king of ros

Chapter 463 Trabzon
Trabzon, August 1075.

It has been almost a year since this city that originally belonged to the Eastern Empire welcomed a new owner, and now the locals are also accustomed to the occupation of the Ross people and the Rurik trident above their heads.

During this period of time, Trabzon became more prosperous, because as the Turks continued to move westward, more and more refugees fled to the coast of Anatolia, which made it a deformed prosperity.

Some of them thought that Trabzon was more stable, so they settled down there, and more people used it as a transit point, and then continued to flee east or north.

Trabzon is in the midst of such a scene of prosperity and panic. The port is full of anxious people, most of them are asking whether the docked ship can go to the imperial capital or Ross.

The reason for these two places is that these are one of the few stable areas. It can be said that there is no safe place in the Eastern Empire. The forces in the west are ready to move, and the Turkic people in the east are expanding from the coast to the inland However, Georgia, the old neighbor, is at war with the Seljuks and has been completely suppressed, so it is not a peaceful place.

There is no doubt that the imperial capital is impossible to be breached in the eyes of the Greeks. The failure of the rebel named Russell proved this truth again, and it is absolutely safe to go there.

In recent years, Ross has become more and more prosperous under the rule of that young ruler, which has changed the reputation of that land in the south-although it is not much, it will at least make the first-line people willing to choose here.

Basically, only rich people can take the boat to the imperial capital, and the seats are tight. Even if there is news that some crew members will kill people and steal goods halfway through the voyage, there are still an endless stream of people who are willing to go.

The boat to Ross is very cheap. The Grand Duke of Kyiv specially spent money to recruit Greek immigrants, but unfortunately there are still not many people on the boat. After all, everyone thinks that Ross is still a wild place in the distance. Only the most desperate or very capable Confident people will embark on such a road.

As for those who plan to settle down, the ruler of Ross gave them land and let them cultivate it. These people are not willing to continue running, and they don’t want to live that kind of life

Trabzon is a rare and stable place. There are no robbers, no refugees who are desperate, and no damn Turkic horse bandits.Although the Ross people have recently occupied this place, their governance is very good. It is one of the few safe places in this chaotic empire, so stay here.

Therefore, there are many more Greek settlements on the land of Trabzon, but it is a pity that many people still stay in the city. After all, reclamation is a very tiring and costly thing, and many people prefer Doing odd jobs in the port is exhausting, and he is unwilling to cultivate.

It doesn't matter to the rulers of Ross, anyway, the business on the port is enough to keep them alive, as long as they can survive, no one will make trouble.

And even if there is trouble, you are not afraid. In such an era, the solution to trouble is always simple and effective, just use a knife.

Now, Monomakh sits in the room where the Governor of Trabzon used to sit, ruling over the long strip of land.

During this year, Monomakh's blood, which he thought was useless, played a huge role.

In any case, he bore the blood of a legitimate monarch of the empire, and this blood gave him prestige among the Greeks, whom these emperors have disgusted lately, and that grandfather of Monomakh was A good ruler is cherished by people because of this, and this kind of feeling comes from it.

Although Monomakh did spread his blood from Emperor Constantine IX to strengthen his rule, but he did not expect the effect to be so good.

Many Greek border guards were attracted by this. After learning that Trabzon had a ruler with the blood of the emperor, these soldiers were forced to leave their hometown because of the Turkic attack and the collapse of imperial rule. Many of them came to Trabzon, and brought many Greek and Armenian refugees.

The imperial border guards have always been an extremely powerful group. As early as those years when the Arab Empire and the Roman Empire confronted each other, these border guards were distributed on the border and the Arab Ghazis (jihadists) year after year Wage raiding wars on the frontier.

They are essentially restless people on the borders of their respective countries. They hold land and organize their own defense or assault by themselves. They are important forces on the borders of their respective countries.

However, during the countless looting and raids, the blood of the two sides continued to blend. These border warrior groups even developed to the point where they snatched each other's daughters to be their own wives, and their relationship was also in such a "marriage" Subtle up.

But the rise of the Seljuk Turks broke all this. The Turks swept the land from Persia to Anatolia like a whirlwind, and these frontier fighters were the most severely affected.

Many soldiers of the border guards were unwilling to go to the imperial capital. The border guards had a strong dislike for the imperial capital that ignored them. Many people did not want to go to the imperial capital even if they surrendered to the Turks. The man of blood is still a well-known war lord, so many of them came to seek refuge.

Monomacher is very happy to join these people. With these veterans, his activities in this area are much easier, and they are also an important force. The influence of this group in this land surrounded by mountains is deeply rooted. .

Although it was finally stable for nearly a year, Monomakh did not dare to relax at all. He was always strengthening the army and controlling the various arteries of Trabzon to prevent the troops from the Turks or the Greeks.

Now is the craziest stage of the upheaval in Asia Minor. He must remain vigilant. The Turks are expanding wildly in this land, the Greeks are constantly retreating, and the entire Anatolia is almost lost.

It is also impossible for the Turks to establish rule in a short period of time, so Anatolia presents a chaotic scene. Turkic tribes, Greek remnants, and mountain aborigines... They are all active one by one. Powers or alliances arise and fall shortly thereafter.

And the emperor Michael in the imperial capital has slacked off since defeating Russell, obsessed with poetry and art, and seemed extremely powerless to Anatolia.

Suleiman's army once reached the other side of Constantinople, but even if they devoted all their strength to fighting the Turks, the Greeks could hardly drive them out.

This is both good news and bad news for Monomakh. They don't have to worry about the empire's recovery army, but they also face the threat of Turks that may come at any time.

Therefore, Monomakh has never relaxed to strengthen the military. Fortunately, he now has a lot of power, the remnants of the original Russell rebels, the Eastern Empire border guards who have nowhere to go, and the Armenian lord who was forced to leave his hometown under the tide. In addition to the trained Greek militia, the strength in his hands has reached 4000 people unknowingly, enough to hold the land.

But it is a pity that it is impossible for Monomakh to take these 1000 troops to the expedition. He has to leave at least 3000 people to defend the various passes of Trabzon. In fact, only 2000 or even [-] people can be used.

In order to make up for the number of troops, Monomakh has been in close contact with the rulers of the surrounding mountains. Some of them are the Hellenized mountain peoples in Anatolia, some are Armenian lords, and even Turkic tribes who migrated by themselves. Monomacher strives for all the forces that can be won, and never dares to relax.

But even so, his strength is not enough. It is unknown how many of these allies obtained with gold, silver, wine and meat will come to help him.

The embarrassing reality made the exiled Prince Pereslav realize that they must find a new way out. Although Trabzon is safe, it is too remote and the population is too small to support the future.

Although no one cares about this land now, when the situation stabilizes, whether it is the Greeks or the Turks, they will have to deal with him.

Monomakh's sense of crisis was very strong, so he was always looking for opportunities, but what the young Prince Rurik didn't expect was that the opportunities he was looking for finally fell in front of him on his own initiative.

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(End of this chapter)