February 10, 1451, Naples.
Hearing that Palaiologos intends to attack Mamluk, King Naples suddenly thought of a crucial thing: he owns the title of King Jerusalem!
After the demise of Kingdom of Jerusalem, this legal title was claimed by two families.
The first is Lusignan family.
In 1180, Guy de Lusignan married Sibylla, the sister of "Leprosy King" Baldwin IV.
In 1186, Sibylla became Queen Jerusalem, and Guy won the title of King.
After the death of Sibylla, a fierce conflict broke out between Guy and another noble. In the end, under the mediation of "Lionheart" Richard, Guy gave up the throne in exchange for the rule of Cyprus.
A few years later, Guy passed away, and his younger brother Amalric succeeded Kingdom of Cyprus. Subsequently, Amalric once again won the title of King Jerusalem through marriage.
From then on, Lusignan family passed down the two titles of "King Cyprus" and "King Jerusalem" from generation to generation. It was not until more than two hundred years later that a cruel and tyrannical prince Greece attacked Cyprus and ended Lusignan's rule.
The second one with a claim is House of Anjou.
In 1277, Charles I of House of Anjou spent money to buy the inheritance rights of Kingdom of Jerusalem.
Now that Lusignan family has been destroyed, House of Anjou has become the only legal claimant of the kingdom and has the right to rule this land.
Even so, René de Anjou has no intention of competing for Jerusalem. He is very aware of the comparison in strength between his own side and Palaiologos, and also knows the character of Vitus.
At the dinner table, he explained to his family members that he did not want to offend the bad-tempered emperor.
"Vitus has fought all his life and never compromised with any force. Principality of Achaea, Kingdom of Cyprus, Ottoman, Golden Horde, Venice... more than ten forces were destroyed in his hands.
This man went crazy and didn't care who he was opposite or the strength gap between the two sides. When Palaiologos was weak, he dared to attack the powerful Ottoman. Now that Palaiologos is strong, will he give in to us?"
Before the king could finish speaking, Crown Prince Jean de Anjou took the lead in objecting.
He is twenty-five years old this year, full of enthusiasm and restlessness common to Franks nobles, and not afraid of Vitus·Palaiologos.
"In the last century, Louis I was publicly crowned by Pope. Our family's claim to Jerusalem is undisputed. Why should we give it to Greece?"
The king pointed out a loophole in the eldest son's words. "The Pope you are talking about is the "opposition Pope" that France Avignon was elected in 1378. If you insist on making a quarrel about this matter, don't expect the current Holy See to support you."
The father and son quarreled for more than half an hour, and the dinner ended unhappy.
After returning to the room, the crown prince became more and more angry as he thought about it, and felt that the matter could not be let go. Under the bright candlelight, he began to write a letter asking for help.
The first person seeking help was Duke Charles of Bourbon, his father-in-law.
The second person seeking help was Dharma King Charles VII, his uncle. (In 1422, Charles VII married House of Anjou's Marie)
The third person asking for help was King Henry VI of England, his brother-in-law. (In 1445, Henry VI married House of Anjou's Margaret)
For a long time, the crown prince kneaded his sore and swollen wrists and exhaled a breath of white mist.
He picked up a silver spoon, dropped melted wax on the seals of the letters, and used a ring to seal the unsolidified wax.
"Finally finished."
In order to convince the recipients of the letter, the crown prince focused on the huge benefits of this war.
Among the trade routes Europe used to obtain goods from the East, the Trade route with the largest amount is the Indian Ocean--Red Sea--Egypt--Mediterranean Sea route.
Assuming that Kingdom of Jerusalem is recovered, the crown prince plans to attack Egypt and seize this lucrative trade route. All the forces participating in the war are eligible to share the profits.
Among the many people asking for help, the one the Crown Prince is most looking forward to is Charles VII. As long as the largest power in Europe is willing to give up, there is at least a 70% chance of winning this battle.
"Vitus attacks from the north of Levant and needs to cross many mountains. We can launch a landing directly from the sea, which should be faster than him."
Not long after the letter was sent, Roman Curia received the news. Pope Nicholas V was shocked at first, and then uncontrollably angry.
"House of Anjou What are you doing?"
As early as last autumn, Nicholas V and Vitus had an agreement and agreed that after the recovery of Jerusalem, the two sides would not interfere with each other's clergy and the Holy Land would remain peaceful.
