On August 30, Diyarbakir declared its surrender.
This city is the administrative and commercial center of the entire basin and stores a large amount of paper information, including not only land registration information, but also some precious historical information.
According to records, at the beginning of this century, the total population of this basin was as high as 800,000. After the war and the short-term rule of Timur, the population dropped sharply, and the current population is only 520,000.
Not only that, Timur destroyed many local irrigation systems and moved the craftsmen and scholars in the city to his capital Samarkand. The damaged irrigation canals lacked professional maintenance and gradually fell into disuse. The agricultural output of the basin was only half of its previous level.
"In the 13th century, the Mongols' Western Expeditions caused widespread destruction in Central Asia and Western Asia. More than a century later, the local area has not recovered, and as a result, another Timur army ushered in. The decline of Mesopotamia began at this time."
Vitus walked along the courtyard path and ordered Attendant Officer Edric behind him.
"Timur's era has passed for more than 40 years. As time goes by, many memories gradually become blurred. Some civil servants should be sent to collect information and compile it into a book.
Not only Timur, but other wars of the same period must also be recorded as part of historical materials and military teaching materials."
Thomas was washing his mount at the pool not far away when he suddenly interrupted:
"Our era is quite chaotic, with frequent wars. Anglo-French War decades ago, Hussite Wars twenty years ago, Italian Wars intermittently, and our wars with Ottoman and other countries. If they were all compiled into a book, it would probably take more than three years.
However, this is fine. A good-for-nothing like John VI (Kantakouzenos) dares to hire someone to write a book in his later years. If you are better than him, of course you are qualified to write a history book. It is best to have a separate biography of your own."
Vitus Standing in the shade, admiring the Rose flowers blooming in the corner, my interest suddenly waned.
"Since Constantine I moved the capital to Constantinople in AD 330, Eastern Roman Empire has gone through thousands of years and experienced more than ninety emperors.
Some emperors compiled histories, but not in the form of biographies or chronologies. A few clergy and officials tried to compile histories, but their financial resources were limited and the content was less comprehensive.
If you want to write a history book, you should not just focus on a single person, but you should start from a certain point in time and write a set of chronological history books that last for thousands of years."
Plop!
Thomas's horse brush fell into the pool, and the splash wet his trousers.
Thousands of years, how long will this take?
The cost of compiling large-scale history books is very high. On the one hand, it requires hiring well-known scholars with high salaries and a large number of clerks to copy and proofread. On the other hand, it requires spending money to purchase precious ancient books.
If we were to compile a large-scale history book covering Eastern Roman Empire millennia, it would take twenty years to complete, and the cost would be comparable to launching a large-scale war.
"You are the emperor, and you can do whatever you want. But when you write the history book, please write a few more good words to your father and eldest brother. Especially the eldest brother, whose reputation has been ruined all his life by the "church merger". I really can't understand why some people are still holding on to this matter more than ten years ago..."
Thomas chanted for a long time, Vitus lowered his head and looked at the reflection in the water, remaining silent.
In the pavilion not far away, Leo put down the barbecue in his hands and listened to this past event.
When he was born, Rome had already recovered the Greece and Thrace areas. He was able to protect himself and still had room to recover the territory of Northern Black Sea Coast.
From the perspective of Leo, it is difficult to understand the difficult situation that Rome faced more than 20 years ago, as well as the despair of Manuel II and John VIII.
"It turns out that grandpa and uncle have visited so many countries."
Leo feels good about it, and thinks that if there is a chance in the future, he can go to the West for a tour and see Gaul the country of barbarians.
On September 5th, the Eastern Roman Empire army captured Adıyaman and captured the entire Diyarbakir Basin.
According to the plan, Vitus should turn back east and attack the capital of White Sheep, Tabriz. Considering the food problem, he stayed for a while longer, waiting for the army to harvest the wheat in the fields.
In the scorching heat of autumn, many Eastern Roman Empire soldiers were sent to the countryside to harvest crops. They bent over and moved among the field ridges, making a tiny crackling sound when their sickles cut through the wheat stalks.
In the distance, a group of cavalry wearing light yellow leather jackets roared towards them. They observed the nearby terrain, and then continued to march north to the northern edge of the basin.
The mountainous area ahead is the remnant of the Taurus Mountains. The slope is relatively gentle and not as steep and towering as that in Anatolia. The hillside is covered with forests, and a small stream flows from the mountainous area to the south, nourishing the fields on both sides.
