The news of Theodoro Principality joining the war quickly reached Haji Giray in less than a week. At this time, he was leading a large army to entangle with the Golden Horde army in the Tien region on the border with the Golden Horde, and had no time to consider the distant rear.
"Are these Goths warmongers? Didn't they just finish fighting the Genoese a few years ago? How did they join the Golden Horde so quickly and start fighting us? Are they crazy?! What good is there in opposing me?" Haji Giray was furious.
After his anger subsided a little, he immediately summoned one of his loyal Darhkans, who was also his Vizier, set up in imitation of the Ottomans, the aging Shirin tribal chief, Beijin Xilin, to inquire and confirm important matters.
Upon entering, Xilin immediately knelt and bowed his head to show his loyalty.
Seeing this, Giray quickly asked him to rise, then went straight to the point:
"Xilin, how many men do we still have in our army?" Giray asked with a frown.
"Reporting to Khan, our army originally had over sixteen thousand men, but the Lithuanians withdrew their four thousand foreign expeditionary forces due to civil war. In other words, our army only had nearly twelve thousand men in May. Now, if we deduct the casualties, there might only be just over ten thousand men left," Xilin reported in detail.
It was roughly as he expected. Giray confirmed the current situation and, after a moment of thought, ordered: "There's no need to worry too much about the two thousand missing soldiers. All the nomads of our Tatar tribe are brave and skilled warriors. If it's not enough, we can just conscript more on the spot. It's just hard on them, having to shed blood for this war.
"But the infidels in the rear must be dealt with as quickly as possible. The Khanate's capital is too close to them. If I remember correctly, Northern Crimea has a garrison of 2,500, right?"
"Yes, Khan, but I must remind you that the quality of these 2,500 soldiers is only average. It is completely impossible for them to stop the infidels," Xilin quickly reminded him.
"Don't worry, I understand such matters. So, let our navy blockade the port…"
"Khan, our entire navy has sunk!"
"Ah?" Haji Giray was startled, "What happened?!"
"Our warships were too old and dilapidated, completely no match for these Christians, and their naval tactics were as swift as the Latins," Xilin quickly reported the military situation.
"No way? Although I know our navy is absolutely no match for the Christians, they should at least be able to put up some resistance, right? This, this, this…" Haji Giray felt like he was about to spit blood.
"It's fine, I still have a backup plan," he paused, forcefully suppressing his accelerating heartbeat, "Quickly go and invite General Klier, the General of the Ottoman reinforcements." With that, a military servant quickly left the tent to find this person.
About a quarter of an hour later, the Ottoman General Mahmoud Klier arrived as ordered. He was robust, with a likely Serbian appearance, sporting a typical muslim mustache, and clad in scale armor, fully armed.
Upon his arrival, Haji Giray sincerely asked him to act according to his arrangements, "Mr. Klier, the wicked infidels are threatening our rear. May I ask you to lead your Janissaries, along with a portion of our cavalry, to defeat them."
"A small infidel Principality, with the assistance of Khan's army, defeating them is naturally not an issue. However," Klier replied with such confidence, but quickly changed the subject, expressing his concerns, "Please forgive my offense, but these days, the Golden Horde army has been truly aggressive. In the recent battles, if it weren't for the support of my Janissaries, your army alone would have found it difficult to hold on."
"I am also aware of this," Giray admitted frankly, "That's why I need the help of your Janissaries to eliminate those infidels as quickly as possible. Otherwise, if the capital in the rear is attacked, all our efforts will be in vain. Rest assured, I will do my best to hold the front line here and not give the Golden Horde army any opportunity."
"Hmm, then please allow me to respectfully obey." Seeing this, Klier immediately agreed.
"Very well. As for the auxiliary troops along the way, I will have the various tribes within the territory provide them. If all goes smoothly, we should be able to raise three thousand men. Of course, I understand this is not enough, so I will now allocate one thousand troops to you." Giray, seeing the other party agree, continued to outline his military deployment. Klier listened attentively and began to strategize his response in his mind.
While Haji Giray was outlining his strategy against the enemy, the Theodoro Army had already advanced from south to north, successively occupying several towns, and besieged Bakhchysarai, the capital of the Crimean Khanate, as if entering an uninhabited land.
"Excellent! According to the good news from Admiral Francesco Falero, the Principality's navy has completely annihilated the Crimean Khanate's navy." In the palace in Mangup, Alexius excitedly waved the battle report to his son.
"Indeed, it was a wise decision to poach Teacher Falero from Venice back then. The mature Venetian naval tactics, combined with the professionally trained naval technology copied into the Principality, and the high-level warships previously acquired from Venice, were more than enough, at least when facing the Tatars, whose naval combat skills are generally mediocre." Manuel thought with inner pleasure, then took the battle report from his father's hand and read it carefully.
"Eh, wait, are these kinds of ships even worthy of being called a navy?" After reading the first few pages of the report, Manuel's eyelids twitched, "What on earth are the Crimean Khanate's ships? A few unmaintained, even worm-eaten oar-sailing ships, and bulk two-masted cogs forcibly conscripted from civilians? What's there to be happy about winning against such rubbish?" He felt greatly shocked.
Alexius, seeing the confusion in his eyes, moved closer to advise him, "Manuel, you must understand that in our era, only great powers and commercial nations can possess a mature navy. In other words, the opponent's navy, composed of a few dilapidated ships, is the common situation."
It seemed there was indeed some truth to that. After a slight understanding of these matters, he continued to peruse the battle report. Reading to the end, he exclaimed in surprise: "Wait, we've captured the trading port of Kozlov?"
"Yes, the navy has won too many victories, and according to information from the front line, most of the enemy's land army is on the border with the Golden Horde, which is why our surprise attack was so easy," Alexius comfortably settled into the large armchair in the palace.
"But, Father, I don't think Bakhchysarai will be so easy to take. As the capital of the Khanate, Giray must have laid out many defensive fortifications there." Manuel felt a bit more nervous. He then took out a map of the Crimean Peninsula and gestured to Alexius, "Therefore, given this, the most important thing for us is still the several large towns and defense lines to the north: especially Akmechet and the Tatar Isthmus."