On the third day of the siege, the forts on the south side of the bay surrendered.
Seeing this, the fort on the north side also surrendered. There was a huge disparity in the numbers between the enemy and ourselves, making this battle impossible to fight.
Although the fort was captured, Battleship did not enter the bay immediately. Caboto sent a small boat to measure the water depth in the bay and find an area suitable for Battleship to anchor.
In the afternoon, Gothis lowered its sail, was slowly towed by a rowing boat Longboat, and anchored in the deep water area in the middle.
The draft of Battleship is about four steps, so it is impossible to dock Porto Vecchio in the southwest of the bay. These Battleship can only stay in the deep water area and rely on small boats to replenish supplies.
The dock facilities of Porto Vecchio are simple, with a crooked trestle extending to the sea, barely able to berth Cruiser.
In the future, the military will need to undertake its own construction tasks and build new trestles, Dry Dock, warehouses, cranes and other facilities to meet the needs of the fleet.
Under the warm sunshine, Romanus looked towards a mountain road leading inland. Dozens of infantrymen walked listlessly out of the mountainous area. Five wounded were carried on stretchers at the rear of the team.
In my impression, Privy Council has collected ancient information, whether it is official records or private travel notes, and they all believe that Corsica's inland is rugged and difficult to travel.
After the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, the situation in Corsica was turbulent, and local forces were keen on building fortifications.
The terrain of many castles is steep, and Army cannot transport heavy artillery inland to blast through the city walls. The only way is to siege, but this is time-consuming and labor-intensive with little benefit.
Therefore, Romanus continues the strategy before departure:
The mission of the Army is to control the southern part of the island, guard the fleet anchorage Porto Vecchio, and temporarily ignore the northern part of the island and the interior.
Over the next week, Eastern Roman Empire Army occupied the southern coastal area of the island, including the second largest settlement, Bonifacio.
Bonifacio has some paper materials recording the information of Corsica.
In the thirteenth century, Genoa intervened in the situation of Corsica, but failed to capture the entire island, and local rebellions broke out one after another.
Three years ago, the Genoa Republic Finance was in difficulty and could not repay Bank of Saint George's debts. The sovereignty of this island was handed over to the bank as a debt-forfeiture asset.
Bank of Saint George was established at the beginning of this century. On the one hand, it engages in normal financial business, and on the other hand, it manages Genoa's national debt and multiple taxes. It is Genoa's de facto central bank.
Currently, the Governor Giovanni di Clement appointed by the bank is located in the Bastia in the north, and the control area is limited to the coast.
There are many inland forces, and the largest resistance force is Lecca Family, located in the southwest mountainous area.
Over the years, the rebels have continued to obtain equipment from Aragon.
After Aragon admitted defeat, the kingdom's fleet was handed over to Charles VII as compensation. After that, the Aragon fleet could no longer smuggle weapons to the rebels at low prices like before.
Without firearms, the rebels gradually weakened, and inland villages gradually turned to Genoa.
Caboto told the crown prince, "As expected, the rebel leaders will come to ask for an audience in the near future. If they are to be used against Genoa, corresponding commitments must be given. What do Central Administration think?"
Romanus: "Accept some rebels, but not all. We must ensure that the proportion of territory they control is within 30%. Once they are allowed to grow, there is a possibility of losing control in the future."
Before departure, Romanus discussed the matter in detail with his father.
In the future, Corsica will be handed over to Montferrat Branch as compensation for losing their ancestral property.
The empire only occupies Porto Vecchio, and the remaining land is given to the marquis, local forces, and transferred nobles, allowing them to tangle with each other.
On April 10th, Romanus saw its first visitor.
The other party was an inland noble, dressed similarly to the wealthy businessman Florence, wearing a red shawl hood, clothing embroidered with gold thread, and a pair of pointed leather shoes.
"Chernado Baron?"
Romanus has read the information about Corsica's local power. This baron seems to be self-proclaimed. He owns three villages in the southern mountainous area and is second only to the Lecca Family in power.
The Baron represented most of the rebel forces, and during the conversation, he asked Romanus many questions.
From beginning to end, Romanus had a gentle attitude and did not have any dispute with the opponent.
Address:\\\\\\.\\\
Suppose the other party made some excessive demands, Romanus did not refuse on the spot, saying that he would consider it and give them a reply later.
After the messenger left, Romanus restrained his smile and thought about how to solve these troubles.