Approaching the edge of the forest, several Brigade Headquarters staff members began to survey and map the terrain. Boranov dismounted, picked up Matchlock and aimed at the back of the bushes.
Bang!
The gunshot rang out, and a Pheasant with bright fur was killed on the spot. He walked over to pick up the prey and saw some wild deer footprints scattered in the wetland by the stream not far away.
"This is suitable as Garrison District."
The sixty-two Garrison District established in the past all have an exclusive forest, which serves as a hunting ground for hereditary officers to cultivate their endurance and shooting skills.
A few days ago, Boranov was chatting with a certain senior official, and the other party revealed something: the emperor intended to set up 20 to 30 Garrison District in the west of Armenian Highlands.
Based on Boranov's achievements, senior officials speculated that he would most likely move over from the original Thirteenth Garrison District and become Deputy Battalion Commander of a new Garrison District.
If he seizes the opportunity and makes more meritorious deeds in the following war, he may even be promoted to Qianhu and become the highest hereditary officer in the entire Garrison District.
Nowadays, the emperor is getting older and the pace of empire expansion has slowed down, leaving fewer and fewer opportunities for the officers.
Boranov has a friend in the Varangian Legion (currently in Constantinople). If he misses this war, he will most likely stay at the deputy 100 households level.
"At least, their situation is better than First Legion. First Legion stayed in Balkans all year round. The only battle was to capture Moesia. A few officers were given hereditary military positions, and then they had no chance to fight. I heard that some people desperately wanted to be transferred to the east, and some prayed that Jagiellon would take the initiative to invade and gain some achievements..."
Looking back on his service career of more than ten years, Boranov feels that his situation is not bad.
Although he did not catch up with the early Tuna Mercenary Group and became a real veteran. However, he experienced the subsequent Battle of Sakarya and Battle of Konya and was successfully promoted to battalion commander.
During the war with Venice, he wiped out mercenary pirates on the coast of Greece. No large-scale battle broke out, but the accumulation of scattered achievements still helped him to be promoted to deputy brigade commander.
"The wisest decision in my life was to join the Rome army, followed by serving as Dragoons."
The high casualty rate of cavalry results in more opportunities for meritorious service. In almost every large-scale battle, there is a lucky cavalryman who captures a high-value enemy target and achieves great success.
Artillery, engineers, and Musketeers are indeed relatively safe, but the price is that they have fewer opportunities to make meritorious deeds and can only be promoted slowly through seniority.
At that time, Boranov almost chose Musketeers, but he heard that Dragoons's salary was higher, so he changed his mind temporarily.
Sometimes, a person's life is doomed in a short moment. If you choose to become a musketeer and fight for more than ten years, you may only be able to become an officer at the company and platoon level.
September 10th, north of Tabriz.
Since the two sides divided their forces, Georgia Army has been wandering in the area north of Tabriz. The terrain here is steep and sparsely populated. The settlements are mainly distributed in the river valleys.
As the king and commander of the army, Vakhtang does not have a clear attack target and occasionally sends troops to attack some villages and towns.
From beginning to end, he never got close to Tabriz, nor did he have any thoughts of attacking the city.
After knowing that White Sheep Main Force was defeated, Uzon Hassan withdrew to Tabriz. Vakhtang's first reaction was not to pursue. He immediately gathered his troops and returned to the north of the Aras River as quickly as possible.
Faced with the criticism from his subordinates, Vakhtang pretended not to hear it.
After experiencing several major defeats, he no longer had any hope of defeating Uzon Hassan. At the beginning, the plan he had negotiated with the emperor was to Georgia raid enemy areas. He believed that he had achieved his combat goal and did not want to take any greater risks.
"The southernmost fortress should be completed."
The king left the camp and led the guards to patrol the frontline valley.
The sky is high and the clouds are wide, the air is fresh, and the hillsides on both sides of the river valley are covered with large pine forests. Some farmland has been reclaimed in the narrow strip near the river bank, and people are harvesting Barley.
On the high ground dozens of steps away from the north bank, a fortress is about to be completed. Its style is based on the Eastern Roman Empire Trace Italienne. The walls are thickened, trenches are dug outside the walls, and river water is introduced as a moat.
