Chapter 14: Consolidation (Part 2)
"Only those who dream big can walk forward on the road of victory." -Ertugrul Bey
After hearing this news from my spy, I stood up and said "I command you to send an extra spy to the Serbian capital of Nis and send a spy to Konya to watch over the karamanid beys there and send another spy to Izmir to watch over the known Byzantine allies the Aydinids." After hearing my command, the spy stood up bowed, and left to complete his tasks.
Thinking about this rationally, I underestimated the Byzantines. For some reason, I forgot their main weapon was never war but intrigue this is their specialty in this period as their armies aren't strong, but their coffers are still fully allowing them to influence rulers to fight on their behalf for the coin. The only solution to this is to have the right forces for the job, I am hoping only the Serbians or Bulgarians take the bait as I am confident in successfully deterring them away from my lands.
I am also confident in defeating any Turkic Beylic the problem is that I must be involved in the messy situation in Anatolia which I don't want to be involved in just yet. I don't plan to fight with the Anatolian beys until I am the overlord of the entire Balkans and can try to make the tribes closest to me want to take shelter in my power as what is the point of fighting amongst ourselves there is more benefit in taking the fight to external enemies!
I do not have to worry about any attacks for the time being as it is almost winter and it is suicide to raise and march an army in winter, so I have at least 4 months until any attacks allowing my spies to enter their cities and familiarize themselves with the place and start sending back information in time for it to be useful to me. So, I will focus on consolidating my power, so if anyone decides to attack me, they will be crushed or at least be successfully deterred from attacking my lands.
After hearing this news, I pushed it to the back of my mind for the time being and continued down my path. I decided to build the chosen system guild building here, the system guilds are different from the local guilds I am establishing as some of the system guilds are entirely focused on bonus stats, like the swordsmith guild and the alchemist's guild I built already.
I decided to build the Masons' guild, this guild is perfect for Thessalonica as there are tons of stone and marble quarries around the region allowing me to organize a lot of new buildings and fortifications. With this building, I am making Thessaly the capital of construction and mining for now, As Karasi is my capital of higher learning and armor and weapon production.
Well, Abydos was my capital for higher learning but now I can also teach the same things here in Thessalonica so I may have to remove that title, but I am planning to have it set like this, in Abydos men will be trained in the sciences, law and military crafts. While in Thessalonica men will be trained to be administrators, craftsmen, and engineers. This will lighten the load on Abydos whilst also speeding up the process in which judges, lawyers, and commanders are produced by the Abydos university.
Whilst we are on the topic of engineering, I want to add an engineer corps to my standing armies. I see many issues in the future without such a hardened crew of engineers at my beck and call, like the Romans of old able to build an entire fortress or Bridgeway system without begging the capital for help. With an engineer corps I could even have my armies build winter barracks for themselves to stay at in extended campaigns, with a few squads of engineers the possibilities are truly endless, and so many flaws in my plans will disappear.
After appointing the spies and building the masons' guild an entire month has passed. This month we have begun mining, with 3000 slaves helping in the mining process and building the things that need building the process was rather quick. We also established a small port near the mines and quarries to allow the huge Marble and rock slabs to be transported quickly to the construction sites they are needed.
It also allows us to ship the ingots of silver and gold, and other metals that have been mined and smelted to be shipped to Thessalonica for processing. This port has made our mining progress much quicker as anything they need can be shipped to them quickly and vice versa, instead of transporting these things on the roads using a horse or oxen it just seems rather difficult to achieve for longer distances.
This month we have recruited another 20 units an insane number of troops have been obtained bringing a huge smile to my face. The new unit totals are as follows: Varangian guard 1440, Ottoman infantry 1200, Hasham 480, Byzantine lancer 480, Naffatun 160, Ottoman cataphracts 880, General's bodyguard 320.
My thinking of having to face an enemy attack shortly drove me not only to improve my infantry but the calvary has gotten a huge boost this time, spending 11,000 ducats to recruit 10 units of the Ottoman cataphracts I made a serious investment into the heavy calvary hoping them to be a cornerstone of my victory!
