In Tunis, Caliph Yahya looked at the kneeling Paier envoy, his expression changing from gloomy to bright.
"Are you saying that Nassirlan sent you back?"
"He didn't say so explicitly, but that's what he meant."
The Paier envoy bowed his head low.
"Albert, the messenger from Bilinchi, received similar treatment."
"What is the current situation in the city?"
Yahya asked.
"The merchants organized several unsuccessful rebellions, which the city guard, who had completely sided with Nassirlan, quickly suppressed."
The remaining merchants obediently offered warriors and gold to the new king.
After stabilizing the city, Nassirlan purged the city guard, installing his own people and removing his enemies. He now has a firm grip on this well-equipped force."
He ignored the agreement we had reached and kicked us out.
Yahya clenched his fists tightly, his face darkening.
After Zakariq left, an even more formidable Nassirlan arrived unexpectedly.
No matter how united the merchants' council is, it will never be as solid as a rock. If we give ourselves enough time, we will find a way to infiltrate them and cause their downfall.
However, this method is difficult to use against a dictatorship.
"Is he still willing to submit to me?"
"What he means is that he is willing to submit to your authority, but not to your control."
"I'm afraid he said the same thing to Bilinchi."
Yahya laughed coldly.
The Paier envoy said nothing and knelt on the ground.
"You may go. It's not your fault."
Yahya sighed deeply. "I underestimated my cousin, who has always been regarded as incompetent."
"Caliph..."
Footsteps approached and Saon, Yahya's advisor, entered the room.
Looking at the Paier envoy kneeling on the ground, the Caliph Yahya and the advisor's heart sank. He thought to himself, "This is bad."
"Caliph..."
The advisor hesitated slightly.
"Speak!"
"Misurata has fallen, Omar has surrendered and the people of Melafa are in turmoil. Hamza may not be able to hold out."
Yahya's expression remained unchanged. "That was expected. Is there anything else?"
"The Christian fleet that had been missing for a long time has reappeared and captured the island of Djerba."
...
Djerba Island, La Spezia Fortress.
Dressed in a military uniform, Giovanni Giustiniani inspected the fortifications that were being repaired.
Sailors forced slaves captured from nearby villages to carry heavy stones and blocks step by step up the fortress walls to fill the gaps left by the previous siege.
After some thought, Captain Fidel allowed Giovanni to remove some light crossbows and arquebuses from the fleet and install them on the walls of La Spezia Fortress for use as defensive weapons.
A week after Djerba Island fell, Giovanni finally spotted the local army of Hafs approaching La Spezia Fort.
The passage between Djerba Island and the mainland was narrow, muddy and slippery — unsuitable for large-scale military operations or large siege engines. Attacking La Spezia Fort at the end of the passage would be akin to climbing a mountain.
Small enemy forces launched a probing attack, but after being repelled, they immediately withdrew to the North African mainland.
With the changes in Tripoli and the capture of Djerba Island, everyone was well aware that the focus of the war had shifted from land to sea.
If the Hafsi could defeat the invading Christian fleet at sea, they could easily annihilate the few hundred troops entrenched in La Spezia Fortress and drive the Christians out of their core waters.
Conversely, if they failed to control the seas and relied solely on a short stretch of land, they would be unable to capture the well-fortified La Spezia Fortress at the end of the passage while under attack from enemy ships. They would be forced to watch the invaders gradually consolidate their rule over Djerba Island.
For several consecutive days, small ships dispatched by Captain Fidel to patrol the outskirts detected enemy fleet movements in various directions. Both sides engaged in cautious reconnaissance without escalating hostilities, each preparing for the inevitable decisive battle to come.
As the enemy fleet gradually grew in size, Captain Fidel sent an urgent message requesting reinforcements to arrive as soon as possible.
If Giovanni were to evaluate the upcoming naval battle, he could only describe it with two words: 'confusing'.
Both fleets included many pirate forces, and their exact strength was impossible to estimate. The best either side could do was to send reinforcements to Djerba Island and try to gain an advantage.
For a time, the waters around Djerba Island were stormy and windless, and a great battle was about to break out.
...
"Robert easily seized all the spoils and the emperor's tent, occupying the plain where the besieging army had camped during the siege of Durazzo."
