Chapter 355: Reconquista

Peter left someone to count the spoils, and he led others into Ancela to comfort the garrison.

Wojcick led the garrison to greet Peter. A month of defense made them a little tired, but the joy on their faces did not diminish at all. Successful defense against the Ottoman army is more important than anything else.

"This month is difficult, facing the Ottoman army."

"Fortunately, the Ottoman siege methods have become worse and worse in recent years, and Muhammad's governance ability is just so-so."

Peter rewarded all soldiers heavily, Ottoman spoils were given to them, and the military flags were retained. As for the captives, he had not figured out what to do.

It would be a waste of labor to kill them directly. Would they cause trouble if they were used as slaves? After all, they all hated Rome.

"Brother, several captives are making trouble." Vlad reported the emergency to Peter. Several Turks united to make trouble. Fortunately, there was an army to suppress them, otherwise there would be chaos.

"Ha, bring me the leader. Also, don't leave any food for the captives in the next few days to avoid trouble."

Peter would not let these people go easily. He asked people to get brushes, axes, knives, spices, small iron chains and other things. Then he asked people to bring the Turkic leader who was making trouble.

"You pagans, I will tear you to pieces one day!!!"

A Turkic man was brought up, his eyes fixed on Peter.

"It's really dishonest. A captive is still clamoring to release people. Don't you take me and the emperor too seriously?"

The two sides did not speak the same language, and Peter could not understand what the other party said, but from his expression, it must be a curse.

Peter was not angry, on the contrary, he revealed a weird smile. Tie his hands to the chopping board, then pick up the axe and chop off his fingers.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!"

He is the eldest son of the local tribe and one of the future heirs. Now he is being slaughtered, and such a gap makes him even more unbearable, and he keeps breaking free from the shackles.

"Let me go, I must kill you!"

But now he has been tied up tightly with a rope, and there is a big iron ball on his feet. No matter how strong he is, he can't run.

"I can't stand it, don't worry, there's more."

Peter took out the kerosene and poured it on the wound, and the Turkic captive screamed again. Peter ignored it and continued to torture him.

(An hour later...)

High-end ingredients often only require the simplest cooking methods. After an hour of busy work, Chef Peter was making barbecue.

Barbecue sauce made with pepper and other spices was brushed on the meat. Peter brushed it while turning it over to ensure even heating.

"Slow down, don't burn it."

When it was right, Peter asked someone to carry the roasted whole lamb over and dine with his family.

(What do you think I said?)

"Brother, what should we do next?"

Vlad asked about the next plan. Muhammad had already escaped, and it was said that he did not run back to the capital Konya, but went to the east.

"Your Highness, General Cyprus has sent a message that Antioch has been recovered. We'd better move south and open up a land route to Antioch."

Theodore suggested that it would be best to quickly occupy Konya and the Cilicia region to connect Antioch. Then move eastward to the area around Lake Van. He didn't believe that the Ottomans would cross the Zagros Mountains to Persia.

Vlad was a little worried, "Muhammad still has 100,000 troops in his hands. If he goes south, he might be in danger."

Peter didn't know how many troops Muhammad had, but things would change over time. If he dispersed his troops and went to other places, he would fall into a protracted war.

"Don't worry about this for now. Muhammad is attacking the empire with the whole country's strength. Naturally, there won't be many city defenders. And now there are constant conflicts within the Ottomans. We just need to be faster than them."

Peter expressed his opinion. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that this was a desperate struggle, so there wouldn't be many defenders in the city. Rome could take the opportunity to recover a lot of lost territory. Even if it couldn't reach Lake Van, it could reach Edessa. Then infiltrate Mesopotamia and Syria, and the overall situation will be determined.

"No matter what, we need to act immediately. Tell the army to set off early tomorrow morning. The spoils will be distributed after we come back."

Peter gave orders. He decided to take the opportunity to carry out a large-scale territorial recovery operation. The Iberian Reconquest Movement took too long, from the Tang Dynasty to the present. God knows why it took so long. Iberia was recovered in 800 years. Peter wanted to show him what speed and harvest are.

Muhammad did not go to Konya, but went to the farther Tongeli. The Armenians in Cilicia, which was close to Antioch, also revolted. They voluntarily joined the Roman army in the hope of getting shelter.

This fierce war took only more than a month to reverse. The whole Anatolia was hit by a major earthquake. The Turkic tribes accelerated their withdrawal. They went to Persia, Georgia, or settled over the Caucasus Mountains. The tents that were originally bustling with people disappeared. Peter punished the captives cruelly, telling them not to think about freedom and to be slaves for the rest of their lives.

Peter ordered his soldiers to move forward the next day and continue to attack the east. Looking around, there were grasslands, tents, and people who had become slaves. Peter announced that he would grant them freedom in the name of the Caesar of the Roman Empire, and then he did the same thing in the Balkans: from now on, slaves who resisted the Ottomans would be free and get land. And a bounty was issued. No matter who it was, as long as they captured a Turk, they would get the bounty.

Alexius, who was still on the front line, fainted once after hearing the news of the Ottoman retreat and the fall of Trebizond. After waking up, he ordered the army to go to Constantinople. He felt that it was not appropriate to go back to rescue. Only by attacking westward and capturing Nicaea could he force the emperor to negotiate, so that he would have a way out.

But his thinking did not mean that the soldiers below thought so. They were originally forcibly recruited, and Trebizond was occupied. Their mood can be imagined.

Now they are urged to march westward by the so-called emperor, and their dissatisfaction has reached its peak. More and more soldiers were fleeing, but Alexius was still dreaming of taking control of Constantinople. In addition, a Roman army had already attacked along the Black Sea coast, and the hope of victory was getting slimmer and slimmer.

The following was a common scenario, where the dissatisfied soldiers mutinied at night and killed Alexius and his cronies. Some of the troops left, and the rest surrendered directly to the Roman army.