While Manuel was discussing the holy fire disease plague he had unleashed with his Commander of the Guard, on the outskirts of Kardzhali, south of Emos Mountains, Ottoman Sultan Murad II was in his central army camp, reading the holy fire disease investigation report compiled by the Grand Vizier from Edirne.
Although the Ottoman's administrative capacity was relatively low and unable to curb the plague, it was not difficult for the Sultanate to find clues to the outbreak from past traces.
As this close reading drew to a close, Murad also discovered an anomaly: this year's holy fire disease plague, which paralyzed the country's agriculture, was likely a continuation of last year's medium-scale holy fire disease, and in every location where holy fire disease broke out last year, there were traces of Bosporus grain merchants' activities.
Although there was no conclusive evidence yet, the Sultan already had an idea why the holy fire disease had erupted so fiercely in his country.
"Good, good, so this is how you want to play with me!" Murad gnashed his teeth, exceptionally furious, and told the Grand Vizier to publicize the fact that the Bosporus was behind the plague.
Even if he couldn't spare the manpower to eliminate him now, the Sultan would still ensure this utterly despicable Roman Caesar's reputation was ruined!
However, his fury was useless in stopping the Roman counterattack.
In Southwest Europe, after recovering all of Thessaly, Constantine XI decided to respond to the Roman rebel army in Western Macedonia and continue his bold northern expedition.
However, his decision was opposed by many cabinet members, who believed that pushing further into Macedonia would bring them to the Rumelia Legion's garrison, which their current forces could not handle.
But regarding their concerns, the Basileus merely crossed his arms over his chest, a confident smile gracing his face, "Don't worry, Murad II is currently focusing his energy on dealing with the Catholic coalition.
Even if he can spare some troops, he will send them to Anatolia to fight my Brother-in-law.
And according to previous reconnaissance, the Macedonian garrison is only about twenty thousand.
Compared to that, we have over ten thousand high-spirited soldiers, so we are not without a fighting chance.
"This is the opportunity God has given us; the advantage belongs to us Romans."
"The Holy Father will bless us, continue the northern expedition! For Rome, for the homeland!"
His Megaslogothetēs / Grand Secretary, Laonikos Chalkokondyles, could only silently record the Basileus's current performance after hearing his words.
Meanwhile, in Asia Minor, a few days later, after leaving sufficient garrisons to stabilize the military occupation, the Bosporus Army, having rested, advanced south from Kastamonu instead of continuing west.
Since it was confirmed that the Bosporus Army had heavily defeated the ten-thousand-strong army personally led by Ottoman Prince Ahmed at the cost of less than four-digit casualties, Manuel boldly took advantage of the region's weak defenses and proceeded to directly occupy all territory north of the Pontic Mountains.
His judgment was very accurate; with Kandar's main forces transferred to Rumelia and Ottoman reinforcements heavily defeated by him, all the Kandar Beylik's territories north of the Pontic Mountains were extremely lightly defended.
Coupled with Posadas already leading the Death Announcement Legion in extensive guerrilla raids and burning in the surrounding areas affected by the holy fire disease, the Bosporus main force took less than a week to occupy all the land north of the Pontic Mountains.
When Manuel recovered Viranşehir (historically modern Eskipazar, anciently Hadrianoupolis), the former capital of the Paphlagonia military district, at noon on October 1st, what he saw was neither a prosperous city nor villages suffering from the plague at that time, but a more lamentable sight: although the ruins of the empire's ancient stone walls still remained, and inside one could even see former stone public buildings and churches from over a hundred years ago, they were long overgrown with weeds, neglected, and so desolate that it seemed as if this place had been a no-man's-land since ancient times.
It was not only Caesar himself who felt a deep sadness about this; after the accompanying priest identified a remnant inscription "Ἁδριανούπολις" (Hadrianoupolis) on the stone wall for the soldiers, many Roman soldiers, hearing this name and seeing the scene, murmured with sorrow.
Although most of them were of commoner origin, they all harbored a simple love for the Roman nation, and naturally understood the difference between ancient Greek names and those distorted Turk names.
For a time, sadness accumulated among them.
Caesar, however, tried his best to prevent his inner emotions from affecting him.
He sent someone to find a herdsman living there, and after inquiring about the necessary information, he casually asked a question unrelated to the war.
"What is this place called?" Manuel, mounted on his warhorse, spoke Turk, asking the Turkmen herdsman with gangrene on his right hand in as gentle a tone as possible.
Facing this group of foreigners whose armor was somewhat similar to theirs but whose faces were vastly different, the Turkmen trembled with fear, answering shakily, "Vir…anşe…Viranşehir."
A Turk name he had never heard of; this place shouldn't be like this.
At this moment, Manuel couldn't help but recall the profoundly melancholic words recorded in the letters of his father-in-law, Manuel II Palaiologos, who shared his name, passed down to later generations—
"Now most of these cities are in ruins, a sad sight for our ancestors who once owned them.
But due to long-standing destruction, they haven't even retained their names… Though I endure in silence, I still feel sorrow.
You can imagine how loudly I weep and how difficult it is to conceal my pain when someone doesn't know a city's ancient name and calls it by some barbaric and strange-sounding name.
Though I truly want to restrain myself…" ①
After recalling this letter, a bitter emotion grew stronger in Caesar's mouth, making him unable to help but speak his truest thoughts aloud on the spot:
"They destroyed our cities, but it was time that erased their names."
"Your Majesty…" His Chancellor Seresnus, also on horseback, was momentarily speechless upon seeing this.
After a long pause, he stepped forward and requested instructions from Caesar, "Then, Your Majesty, what should we do with these Turks?"
Looking back at the Turk herdsmen who were trembling with fear, Manuel shook his head, then turned without looking back and ordered: "Ask them if they are willing to convert to orthodox.
Those who do not convert, except women and children, are to be put to death without mercy."
Soon, behind him, came the sound of scimitars and spears being wielded, followed by continuous wails of pain that eventually ceased, and the sound of heads falling.
This series of sounds quickly fell silent.
When Caesar returned to the ruins of Hadrianoupolis in the afternoon, there were only uncleaned bloodstains and filled pits, along with local people numbly helping the army clean up the aftermath.
For these local Turkmen, Manuel had already broadly planned their future: women and children who maintained their original faith would all be sold cheaply as slaves, wholesaled to the slave market, with a portion of healthy young children kept to be trained as Philaka Legion reserves and encouraged to convert; those who converted to orthodox would be assigned as serfs to various farms until they learned greek, after which they would regain their freedom.
After sending for the Chancellor and conveying his decree, the Chancellor, after noting the order, inadvertently asked:
"Your Majesty, where do we go next?"
"Bolu." Manuel closed his eyes, as if deep in thought,
"It's time for all of Paphlagonia to return to Roman hands."