"Although Alexius suffered a crushing defeat, was seriously wounded and lost many noble comrades, he was not the kind of man to hesitate in the face of humiliation."
Meanwhile, in the Mediterranean Sea, Isaac sat in the navigation room, holding a cup of honey wine. He leaned back quietly in a specially made chair, suppressing the turmoil in his heart and saying nothing.
Beside him, Count Yergubai sat with a pale face and drooping head, pointing to a thick book and reading word by word.
"The empire has no money. His predecessor, Nikiforos III, squandered the treasury during his reign, but did not use it for anything meaningful."
"Ouch!"
A wave crashed against the ship, causing it to rock violently. Yergubai collided with the corner of the table, tears welling up in his eyes.
In contrast, Isaac didn't spill a drop of the golden liquid in his wine glass.
"When will we arrive?"
Yergubai pushed his chair back and slammed his book shut in a huff.
"I should never have come on this ship!"
"You insisted on coming with us. Don't blame anyone but yourself."
Isaac was somewhat gloating.
Before the fleet set sail, the young conte had insisted on coming along. As a result, he had been seasick for several days and was only now starting to feel better.
After Isaac helped him escape from Bilinchi, this child, who had lived in seclusion in the palace for many years, was finally free. He looked around like a newborn fawn, full of curiosity about the world and eager to try everything.
As his father's posthumous son, his life had clearly been unhappy. Unlike the typical Muslim ruler, his older brother Yusuf had not ruthlessly killed him when he threatened his position, but instead imprisoned him and taught him only basic language skills. He kept him locked away for ten years.
It wasn't until he met Isaac that his life began to take on color.
Driven by a desire to exploit his status and a little sympathy, Isaac was happy to take him with him to meet local wealthy merchants in Cyrene, in an attempt to appease the people.
"Continue reading! You must read until the sun goes down!"
Isaac said sternly. "I don't want to read this part! It's all about various difficulties and it makes no sense at all!"
"Then change to another part. Just read the words correctly."
Isaac nodded.
Yergubai flipped through The Life of Alexius and stopped at a page.
"The emperor knew that the Pisans were skilled in naval warfare, so he was very worried about the upcoming war.
"Therefore, he ordered craftsmen to cast lion heads and other land beasts out of copper or iron with their mouths wide open. He then had them installed on the bows of all the ships built so that people would be terrified when they saw them."
"Then he ordered pipes to be inserted into the beasts' mouths so they could spit fire at the enemy, creating the impression of wild beasts breathing fire..."
"Your Majesty, have you ever seen such strange things?"
Yergubai asked curiously.
"Of course."
"What are they called?"
Isaac glanced at him.
"Did you see something?"
"No, Your Majesty, I..."
Yergubai grew tense and his face flushed red as he stammered.
"If you don't tell the truth, I'll throw you out."
Isaac pointed outside the window at the churning waves.
"The day before yesterday, when we stopped at New Belpa, I saw..."
Isaac nodded and did not reprimand him further.
"You saw what you saw. It's no longer a secret."
"Then what are they?"
"The Romans call it 'sea fire', but it has a more widely known name among the Saracens."
"Greek fire."
This weapon originated in the 7th century AD and was invented by a Syrian Christian named Callinicus. It was a powerful weapon, the main ingredient of which was petroleum. During battle, it was sprayed from a nozzle to kill enemy troops.
Due to its difficulty in transportation, it was primarily used on naval ships and for defending city walls.
Following the Battle of the Dardanelles, the Eastern Roman Navy was almost completely annihilated and lost control of the eastern Mediterranean. The Arab navy advanced into the Marmara Sea with Constantinople in its sights.
At a critical moment, the Eastern Roman Empire deployed a large fleet of fire ships loaded with Greek fire to counter the Arab navy. Two-thirds of the Arab ships were destroyed in the intense Greek fire assault, and the rest fled in panic, saving Constantinople from imminent danger.
Following this, Greek fire was used repeatedly on various battlefields of the Eastern Roman Empire, demonstrating its effectiveness.
Initially, the technology behind Greek fire was closely guarded by the Eastern Roman royal family and other countries were forbidden from learning about it.
However, as the empire declined, some of the raw materials leaked out and both the Arabs and the Latins successfully created imitations.
