After leaving Constantinople, Isaac ordered his men to lower the Byzantine flags and replace them with the Venetian flag of St. Mark.
Face doesn't matter; safety comes first.
With the Venetian flag flying, even if they encountered the Ottoman or Mamluk naval fleets, the enemy would think twice before attacking.
In fact, Isaac's fleet was not weak. The St. Nicholas was equipped with 20 naval cannons, with a large crossbow cannon at the bow and stern. If necessary, the sailors could also engage in close combat.
The other two merchant ships were also well-armed, each with 10 cannons.
On the desolate open sea, Latin merchants had always had flexible moral standards.
If they couldn't win, they were registered as sea merchants.
If they could win, they were legal pirates.
This was a special period that had lasted for hundreds of years. The Byzantine Empire's power in the eastern Mediterranean had shrunk dramatically, and its navy was limited to a mere existence.
The emerging Ottoman Empire did not yet have enough time to build a powerful fleet, and trade relied more on land transportation.
This presented a golden opportunity for Latin merchants and the Knights Hospitaller. They took advantage of the situation, swiftly seizing control of various trade ports while establishing dominance over the Aegean and Marmara Seas.
In this context, pirates who made their living through piracy emerged in droves, with both the Muslim and Christian worlds participating, turning a blind eye to one another.
At this time, flying the flag of Venice meant avoiding most pirates, including the Knights Hospitaller.
Sailing at night was also a way to avoid encountering the main Ottoman fleet.
The full moon rose, guiding the travelers on their long voyage.
The night passed without incident, and Isaac fell into a deep sleep amid the rocking of the ship.
In the early morning, Isaac was awakened by loud voices.
He opened the door and stopped the sailor.
"What's going on?"
The sailor pointed to the sea.
Four warships flying the Ottoman navy's crescent and star flag appeared on the distant horizon.
Isaac rushed into the captain's cabin, where Captain Fidel and Commander Mikhail had already arrived.
"Your Highness, four Ottoman paddle warships have been spotted on the port side!"
"I see them, Captain Fidel. What do you plan to do?"
"Your Highness, Venice and the Ottomans have an agreement not to attack each other under normal circumstances, but the Venetian navy's blockade of the Dardanelles is tantamount to a unilateral breach of the agreement. It's hard to say how they will treat us."
"Their paddle ships are very outdated. If we can strike first, with the help of your guards, we may be able to repel them."
Isaac thought for a moment and decided to wait and see.
"Your Highness, they are signaling us to stop and accept an inspection!"
The sailors on the lookout shouted down.
Four paddle-sail ships lined up side by side, forming a semi-encirclement.
Isaac took a closer look at the enemy ships. They were indeed outdated and couldn't compare to Saint Nicholas.
The sails were not lowered, and the oars were not moving.
This indicated that the enemy had not entered combat mode and at least had no hostile intentions for now.
Isaac made his decision.
"Have the two merchant ships prepare for battle. We'll pretend to accept the inspection and let them lower their guard. Tell the Venetians to wait for our cannon fire."
The Saint Nicholas signaled, and soon a small boat rowed over from the Ottoman fleet.
On board, Captain Halish cautiously watched the fleet opposite.
Venetian merchant fleets generally did not antagonize the Ottomans; compared to the glory of Jesus, they cared more about gold.
However, the bastards of the Knights Hospitaller sometimes used the Venetian flag to deceive Muslim fleets, killing and looting them once they let their guard down.
The fleet stopped outside the range of the cannons, and the captain sent Halish to inspect and collect taxes.
There's not a single good Christian in the world!
Harsh thought.
"Aslan, why the hell are you rowing so fast?"
Harsh noticed how close they were to the large ship opposite and shouted.
"Sir..."
The sailor's voice was tearful.
"A Christian ship is coming straight at us!"
Whoosh—
A black object flew through the air and headed straight for the small boat—
"Jump!" Harsh yelled.
Bang—
The sailor who had just spoken was unable to dodge in time and was decapitated by the flying cannonball.
The cannonball continued its trajectory and smashed through the small boat.
Harsh luckily jumped into the sea in time and watched helplessly as his crew members floundered in the water.
Immediately afterwards, several more cannonballs landed in the water nearby, sending up huge waves.
The powerful shockwave knocked the poor captain unconscious, and he drifted on the surface of the water.
Before losing consciousness, he saw that the Venetian flag on the St. Nicholas had been lowered at some point, and a purple double-headed eagle, which he hadn't seen in a long time, was cutting through the waves.
