Chapter 2: Rebuilding an Empire
The Ottomans had failed to destroy the Empire. Their army was left in shambles after the grand assult on Constantinople. They were powerless to stop the rebound from the Byzantine hordes. One by one well trained soliders from the last city Constantinople marched on easily defeating the Turks at the cities. Slowly the Ottoman Empire began to crumble from the inside out dissipearing without a trace.
The people of the lands however were now under the complete control of the people of Byzantium which had done what some say was impossible… They survived, they continued on to become something of greatness, but that is later children for now we will stay on track.
Byzantium marched with his cataphracts behind him threw the last city of the Turks, he was not going to allow a rebound he was constantly rebuilding the armies of Rome, and his own to hold the regains. He marched up to the Ottoman Empire, who was bloodied sitting in the middle of the town waiting, "You bastard, I will be back and if not I then another, some one will bring you down… No empire last forever and your just a relic from a time already long gone." The Ottoman Empire stood up and called a horse to his side and said, "I will play by your rules this time, one final duel me and you no help, if I win you leave me and my last province be, If you when take it I will find some where else to live." The Ottoman Empire said for the first time in his life not cocky, but very serious.
Byzantium looked at the Turk and then to one of his Cataphracts, "Ok I accept your terms." He then commandeered one of his soliders horses. Both personifications had no intention of losing… they staired down each other for several seconds before Byzantium came charging down the long stretch of road to attack with his lance at the couched position. The Ottoman Empire took his sword and cut the lance in two before turning around at the other end of the road to prepare for the next attack. "That the best you have you pathetic welp! Come at me dog and see what more than a thousand years of experience will do to an inexperienced fighter!" Byzantium continued to goat the Ottoman empire on until the next charge came from him. "You Bastard I will kill you!" the Ottoman Empire charged in to close, because he was met with a pistol to his face, "Got you." Byzantium pulled the trigger knocking the Ottoman Empire off his horse laying on the ground in a pool of his own blood. Byzantium threw the pistol away and said, "Gunpowder was my near demise, but when I got threw my own thick head narrow-mindedness I saw that the only way I was going to win was gunpowder, its only fitting that you get the end of a gun to signify your fall." The Ottoman Empire layed there for a while not believing that he had just lost… it was over the Ottoman Empire was no more.
Byzantium was now a bastion of one of the most well trained militaries in the world, one that endorced firelocks just as much as swords and armor. The next target for the Byzantines rebuilding for an empire was the Balkans, as he held claim over a majority of the Balkans. With such a shattered territory it was easy for the Byzantines to conquer Wallicia, Serbia, and Moldalvia, but there was one that proved a challenge. Hungary stood in the way of a grand conquest for Byzantium. "This is one tuff woman I can say this much… infact I admire her in a way… I have an idea on how we are going to beat her." Byzantium wasn't a grand tactian for nothing. He met with Hungary to meet for what was supposed to be a peace treaty, "I am glad that you considered the ideal of peace miss Elizabeta. Now please allow me to lay out my terms." Byzantium lifted his arm as if to grab a piece of paper somewhere when a trap was sprung, "Foolish girl you should have known better, my terms, your complete and utter surrender." Hungary was royally pissed off now. She took her sword out and killed two of the men surrounding her, before Byzantium brought his sword down into the way of her blade to kill a third man. "Now, now is that any way for a lady to act?" he then started to push her outside of the large tent they were in. Byzantium went for an overhead slash with his blade when it was quickly blocked he then tripped Hungary and kicked her in the face, "Girl you have a lot of tenacity I will give you that, but I have years of experience you will almost never have." Byzantium then took out a pistol and said, "I do dread having to do this, but when you hold a country hostage, the leader is almost certainly going to let you do what ever you please, up to the point of annexation." Byzantium's pistol was right next to her face when he said, "tie her up and throw her in the dungeons." The year now was around the late 15 hundreds to the early 16 hundreds. Byzantium was heading to meet the leader of Hungary, who was at the time under great influence of Hapsburgs. When he arrived in the hall the King of Hungary looked like he was going to explode from the jitters he was having. Byzantium didn't care though he wanted only to rebuild his Empire restore it to glory. "Now look here, I am going to offer you a position in the empire where you keep your status as king, but I rule over you, You get to make all decions for the province of Hungary in the empire, but I have to ratify them before they pass." His offer was tempting, to be a king in an empire is to be like an independent nation, but with a leader of some one else higher than you. Hungarian King looked at Byzantium trying not to jitter, "I… I…. Ok you win, we the kingdom of Hungary submit to Byzantine rule under the terms set before us." The Balkans was under Byzantine rule once more.
Byzantium's next target was northern Africa, then Italy.