Three days prior, when Manuel's army arrived at the outskirts of Akçaabat, he had no intention of depleting too many forces there. His goal was to concentrate his troops for a potential conflict with the White Sheep, who might interfere with the situation in Trabzon. He also didn't want his military actions to shatter Akçaabat's defensive fortifications. Therefore, he decided to lure Alexander, who was holed up in the castle, into battle, annihilate the majority of the enemy, and capture their leader, with the objective of seizing this crucial military town at the lowest possible cost.
Afterward, at the self-recommendation of several lords and landowners who previously sided with Alexander, Manuel decided to induce Alexander's army to sally forth as quickly as possible by creating the illusion of their feigned surrender. For this, he twice provided concrete but trivial intelligence and had these lords and landowners cooperate with him using their private soldiers. On the final occasion, he deliberately provided enticing false intelligence, allowing him to entrap the enemy with an ambush.
If, at the last moment, the enemy did not trust this intelligence and only dispatched a small contingent, it wouldn't matter. By then, he had already prepared for a night-time artillery assault. Given the pressing time, some damage to the defensive fortifications to be taken was acceptable.
Fortunately, the inexperienced Alexander ultimately acted according to Manuel's plan, and judging by the results achieved, most objectives were successfully completed.
The only minor flaw was—
"Alexander Komnenos was not found after searching the entire city. Instead, civilians reported seeing someone resembling him fleeing south. I suspect he has gone south alone to join the Aq Qoyunlu Dynasty." The next morning, Badars, who had taken over the town, rushed to the castle in Akçaabat and reported to Manuel, who had already taken up residence there.
"How is my cousin so quick-footed in this particular aspect?" Manuel was momentarily exasperated, but fortunately, most of his predetermined goals had been achieved. Coupled with the need to deal with the impending White Sheep attack, he had to temporarily set aside the matter of capturing Alexander.
Just as he was contemplating his next move, Badars' question pulled him back from his thoughts, "Your Highness, what should be done with the captured enemy soldiers?"
Manuel thought for a moment and then made a decision, "For the noble lords, those unwilling to surrender will be stripped of all their lands and titles and made to serve as laborers for a few years to reflect; those willing will be temporarily placed under house arrest and transported to Trabzon City. If any of them are genuinely cooperative, have them use their private soldiers to assist our army in defense. Among the common soldiers, Christians should either pay a ransom or be conscripted into the rear as porters; non-Christians who are willing to convert to the true faith will be treated like Christians, while those unwilling to convert will all be demoted to slaves and sent to the mines for hard labor."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"There are also a few more things." After careful consideration, Manuel clearly understood how to proceed and added, "Kristo Balin and his men have also arrived in Trabzon, haven't they? Have them and David Komnenos quickly bring three or four thousand troops here. Moving forward, if our forces here are less than 5,000 men, it will likely be difficult to deal with those Turkmen. Also, establish contact with the Venetians in Trabzon City and have them help us guard against the Genoese; our navy cannot be idle either, so have Falero lead the fleet to patrol the shipping lanes and, while they're at it, clear out the Turk pirates in the Black Sea."
"Understood, Your Highness. Loyalty!"
After Badars left, he quickly summoned Tukharovsky and other generals, along with the accompanying lords and landowners who had pledged allegiance to him. He calmly told these lords and landowners that the matter was not yet over, "By the grace of the Holy Father, we have defeated the usurper rebels like Alexander Komnenos. This is truly cause for celebration.
"However, according to the search results, Alexander does not seem to have remained within the borders of Trabzon but has fled south to the Aq Qoyunlu Dynasty. This blasphemer undoubtedly intends to use his family's marital ties with the Aq Qoyunlu Dynasty to make a comeback. If they succeed, what will become of our achievements? I trust I don't need to tell you, gentlemen, you understand, don't you?"
At this point, Manuel gravely scanned everyone present, confirming their attitudes.
Under his gaze, these transformed lords and landowners largely guessed what would happen next and opened their mouths to speak. But thinking of the consequences of failure, they ultimately closed their mouths, deciding to seriously consider the resolutions their current monarch was about to issue.
Seeing this, Manuel smiled with satisfaction, "Hmm, since you all have a unanimous resolve to face the enemy, with the Holy Mother above, I will speak plainly: reinforcements will soon arrive at Akçaabat, and for this, I hope you will actively cooperate with our army's supply and replenishment; regarding conscripted soldiers, only one thousand are needed in total, even if they are composed of military servants or serfs. Can this be done? Also, rest assured, I will restrain my soldiers and not let them disturb your properties."
A thousand conscripted soldiers? Since entering the 15th century, the Komnenos family had not dared to levy conscripted soldiers from their subordinate lords in this manner. If it weren't for their inability to defeat the Bosporus army, several local lords would have almost started cursing on the spot.
"Oh, by the way," noticing the unusual glances of the lords present, Manuel calmly added, "As long as you provide conscripted soldiers, I will reduce more than seventy percent of your taxes for the coming year."
It didn't seem impossible after all; serfs and commoners were like weeds, and new ones would quickly grow back after being cut down. After comforting themselves in this way, most local lords began to praise Manuel's glory and generosity. This made Manuel's scalp tingle and reminded him of the struggles he had with those minor lords and landowners when he first governed Theodosia, "The feudal manor system really can't meet the demands of farming and warfare. It seems that after I completely establish my rule in Trabzon, I will still have to implement the 'Code' here."
After further clarifying these lords' and landowners' feudal obligations to him, Manuel turned to the generals standing by, awaiting his orders, and commanded them to make the most of Akçaabat's defensive fortifications. At the same time, he urged the local civilians to temporarily hide in the mountains as they had in the past to avoid the Turkmen, preparing for a defensive battle.
While several fierce battles were raging in the Pontus region, in the palace of Edirne, the capital of the Ottoman Sultanate, the three-year-old Muhammad was pointing and gesturing at several greek masterpieces with his mother, Huma Hatun. His dark brown pupils were full of pride and spirit. Although he currently had no idea that these impressive things in front of him were called books, or that what he was haphazardly reciting was greek.
Murad had essentially no serious intention of having his fourth son formally educated. He was currently standing on the palace balcony, served by his retainers, facing the morning light, reciting scriptures with his beloved son, Aladdin Ali, and praying to Allah.
Just as he finished his prayer, inspiration struck him, and he was about to recite a poem for this peaceful scene when the Grand Vizier's request for an audience abruptly interrupted his moment of creativity.
"Nizamettin Pasha, I am reciting with Aladdin for the beautiful morning granted by Allah," Murad rebuked with a frown.
As an elderly man, Nizamettin Pasha humbly apologized and earnestly informed his Sultan of the reason for his request, "Sultan, significant changes have recently occurred in the Black Sea region, and I believe you must be informed of this matter in a timely manner."