At this time, the St. Nicholas had already entered combat readiness, and the slaves rowing were working desperately under the whips of their overseers.
"The small boat has been destroyed. Prepare the port side cannons. Fire one shot at the enemy's starboard side!"
The port side cannons roared, and a row of solid lead bullets drew perfect parabolas in the air.
Unfortunately, the Ottoman fleet was at the edge of the firing range, and the cannonballs didn't have enough force and fell into the sea.
"Speed up, speed up!"
The captain roared.
The three warships had now reached their maximum speed. They had to quickly approach the enemy ships and gain the upper hand before the Ottoman fleet could react.
The Ottoman fleet spread out sideways, effectively taking up advantageous positions.
However, the Ottoman warships were too outdated and severely outnumbered in terms of cannons.
This gave Isaac an opportunity.
The St. Nicholas sped forward, drawing a large Z on the sea.
Closer, closer!
The Ottomans finally made a move.
Bang!
A flash of fire and white smoke filled the air.
Six stone projectiles landed in the surrounding sea, also missing their targets.
"Starboard cannons ready, one enemy ship on the left, fire!"
The cannons on the starboard side of the St. Nicholas roared, and heavy lead bullets flew toward the enemy ship.
At the same time, the two Venetian merchant ships also opened fire. The smoke cleared, and the lookouts on the ship broke out in cheers.
"The enemy ship on the left has been hit, the mast is broken, and the deck is on fire!"
Glancing over, Isaac could vaguely see the broken mast and burning deck of the enemy ship. The Ottoman sailors cursed and desperately tried to put out the fire.
With insufficient slaves, losing the sails and rigging meant that the enemy ship had basically lost its ability to travel long distances.
The remaining three enemy ships continued to fire.
The old-fashioned stone-throwing cannons were ineffective, aimed mostly by guesswork, and had limited killing power.
The cannon battle between the two sides continued for some time, and it was nothing more than a battle between amateurs.
Our three gunboats focused on the Ottoman flagship in the middle and fired furiously. The flagship was hit several times but remained stubbornly unyielding.
The Venetian ship, the Falcon, was also hit several times, but fortunately, there was no significant water leakage.
The enemy clearly realized their disadvantage in firepower and range, so they turned around and tried to get closer to shoot with crossbows.
Captain Fidel would not give them a chance and ordered the fleet to spread out and turn their sides toward the enemy to maximize the area of attack.
The situation was instantly reversed.
Halfway through the charge, the enemy lost another paddle ship when St. Nicholas's cannons directly hit the powder magazine, and the enemy ship sank while swaying.
At this moment, the enemy flagship braved the cannon fire and stubbornly charged in front of St. Nicholas.
The crossbowmen on the enemy ship were ready to fire, their eyes filled with rage.
Then—
They saw the guards on the deck of St. Nicholas, who had been resting and recharging, draw their longbows.
The battle was now a foregone conclusion.
After a volley of arrows, the enemy ship finally raised the white flag.
The remaining dozens of enemy soldiers were either dead or wounded. Isaac lost two men and a dozen were slightly injured.
Subsequently, Isaac forced another enemy ship that had charged forward to surrender. He then quickly approached the first disabled galley, attempted to persuade them to surrender, but to no avail. Isaac ordered the archers to fire, and the guards and sailors boarded the ship to fight, leaving no one alive except the enslaved oarsmen.
"Your Highness! In this skirmish, under your brilliant command, we have sunk one enemy ship, forced two to surrender, captured one ship, and taken 104 sailors and 138 slaves as prisoners. What should we do next? Please give your orders!"
Captain Fidel reported loudly from the deck of Saint Nicholas.
Isaac looked at him deeply.
He had only given the most basic orders, leaving all tactical decisions to the captain, but the latter did not seek credit for himself.
This young man has a bright future!
Such professional competence, such sharp tactical insight, and such skill in dealing with people?
Tell me, how many cups of wine have you offered to your superiors in the past?
Isaac patted Fidel's broad shoulder, stepped onto the platform, and shouted:
"Soldiers of Rome! Today, we have defeated the Turkish fleet and brought glory to the empire!"
The guards erupted in enthusiastic cheers, while the sailors were much more subdued.
"Victory brings rewards! Fidel, Mikhail, three hundred ducats for each of you. Once we're ashore, treat the soldiers to a good drink!"
