Chapter 21: Martial Law
Ranieli did hesitate, but the extortion order of the Holy See was like a thorn. Because the Venetians used the crusaders to loot Zara, Pope Innocent expelled the church members of all those who participated in the crusades in rage, and even condemned the entire Venice, which made everyone panic. However, after the Crusaders took Constantinople to become a fait accompli, the Holy See's attitude became ambiguous. In particular, it hit the Byzantine Empire that the Holy See very disliked, which made Pope Innocent immediately forgive the crimes of the entire crusaders. However, until now, Ranieli's father Enrique Dandoro has not restored his church membership, which is disastrous for any Christian, which means that the soul will not be redeemed after death and can only fall into the abyss of hell.
Originally, as the consul of the Venetian Republic, Dandoro could have received help from his motherland and asked for forgiveness from Pope Innocent. However, due to the obstruction of his political enemies, Ranieri's father can only live in a foreign land now.
Therefore, as the governor of Crete, Ranieri chose to cooperate with the Byzantines in front of him. Although Constantinople was defeated under the use of the Venetians and formed a strait with the Byzantines, the Venetians always pursued the supremacy of interests, even Enrique Dandoro's purpose in dealing with the Byzantine Empire was to control the trade routes in the East rather than avenge the revenge of the persecution of the Venetians in Constantinople. Therefore, after the fall of Constantinople, in order to prevent the Latin Empire occupying Constantinople from becoming bigger, they had been working with Nicea to provide them with the movements of Henry of Flanders. As for the nobles of the Byzantine Empire, they were naturally pragmatic. This time, the Lascalis family was ready to use the power of the Venetians to destroy the disobedient Moria nobles.
"Is the commander of the Epirus army attacking the Achaia vastra is really in Fort Wiscari?" Looking at the men around him, Ranieli wanted to confirm the authenticity of the news. The news that the Achaia vassal defeat in the Alfios River was also known not long ago on Crete. Ranieli realized the value of this. If he was successfully caught or killed, it would mean that the Epirus army in Peloponnese would be without a leader, which would undoubtedly lead the friendship of the Achaia vastra.
If such a result could be achieved, perhaps it would be exchanged for the Republic to request the Holy See to lift the expulsion from the Holy See for his father.
But the premise of all is that what the George Border Berke said in front of him is true. He had been to Fort Wiscarri many years ago. Although it was deserted, the terrain was very dangerous. So this time Ranieri brought more than half of the garrison power of Crete. If he lost a blank, the pressure of the mother state of Venice can be imagined.
In the face of Ranieri's questioning, George Border Bell sneered and said without hesitation: "Believe it or not, I am only responsible for providing information, Lord Ranieri. But if you miss this opportunity, you may regret it for the rest of your life."
Seeing the other party's reticent expression, Ranieri was also very unhappy, but he could not refute it, and it was impossible to miss it. If the Greek power that Peloponnese participated could be eliminated, it would be beneficial to Venice to the safety of their various trade strongholds. The Greek resistance on Crete had already made him anxious. If Peloponnese was really recovered by the Greeks, it would be a great danger to his territory.
"Of course I know this. At the current speed, we can only reach Fort Wiscarri in one day at most. But are you really sure your people will come to pick you up at that time?" Ranieri asked.
"You can rest assured that my people are lurking in Fort Wiscari, and the Morians have not noticed it yet. At that time, they can easily conquer the city." After living in Wiscari for so long, George knew Moria's situation. He knew where the most important place was and where the weak place was. He himself wanted to win over the powerful people of Moria for the Rascari family, but those nobles were so greedy. Not only was they rude to him, but they were also illusory to Epirus.
Thinking that after the news of the Latin defeat in the Battle of the Alfios River came, he was already sure that the Molia nobles would not fall to the side of Nicea. Since this is the case, let them disappear "justifiedly". Death at the hands of the Venetians would be the best result. It can not only eliminate this hidden danger, but also serve as a tool for the Byzantine Empire to unite against the enemy. It can also be regarded as the death of those greedy and mediocre guys. Thinking of this, there was a hint of cruelty in the eyes of the man in front of him.
But what George Border Bo didn't know was that although Assassin noticed that night, Nikifruz, who had witnessed everything in Turkic Arslan, escaped, and his intentions had been noticed by Justinian and Anastasius in Fort Wiscarry.
...
"What the hell is going on?"
The nobles of Fort Wiscarri were surprised to see that the entire castle had now entered a state of complete martial law, and no one of them issued such an order. The fully armed Byzantine soldiers blocked every exit and sent people to search houses from house to house to pick up suspicious populations. Even the mansions of some inferior nobles were searched, which aroused the dissatisfaction of many people.
"You are arrogant, I am a member of the Kukuas family, and you have no right to search my residence!" A young nobleman angrily rebuked the soldiers' unreasonable demands. Kukuas once had a great patriarch from Constantinople and was once a prominent nobleman. Although his family was in decline due to the turmoil in the court, they still maintained that pride.
However, the Byzantine soldiers in front of them did not take them seriously at all. They were all the personal guards of Grand Duke Anastasius and only obeyed orders. Moreover, the mere Kukuas might not really take them into their eyes.
"In fact, we have this power. Lord Kukuas, Grand Duke Anastasius, has issued an order that Fort Wiscari has entered full martial law and searched the city for people. If you have any questions, you can find Lord Kuos. But if you continue to not cooperate, then I will regard your behavior as a counter-in-the-Emperor. We have the right to destroy the enemy of the empire." The Byzantine officer in front of him looked at the young noble in front of him and said coldly. The murderous aura on their bodies immediately suffocated the young man. He never expected that these usually obedient soldiers would dare to threaten him so publicly. But as the shocked and angry Kukuas's eyes fell on the swords in the hands of the soldiers, he retreated because he knew that what the madmen in front of him said was definitely not a joke.
Chapter completed!