Baron Antonio Tocco was thus placed under house arrest by Theodoro, extremely unwillingly, and his fiefdom was confiscated by the other party, becoming the property of the Principality.
There were quite a few small lords as tragic as him. Those whose main fiefs were in Greece or Italy had, from the beginning, handed over their fiefs in Crimea to stewards appointed from the local area for management, basically never inquiring about them.
As a result, under Theodoro's enticement, their stewards turned around and, by defecting to the Principality, appropriated these fiefs, without even organized resistance. If Baron Tocco hadn't personally been stationed in Privetnoye, and the castle facilities were relatively complete, and he was an Italian noble loyal to Genoa, there would have been no need for Manuel to personally deceive him.
While Manuel personally set out and took down the village and town of Privetnoye without bloodshed, Theodoro had successfully completed the conquest of the lords in the suburbs of Kaffa and Sugdaea.
Those who had made arrangements in advance successfully exchanged their allegiance for an Eastern Orthodox suzerain; the wavering ones were brought under control after temporarily submitting to the Principality; and the very few who were fiercely loyal to Genoa and of insufficient rank were directly crushed with overwhelming force, even having their homesteads confiscated.
Hours later, Alexius, upon receiving the rough report, almost burst out laughing. If the results of this operation could be maintained, the Gavras Family's direct territories would increase significantly. However, he quickly composed himself and continued to direct the next step of the plan.
While he was reviewing the report, the Theodoro Army had already advanced almost to Sugdaea, and less than two days had passed since they mobilized.
When they reached Sugdaea, the Prince and his son decided to attend in person.
As one of the two larger cities subordinate to Kaffa, Sugdaea's total population was only slightly less than Mangup's. Facing the citizens who lined the streets to welcome their fellow Eastern Orthodox brethren, the Prince, his son, and their personal guard also smiled and raised their right hands, returning the citizens' greetings in imitation of ancient Roman emperors.
After enjoying the citizens' welcome, Alexius also took some time to meet with local representatives of public opinion to fulfill his previous promises to them.
After their meeting concluded, those who had previously been in cahoots with Theodoro received their coveted titles, status, and the Principality's recognition of their property as they wished. The remaining ones who had timely defected to the Principality also received the Prince's recognition of their current status.
As for those who refused to cooperate and held high positions, they were either leveled during the Principality's advance or were collectively 'dealt with' by the pro-Theodoro representatives of public opinion beforehand. In this way, the Gavras Family gained large tracts of royal land and cities, the city's orthodox aristocrats gained previously unattainable status, land, and wealth, and the small nobles of the original Principality could also expand their fiefdoms; everyone had a bright future.
As for the ownership of Sugdaea, as mentioned before, this city would be directly subordinate to the Prince of the Principality, just like Mangup, Kalamita, Olstyn, and other cities and fortresses. This was also the consensus of the great and small nobles of the Theodoro Principality in this era: populous and strategically important cities and fortresses would be directly administered by officials dispatched by the Prince's family, while the remaining small nobles would honestly collect land taxes and their produce from villages and towns.
Although the Principality's real estate was already largely concentrated in the hands of the Gavras Family, Manuel still felt that this level was insufficient. He yearned for a centralized system like the Eastern Dynasty's military governors combined with civilian prefectures, or at the very least, to reach the level of Basil II of the Macedonian Dynasty.
However, given his current status as Crown Prince, he very honestly buried this idea in his heart.
After lingering in Sugdaea for half a day and leaving over a thousand garrisons, the main force of the Principality continued on to Kaffa.
By the time they had done the same, cleared out the remaining Genoese forces, and arrived in Kaffa, it was already the afternoon of the third day since they had departed from Mangup.
When the anxious citizens in the city saw the banners and army of the Theodoro Principality, they cheered from the bottom of their hearts, and after the city's guard confirmed that the approaching force was indeed the Theodoro Principality's army, they quickly, carefully, but efficiently let them in.
Upon entering, Theodoro was warmly welcomed by the people of Kaffa. The scale of this welcome was even larger than the one in Sugdaea, not only because the people had long awaited them but also because Kaffa, as the main city, had an economy that Sugdaea, a subordinate town, simply could not compare to.
The Prince and his son also raised their right hands and smiled at the welcoming citizens as before, and the people, with food and drink, joyfully welcomed the royal army: they so hoped to gain their rightful status under Eastern Orthodox rule.
After the welcome concluded, the Principality's high-ranking officials quickly held a meeting with the city's representatives of public opinion to discuss Kaffa's future operations and status. The meeting was held in the former Kaffa Consulate.
According to Michael Arno's arrangements, the seating for both sides was initially divided into two parts. At the time of the meeting, this arrangement caused some awkwardness among those present but also conformed to their current situation: even though most of the representatives of public opinion had already defected to Theodoro beforehand, due to their identity as Kaffa locals, they still tended to seek more benefits for themselves rather than for the Principality.
But before the meeting began, someone sitting in Kaffa's section suddenly stood up and apologized to Kaffa's representatives of public opinion.
"I apologize, gentlemen, but I am first a Theodoroan, and only then a Kaffa native." Gregory Giunio, now middle-aged, smiled and apologized to the dumbfounded representatives of public opinion, then walked directly to the other side and sat among the high-ranking officials of the Theodoro Principality.
His action not only shocked the representatives of public opinion but also plunged them into a subtle state of confusion, because, in their view, Guney's action was not only a defection within a defection but also the first to express absolute loyalty to the Principality: wouldn't this make them appear less loyal? Even Michael Arno, who knew from the beginning that Guney was fiercely loyal to the Gavras Family, hadn't expected Guney to disregard his own interests so much for the Theodoro Principality.
"A miscalculation," Michael Arno looked with a complex expression at his old friend chatting and laughing with the Principality's high-ranking officials, especially Prince Alexius, who seemed to be in an intimate conversation with him. He suddenly regretted why he had played such a small trick. What if he angered the Prince and lost the benefits he could have gained? Many thought like him, but in their confusion, they didn't know what to do.
Just then, from the Theodoro Principality's side, a still somewhat youthful voice eased their awkwardness and disarray, "Gentlemen, I propose that we rearrange our seats, for with a great enemy before us, if we create discord over trivial matters, wouldn't we be playing right into the enemy's hands?"