We have not made any big recruitments locally just yet as we are now in a massive building project making conscription centers and militia training grounds all over my holdings. I am told the majority of the conscription center's initial office will be completed soon as I commanded this office be completed before the rest of the building so my administrators can begin recruiting as soon as possible.
This month several massive building projects are going on not only the militia training grounds and conscription centers. These conscription centers or offices will be inside our government administration buildings in the cities or towns where my administrators, local garrison, police forces, and judges will operate. With so many government organizations working out of these buildings, they will be huge buildings. Though the size will be relative to the settlement in which it is located, we will not build a giant complex of government offices in the middle of nowhere.
But I also must mention many of the government buildings will not be new, they will be restorations of older roman buildings already built previously but either fallen to disrepair or have been upgraded to fit the needs of our state. We have also added more slave manpower and materials to finally complete the grand port fortress of Gallipoli, having finally finished this masterpiece of defensive works our control of the straits has been finalized and no one can take them without a massive loss of life whether that be on land or sea.
Also speaking of the Hellespont, the Italian city-states of Venice and Genoa have both taken notice of my strong control of the Hellespont. Though I haven't received an official diplomat from either state the merchants from those cities that trade in both Abydos and Thessalonica have mentioned how their overlords are feeling about our takeover of the strait and it isn't anything nice.
I planned for their adverse reactions but as long as I choose one side and allow them to trade freely and tax the hell out of the other and restrict them, the one restricted will fight the one allowed to trade freely leaving me out of it as if I am powerless somehow. This is a feud that has been going on for some time between the two Mediterranean trade Hedgemons.
After going through the new works in mining and building there are also some changes on the political front as my mother asked me to send out her handwritten letters to some Roman governors ruling the cities and forts to the west of Thessalonica in the Despotate of Epirus. We also sent letters to the Governors in the southwest in our new Vilayet of Selanik, that we have not yet conquered and they have yet to bend the knee.
Sending letters can let these governors know they do indeed have a choice saying there is no need to pay false homage to Constantinople or western Christians who have begun to call Greece their own. We listed a few generous enough benefits in the deal as long as they swear their oaths of loyalty and provide troops tax is waved as they will be taxed in men not coin, I believe these money-grubbing lords from the so-called backwaters of the empire will be willing to join if the price is right as their loyalties to an empire have long vanished.
After working for more than a month, I decided it was time to go and relax in my small harem of one. As I have not paid the proper attention to my lioness, she may have even forgotten me. As I knocked on her door personally not even sending a servant ahead, she must think it was a servant at the door. She screams out from the other side of the door "Come in!"
So I took the liberty of walking in no need to announce myself or let her dress properly I want to see how she has been living here... After walking in she still has not looked up to see who, or why this servant has come she just continued to laze about on a cushioned couch positioned nearest a window that overlooks the city and port. I noticed she has some grapes on a tray next to the couch she was snacking on whilst reading and I assume she was also gazing at the city.
I decided to feed her some grapes by hand hoping she would finally take a look at this "servant", grabbing the tray I placed my hand holding the grape nearest her face for her to see what I wanted to do. After getting the hint this lioness finally realized it was a man's hand and not a woman's after seeing the hair on my wrists I presume. She shouted even before looking "You dare touch the mistress of the prince!"
After shouting she turned to look finally noticing the man holding that grape... And with a little shame slowly nibbled the grape from my fingers, she followed her action by saying "My prince, you snuck into the women's quarters you have no shame at all? This stranger prince has decided to sneak up on this poor lady lost in a foreign land. Attempting to plow her fields and work her lands how terrible after no courtship this prince is ruthless." She said this pretending to be afraid.
I followed up with another grape from the tray, then took a seat at the end of the small couch lifting her delicate feet and placing them on my lap for optimum comfort in this situation... Then I said to her calmly, "My lioness, have you forgotten our promise? I have come today to fulfill such a promise if you are willing to allow me to fulfill my duties." After saying this vague statement I moved my hands down to her feet slightly rubbing them, I believe I heard a small squeal come from her direction.
