In the early morning of early August 1443, the envoy sent by Karaman, Suleiman's cousin, the son of the former Karaman Bey Ibrahim II, Ishak Karamanoglu, was kneeling tearfully at the foot of the steps of the Imperial Palace in Trabzon, constantly pleading with the Caesar sitting on the throne in the main hall to send troops to support Karaman, their ally.
Manuel himself, however, sat high on his throne, stroking his sparse short beard, his eyes slightly narrowed, not saying a word. In the court, the dozen or so important officials of Bosporus stood in two rows, not daring to breathe.
After a long pause, Manuel finally waved his hand, allowing the Karaman envoy to rise, and spoke in a calm tone, "If I recall correctly, ever since you Karaman unilaterally decided to declare war on the Ottoman last year, Bosporus has been supporting your rear, hasn't it?
"Your ships were transferred through Bosporus, your provisions came from Pontus, and your scimitars were provided by the armories of Panticapaeum. And it remains so to this day.
"Yet, no one in your country wanted to listen to the advice of an allied nation, not even my close friend. And now, the Karaman Turk, having isolated himself militarily, wants Bosporus to step in and save the day. Have you considered the position of your ally? Has Suleiman considered the predicament of his friend?
"To put it more bluntly, do you truly respect your ally?
"You aren't even willing to offer a compliment, or call me 'Basileus,' the Basileus from Pontus to Rome."
At this point, Manuel couldn't help but sigh and shake his head. Ever since he requested his Brother-in-law, Constantine XI, last year to formally restore his title in Trabzon to the former "Basileus of Trabzon and the Roman Empire," more and more people, both domestic and foreign, whether out of sincerity or flattery, had begun to call him "Basileus," even though his commonly used title abroad was still "Caesar of Bosporus."
"Your Majesty, Caesar, Basileus!" Ishak immediately knelt, prostrating himself, and continued to persuade, only hoping that the Roman monarch before him would relent.
"Although Mamluk Sultan Yusuf Jakmak has a close personal relationship with my cousin, he is greedy for reputation and fears being accused of Takfiri by co-religious states and jurists. He is unwilling to provide further aid to us and has instead turned to besieging Cyprus to absolve himself.
"The three major Latin commercial Republics participating in the war are each harboring their own motives, hesitant and cautious, unwilling to truly anger the Ottoman, cowardly and shameful.
"The Franks are indeed brave and skilled in battle, but they are either from afar or have limited combat power, unable to break through the Ottoman navy's blockade, and can only engage in minor coastal raids.
"The Eastern Europe states are exceptionally courageous, but by the time they break through the Ottoman's Rumelia Legion, we would have already died ten, or even nine, times over!
"Now, our army's offensives are constantly being thwarted, and we have completely retreated to Eskisehir. If it weren't for the fact that our rear supplies can still hold out, and my cousin's effective reforms, our country would have long since been forced to cede territory, pay indemnities, and surrender to the Ottoman, just like before.
"Therefore, Basileus Manuel, only you can save us now!"
Manuel felt a bit helpless at his tearful plea for help. After having his guards help Ishak up, the Caesar, sitting on his throne, propped his chin and sighed,
"I repeatedly wrote to your kinsman, my close friend, urging him not to declare war on the Ottoman so early. Because we Christian Crusaders would surely launch a crusade, at which time Murad would inevitably deploy his main forces to Europe. Then, the sparsely defended Anatolia would certainly fall under the concerted efforts of our two nations. And the Ottoman, with their rear cut off, would surely fall into the dilemma of fighting on two fronts, truly crushed beyond recovery.
"Look now, your cousin, for a moment's advantage, actually went to war with the Ottoman so early. Does he think that my extensive selling of grain is me straddling the fence and backstabbing him?
"What a joke? Without trade, where would I get the gold coins to support an army capable of defeating the Ottoman!? Is a temporary measure seen as straddling the fence in his eyes?
"Alright, no more idle talk. To be Frank, the situation your country faces now is beyond what Bosporus can save. Even if I were to intervene, it would only delay the inevitable. To put it another way, even if we won, we would only be severely weakened. Therefore, I cannot send troops to fight the Ottoman now, please forgive me.
"However, I have a plan that can preserve your country's strength for the next great war, and also allow my dear friend and your Karamanoglu family to survive."
"What about the frontier territories our country has gained in recent years?"
"Still want those frontier territories? Being able to secure your central salt lake region up to Konya is already the absolute limit of what's feasible." Manuel gnashed his teeth in anger: wanting to leave the field and survive without shedding some blood, where's the good in that?
"Consider these territories stored with the Ottoman for a few years; in time, you will have the opportunity to reclaim them."
After hearing Manuel's words, Ishak fell silent. After a moment, he could only step forward and respectfully ask, "Please, Basileus, enlighten me."
"Come here," Manuel waved, summoning the young Turk to the front of the hall under the guard of his attendants, and sharply presented him with several countermeasures:
"...Thus, and so..."
After sending Ishak away, Manuel dismissed most of his officials, keeping only a few loyal and trusted confidants.
"Megaslogothetēs Anagnostes, could you please report on the scope of our country's wheat seed sales to the Ottoman in recent years?"
"As you command, Your Majesty." The Megaslogothetēs, who assisted the cabinet in coordinating various matters, bowed slightly and then reported on the Caesar's concern: As of now, the wheat seeds sold by Bosporus to the Ottoman, through merchant promotion and the operation of the Autocratic State, have largely spread throughout the entire Ottoman territory, with the exception of northern Bulgaria. The farms and pastures in Ottoman Anatolia should be the most densely distributed.
"Good!" Upon hearing this news, Manuel's mouth curved upwards in an uncharacteristic, almost frenzied smile. This startled his Prime Minister, who stood right beside him. "Your Majesty, why is this..."
"Ah, that." The Caesar's expression immediately returned to its usual calm. "You will know later."
Soon, summer turned to autumn, and the cultivated lands along the Black Sea, under the guidance of the Caesar and his cabinet, welcomed their third abundant harvest. Correspondingly, the Ottoman also believed they had achieved a bountiful harvest.
"Indeed, the Roman wheat seeds are truly high-yielding crops." Murad, hearing this news from the front lines, immediately brightened, but a shadow quickly crossed his face.
"Hmm, a few cases of holy fire disease have appeared in the coastal areas? Why at this critical juncture... Never mind, convey my order: have the Grand Vizier handle it urgently." After delegating the task to the Grand Vizier, Murad then shifted his attention back to confronting Karaman.
However, what the Sultan did not know was that the Grand Vizier, to whom he had entrusted such an important task, was currently agitated by the war on the Rumelia front—because the Crusaders were already nearing Nis, having almost recaptured all of Serbia.