At the end of this order, Manuel added, "This matter is top secret. Whether we captured Janissaries, whether the Janissaries leaked Ottoman intelligence, or whether the Janissaries were ultimately killed, no other irrelevant people should know."
After giving this order, Manuel leaned back in his chair and began his incomprehensible ramblings, "Next, it's rest time. Ahhh, I wish I could go back to Mangup earlier and start with Barbara…"
Let's skip this slightly embarrassing scene for now—
Less than a week later, after settling the defense affairs of Northern Crimea, Manuel and his generals returned to Mangup. He intended to reward the generals and soldiers who had rendered great service in this campaign in the Principality's capital.
The day of rewards was held in the afternoon of mid-October this year, in the palace hall of Mangup. To highlight the importance of this victory and elevate the status of his generals, Manuel specifically invited all important nobles and officials of the Principality.
Although there were many rewards, the progress was quite fast. At this award ceremony, Manuel officially incorporated his new military department into the Principality's administrative system, and awarded bounties or fiefs to the taxi drivers and generals who made outstanding contributions in this war. He also promoted excellent generals like Posadas.
Let me briefly explain the meaning of "fief". This is a new concept created by Manuel, at least in Europe. In short, it means that a portion of the taxes paid annually by an uncertain number of peasant households is set aside to support the person granted the fief. For example, granting a "ten-household fief" means that one-tenth to one-fifth of the annual taxes from ten peasant households is granted to the recipient each year.
Of course, those granted fiefs might have some complaints, as they would certainly prefer to have feudal territories they could freely manage. However, Manuel had no intention of dealing with this for now, as he never planned for the old feudal system to continue.
We'll talk about the "fief system" later; now, let's return to today's awards. After the award ceremony, it was time for the celebratory banquet in the evening. At the banquet, Manuel deliberately shook off his wife, Barbara, and immersed himself in a sea of wine. After he finished another glass of wine, Suleiman Karamanoglu happened to bump into him, and the two casually exchanged pleasantries. As they talked, they eventually discussed Haji Giray's family in Bakhchysarai.
"Hmm, Haji Giray Khan's family is also in Bakhchysarai? That's no secret, is it?" Suleiman shook his head and smiled.
"Indeed, it's nothing," Manuel affirmed his statement, then said with some drunkenness, "Speaking of Giray's wife and children, they are quite interesting. Would you like me to tell you a little about them, Your Excellency?"
"As you wish."
"According to information leaked from Bakhchysarai, Haji Giray has three wives, all around his age or slightly younger. In addition, he has one daughter and three sons: the eldest son is named Dauletiar, who is not yet 7 years old this year; the second son is named Nur, said to be a sickly child; the third son is named Haydar, who is still an infant; the only daughter is named Aisha, the eldest of the four, but honestly not much older."
When Manuel mentioned Giray's daughter, Aisha, a strange look appeared in Suleiman's eyes, but he quickly concealed it and probed Manuel with an indifferent expression: "Aisha? That's a very nice name. What kind of girl is she exactly?"
Due to his slight drunkenness and Suleiman's seemingly normal expression, and the unimportance of the information, Manuel didn't think much of it and revealed everything he knew: "Haji Giray's only daughter, Aisha, is 10 years old this year and was born to his primary wife. According to rumors, this girl, though still a child, possesses remarkable beauty compared to her peers. Speaking of which," Manuel teased, "Your Excellency Suleiman, this child is also a noble of no low status. How about you marry her?"
"Ah ha, perhaps." Suleiman subtly sidestepped the topic, noncommittal, but as he spoke, a faint light seemed to appear in his eyes.
Manuel didn't notice and spoke a few more words, then wandered aimlessly around the banquet. While strolling, he even ran into his new favorite general, Posadas, and the monarch and minister simply chatted some more. It wasn't until they discussed the situation in Crimea that Posadas, emboldened by wine, decided to express his views on Northern Crimea.
"Tell me, Posadas, I always listen to the thoughts of my subjects," Manuel leaned forward slightly, indicating he was listening intently.
Seeing this, Posadas no longer demurred and directly presented his bold idea to everyone at the banquet:
"Your Highness, in my humble opinion, the Tatars of Northern Crimea should be expelled, every single one!"
"Ah?" Everyone at the banquet was stunned. This was too extreme, wasn't it?
"Posadas, we can use more appropriate methods." Manuel's drunkenness was sobered by seven or eight tenths by his words.
"Your Highness is absolutely right. We should not use expulsion, as that would go against the will of the Holy Father." Posadas's words made Manuel and the others nod repeatedly, but his subsequent clarification once again astonished them.
"We should kill them all! These nomadic barbarians who only know how to abduct orthodox believers as slaves should not exist in this world. I used to be a crude man, but I also know what the Tatars are like. These past few months in Northern Crimea, I found that although the land in the north is not as fertile as in the south, it is enough to support many farmers. But those Tatars only know how to use these lands as pastures instead of farming, which is a waste of the Holy Father's grace.
"Moreover, the Tatars' development philosophy is truly poor. They have occupied the land north of the peninsula for so many years, yet they have only managed to develop a few barely usable cities. You know that the Black Sea slave trade is so developed that it was enough for our Principality to recuperate for many years, and cultivate so many cities, and provide so many ducats to the former Genoa. It can be seen that Northern Crimea will only prosper more in the hands of us Eastern Orthodox.
"If that's the case, then don't the Tatars who graze on these lands have no reason to exist? According to what we discovered in this war, those pagan and alien cultures have no intention of sincerely submitting to the Principality's rule in Northern Crimea. If they are unwilling to submit, then why can't they die? They only waste wheat by living in this world!
"Without these Tatars, Your Highness can acquire more land, farmers can have new land, and merchants can have a safer trade route. Isn't this perfect, Your Highness? It's just a few insignificant pagan Tatars dying, it's nothing. So, Your Highness, quickly give me the order to wipe out those ignorant pagans!"
After Posadas, fueled by wine, fully expressed his thoughts, Manuel's drunkenness was completely swept away. "No," he was dumbfounded, "you are a bit too extreme."