She looked up at me with a blushed face and said "You, today you want to do our duties I haven't prepared I need to bathe, I want to smell good for you at least let me do that" by the time she finished her sentence her bravery was faltering as with most women of this time this subject is like a tower pressing their little hearts.
I saw her reactions and after thinking a bit I responded whilst still rubbing her feet, "Oh? You need to smell good for such a thing I did not know... Well, you bathe and the servants will handle the rest I have picked out all the clothes you will need. Do not stress it." I said vaguely, then I finally got up and left.
After leaving I went to the throne room to handle a few things first, just setting everything up before she arrives. whilst I was arranging things time flew by and soon the servants brought Aurelia Della Scala or as I call her miss lioness, she walked in walking very cautiously. Well because she was blindfolded she was walking funny, I decided to blindfold her simply because she has a dirty mind so this is my punishment letting her think and think about what is going to happen while nothing is happening in reality.
I walked to her grabbed her arm and said: "I shall lead you to our first destination you cannot remove the cloth leave it as a surprise is better than knowing right?"
Aurelia replied "w-why must it be a surprise this already a first isn't a surprise just too much right now"
After hearing her reply I just kept dragging her along until we left the palace hearing the hustle and bustle of the city she wanted to ask but I just shushed her. Finally, after walking a bit we reached the carriage where my bodyguard unit and spahi units were waiting for me having already mounted their horses.
So, we got in the carriage and took off toward the coast, oh I forgot our drivers for today are members of our other escorts a unit of Varangian guards, while the rest of the unit is following behind us in the carts with supplies. After traveling for 20 minutes and tons of questions from my mistress we finally arrived at our first destination.
We arrived at a cliff that overlooks almost all of the finger's coastline where Thessalonica is located. After guiding her to the edge, I counted down from three, took off her blindfold, and said "Was this worth the wait?"
She just continued to gaze for a while, then she looked at me emotionally, and said: "yes... yes this was worth the wait THANK YOU!" This reply made me happier than even her.
I said back with a tender gaze "I would say you are welcome but... I must thank you for this beautiful moment. Your surprise and pure happiness have made me happier than you are. I must say that this is the first real interaction I have had with anyone since our first encounter, so thank you for accompanying me on this trip." After saying this to her she turned the brightest shade of red I have ever seen on an Italian woman, this color is usually reserved for Scandinavians.
She then replied, "You don't say things like that you will make me feel things a concubine shouldn't feel okay?"
I said "But, what you get from being with me is freedom and adventure so feel free to have whatever feelings you want..." As I will have whatever feelings I want!
After gazing and small talking for a little we got back in the carriage for another few hours before finally arriving at the mines. This is one of my destinations as I need to check over a few things. After touring the various mines we stayed in the castle meant to guard these mining villages. After bathing I arrived at the living quarters where I spotted my lioness who also have finished bathing so I said to her " Where will you sleep tonight is it with me or shall I spend a lonely night?" I asked this question staring at her for a few seconds and then entering my assigned room not waiting for her reply as it is not that time just yet.
The next morning we set off again, and after a few hours of travel, we arrived at the new port built to transport mining materials. At this port is a portion of my fleet including my luxury flagship, also my entire trading fleet is here as well over 100 trading vessels are going to take part in this huge trade mission... After getting onto the flagship and setting a course with the vessel's captain I took miss Aurelia down to the luxurious living quarters which was improved even more as this trip will be a long one.
After taking a seat on a couch together looking out at the shrinking landscape in the distance she asked me "you never said where we are going and why... is it a long travel? are we going to a foreign land considering the amount of manpower you brought it must be at least very important right?"
I replied "Well.. to be exact it is very important to me as with this trip we can become fairly rich. We are taking the fleet to Egypt in Africa as our destination for the fleet... But as for us, we have to travel deeper into the land to a special place where we can find a plant that will make us very famous man. But as for you, well you can just enjoy the adventure as this is what I promised you."