Not long after Manuel secretly announced the impending cessation of tribute to the Golden Horde, envoys from Edirne arrived in Trabzon with the Sultan's decree. Unlike the previous arrogant demand for him to withdraw from Asia Minor, this time the Ottoman envoys were much more polite. Nevertheless, the Ottomans ultimately opposed any expansion by Bosporus, even straightforwardly informing the young Caesar of Edirne's stance.
In response, Manuel neither flatly refused nor hypocritically accepted with a smile. Instead, he adopted an noncommittal attitude, vaguely "escorting" the Ottoman envoy out of the country.
After seeing him off, his Chief Minister, Serenus, approached him that afternoon, somewhat confused, and posed his question, "Caesar, so are we going to obey the Ottoman warning or not?"
"Like obedience," Caesar chuckled playfully, leaving his subordinate completely bewildered:
"So, Caesar, what exactly are we going to do?"
Seeing Serenus's earnest gaze, Manuel decided to lay out his thoughts in detail: "Although the treasury has been replenished with considerable wealth from Georgia's coffers, the local economy and trade in Pontus have not yet recovered enough to sustain another full-scale war. Therefore, the Autocratic State needs a period of recuperation, and at this time, we absolutely must not provoke the Ottoman forces.
"So, in the coming years, Bosporus will not expand in Asia Minor, or even the Caucasus." As he spoke, he glanced at Serenus, seeing the confusion and opposition he expected in his eyes. He then added with a smile, "However, expansion in Eastern Europe can still be considered."
"?" The young Chief Minister tilted his head, indicating his confusion.
"Kazan has declared independence, and subsequently, the Golden Horde's control over the coastal regions of the Eastern European Great Plains will weaken. In other words, the time is ripe," Manuel looked at the map on the table, clenching his right hand,
"I want to turn the Sea of Azov into an inland sea for Bosporus, just like the ancient Kingdom of Bosporus once did."
"Everything will be done according to Caesar's will." Looking at Caesar, whose eyes reflected boundless ambition, Serenus was also stirred by this emotion and bowed in response.
"Alright, alright, don't rush this matter." Caesar, having calmed down slightly, chuckled and shifted the topic elsewhere: "The officers and soldiers who distinguished themselves in the Georgian War have not yet received all their deserved rewards. Before that, let's prepare for this."
A few days later, on a morning in the city square of Trabzon, Bosporus officers who had achieved great merits in the Georgian War arrived at Caesar's summons, ready to receive the honors they were due. These included Dungar, the Army Commander of Pontus, and the main and vice Generals of several peasant-soldier legions under his command, as well as Kristo Balin, General of the Tatar Legion nominally under the Tauris Department, and Yang Karlo, General of the Circassian Legion, along with several brave soldiers who had performed great deeds. All of them were meritorious heroes who had achieved military success in the recent Georgian War, and their average age was only around thirty, truly new stars of the Autocratic State.
As for other officers and common soldiers of legions with lesser achievements, they were not specially recognized here as they had already received promotions and rewards within their respective legions. However, Manuel also ordered that if the main and vice Generals of other legions wished, special leave would be granted for them to observe the awards ceremony in Trabzon. As vassals, the four major Georgian principalities also sent envoys to participate in the ceremony.
After Caesar delivered an impassioned speech in the city square under the sun, the important part of the investiture and awards ceremony immediately commenced. Under Caesar's resonant voice, these officers and soldiers successively received honors and rewards, and Metropolitan Makarios of Pontus also offered them theological blessings in rhythm with Caesar's pace—
Dungar de Lapole, at the top of the list of meritorious officials, was granted 700 stremma of fertile land in inland Giresun as a hereditary fief for this war, along with another 1000 stremma of personal fiefs scattered throughout the Pontus region;
Barbaro Taronites was exceptionally promoted for his military service, allowing him to atone for his sins and regain his citizenship, and was transferred early from the Philaka Legion to the Grand Company of the Pontus Department, taking command of a legion as a General. At the same time, his family members' territories officially received protected hereditary rights.
Staurakios Posadas was awarded the title of Taman Guard Commander and officially became a General, with the authority to deploy a Pontus Department legion under his command according to military orders; additionally, he was granted 600 stremma of hereditary fief in the inland Taman Peninsula and 75 stremma of personal fief, instantly becoming a small landowner.
Yang Karlo was granted 150 stremma of personal land, and the 100 stremma of personal land previously granted to him was converted into a hereditary fief.
In addition to the aforementioned meritorious officials, other officers and soldiers who had achieved lesser merits, such as Tukharovsky, Kristo Balin, and Vladimir, were also granted some personal manor fiefs. Other officers and soldiers with relatively smaller contributions also received promotions and were granted land sufficient for their entire families to live a decent life.
After bestowing awards upon these meritorious officers and soldiers, Manuel also granted the title of "Senator" to the lords of the four Georgian principalities under his rule, allowing them to participate in the Bosporus Senate's deliberations. In response, the envoys from the four principalities immediately rose to salute, expressing their intention to actively convey Caesar's benevolence.
Thus, the awards ceremony quickly concluded perfectly. However, after the crowd dispersed, Caesar secretly summoned several cabinet members to a secret chamber in the Grand Palace to discuss strategic plans for occupying the Sea of Azov coast.
"Caesar, when are we going to occupy the Sea of Azov?" After listening to Caesar Manuel's brief explanation of the reasons and benefits, Tukharovsky was the first to bring up the matter, his eyes gleaming. Geographically speaking, this would be the turn for the Tauris Department he led to achieve merit. Standing beside him, Dungar's eyelids twitched slightly, evidently somewhat resentful of his colleague's display.
Manuel, secretly noting the nascent factional disputes emerging within the Autocratic State, pretended ignorance and continued discussing military operations on the northern Black Sea coast.
"Don't rush. We can't show our hand until Muhammad Khan of Sarai and Ulugh Muhammad Khan launch their armies and start fighting each other." He placed his left index finger to his lips, narrowed his eyes, and chuckled softly,
"After all, time is on our side."