"And these prisoners…" Badars added in a low voice.
"Hmm," Manuel stroked his chin when the prisoners were mentioned, pondering for a moment before deciding their fate. "It's the same as always: those who aren't White Sheep royalty and refuse to cooperate will be enslaved and sent to the mines; those of high status will be put under house arrest; those of lower status who are willing to convert will be assigned as farmers or serfs; and those who are willing to abandon the darkness for the light and actively inform us of enemy intelligence will temporarily remain in the army. If the opportunity arises in the future, we will have them lead the way."
"Yes, Manuel," Badars bowed and left to carry out the order. But Tukharovsky, who was present, caught some words from Manuel that piqued his interest. "'Lead the way'? What does that mean? Manuel wouldn't be thinking of counterattacking the White Sheep homeland, would he?" He couldn't help but feel a little worried, as in his opinion, attacking the lands occupied by these infidels would be quite difficult, and the returns didn't seem very high.
However, worrying about this now was a bit premature. After all, the Bosporus was still on the defensive for the time being. Counterattacking the enemy homeland might just be Manuel's idea, or even the word "lead the way" might have just slipped out. Yes, that must be it. Manuel would certainly not make any flawed decisions. As Army Commander, he only needed to assist Manuel in battle.
Thinking this, Tukharovsky's mind cleared, and he no longer dwelled on the matter.
After a brief strategic deployment, Manuel dismissed Tukharovsky and Aidian, preparing to march east to intercept the remaining White Sheep Army that had changed its target, and dispatched a messenger to Kaysiskoy under the cover of night. Incidentally, although that area initially belonged to Alexander Komnenos and other remnants, after their defeat at Machka, the local lords and gentry personally came to pledge allegiance to Manuel shortly thereafter.
Therefore, this march would not only satisfy strategic needs but also demonstrate strength by fulfilling his duties as a liege lord, and incidentally crush the invading White Sheep Turkmens. Fully aware of its importance, Manuel paid great attention to this matter. After three days of careful preparation, ensuring that supplies along the way and the army he led were fully ready, the Bosporus Army marched from west to east, heading towards the village called Kaysiskoy by the Turkmen.
A day and a half later, on a mid-July afternoon, Peter, the lord of Kaysiskoy village, along with his family and steward, paced anxiously back and forth in his castle, awaiting news from his new lord and immediate intelligence on the approaching White Sheep Turkmens.
After a while, a private scout rushed in to report. Seeing this, Peter told him not to waste words and to immediately inform him of the border situation.
"Sir, Sir, the Turkmen, the Turkmen, the Devil's lackeys have arrived!" The scout stammered, finally shouting, pouring a basin of cold water over Peter and the others' hearts.
Upon hearing this, Peter looked at his wife and steward with a ashen face, "Is there still time to leave here? Are the horses and luggage packed?"
The plainly dressed steward bowed and said, "Reporting, Sir, everything is ready, but I'm worried…"
"No buts, let's go, go, go."
"Sir, judging by the Turkmen's marching speed, it seems it's already too late to leave," the scout knelt directly on the ground, reporting at risk.
"What!!!" Peter, hearing this, was so shocked that he fainted on the spot. His wife, seeing this, fell to the ground in alarm, hurriedly calling for someone to help her awaken her husband, shouting incessantly, "Saint Mary!"
While the lord and others in the castle were still at a loss, the White Sheep Army had already broken through Kaysiskoy's fragile outer defenses and reached the outskirts of the village.
"Indeed, those Romans who came from across the sea before were the exception," Sheikh Hassan rode a yellow horse, watching with ease as the local militia and farmers scattered before the White Sheep Army.
"Don't get too carried away. Our main purpose here isn't looting—besides, what's the value of looting such a small village with few inhabitants if we don't consider its strategic value?" Ali reined in his mount, glaring at everyone present with his deep black eyes, reminding his brother and tribal commanders.
"But if we don't let our Ghazi Warriors vent properly, I'm afraid they won't have the motivation to continue following us to take down the local castles and such, will they?" Hamza suggested weakly. Having just failed not long ago, his attitude was much more subdued now.
Ali pondered for a moment before accepting his suggestion, "You're right, after all, Allah's warriors must be treated fairly." But he immediately added, "However, we must not become too engrossed in such indiscriminate violence. At least by dusk, we must have taken all of Kaysiskoy."
After Ali, who commanded the entire army, relented, the Turkmen soldiers cheered briefly in unison before scattering throughout the village to plunder the civilians who were still there.
Although the battles of the past half-month had not caused them severe losses, they had been unbearably stifling. They went to Akçaabat, didn't seize much wealth, didn't kill many Kafir, and even lost over a thousand of their kin. Even plundering along the way to Kaysiskoy couldn't alleviate this feeling.
Fortunately, now, this small village was enough for them to vent their frustrations.
Driven by this psychology, in less than an hour, the village and its surroundings became a living hell. The long-repressed Turkmen wielded their butcher knife, wantonly attacking the Christians, quickly producing large numbers of corpses and burned thatched huts. Among these corpses, only a few were barely intact; most were no longer recognizable as human, some even turned into repulsive chunks of flesh.
Moreover, upon closer inspection, it could be seen that these Turkmen treated people equally. Among the corpses were men and women, old and young, not only pregnant farm women but also recently born infants and decrepit elders. If Ali were to comment, he might very humorously say that their Turkmen brought a fairness to the common people that these Greek landlords could never have provided in their lifetime.
If no unforeseen events occurred, these lawless White Sheep Turkmens should, after completing their plunder, with extremely high morale, take down the isolated castle under Ali's command and seize all of Kaysiskoy.
But, unfortunately for them, the Bosporus Army arrived.
Manuel personally led four thousand Bosporus soldiers to the area, precisely when these Turkmen were still wantonly burning and plundering.
Watching these rampant Muslim, Manuel recalled the Tatar atrocities he had witnessed firsthand on the Tauris Peninsula. These scenes connected with his knowledge of what the Turks in Asia Minor had done in his previous life, igniting a deep-seated rage within him to wipe them out completely.
"All troops prepare, form ranks." At this moment, his brown eyes seemed to burn with fire, "Kill these beasts, leave none alive!"