-Pounder and some grain.
The power of Three-Pounder is limited. If the enemy huddles in a masonry building and defends it, it will be difficult for Dragoons to defeat them.
At two o'clock in the afternoon, Boranov arrived at the entrance of the valley.
There is a stream at the bottom of the valley. The stream comes down from the higher snow-capped mountains in the north and winds along the valley to the south, shining with fine silver light in the sun.
Farmhouses are scattered on both sides of the stream, and some refugees are busy building more houses with felled wood in the vacant land.
To the right of the entrance is a hill with a gentle slope. The squire's fortress is located on the top of the hill. The height of the city wall is more than four adults. The stone used for the wall is the same as that of the tenant farmers' houses, which are local gray rocks.
Discovering the arrival of a large number of Rome cavalry, the fortress temporarily raised a side of Palaiologos Flag.
Soon, a squire in his forties, wearing a dark tunic, walked out of the fortress and faced these Dragoons uneasily.
The next moment, the guide translated the squire's words. "Your Majesty General, we have been waiting for more than ten years, and the emperor is finally here."
Boranov shook his head. "I am not a general, I am Boranov, the deputy brigade commander of Second Dragon Cavalry Brigade, and I have been ordered to perform an investigation mission."
After a short conversation, Boranov knew the other party's name - George·Kamsarakan.
Boranov has heard of Kamsarakan (kamaakan). According to historical records, "Goth Destroyer" Narses comes from this family.
George quickly agreed, "Yes, our family has always been loyal to Rome, and has been so for generations."
At his signal, twenty carts of grain, twenty sheep, and ten pigs were sent out from inside the valley. George claimed that this was a gift to the emperor, and seemed to want to lose money and avoid disaster.