Afterward, on Christmas Eve, Bosporus successfully recaptured Samsun.
After bringing the deserted city under the control of his army, Manuel summoned his generals and other key officials to a simple dinner in the city's guild hall to celebrate their interim victory and encourage them to face the upcoming battles with him.
As they were still at war, all attendees wore military uniforms.
Rather than a celebratory banquet, the gathering was more akin to a summary report meeting.
Therefore, in the mid-to-late stages, it was mostly the generals discussing future combat strategies and plans with their sovereign, preparing for a potential Ottoman counterattack, the likelihood of which was uncertain.
"Although Suleiman is also officially ascending the throne in a few days, we still haven't received accurate information from the Anatolia region," Caesar stated calmly, swirling the wine in his glass, when discussing other states in Asia Minor.
"Yes, Caesar. So what should we do?" Serenus, responsible for foreign affairs, bowed and replied to his inquiry.
Manuel pondered, thinking about how to quickly spread the news of the significant setback suffered by the Ottoman, so that various forces unfriendly to the Ottoman would take the initiative to attack, thereby giving the Bosporus, still on the front lines, a chance to withdraw unconditionally and peacefully.
After a while, having roughly figured out how to proceed, he chuckled thoughtfully, then waved his hand and ordered Badars and other key members of the intelligence department to discuss and execute his plan, "This way, this way, this way... roughly like this, we need to spread some rumors and set the narrative."
The next afternoon, Bosporus's old acquaintance, Gracio, their contact with Venice, was once again invited before Caesar Manuel.
"Lord, allow me to clarify first, Manuel," Although the other party was an ally, the young Venetian noble, who had crossed the sea from Andos Fortress, still displayed the calculation and caution of a merchant across the negotiating table, "Regardless of the outcome, we will not directly intervene in this war.
At His Highness the Prince's request, venturing to help you transport some soldiers from Tauris was already the limit for us in Venice."
What Gracio referred to was true; at that time, Manuel's father, Prince Alexius, acting as regent, had specifically sent someone to find the Venetian Black Sea consul to persuade him to allow Bosporus soldiers to board their ships to support his son's campaigns in Asia Minor.
Returning to the matter at hand, Manuel was not surprised by the Venetian noble's insistence, nor did he refute or persuade him.
Instead, he readily stated that he had no such intention and frankly explained his purpose, "Our only request from Bosporus is that your country helps us a little by extensively publicizing the Ottoman's defeat in Anatolia, especially to the Catholic countries in Europe."
"That's all?"
"Yes, that's all," Caesar now displayed the most sincere expression he could to persuade the other party.
Facing the request from Bosphorus Caesar, Gracio first frowned in confusion and pondered cautiously, then nodded in agreement, adding with a hint of teasing, "I will report this to the Consul.
If all goes well, next month, true or false information about Bosporus and the Ottoman will spread across the Mediterranean, just as Caesar wished."
Facing his playful words, Caesar's mouth twitched slightly, "Not so much, not so much, by the Holy Mother, too good an effect is also not good..."
In the following days, the war-torn southern shore of the Black Sea became incredibly calm until the beginning of the new year, the first day of 1435—
This day was of great significance to Suleiman Karamanoglu, the Prince of Karaman and current ruler of all Karaman.
Because on this first day of the new year, he would officially ascend as the new Bey of Karaman Beylik.
Incidentally, his uncle, the former Bey Ibrahim II, had been captured half a month earlier by Posadas, the guest general "loaned" to him by Bosporus, and was currently under house arrest in a mosque in Konya.
The Konya court was exceptionally crowded that noon, as envoys from the Mamluk, the heirs of Dulkadir and Ramazan, representatives of various Italian merchants, and emissaries from Bosporus, among other foreign guests, were all gathered there, awaiting the moment of the new Bey's official enthronement.
They did not wait long.
About fifteen minutes later, Suleiman, accompanied by several Ghazi nobles and Ulema representing the foundation of the Beylik, dressed in a magnificent and solemn silken caftan, with lips tightly closed, slowly ascended to the main seat in the hall, watched by all his subjects.
As he sat gracefully on the main seat, he opened his mouth and proclaimed in a loud voice his official enthronement, "Allah is the greatest! From today, I, Suleiman, am the faithful servant of Allah, the Lord of Anatolia from Hamid to Kayseri, the legitimate descendant of the Oghuz Khans, and the Bey of the Land of Karaman..."
With the official conclusion of this declaration, Suleiman formally took his place as the Bey of Karaman.
After a simple procession through the capital, as was customary for previous Beys, and a speech to improve relations with neighboring countries and his new suzerain, the ceremony was nearing its end.
While everyone was immersed in the joy of the enthronement ceremony, Suleiman returned to the main seat, cleared his throat to indicate he had something to say.
After the entire court quieted down, he delivered a speech that would cause great trouble for the Ottoman:
"Allah bears witness... Therefore, I will uphold the command of the Caliph and reclaim Hamid, which rightfully belongs to us, from those Ottoman who have become the embodiment of the devil from the very beginning!"
Meanwhile, in stark contrast to the joy and enthusiasm in Karaman, Ottoman Sultan Murad II was in a rare low point in his life.
After finally escaping back to Ankara on the first day of the new year, the Sultan was not only utterly exhausted but also felt immense resentment and anger.
Therefore, after a full afternoon of rest, he immediately summoned the remnants of the Ankara Legion, the officers of the garrison, and local administrators, and, suppressing his fury, he issued an order to them:
"Summon Nizamettin Pasha for me, and prepare to call upon the Rumelia Legion and other legions of Anatolia.
I will gather an army of fifty thousand to crush these Romans who do not know their place!"