Early the next morning, Isaac did not slack off, but led his guards and Constantine's army in training.
After breakfast, the army set off northward.
The journey was smooth, with no incidents.
By noon, Constantine arrived at his loyal city of Thebes.
Constantine's younger brother Thomas had been waiting at the city gates, and the city guards all saluted Constantine.
After three days of siege, the local garrison of Thebes surrendered to Thomas yesterday.
They are all Romans, why risk their lives?
Isaac stepped forward and bowed to Thomas.
"Long time no see, dear uncle, noble despot of Achaea."
"Long time no see, little Isaac!"
Thomas's voice was loud and clear.
This was another member of the Palaiologos family, the younger brother of the current emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire and the grandfather of the future Russian tsars.
His daughter, Princess Zoe, later married Grand Prince Ivan III of Moscow and became the mother of Vasily III and the grandmother of Ivan the Terrible.
The Russian Third Rome's claim to the imperial throne began here.
However, Princess Zoe had not yet been born.
This Byzantine prince was now 35 years old, in the prime of his life.
He was also Constantine's closest brother and most loyal comrade-in-arms.
Prior to this, Thomas had participated in many of Constantine's military campaigns.
Later, he would also defend the Six Mile Wall alongside his foolish brother until the very end.
After exchanging pleasantries, the army entered the city.
The Greeks of Thebes welcomed the return of the Palaiologos family with mixed feelings.
Since the Fourth Crusade looted Constantinople in 1204, this place had mostly been under the rule of Latin colonists.
This had been the case for more than 200 years.
Everyone knew that they were Roman Orthodox Christians, but no one knew what life in Rome was like.
Especially recently, with the rise of the Ottomans, the Duchy of Athens was walking a tightrope between the two powers, relying on its resources to curry favor with the Sultan.
Thebes was located on the border between the Duchy of Athens and the Ottoman Empire and was often raided by Turkish raiders.
The Grand Duke of Florence dared not speak out, not only failing to take any action, but also paying tribute to the Ottomans every year.
If the Byzantine emperors are paying tribute, why can't I?
In this context, it was inevitable that the local Greek Orthodox Christians would harbor fantasies about their former homeland.
Unfortunately, the empire was in decline and could not protect itself.
They looked southward to the royal army for another year, but the royal army was reduced to half a company.
This time, Constantine returned like a flash of lightning and was indeed welcomed by the local people at first.
At this time, Constantine was still secretly rejoicing with his foolish younger brother.
But Isaac knew very well that the local people were merely admiring strength, not patriotism.
When the Sultan arrived with his army, they would immediately switch sides without a moment's hesitation.
After lunch, Constantine convened a military and political meeting.
The meeting was chaired by Constantine and Thomas, with the participation of military and political officials at all levels.
Isaac was allowed to attend as an observer.
The meeting began with a summary of the previous victories, followed by arrangements for food and military equipment, and finally moved on to the main topic of the meeting—discussing whether to continue the advance and how to deal with the Duchy of Athens.
Contrary to Isaac's expectations, the political faction insisted on advancing north, while the military faction advocated halting the advance.
Several white-bearded old men spoke loudly about boosting morale, inspiring spirit, and reviving the empire, even shedding a few tears when they reached the most emotional parts.
Isaac felt nauseous.
You didn't show up when we were fighting, but you're jumping out to get a piece of the pie!
Uncle Thomas was so angry that he slammed his fist on the table and argued with them.
Constantine remained silent, quietly thinking.
The meeting lasted from morning until sunset, and Constantine finally made a decision—let's eat first and discuss it tomorrow.
Hearing that it was time to eat, the white-bearded men immediately stopped their passionate speeches, wiped away their tears, and ran to the table.
Isaac did not express any opinion throughout the entire meeting.
Constantine still held the upper hand in this meeting, and if he wanted to march, no one could stop him.
Everything that needed to be said had been said. I believe he will come to his senses!
Over the next few days, the meetings continued intensely, but of course, nothing was decided.
This was an old Byzantine tradition, and everyone was used to it.
Until news arrived—
It turned out that Athens, which had been thought to be secure, had encountered trouble.
A group of Ottoman stragglers raided a Latin merchant's horse farm and obtained many fine horses.
They then ambushed a supply convoy, seizing a large quantity of weapons, including muskets; over the next few days, nearby villages were repeatedly attacked. The stragglers did not kill indiscriminately but looted all money and grain.
The villagers in the surrounding areas were terrified, and large numbers of refugees fled south.
At this time, Governor Andre distributed large quantities of grain to the refugees in the name of His Royal Highness.
Countless farmers who had lost their homes were grateful to Isaac.
The Athenian security forces were unable to catch the Ottoman cavalry, who came and went like the wind, and asked Constantinople for help.
The magistrates were also very confused as to why the remnants of the army always knew the location of the horses and weapons and were able to escape before they could be surrounded.