The entire rebel alliance has twelve families or villages, including Laika, Chernado, and Distra. The territorial claims of all parties combined account for almost half of Corsica.
"Now they are asking for weapons and military expenses. After winning the war, they are asking us to recognize their autonomy. How can this be such a good thing?"
For the time being, the two sides have a common enemy - Genoa, Romanus. Don't rush to fall out. Wait until your side has a truce with the France camp, and then deal with this mess.
Five days later, Caboto led the fleet to the offshore waters of Genoa.
Witnessing that damn Palaiologos, the situation at the dock was chaotic. Churches throughout the city rang bells to warn, and coastal defense artillery poured firepower frantically onto the sea, trying to scare away these Greece people.
"They built so many warships and merchant ships, but they were drafted to the front line by the French Army. There were very few warships left in the port. It's so pitiful."
Caboto found no valuable targets and ordered the fleet to move westward to France's Mediterranean Fleet headquarters - Toulon.
The outside of the port was blocked by iron chains, and six coastal defense forts were built on the surrounding coast. A Cruiser tried to get closer to observe, but could not see the eastern half of the port clearly.
After being hit by more than a dozen shells, Cruiser slowly changed direction. Fortunately, the distance was more than 600 steps, and the power of the coastal defense gun shells decreased, so Cruiser did not suffer much damage.
The fleet left Toulon and traveled along the coast south of France.
On April 19, a deserted and deserted beach appeared ahead.
Caboto issued the command, "Let Marine Battalion log in."
The sea breeze was wet, cold and salty, and dozens of Longboat rowed toward the coast. The place was covered with black seaweed washed up on the beach. They rotted and smelled in the sun, attracting complaints from the soldiers.
A black smoke column rose inland, warning nearby areas. The battalion commander picked up the telescope and saw the second and third smoke columns rising in the distance.
"Forward!"
Following the rhythm of drums and trumpets, the soldiers followed the battalion over the hillside and along an ancient road that had been in disrepair and went deep into the interior. The road was overgrown with thorns on both sides and exuded the bitter fragrance of rosemary and Thyme.
This area is sparsely populated, and the cultivated land has degraded into pasture for cattle. The army walked for a long time and came to an abandoned village.
The houses in the village are dilapidated and overgrown with weeds. The ruins show no traces of arson, but have naturally collapsed in the long wind and rain.
There is a low stone tablet on the southeastern hillside, its surface covered with slippery moss. A staff officer translated the stone tablet's Occitan (the language of the southern part of France) into Greek with a solemn expression.
"The victims of Black Death are buried here. The village was abandoned decades ago and the survivors moved away."
Hearing Black Death, the people around were shocked. The battalion sergeant major cursed, "When I entered the village, I felt something was wrong. Let's leave quickly. I don't want to be contaminated by the curse here."
Marine Battalion ends the rest and leaves here as quickly as possible.
At noon, they arrived at a village further north.
The buildings here were burned into ruins, and a few crows stood on the dark beams, silently looking at the army coming from afar.
More than a dozen newly built farmhouses were scattered across the fields. Residents retreated to the forest after seeing the smoke, leaving Marine Battalion to wander nearby.
There was an Orion lurking at the edge of the forest, observing the marching team attentively. They were dressed neatly and did not look like pirates.
"Red, yellow cross, four symbols, they are the Greece people mentioned by the priest!"
Suddenly, the hunter noticed that someone was glancing this way. He became vigilant and ran into the depths of the woods with his hunting bow. He accidentally fell and a bloody wound was made on his left knee by gravel.
In extreme fear, the hunter endured the severe pain, tore off a piece of clothing to bandage the wound, then cut off a branch with a hunting knife to use as a crutch, and limped out of the woods.
There is a castle on the northwest side of the forest. Orion stood outside the city gate and shouted:
"I see the Greece army. There are hundreds of people. Let me in!"
A figure poked out from behind the battlements, "Are you sure you are from Greece?"
Orion described the face, the soldiers' armor and weapons.
Soon, the gate burst open, and a rider rushed out of the castle and reported the news of "Greece's army landing" to Officer Justice.
The news was reported layer by layer, and it was already April 27th when it arrived at Tours in the middle of France.
Charles VII does not have a fixed address of Court. Although he recovered Paris, he does not like this city and Court often moves.
In 1413, when Charles VII was ten years old, a riot broke out in the city and a group of rioters rushed into his mansion, leaving a psychological shadow on the young Charles.