Further research revealed that this weapon was not a panacea; its disadvantages were as prominent as its advantages.
It was difficult to transport, the ingredients were hard to find, its range was short, it was unstable and it was easy to injure oneself using it. These were all key issues that were difficult to resolve.
Most importantly, fire ships were generally small, maneuverable boats that were unsuitable for rough seas.
These limitations meant that fire ships were only effective in certain special circumstances and could not dominate the seas.
However, a later innovator named Isaac collaborated with the Hussite naval designer Mansret to improve the combat tactics of traditional fire ships, overcoming some of these challenges and bringing them back into service.
The warship that Isaac currently commands was converted from a large transport ship and does not normally participate in combat.
It is equipped with crossbows at the bow and stern, providing some self-defense capabilities.
Following Mansret's modifications, however, the ship can now carry four small boats suspended by chains on both sides, which are lowered during battle to serve as an attack force.
In Isaac's design, each rowboat is approximately three meters long and 1.5 meters wide and can carry four crew members. The rowboats are equipped with a simplified version of Greek fire, which can be quickly deployed to approach enemy ships and launch fire attacks.
Put simply, the modified transport ship serves as a mother ship for the rowboats, housing the crew and storing Greek fire, fresh water and food supplies.
It was made of special wood and reinforced with higher gunwales to counter the Muslims' favorite tactic of boarding.
This overcame the fire ships' inability to sail long distances, giving them long-range combat capabilities and flexibility in wartime and transforming them from defensive to offensive weapons.
Additionally, Isaac simplified the Greek fire apparatus by removing the beast statues and personnel protection facilities to reduce weight, increase agility and aggressiveness, and focus on cost-effectiveness.
Isaac also put a lot of effort into selecting personnel. Fire ships were already dangerous, and after Isaac's modifications, they became even more so. Whether the crew members would return alive after each mission depended on whether God was looking out for them.
Of course, Isaac was unwilling to send his valuable professional sailors on such a suicide mission. After much deliberation, he set his sights on Muslim slaves, who were free.
He specifically selected honest, hard-working Muslim farmers with families, took their families hostage and used them as leverage to force the sailors to carry out these nearly suicidal attacks.
As they approached the enemy ships and saw the oil pots trembling in the intense heat during the fire-breathing process, no matter how determined they had been beforehand, they inevitably began to fear for their lives and regret their actions. Some even stopped caring about their families' fate and attempted to stop this dangerous behavior.
Isaac had, of course, anticipated this and had deliberately designed the flamethrower valves to be single-use. Once ignited, they could not be stopped — they would either burn out or explode.
As for jumping ship to escape, forget it — you're still a slave with shackles on your feet.
Isaac had also equipped each fire warship with far more fuel than was needed, effectively turning them into powder kegs.
His territory lacked everything except oil, though most of it was buried deep underground. However, there was still a small amount in the shallow layers, which was sufficient.
Of course, this tactic has its limitations. It cannot be used in extreme weather conditions, when the enemy's firepower is too strong or in rough seas.
It was a special gift from Isaac to the Muslim fleet, who preferred to engage in boarding battles in shallow waters.
"Under the morale-crushing attack of the fire ships, the enemy fled at the first sign of danger, and the emperor re-established his rule over the seas..."
Seeing that Isaac was deep in thought, Yergubai continued reading his book, occasionally glancing at the sun, hoping it would set quickly.
"Your Majesty, those seem to be our ships!"
Yergubai's sharp eyes spotted them, and he shouted out of the window.
Isaac slapped him on the head, pushed open the cabin door and walked onto the deck.
A fleet appeared on the left, led by the Saint Nicholas, which Isaac had not seen for a long time.
"Send word! Lower the Venetian flag! Raise the Roman flag!"
During the voyage, Isaac had chosen a remote sea route wherever possible, but he had still flown the Venetian flag to avoid harassment by Muslim pirates.
Then the Holy Mary and the other seven mother ships lowered the St Mark's flag and replaced it with the double-headed eagle flag.
The Saint Nicholas had clearly recognized Isaac's flag and signaled back.
Looking at the flag, Isaac converted the symbols into letters in his mind, spelling out words.
"Long live the emperor!"
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