Not long ago, he ordered Knights Hospitaller to assist Eastern Roman Empire in fighting, and also sent a cardinal to Lycia. Everything was ready, and he was waiting for spring to come, and Vitus would lead the army to recover Jerusalem.
At this critical moment, I didn't expect something went wrong with Naples.
"The war hasn't even started yet, but the farce of our own people fighting our own people is happening again?"
Nicholas V suppressed his anger and wrote letters to Henry VI, Charles VII and other rulers, urging them not to listen to Jean de Anjou's instigation.
After writing the last letter, Nicholas V gradually calmed down and found that the situation was not as bad as he first thought.
The situation in the England kingdom is in turmoil. Henry VI's most trusted minister has been killed. Duke of Somerset and Duke of York are competing for power. The kingdom is on the verge of civil war. How can it be possible to send troops to expedition Jerusalem?
France is powerful and is recognized as the number one power by Europe, but the internal aristocratic forces are intertwined. Charles VII is busy reducing the power of the aristocracy and will not distract its energy from participating in a distant war.
"I hope Vitus will stay calm and attack south as planned."
The long-awaited restoration operation suffered setbacks. Nicholas V hated Jean de Anjou so much that he wanted to excommunicate him, but finally gave up.
Naples and Holy See States are adjacent to each other. If they really fight each other, Holy See's mercenaries will not be able to stop Naples's army.
"In a few years, if this madman inherits Kingdom of Naples, it will definitely affect the stability of Italy. Perhaps if Aragon takes over Naples, the threat to Holy See will be lower?"
March 1, Antioch.
As the weather got warmer, troops gradually gathered towards Antioch. The number of troops under Renaf reached 30,000, and they launched a tentative attack to the south.
His first offensive target is Block Fortress.
Three days later, more than 20,000 soldiers gathered in the open space on the north side of the fortress and began to cut down the trees on the nearby hillside to build a siege camp in a relatively safe location.
That night, thousands of soldiers left the camp under the dim moonlight, built Siege Cannon bunkers with earth bags, and dug the first Parallel Trench ditch.
Not long after, the defenders noticed the movement outside the city and fired in a general direction.
Bang! Bang!
The sound of cannons on the city wall was heard one after another, and the soldiers who were digging the soil quickly fell to the ground, their cheeks pressed against the newly turned soil, and they could even see earthworms writhing in the soil.
"The defenders discovered us in advance. Is it time to retreat?"
However, what the soldiers were waiting for was a rapid sound of drums and trumpets, urging them to continue working.
"Malaka!"
"What madman gave this order?"
Everyone cursed quietly and continued digging holes with the shovels they were given.
The darkness affected the reloading speed and vision of the defenders, and the positions of the Eastern Roman Empire soldiers were scattered, so the killing effect of the artillery fire was very poor.
Bang!
The shell landed on the ground not far away, making a muffled sound. The nearby soldiers were shocked, and then they got up and continued to dig in the soil. Their clothes were soaked with sweat. When the cool breeze blew, some soldiers couldn't help but sneeze.
Finally, the pothole reached waist depth. A veteran sat inside the pothole, panting, unplugging the cork of the tin kettle, and drank half a pot of cold water in one breath.
He stuck his head out of the pit and looked around. Black shadows were rising and falling in their respective pits. The artillery on the city wall was still firing, but the frequency had dropped a lot.
"Mamluk is so rich that he dares to fire in any direction. White Sheep is much poorer than them. When they besieged White Sheep city last year, the defenders hardly fired at night."
After resting enough, the veteran picked up a shovel and dug down into the soil. After a while, the hole changed from waist deep to the height of a person. It was surrounded by thick earth walls and exuded a strong earthy smell.
With the foxholes completed, the soldiers then need to dig toward the nearest companions and connect the foxholes into a trench.
Lateral digging is more laborious than simply digging a hole. The soldiers are freed from the risk of being hit by artillery shells, their spirits become slack, and their digging speed further decreases.
Sometimes, they simply put down their shovels and sat together chatting.
"I heard that Central Administration sent many civil servants to register the land in the western part of the plateau. After the war is over, we may be able to get some land coupons."
Speaking of land coupons, my companions became more energetic. Some reminded comrades not to sell them in a hurry. The longer they are held, the higher the value of the land.
"Our company commander joined Battle of Sakarya. In the past ten years, the value of his land has increased eightfold!"
