eastern european eagle

Chapter 584: Tunisia Tribute

Nikephoros tortured the surrendered people and soon found out the situation in Tunisia.

"Since most of Tunisia's navy is here, let's attack the city of Carthage immediately."

"Yes"

At Nikephoros's command, all the troops boarded the ship and headed south to Carthage. Because they had dealt with most of the navy, they did not encounter any obstacles. However, due to the strong wind, they could only dock in the nearest Naples. This small border town with only more than 10,000 people naturally fell after being attacked by the Roman army.

Hundreds of defenders in the city fled and scattered, leaving only a mess. The residents in the city hid in their houses, watching the Romanian troops through the cracks in the doors with uneasy expressions. Their only hope now was that these Romanians would not cause too much trouble to the city.

However, their worries were in vain. The commander had no intention of staying to "relax". Instead, after leaving behind an army to maintain law and order, he continued to march non-stop without even taking a break to catch his breath.

Because Nikephoros's naval mission was basically completed, the land commander of Tunisia was changed to Obrador. He had already stated that this battle was fast. Every day needed to be planned, and the minimum amount of troops to be attacked was clearly stipulated in the battle plan. The commander who served as the vanguard certainly did not dare to neglect the mission and kept urging the troops to move forward.

Of course, this was not the only Roman army that the residents of Naples saw today. A few hours later, a mighty Roman army appeared before them. The mighty cavalry and the countless cannons in the back half of the team were being driven forward by several horses. In addition to the cannons, the logistics wagons covered with canvas were also huge. The dust raised by them covered the sky, making even the well-informed local residents feel uneasy.

Tunisia was not aware of the Roman invasion at first. They only got the news from the cavalry from Naples. This news made them panic, and the ministers had no idea what to do.

The Tunisian Sultan was able to remain calm. Before Rome conquered Egypt, Tunisia would not be annexed. At most, it would be a tributary state, so he sent people to inquire about the other party's requirements and agreed to them if they could be agreed to, so as to avoid war.

The envoy returned quickly, because the Roman army had arrived at the gates of Tunis, and brought their demands: Tunisia had to give up all its navy, and work with Rome to eliminate pirates, and also pay 50 lei in compensation.

Although he had heard about the navy's situation a long time ago, he was still surprised to learn about the losses these pirates had caused to Rome. They were too bold, weren't they afraid of being attacked by Rome? Oh no, they had already transferred the consequences to him.

However, the Roman army did not give them time to react and immediately launched an offensive against Tunis. Although the defenders fought desperately, they were unable to hold out for even a day before the Roman army broke through their defenses.

In the Tunisian palace, the ministers were uneasy when they heard the sound of gunfire coming from afar, but even so, many people still tried to dissuade the Sultan from leaving this troubled place.

"Sultan, the enemy has entered the city now. If we don't leave now, we will not be able to leave."

"Sultan, we can't delay any longer."

Despite the ministers' pleadings, he still didn't want to leave. This was Tunisia, the city where he was born and raised, and he didn't want to leave here at all.

"Where can we go if we leave here?"

“We can go to Cairo…”

"No, we should go to Mecca."

“Morocco can also…”

The ministers' suggestions gave him a headache. However, he knew very well that no matter where he went, he would be nothing more than a fallen monarch who had lost his territory. This was also the reason why he was reluctant to leave. In history, many monarchs who had fallen into exile died in depression. He did not want that experience at all. Perhaps the Romans also needed him to maintain the continuity of the local area. Anyway, Tunisia was also a vassal of other countries in history. If he changed his master, he could also keep the status of his family. Of course, this was the worst-case scenario.

"Okay, I've got an idea. Just stay here and negotiate with the Romans."

So the Roman army suddenly discovered that the Tunisian army was no longer resisting, but instead a man who looked like a religious person holding a white flag walked up to them.

"Hello, I am Ali, the Minister of Tunisia. On behalf of the Sultan of Tunisia, I am willing to discuss peace with your commander."

Faced with the Tunisian peace negotiator, the Roman army did not dare to make a decision on its own and immediately sent him to the commander, General Obrador.

"Sir Ali, I can accept your request. But in order to avoid misunderstandings between our two sides, it is best for your army to return to the barracks to avoid misunderstandings."

Ali certainly knew his purpose this time, and when he saw the Roman commander agreed, he knew that his mission was accomplished.

"Well, sir, I hope you can order a halt to the attack so that those innocent people can survive."

"No problem, but we can only give you two hours at most. If they don't go back by then, they are no longer innocent people."

Since the Tunisians intend to surrender, Obrador does not mind showing his magnanimity. Of course, he also needs to warn the other party of the consequences of violating the rules.

In fact, his warning was completely useless.

When the ceasefire came into effect, the Tunisian soldiers, led by their respective commanders, returned to the barracks one after another. After all, no one wanted to be harmed when the overall situation was already decided.

Rome then occupied various key points in the city, and only then did Obrador come to meet the Tunisian Sultan with a team of soldiers.

"Dear Sultan, Romania is a peace-loving country, but your country's piracy problem has affected the interests of our country and Naples, so His Majesty the Emperor and the King of Naples decided to send troops to discuss the situation with you."

Then, Obrador took a document from his adjutant and said, "Sultan, in order to avoid future disputes among the three countries, our country has drafted a contract. I hope Your Highness can sign it for peace in the Mediterranean."

The Sultan immediately took the document and opened it. It contained Romania's demands. The terms were similar to the previous ones, but with a few additions: a total of 70 lei in compensation to Rome and Naples, Tunisia gave up building a large navy and only kept 25 coastal patrol ships, and Rome had to send troops to help when it asked for troops.

There was basically no problem with these conditions, and the Sultan signed them very happily. As long as his family was not harmed, he could even follow Granada's example and stay in Constantinople.

"Congratulations, Sultan. You have made the right choice."

The Sultan smiled bitterly inwardly: "Do I have any choice? You have blocked the road."

(End of this chapter)