The poor sanitation situation in Paris is another factor. The city lacks a sewage system, and people dump sewage into the Seine River. At the same time, they use Seine River as a source of drinking water, which directly leads to the spread of diseases.
Three years ago, Charles captured King England and supported Duke of York to take over the situation, and the threat from the north was completely eliminated.
Since then, Charles's Court has not moved back to Paris city, but has always stayed in the central Loire River river basin.
The environment here is beautiful. The castle where he is located is located in the suburbs of Tours. It has fresh air and clean water, and does not have to endure the filth and noise of the city.
In the early morning, Charles VII walked in the fields as usual, admiring the various wild flowers blooming on the roadside, followed by two servants and a dozen soldiers.
wisps of smoke rose from the village community not far away, and some farmers who got up early carried farm tools and went to work in the fields. They were used to the presence of the old king, and their faces were calm when they saluted, no longer as frightened as before.
Charles VII's attitude toward these villagers was friendly and gentle, completely unlike the way he was during his time at Paris.
"This cow's harness is too old. You should find a tanner to replace it."
"Charle, I heard that your son painted graffiti on the church wall. This behavior is not good."
"Whose sheep is this? Why did it end up in the wheat field?"
When Charles was young, England occupied Paris, and he was forced to live in exile south of the Loire River. Here, Charles gained his mother-in-law Under the protection of Aragon's Yolande and others, he formed his own Court, which often tours Chinon, Amboise and other places.
In March 1429, Charles VII summoned the ordinary Jeanne Duck in the Chinon castle. From then on, the offensive and defensive momentum of the two sides reversed...
Therefore, he regarded the people near the Loire River as his hometown people, while the people of Paris were a group of people who acted according to the changing circumstances, and their loyalty was extremely questionable.
Not long after, his good mood was interrupted by the appearance of the messenger.
"The enemy has really landed?"
Recently, Charles VII has received a series of bad news: Corsica has fallen, and enemy fleets have appeared in the offshore waters of Toulon and Marseille.
With this news, Charles VII figured out Vitus's strategy.
"Avoid Naples and focus on attacking our coast and cutting off supplies. This "Restorer of the World" is not going to fight a land war?"
During the preparations for the war, Charles VII Juetus would personally direct the battle on the front line just like he did in the attack on Serbia, so many defenses were built in Southern Italy.
Facts have proved that these castles have effectively delayed the enemy's progress. More than a year later, Vitus has only occupied most of Sicily, and the northern mountainous area is still under the French Army's control.
According to the current progress, Sicily can persist until the end of the year. Next year when the enemy attacks Naples, they will have to spend time in the Calabria mountainous area in the south until they are exhausted.
Then, Charles VII will accept Vitus's ceasefire request and end this war with dignity...
Unexpectedly, Vitus adopted a despicable island hopping tactic, completely bypassing Naples, first Malta, then Sicily, and finally Corsica.
Every time, Vitus's combat goal is always to capture the port. He does not pursue the annihilation of the army, nor does he care about the so-called land. He just wants to place the fleet as close as possible to France, so as to better achieve a naval blockade.
Charles walked slowly along the wooden fence of Ranch.
"The enemy troops in the south are just harassing. Vitus has limited logistics capacity and cannot transport tens of thousands of soldiers to the south of France. It is estimated that the harassing troops have already withdrawn by this time.
The situation in the mainland is stable, but what about Naples? From the mainland to Southern Italy, the cost of land transportation is too high and not cost-effective at all."
As the sun rose into the sky, Charles VII returned to the castle to rest. He inexplicably recalled the scene when he first saw Vitus more than thirty years ago.
Both of them are young, one is Dauphin who lost most of his country, and the other is a mercenary leader who is making money everywhere and dare not use his real name.
"At the time, I would have never imagined that this money-grubbing Greece mercenary would turn out to be the most dangerous enemy."
Charles stood by the window and thought for a long time, and decided to let the Italy region provide more grain and other agricultural products, especially the central Holy See States.
Previously, Charles VII granted partial immunity to Holy See States. The situation was critical and could only temporarily increase their burden.
In another year or two, Vitus's military expenditures will be exhausted, and after the two sides reach an armistice agreement, the burden on the Italy region will be greatly reduced.
If we lose the battle, we will lose the Italy area, and this mess will be left to others to clean up.
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