The reason Turahan Bey made the choice Manuel anticipated was precisely as the latter had surmised: Turahan Bey knew very well that it was only due to a series of coincidences that he was able to gain influence and largely control Macedonia in the short term.
However, he was neither Greek nor Christian, and after the old Sultan's death, he no longer had legitimacy or reliance.
With no roots in the region, once his rear was taken, his only remaining asset would be the troops at hand.
Land could be recaptured, but without soldiers, he would be ruined.
Having served the Ottoman Sultanate for many years, Turahan Bey knew that all three Ottoman princes were now currying favor with him, not only because he had previously controlled Macedonia, but also because he commanded nearly five thousand elite soldiers.
If these soldiers were lost, then in the current complete collapse of the Sultanate, he would be no different from a stray dog on the roadside!
And that Bosphorus Caesar was coming fiercely, with an attitude that he would not rest until the homeland of the Romans was recovered.
Thus, even if the Bey had the will and courage to go to the front line to threaten Bosporus, the other party would never be intimidated by his aggressive stance, and he would ultimately be the one to suffer.
So, rather than fighting to the last drop of blood for a rear lost due to carelessness, it was better to find a suitable superior to pledge allegiance to.
As a Turkmen, he had no particular feelings for Greek land; although losing the fertile rear was regrettable, it was too late to remedy it now, so it was better to quickly seek refuge with Prince Ahmed nearby.
Thus, the next day, with the deliberate connivance of the Bosporus Army, Turahan Bey led his remnants northward from Thessaly to Skopje, and then pledged allegiance to Prince Ahmed, who was carving out a territory in Rumelia.
After resolving the threat from Turahan Bey, Manuel deliberately stopped at the city of Veria and turned back towards Constantinople.
His Chief Minister was very displeased with the Caesar's actions, publicly questioning in the military camp why they were not continuing south to reclaim lost territories, "Your Majesty, Thessaly and Epirus have not yet been recovered!"
In response to his Chief Minister's questioning, Manuel simply handed him several letters without a change in expression, saying as he did so, "Let my Brother-in-law handle the matters of Thessaly; there's no need for me to quarrel with him there.
"As for Epirus, our marching speed cannot compare to Carlo II of the Tocco family.
Although the people, led by those in the Ioannina area, welcome the Empire's rule, they are also not opposed to the highly localized rule of the Epirus Autocratic State.
Moreover, it has only been 15 years since this city was captured by the Ottoman in the autumn of 1430; as long as the people of Epirus are the first to set foot on that land, our army's southward advance into Epirus will bring no benefit other than disputes that cannot happen now."
Now was not the time to break ties with Morea and Epirus, and he had more important things to do.
"Then, Your Majesty, what more should we do?" Serenus asked indignantly, clearly dissatisfied with the Caesar's answer.
Hearing this, the Caesar stood up and laughed humorously, "Next up,
"A small recovery."
On the not-so-distant eastern shore of the Sea of Marmara, the Bosporus Navy was patrolling this inland sea, where the Romans had completely established naval supremacy.
Since their successive victories in the Black Sea and the eastern Sea of Marmara against the Ottoman navy, which had incorporated a large number of Turk pirates, the latter was almost completely destroyed, with its remnants fleeing to the western Sea of Marmara and then retreating south of the Aegean Sea.
According to intelligence later provided to the Caesar by the secret service, almost all of the remaining Ottoman navy had defected to Prince Muhammad, who held territory around Tekke.
As for the reason, that would be a story for later.
Turning the clock back to the present.
Since Sultan Aladdin Ali had only recently arrived in Brusa and had not yet fully re-established order disrupted by Posadas's raids in Hudavendigâr last year, he naturally had not had time to curb the rampant holy fire disease in the region, so its borders were in a chaotic and unguarded state.
This gave Bosporus an opportunity.
To consolidate his rule in Bithynia and to deter Sultan Aladdin Ali, the most promising of the three Ottoman princes, the Caesar dispatched the navy and two legions: one led by Barbaro, sent to besiege the fortress on the Gallipoli Peninsula, and the other led by Posadas, sent to western Asia Minor to plunder the Turks and wait for an opportunity, as per his military orders.
As he waited for an opportunity, Posadas unexpectedly discovered that the defenses around İznik, or Nicaea, had not yet been restored and remained empty.
Not daring to delay the opportune moment, he prepared for a surprise attack on Nicaea and immediately wrote to the Caesar, asking his respected monarch to have the navy support him in recapturing this ancient Roman city.
If his Caesar did not support him, Posadas would lead the Death Announcement Legion to reclaim it himself.
And Manuel's reply reached the hands of this brave legion commander in just one day.
The reply was simple but weighty:
"If necessary, give it your all."
Thus, while Manuel was advancing south to pressure Turahan Bey to withdraw from the Greek region, his subordinate Posadas, with naval assistance, also recruited Romans with strong sentiments for national restoration and religious fervor from Asia Minor, as well as Turk nomads who utterly detested the Ottoman.
Together with his own legion, a total of three thousand men, he directly attacked the Ottoman garrison of less than five hundred men and various small outposts in the Nicaea area.
Even after being ravaged by the Turks, the ancient city of İznik remained difficult to attack and easy to defend, protected by the northern mountains and Lake Nicaea to the south.
This was also why Manuel had not chosen to continue recapturing it when he was in Asia Minor last year.
But this year, the situation was reversed; even the most easily defended city, if lacking manpower to guard it, was no different from a home without a fence on a plain.
Moreover, this time, to cut off support for the city from Sultan Aladdin Ali's forces, Admiral Falero, specifically emulating the young Caesar, sent troops to drag several flat-bottomed oar-sailing boats into Lake Nicaea, securing control of the water.
Finally, on February 14, 1445, the ancient city of Nicaea, which had been lost to the Ottoman for 114 years, returned to Roman rule.
The Romans within the city welcomed the return of their compatriots, while the Turks who had previously lorded over them hung their heads in despair and began to beg the soldiers for their lives.
But this was not the end; after deploying garrisons in the area to consolidate rule as instructed by the Caesar, Posadas did not stop his advance.
This general, whose physique was like a black tower, after issuing a three-day slaughter order against the Turkmen infidels, looked towards the western shore of the Sea of Marmara, his eyes filled with the pursuit of honor and the excitement of restoring the Empire, as well as an obvious love for bloodshed.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Manuel, who had returned to Thrace, looked towards the Gallipoli Peninsula with a faint smile on his face,
"Next, it's here."