Chapter 179 Thessaloniki
In the part of Europe under Ottoman rule, the contradiction between the Orthodox Church and the Crescent became increasingly acute. Originally, when the Ottomans were powerful, these places were relatively honest. With the Ottomans under the banner of multiculturalism, these people accepted their fate. But who could have imagined that the reversal would come so quickly.
Wallachia, who had the same religion, defeated the Ottomans twice in a row and captured a lot of land. The Ottomans were almost driven out of the Balkans. The success of the Bukur Yesti Conference strengthened the cohesion of the Orthodox Church. In contrast, the European Crescent Church, which relied on the Ottomans, was declining rapidly. However, they still have territory, so they decided to In the future, all the residents of this land will be converted. They will tear off the last fig leaf and carry out a full-scale conversion movement. Naturally, the local Orthodox Church will not sit still and wait for death, so they will rise up to resist.
Among the towns that resisted, Thessaloniki was the most violent. As the economic center of Thessaly, Thessaloniki is the port second only to Constantinople, and its political power is also the most intense. A few decades ago, there was a Gilot movement launched by the lower class people here, intending to follow the Venetian model and establish a parliamentary state, but it failed in the end.
Since the city-state is out of the question, then return to the embrace of the monarchy, and Wallachia is the best candidate. The Dragon Knights are stationed in Serre, and if you ask for help from them, they will not ignore it.
"You pagans, when the Sultan comes back from the war, I will kill you all."
"You are a pagan lackey. You have betrayed this place and God. Now you are brazenly planning to kill us. You will definitely be punished."
An official wearing Ottoman costumes and speaking Greek began to quarrel with the local residents. Officials have just received an order to demolish two Orthodox churches in Thessaloniki and use the materials to build white houses. This is something the residents cannot tolerate.
"No matter what you think, it's settled today, come on."
Dozens of Ottoman soldiers began to destroy the church. Seeing this, the residents directly fought against them. Seeing that something was not going well, the officials called in some soldiers and arrested the leaders who were causing trouble.
The residents couldn't stand this bullying behavior anymore. All the believers in the city came. The officials were weak and were quickly arrested.
"Throw this guy out!"
The crowd carried the Ottomans towards the nearby seaport, while the official was still cursing. They couldn't bear it and blocked his mouth with rags.
They arrived at the harbor. Because the weather was good today, there were not many ships in the harbor. Seeing this, they threw the Ottomans directly.
Thump, thump, thump, none of the Ottomans could swim. Some people who were lucky enough to catch hold of the pier would be beaten down. Soon many people sank to the bottom of the water.
"Help, I don't know how to swim."
"Hey, come and see, Osman's master can't swim."
Everyone around him laughed. It was hard to get such an opportunity, so naturally he wanted to laugh at it. Amidst their laughter, the official also lost his breath.
After doing this, you are angry. What should you do next?
The citizens did not want to continue living under Ottoman oppression, and even if they died, they had to die like a man. Raise an army to rebel against this pagan regime.
They quickly formed a government and declared their independence from the Ottomans, while sending envoys to Wallachia to request their aid. And this uprising, like a spark, quickly spread in the surrounding areas.
Speaking of which, Christian uprisings in Ottoman territory were not repeated once or twice. The Ottomans were able to successfully suppress each time, but in recent years as Ottoman control has weakened, they have become increasingly unable to deal with European uprisings. In addition, Bayezid was on the eastern front, and there were fewer European troops, so there was no immediate suppression.
As the vanguard to regain the lost territory, Andrei and the Dragon Knights decided to send troops without informing Peter. They began to organize the army. The vanguard set out from Serre and arrived in Thessaloniki in less than four days. , the local people ate pots of pulp and lined the streets to welcome these Christian brothers.
After the Thessaloniki Revolt, Ottoman European territories were divided into two. The newly conquered lands in the west immediately rebelled, while only the east remained stable. Bayezid's last bit of territorial expansion in Europe was gone, and everything returned to the situation a few decades ago when the Ottomans had just entered Europe.
The Knights and the Church took over the city, and they began to strengthen the city's defenses and prepare for the next defensive battle. He also wrote a letter, firstly apologizing to Peter for taking action without consulting him; secondly, asking him to send reinforcements, finally waiting for Thessaloniki, this opportunity must not be missed.
Some people may ask, where are the Ottoman garrisons and local officials in Europe these days, all of which have been thrown into the water? Answer: They all ran away.
It's ridiculous. If you are an official in a place where Christians are the majority, you might die at any time. You can just pack up your property and run away at any time. Anyway, you will get almost enough.
After Ali Pasha heard the bad news in Bursa, he said nothing. He just looked at the night sky and saw a shooting star streaking across, as if foretelling Osman's fate.
He withheld the news and ordered the remaining Ottoman European troops to guard the Gallipoli Peninsula. As long as Gallipoli was there, the Ottomans could still enter Europe.
At the same time, Ali Pasha also met with the Venetian envoy and proposed to sell Thessaloniki to him and open some cities to do business with Venice.
A pagan country is preparing to increase trade with Venice. This is great news. However, the envoy still submitted it to the Venetian Parliament on the grounds that the matter was too big and needed to be consulted. He believed that the result would be available within a month.
Peter also received letters from the Andrei Society and the Knights. To be honest, when he first saw them attacking Thessaloniki without permission, he wanted to disband them both, but later it became unrealistic. . He still has to rely on them to regain the lost territory, and Thessaloniki's geographical location is too important. With him, Wallachia can directly face the Aegean Sea without having to make detours.
"Tell them that I will have people deliver the supplies. I will not pursue this matter for the time being, but if they lose Thessaloniki, there is no need to come back to see me."
Peter's goal is very clear. He does not interfere with the missionaries' actions, but he also requires them not to hinder their plans. Even if there are changes, they cannot fail. Otherwise, it will not be as simple as disbandment.
"God bless you, you better hold on, or I'll show you what hell is."