Someone retorted, "That's different. His land is in Bithynia, across a strait from Constantinople. Some businessmen purchased the land to build manors or factories, so his land was sold at a good price.
Our land certificate is in the west of Armenia, where winters are cold and summers are dry, and there are nomads everywhere. Which rich man would build a manor in this shabby place?"
In the early morning, the drum bugle sounded for retreat from the camp in the rear.
"After a busy night, I can finally rest."
The soldiers who had worked hard all night left the trench and passed by the brothers who came to change shifts.
At the same time, the gun emplacement of Siege Cannon was constructed, and a thick layer of earth bags was piled outside.
Artillery was making final adjustments. After receiving the order, they aimed the muzzles at the battlements hundreds of steps away and opened fire to suppress the gun emplacements on the city wall.
Throughout the morning, Rome soldiers were busy widening last night's trenches and then reinforcing wooden boards on both sides of the trenches.
In rainy weather, the rain will wash away the soil on both sides. Without the reinforcement of wooden boards, the trench will easily collapse inward.
Some soldiers stabilized the wooden planks, while their companions picked up iron nails and hammers, and the sound of hammers and clangs echoed in various areas of the trench. The remaining soldiers began to dig communication trenches, gradually extending towards the city wall.
In the rear bunker, Renaf observed the layout of the trenches and compared it with the siege plan map drawn by the staff, but did not express any opinions.
The mission given to him by the emperor was to feign an attack to attract the Mamluk main force on the border.
If the naval landing goes smoothly, Renaf will give up the attack, send Sakarya Legion to the front line, and lead a group of auxiliary troops to retreat to various forts.
March 6, early morning, Mersin port.
After the continuous rain for many days stopped, the sky cleared up and a steady north wind blew on the sea. Vitus boarded the flagship deck and personally directed the cross-sea attack.
During this period, ten Battleship, twenty Cruiser, and one hundred and twenty transport ships gathered at the port, carrying most of the soldiers of the Attica Legion and Hermes Brigade.
The navy of Mamluk is ineffective. Recently, the port was attacked by Rocket. There is no possibility of going to sea to fight. There are fewer warships escorting this time, and some warships have been transferred to the Ionia fleet in the west.
For the time being, Vitus has not received any news from Naples. He asked the Ionia fleet to be on alert purely out of personal instinct.
According to the order, the fleet must monitor the sea area between Strait of Messina (the strait between Italy and Sicily) and Sicily and Tunisia.
Once encountering a foreign fleet, Eastern Roman Empire Cruiser needs to confirm the other party's identity and navigation purpose.
If the situation changes, the strike fleet anchored in the west of Peloponnese will immediately dispatch to intercept and kill these enemies.
Vitus believes that during this time period, the remaining ships of the Mediterranean Sea forces combined are no match for the Eastern Roman Empire fleet.
At 7:30, the flagship took the lead to leave the port, and numerous transport ships slowly followed, eventually forming two long columns on the sea. The wind direction was stable and the ship's speed was maintained at six knots (11 kilometers per hour).
Vitus stood on the stern deck of the ship and blew the sea breeze. The color of the sea gradually turned blue. In the distance, two fishing boats could be vaguely seen dragging fishing nets for fishing operations.
In the afternoon, the outline of Cyprus Island appeared ahead. The captain confirmed his location based on the shape of the coast, lighthouse, church and other reference objects.
Ten minutes later, the flagship changed course to the southeast and rounded the northeast corner of Cyprus.
The setting sun was shining slantingly, coating the sea surface with a brilliant orange-red color. The captain controlled the steering wheel and slowly approached a coast with less wind and waves and no reefs.
The northeast coast of Cyprus has rugged terrain and no large or medium-sized ports. The fleet can only anchor in shallow waters overnight.
Looking at the coast just around the corner, Vitus remembered Central Administration's report about Cyprus:
Thanks to more than two decades of stable development, Cyprus's population has grown to 280,000, and the planting area of cash crops has increased, especially cane sugar.
"I heard that many fields in Cyprus have been replanted with Sugarcane, and grains need to be imported from Lycia every year. This trend also exists in Crete."
Even so, the price of the Eastern Roman Empire sucrose is still gradually rising. Both the upper class and the common people have an almost instinctive preference for sweets, and there is a huge demand in this area.
After recovering Levant, Vitus is expected to have many Agricultural Company purchase manors and plant more Sugarcane.