Isaac threw the last money bag on his body onto the deck, and Ducat gold coins rolled all over the floor.
"Long live His Highness!"
Everyone cheered.
The fleet continued forward, with the St. Nicholas trailing a disabled warship at the rear, two merchant ships on either side, and two landing ships in the middle.
The weapons on the landing craft were confiscated, and the slave oarsmen were only given one-third of their usual number. Guards from the Saint Nicholas were stationed to keep a close watch.
Thus, the fleet arrived at Negroponte, Venice's colony on the Greek peninsula, at noon on the third day.
After disembarking, news of the defeat of the Valencian Crusaders arrived as expected, casting a shadow over the victory at sea.
Nevertheless, the guards and sailors were still in high spirits as they disembarked, and soon they would have spent all of Isaac's 300 ducats.
Isaac took this opportunity to meet with the captain of the Ottoman flagship, who was also the commander of the small fleet.
To his surprise, Captain Kerman was a Greek and an Orthodox Christian.
After some conversation, Isaac learned about Kerman's legendary background.
Kerman was originally a member of the imperial fleet stationed in Thessaloniki and had studied astronomy at the University of Constantinople.
After Thessaloniki was abandoned by the empire, the remaining fleet was successively taken over by Venice and the Ottomans.
Kerman was recognized by an Ottoman Bey and became a captain in his private fleet.
Usually, Kerman's job was to pretend to be part of the official Ottoman fleet and intercept merchant ships passing through the northern Aegean Sea to collect a certain amount of money.
Passing merchants generally did not resist, at most complaining a little.
That was until he encountered Isaac, who did not play by the rules.
"You are an Orthodox Christian. Don't the Ottomans discriminate against you?"
"No," Kerman lowered his head.
"They suggested that I convert to Islam, but I refused, and they did not give me a hard time. There are still many Orthodox Christians in Thessaloniki, but of course, there are also many traitors who have converted."
Isaac remained silent. This was true; the Ottomans had a relatively tolerant attitude toward religion. Many Europeans who followed Eastern Orthodoxy or Catholicism served the Sultan and various beys, and Greeks who converted to Islam were often given important positions. Currently, Muhammad II's favorite advisor, Zagan Pasha, was a former Christian.
The Ottoman leader's claim to be the "Sultan of the Romans" was not without reason. The Ottoman replacement of the Byzantine Empire was more like a change of dynasty, with many of the Byzantine Empire's excellent policies being retained. The Ottoman Empire's religious policy was also very tolerant, attracting talent from all over the world.
His enemy was a thriving, rapidly rising empire.
Isaac made his decision.
"Kerman, my name is Isaac Balaiolo, Prince of the Empire. I now grant you the title of captain. You may keep your trusted men from your old crew, and recruit more if necessary. What do you say?"
"I accept, Your Highness." Kerman stood at attention and struck his chest with his hand.
Kerman had no other choice. Refusal would mean being sold into slavery.
The escape was impossible. The Ottomans tolerated heretics, but they hated traitors with passion.
This was his last chance!
"Your Highness, the captain of another ship is a Bulgarian and also an Orthodox Christian. I can persuade him to surrender to the empire."
Isaac nodded approvingly. The young man was quite resourceful!
That evening, Isaac invited Mikhail, Fidel, Kelman, and the Bulgarian captain named Novich to dinner.
During the meal, Isaac announced his plans for the future.
Of the three captured warships, the paddle-sail warship that had lost its power would be sold, and the other two would be upgraded and added to Isaac's private fleet.
Of the captured sailors, the Greek and Bulgarian Orthodox Christians would all be kept, while the Ottomans would be reduced to slavery.
The number of guards was increased to 140, with new recruits to be recruited locally in Negroponte and required to be Greek Orthodox Christians.
Fidel was appointed captain of the fleet and captain of the flagship Saint Nicholas.
Kerman was appointed captain of the paddle-sail warship Northumbria.
Novich was appointed captain of the paddle-sail warship Manuel.
The junior officers of each ship were rotated, with the first mates of the Northumbria and Manuel being replaced by officers from the Saint Nicholas.
The captured goods and surplus slaves were sold to raise funds for purchasing cannons for the two new warships.
After the banquet, the guests and hosts enjoyed themselves.
Isaac looked at the warships anchored along the shore and felt a surge of ambition.
In just half a month, he became the owner of three warships.
Muhammad? I will twist off his skull and use it as a bowl!
My name is Isaac. Come and die!