Thinking of this, he would sincerely thank the kind and generous Prince Isaac.
If it weren't for him sacrificing his own wealth to help the refugees, the refugees who had nowhere to eat would have flooded into Athens and might have eaten him alive.
Damn the Ottomans!
When news of the attack on Athens reached Thebes, Constantine finally made up his mind.
"This military operation is over. The next strategy..."
"Isaac, you tell them!"
Isaac, who had been slacking in the corner, was suddenly called upon and was at a loss.
He slowly stood up and looked around. "Gentlemen, I believe that regardless of whether we continue our advance, there are some things that must be done immediately."
"First, we must appease the refugees. We can ask wealthy merchants to donate money and goods to help our compatriots and send them south to the Morea region as a group of settlers."
"Second, the Archduke of Athens. This issue involves multiple aspects. We cannot risk angering the Catholic Church by directly abolishing the Archduke. We should keep him, have him pay a proper tribute, while ensuring the freedom of Orthodox Christians and the imperial garrison rights within Athens. Their fleet can also be borrowed for use;"
"Third, build the Corinthian Wall. Your estates are all south of the wall, and I'm sure you don't want your hometowns to be plundered by the remnants of the Ottoman army."
"Finally, we can send a small number of cavalries north to plunder property and slaves, while recruiting Orthodox Christians to come south."
As soon as the plan was announced, the entire hall was filled with whispered discussions about the feasibility of the plan.
White Beard wanted to say something but was warned by Constantine's gaze.
Usually, you are called upon to serve as mascots, but do not take yourselves too seriously at critical moments.
"Since there are no objections, let us proceed as planned!"
Constantine made the final decision.
After some discussion, Constantine decided to remain in the north to stabilize the situation while arranging for the northern expedition.
Thomas led his troops south to oversee the repair of the Corinthian Wall.
Isaac made a military pledge to eliminate the remaining Ottoman troops around Athens, or else he would return with their heads.
Isaac returned to Athens, boarded the Saint Nicholas, and met with Ibrahim, who had been waiting there.
"Dad!" Ibrahim's daughter rushed towards him.
Isaac gave them time to reunite, then summoned them.
"You did well. You are very capable. I was not wrong about you."
Ibrahim remained silent and did not answer.
"I called the priest of the Orthodox Church in Athens to baptize your family. Your daughter is studying Greek at a church school, so don't worry."
Ibrahim did not refute this; his wife and daughter had already told him.
His wife and daughter had escaped their life of fear and were doing well, but they missed their husband and father.
"The activities around Athens can end. Take your troops to Epirus in the northwest and continue raiding, driving the people southeast.
"Horses and men."
"In three days, a group of Genoese merchants will head north, carrying mainly horses and slaves."
Ibrahim nodded and prepared to leave.
"We don't have much intelligence this time, so avoid large targets, equip more horses, and run if you can't win."
"I'll have Kerman take the Northumbrian and patrol the coast. You guys coordinate with him."
Isaac waved his hand, signaling Ibrahim to leave.
As he reached the door, Isaac called him back.
"I won't keep you doing this forever. Once everything is settled, you will become my subordinates. You will be the commander, and I will have the Patriarch of Constantinople baptize you."
Ibrahim turned his head and took a deep breath.
He knelt on one knee.
His eyes, which had been dull, seemed to sparkle with a little light.
Isaac smiled with satisfaction.
After Ibrahim left, Isa looked happily at the property he had brought.
Some of the looted items would be used to recruit stragglers, and some would be used to maintain the troops.
The largest piece ended up on Isaac's dinner table.
Over 9,000 ducats—a true fortune.
Isaac planned to use this as a foundation to recruit new soldiers from the refugees.
Additionally, the formation of a firearms unit must be prioritized.
For this, more than a dozen villages were displaced, and six merchant caravans lost everything.
The next day, Isaac was invited to attend a rally organized by the Orthodox Church to vow to eliminate bandits, with merchants and representatives of the refugees in attendance.
The merchants and refugees expressed their deep gratitude to Isaac for opening his granaries, and even the Orthodox Church personally commended him.
Why does this grain taste so familiar?
Of course it does, you grew it yourself!
"Your Highness, when will you leave the city to fight the bandits?" asked the bishop.
The merchants also looked over with concern.
Isaac looked troubled.
"The exact time cannot be determined yet, but it will probably be this month, as there are still many difficulties to overcome."
"We are preparing military rations and equipment, but we are short on manpower..."
"The merchants will donate funds, and our church will contribute manpower!"
The bishop made a solemn promise.
"We are short on muskets..."
"We will buy them from Italy!"
"We are short on cannons..."
"We will buy them from Hungary!"
"There's a shortage of armor..."
"Buy it!"
"Bows and crossbows..."
"...Buy them!"
Isaac finally stood up with satisfaction.
"These bandits must be eradicated at any cost; there's no other option!"
"Tomorrow at noon, we'll leave the city and eliminate the bandits!"