Chapter Seven
The year is 1329 and we are on the cusp of war.
In 1301 the Golden Horde utterly destroyed the Seljuk Sultanate at Canakkale. In that year also the Egyptians managed to evade our navy and landed an invasion force at Iraklion. They sacked the city the following year. These developments led Doge Luca, stationed in the northern fortress of Targoviste, to send an envoy to the Golden Horde and forge an alliance. After the 5th Marines retook Iraklion in 1307, he also made peace with the Egyptians; a peace which, though uneasy, has lasted to this day.
In 1317 Bernardo Vendramin became Emperor. He had long advised his father to attack the Mongols and now set about preparing his forces for such an endeavour.
By 1327 he had raised two more legions, the 9th Imperial, intended as an invasion force for the coming war against the Mongols, and the 10th Northern Guard, stationed in Targoviste. He also renamed the 3rd Sofian Guard the 3rd Eastern Guard, and moved it to Adrianople.
Here is how our forces now stand, strong and war ready.
1st Imperial
Morosino da Zara
2nd Venetian Guard
Vito da Cattaro
3rd Eastern Guard
Facio da Venzone
4th Corinthian Guard
Marino Quintaville
5th Marines
Piero Venier
6th Imperial
Barbus Bragadin
7th Auxiliary
Zane Dona
8th Constantinian Guard
Doge Bernardo Vendramin
9th Imperial
Zuane Memo
10th Northern Guard
Polo Rosso
Like his predecessors, Doge Bernardo has shown himself to be a clever and cautious man. He understands that our forces alone weighed against the huge Mongol Empire have small chance of prevailing. Thus he has stirred up war between our allies Hungary and our so called allies the Golden Horde. When forced to make a choice between said allies, Doge Bernardo outwardly sided with the Mongols, though secretly sent financial support to Hungary.
Doge Bernardo also managed to have a friendly pope elected, ensuring the ascendance of Pope Ionnas IV of Venice.
The Council of Ten (Meeting in Constantinople, Summer 1329AD)
List Of Characters
Doge Bernardo enters the stately hall and takes his seat at the end of the huge oak table. The Council of Ten, after rising at his entrance, take their seats also. The meeting has begun.
"Gentlemen, I will not keep you long. This is the plain and truth of it: war is coming and we will be the instigator. As you know, we have been preparing an attack on the Golden Horde for some time. However, we will not fight this war alone. Pope Ionnas IV, at our request, has called a crusade on the city of Baghdad, deep in Mongolian territory. Already our allies England have joined the crusade as well as Genoa, Sicily and Norway. More will also be tempted, of this we can be sure. With any luck we will have a Christian ally in Mesopotamia by the time we establish a colony in Antioch."
"Our Hungarian friends also fight the horde in the north and the 1st Imperial is ready to support them. Commanded by Morosino da Zara, the 1st will move for the Crimea and look to hold that area for the Empire.
Piero Venier, you will take the 5th Marines and raid Mongol settlements around the Black Sea.
Once we have made the first move I will wait for the Mongol counter attack here at Constantinople while Barbus will hold his position south of Adrianople. My son, Vito, is raising a crusading force and, if we can smash the first wave of Mongols here, on these great walls, he can strike deep into Asia Minor and inflict great damage on the enemy's resources.
Finally, Zuane Memo and the 9th Imperial have set sail for Antioch. When the time is right they will take and hold the city at all costs.
We must be swift and strong and merciless.
That, gentlemen, is our strategy."