Nearly a year has passed since this city that originally belonged to the Eastern Empire welcomed a new owner, and now the locals are accustomed to the occupation of the Rus and the Rurik Trident above their heads.
During this period, Trabzon became more prosperous, because as the Turks continued to advance westward, more and more refugees fled to the Anatolian coast, giving the place a kind of abnormal prosperity.
Some of them thought Trabzon was relatively stable, so they settled there, while more people used it as a transit point and then continued to flee east or north.
Trabzon was in this prosperous and frightening scene. The port was crowded with anxious people, most of whom were asking whether the docked ships could go to the imperial capital or Rus.
The reason why they are these two places is because they are one of the few stable areas now. It can be said that there is no safe place in the Eastern Empire. Various forces in the west are ready to move, and the Turks in the east are expanding from the coast to the inland.
, the old neighboring country Georgia is at war with the Seljuk people and has been completely suppressed. It is not a peaceful place either.
There is no doubt that the Imperial Capital cannot be breached in the eyes of the Greeks. The failure of the rebel named Russell once again proved this truth. 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 not much, at least it will make front-line people willing to choose this place.
Basically, only rich people can take the boat to the imperial capital, and the seats are tight. Even though there is news that some crew members will kill people and steal goods halfway through the ferry, there is still an endless stream of people who are willing to go.
The boat to Rus' is very cheap. The Grand Duke of Kiev specially spent money to recruit Greek immigrants, but unfortunately there are still not many people on the ship. After all, in everyone's eyes, Rus is still a remote and barbaric land. Only the most desperate or very capable people
Only confident people will embark on such a path.
As for those who plan to settle down, the rulers of Russia gave them land and let them cultivate it. These people are not willing to continue running or live that kind of life.
Trabzon is a rare and stable place. There are no bandits, no desperate refugees, and no damn Turkic horse bandits. Although the Russians have recently occupied it, their governance is very good. In this chaotic world
The empire is one of the few safe places, so stay here.
Therefore, there are many Greek settlements on the land of Trabzon, but it is a pity that many people are still living in the city. After all, reclamation is a very tiring and costly matter, and many people prefer
I was wasting my time doing odd jobs in the port, and I was unwilling to cultivate land.
It doesn't matter if the Rus rulers arrive, since the business at the port is enough to keep them alive. As long as they can survive, no one will make trouble.
And don't be afraid even if you make trouble. In such an era, the solution to trouble is always simple and effective, just use the knife.
Now, Monomach sits in the room where the Governor of Trabzon originally sat, ruling this narrow strip of land.
During this year, Monomach's blood, which he originally thought was useless, played a huge role.
In any case, he has the blood of a legitimate emperor of the empire in his body, and this blood gives him prestige among the Greeks. These emperors have disgusted the Greeks recently, and Monomach's grandfather is
A good ruler is remembered fondly by people, and this feeling comes from this.
Although Monomach did spread his bloodline from Emperor Constantine IX to strengthen his rule, 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 due to the Turkic attacks and the collapse of imperial rule.
Many came to Trabzon, which also brought many Greek and Armenian refugees.
The imperial border guards have always been an extremely powerful group. As early as the years of confrontation between the Arab Empire and the Roman Empire, these border guards were distributed on the borders and with the Arab Ghazis (jihadists) year after year.
Carry out plundering wars on the border.
They are essentially restless people placed on the borders of their respective countries. They hold land and organize their own manpower for defense or assault. They are important forces on the borders of their respective countries.
However, during countless robberies and attacks, the bloodlines of both sides continued to blend. These groups of border warriors even developed to the extent of snatching each other's daughters to become their wives. Their relationship was also in this kind of "marriage"
It's become more subtle.
But the rise of the Seljuk Turks broke all this. The Turks swept across the land from Persia to Anatolia like a whirlwind, and these border warriors were the most severely affected.
Many border guards were unwilling to go to the imperial capital. The border guards had a strong dislike for the emperor who ignored them. Many people did not want to go to the imperial capital even if they surrendered to the Turks. So when they learned that there was an emperor in Trabzon,
The Blood Man was still a slightly famous war lord, so many of them came to seek refuge with him.
Monomach is very happy to have these people join. With these veterans, his activities in this area will be much easier, and they are also an important force. The influence of this group is deeply rooted in this land surrounded by mountains.
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Although it had been almost a year since the country had finally stabilized, Monomakh did not dare to relax at all. He was constantly strengthening the army and controlling the various arteries of Trabizon to prevent troops from the Turks or Greeks.
Now is the craziest stage of the drastic changes in Asia Minor. He must stay vigilant. The Turks are expanding wildly in this land, the Greeks are constantly retreating, and the entire Anatolia is almost lost.
It was impossible for the Turks to establish rule in a short period of time, so Anatolia presented a scene of chaos. Turkic tribes, Greek remnants, and mountain natives... they all became active one by one.
Factions or alliances arise and then collapse.
The Emperor Michael in the imperial capital has slacked off since defeating Russell. He is obsessed with poetry and art, and seems particularly powerless to Anatolia.
Suleiman's army once reached the other side of Constantinople, but even if they devoted all their efforts to fighting the Turks, the Greeks could not expel these Turks.
This is good news and bad news for Monomakh. They don't have to worry about the empire's reconquering army, but they also face the Turkish threat that may come at any time.
Therefore, Monomakh has never relaxed his efforts to strengthen the military. Fortunately, he now has a lot of power in his hands. The remnants of the original Russell rebels, the Eastern Empire border guards who have nowhere to go, and the Armenian lords who were forced to leave their hometown under the wave,
With the addition of trained Greek militiamen, the strength in his hands had reached 4,000 before he knew it, enough to defend this land.
But it is a pity that Monomach cannot go out with these 4,000 troops. He must leave at least 1,000 men to defend the various passes of Trabzon. In fact, only 3,000 or even 2,000 men can be used.
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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 of Anatolia, some are Armenian lords, and even Turkic tribes that migrated on their own.
Monomach strives for all the power that can be won, and never dares to relax.
But even so, his strength is not enough. It is still 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, both the Greeks and the Turks will have to deal with him.
Monomach had a very strong sense of crisis, so he was always looking for opportunities. What the young Prince Rurik did not expect was that the opportunity he was looking for would finally fall in front of him.