Chapter 376 - 265: A Good Result and Bad Means
Furthermore, he still had to deal with attacks from the Ghazni Kingdom and the Kara Khanid State in the East, leaving him unable to manage the Seljuk Turks in Anatolia. He therefore sent his cousin, Suleiman, to Anatolia to consolidate his rule. However, things did not go as planned.
Suleiman’s father had been killed by Malikshah’s father. Harboring resentment, he almost immediately defected to the side of the Seljuk Turks in Anatolia. With their support, Suleiman established an independent Sultanate—the Rum Sultanate.
However, Suleiman’s younger brother, Mansur Bey, was angered by his elder brother’s tyrannical rule and recently appealed to me for aid.
’Now is the perfect moment. The mistake the Empire made at Manzikert will be rectified... The Empire will rise again in my hands. We will reclaim our lost territories and restore our former glory.
Anatolia will once again become the heart of the Empire, and our enemies will be driven into the remote wilderness.
This Empire is destined to be reborn under my rule, to defend the honor of the Catholic World. The name Alexios will be spoken alongside the great Basil, Justinian, and Constantine. In the years to come, when people speak my name, the admiration and awe they feel will be no different from when they speak of them.
I will be more than just a Monarch; I will be the symbol of the Empire’s resurgence.’
"The Franks and Teutons are willing to shed blood for Jerusalem, but they won’t waste time in Anatolia for the sake of the Greeks, even if they’re willing to kill a few of the Turkic People who attack their columns.
No one wants to waste time besieging obscure cities," Eric said.
"Exactly. They are all hoping for a miracle in Jerusalem to send them to Heaven. But they will have to compromise, because..."
Before Alexios could finish, Eric spoke:
"Because they advance on foot or on horseback. Most Franks and Teutons fear the sea, but the Normans do not. We have a powerful fleet."
"So you intend to sail directly to Jerusalem." Alexios shook his head and said, "You will be entering a vast sea of Heretics. No Heretic port will receive so many armed Christians. Even a fool would know what you’re up to.
I must remind you, commerce is thriving among the Heretics. News travels quickly through merchants. Once we launch our campaign in Anatolia in the name of the Holy War, the Heretics in Syria will know about it quickly—and long before you reach Syria.
Without the Empire’s ports for resupply, without any staging points, your fleet will not be sustainable for long."
"And that is why I have come for an audience with you." Eric stood up, bowed slightly to Alexios, and spoke in a mild and deferential tone.
"An audience, or a threat?" Alexios’s gaze on Eric sharpened.
"Sometimes, to achieve a good outcome, we must resort to bad methods, Your Majesty." Eric replied, using the Emperor’s own recent answer against him.
Alexios burst out laughing. "This is the first time I’ve met someone who has left me speechless."
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PS: [Malikshah, the third Sultan of the Seljuk Empire. Shah, in Persian, means King.
His reign is considered the zenith of the Seljuk Empire. His domestic rule was famous for his co-regency with Grand Vizier Nizam. Nizam held immense power during Malikshah’s reign, and Malikshah clashed with him on numerous occasions.
Nizam was ultimately assassinated by the Assassins in his later years, and half a month after his assassination, Malikshah was killed by Nizam’s supporters while on a hunting trip.]