The king came to the top of the city wall and looked out at the open space outside the crenellations. Estimating the distance, the artillery range of the city wall reached 600 steps, which could cover the lowlands on both sides of the river and intercept passing enemy troops.
At this time, an officer came to report:
"Your Majesty, ten miles away to the south, we found three groups of enemy troops scattered from each other. They all seem to be building forts. Do we need to stop them?"
Vakhtang shook his head slowly, "Rome's main force has pacified Diyarbakir and is expected to return to the eastern part of the plateau within a month. When they arrive, the enemy's fortress should still be under construction. What's the use of an unfinished fortress? Leave them alone."
Suddenly, the soldiers working at the construction site cheered.
Looking from a distance, a convoy was coming from behind. The car was loaded with many wooden barrels, most likely ale or wine.
The troops responsible for escorting supplies are Armenia Second Auxiliary Brigade, Deputy Battalion Commander George·Kamsarakan, with gloomy expressions on their faces, looking at the surrounding friendly forces indifferently.
He suppressed his anger and did not express the curse in his heart.
"The so-called friendly forces are all trash. From June to now, they have only occupied five small towns and more than a hundred villages. White Sheep The cavalry made a slight movement, and these trash groups hid back in the mountains, building these broken fortresses all day long, and asked me to help you transport supplies."
Some time ago, George heard about Battle of Lake Van's story. Armenia First Auxiliary Brigade performed well and resisted Uzong Hassan's New Army head-on. The emperor personally promised to confer certain officers as hereditary lords.
The remaining three Armenia Auxiliary Brigade did not participate in the decisive battle and were scattered in various strongholds for a long time, engaged in some safe and boring jobs, such as transporting grain and grass, clearing out defeated troops, and building fortifications.
From the perspective of ordinary Militia, this is the situation they most expect to see.
However, squires like George had higher expectations. He donated food and risked his life to join the army, just to pursue a place as a hereditary lord.
George's original idea was to fight with Georgia and find a way to accumulate some military merit. However, the king stayed in the mountainous area for a long time and was unwilling to go south, which wasted Master George's time.
He numbly walked towards the Georgia quartermaster, handed him an account book, and then took the handover order and prepared to leave.
Before leaving, George took one last look at the south and lamented in his heart:
"Vakhtang, you cowardly and incompetent waste, when will you be willing to fight?"
At the same time, sixty miles south, Tabriz palace.
Uzon Hassan heard about the situation on the front line and gave up the idea of trapping Vakhtang.
After the decisive battle, the main force of the Eastern Roman Empire went to Diyarbakir, while Uzong Hassan temporarily stayed in Tabriz, hoping to take the opportunity to defeat Georgia Army and seize the enemy's firearms.
In the war against Georgia, White Sheep almost maintained complete victory. As long as Vakhtang left the mountainous area and headed south, Uzong Hassan had full confidence in annihilating the enemy.
However, Vakhtang seemed to be scared out of his mind. No matter how White Sheep Army tried to lure him, he refused to leave that damn mountainous area and focused on building fortifications.
"Estimated time, Greece The main force will arrive within a month Tabriz, Persia The northwest will fall."
Uzong Hassan's target for moving the capital is Basra in the south. The city is located downstream of the Tigris River and adjacent to Persian Gulf. Spices, porcelain, and silk are imported from the east every year. Trade has a high income.
The whole journey from Tabriz to Basra took one and a half months, and Uzong Hassan felt that Vitus would not catch up.
(Note: The straight-line distance between the two places is about 850 kilometers. Ancient roads needed to go around mountains and rivers. The actual distance may be more than 1,300 kilometers.)
Throughout history, Rome's eastern border remained east of Armenian Highlands, which was the limit of their rule.
Sometimes, the Rome army captures Ctesiphon (near Baghdad, midstream of the Tigris River), but cannot occupy it for a long time. It is too far away from the core area of Rome. Once the main force withdraws, the local area will be out of control.
"Trajan, Carus, Heraclius can't do it, and the same goes for Vitus. If he really goes crazy and rushes all the way to Basra, the worst I can do is run to the east of Persia."
Now that things have happened, Uzon Hassan has completely looked away.
On the day of the decisive battle, Uzong Hassan withdrew relatively promptly. Most of the New Army and heavy cavalry were withdrawn. The core armed forces were still there, Mesopotamian Plain, Persia, and India. There were plenty of places where he could rebuild the country.