"Alright, now give me a detailed report on the current situation of the Principality." After finishing his musings, Manuel looked at the envoy who had traveled from Theodosia to Kiev and smiled gently.
"Well, as His Highness has just learned, His Highness Isaac and his faction, in collusion with the Tatars within the country, have raised an army to usurp the throne."
"The Tatar rebellion was expected. As for Isaac's usurpation, alas, we have still reached this point." Manuel shook his head. "But it's alright, I'm prepared. With the legitimacy of Mangup and Theodosia, they won't be able to stir up much trouble."
"Your Highness, there is some bad news here." The envoy bowed and spoke.
"Speak," Manuel smiled. "What could be worse than the Tatar rebels and the usurping rebels joining forces?"
"A coup has occurred in Mangup. His Highness the Prince and his people are currently missing, and the rebels have now taken control of Mangup."
Manuel barely managed to keep his composure. "Is that true? Isn't Mangup my father's base? Was he taken down so easily by a coup? I even prepared some defensive measures for him! Before I left, he promised the Holy Father that Mangup would never have any accidents!"
However, he quickly returned to his normal state. "Fortunately, I wasn't unprepared for this. The true essence of the Principality has all been transferred to Theodosia, and most of the people in Mangup are on my side. Barring any accidents, they shouldn't be able to imprison my father for too long. Unless the Golden Horde interferes in the Principality's internal affairs, but that's impossible to imagine. Sayid Khan has always had good relations with my side, the Golden Horde couldn't possibly…"
"Your Highness, the newly appointed Golden Horde, Muhammad Khan, has changed the policy of the previous Khan. The rebels seem to have promised land in exchange for the new Khan's support…"
Before he finished speaking, Manuel slammed his fist on the table, and the expression on his face became very difficult to maintain. After a long while, he returned to his normal state. "Fortunately, even in the worst possible scenario, I wasn't without foresight. My trip to Lithuania this time was also to prepare for the worst!" As soon as he finished speaking, he turned his head, dismissed the envoy for now, and immediately sent for Mana, instructing him to bring a map and accompany him to immediately seek an audience with King Sigismund of Lithuania.
Facing Manuel's urgent request for an audience, King Sigismund quickly invited him in. This time, Manuel did not engage in pleasantries and courtesies as he had in their previous conversations, but instead directly requested his help. "Emperor Sigismund, a group of shameless rebels, disregarding the will of their superiors, seeks to usurp my sacred authority. They have also contacted the pagan monarch of the Golden Horde. I hope you can lend me a small amount of assistance to eliminate them. After this is accomplished, the Principality of Theodoro will become a loyal vassal of your Kingdom in the Black Sea."
King Sigismund quickly reacted and was greatly moved by Manuel's promise. However, as he had just ended a civil war, he hesitated about whether to directly send troops south. "It is our Christian duty to resist pagans and traitors, but I have just finished a civil war, so it would be difficult to exert great effort."
"You will have my unwavering loyalty, and the General will bear witness to my promise." Manuel bowed and promised.
King Sigismund was considerably swayed, but he still restrained himself. "Even so, the Kingdom cannot currently spare…"
Manuel had generally guessed the other party's attitude, so he had Mana, who was accompanying him, take out a map and, pointing to a small inland area of Yedishkul, solemnly declared: "Your Majesty, if your esteemed country is willing to exert a small effort, we are willing to offer this fertile land to the Kingdom."
"Deal!" King Sigismund finally couldn't sit still.
As for the land he promised to Lithuania, Manuel also had a sense of proportion. Although from his previous life's geographical knowledge, the land he transferred was fertile black soil, with the agricultural level of the Middle Ages, it was a marshy wasteland, and it was not coastal. More importantly, its area was not large, and Theodoro had never truly managed it. It was only included within the Principality's borders due to the map expansion that occurred after the previous Crimean War. So, Manuel had no regrets about ceding it to Lithuania.
As for King Sigismund, he was not a fool. Of course, he could see the true condition of that land. However, he had ascended to the throne through civil war and needed external conquests to raise his prestige, and Manuel's offer of land for aid was exactly what he wanted.
After King Sigismund confirmed that he would commit a significant force of 4,000 troops to help Manuel resolve the threats from various Tatars, Manuel thanked him and then swiftly led his people back to Theodosia by water. Before leaving, he packed his belongings and unexpectedly found the exquisite flintlock Falero had given him for his 18th birthday.
"It's mostly for show, prone to misfiring, but not entirely useless." After muttering this, he carefully tucked it into his waistband.
At the same time, less than two days after the coup, in Mangup City, Raus frantically questioned several officers in the city: "Where are the firearms?! Where are the weapons? Where are the spears?! Where are the siege engines?!"
The officers couldn't even grasp half of it; they were completely clueless. After his initial rage, Raus finally understood what was going on. "Damn Manuel, was this intentional?!"
Well, if Manuel knew of his question, he would admit that luring the snake out of its hole was intentional, but his father failing to secure Mangup was not.
Believing he had figured it out, Raus, in a fit of rage, ordered for Prince Alexius, who was under house arrest, to be blinded. If Isaac's command had not stopped him, it would have truly become a reality. At this moment, Isaac truly understood the predicament he was in, and cold sweat profusely broke out on his face.
Only after calming down did Isaac cautiously ask him how the Tatars to the north would support them.
Raus wasn't very clear about this either, as he wasn't the one actively contacting the Tatars. Finally, Klier stepped forward and told them the current situation with the Tatars: "Although the Tatars agreed to cooperate with our uprising, they are actually acting independently: some are seeking autonomy, some are trying to re-establish the Giray Family, some want to return to the Golden Horde, and others want to split off and establish their own rule. If it weren't for Shilin's efforts to unite them, they would probably be a complete mess."
"This isn't what was agreed upon!" Raus roared. "And what about Mustafa Balin? Didn't he promise to come and help us?"
"Balin has already led his tribe to besiege the Tatar Isthmus region controlled by the enemy, so he is helping us in a way," Klier patiently explained.
"It better be!"
Just as the rebels in Mangup were in chaos, in Theodosia City, Manuel's people were also anxiously awaiting his return.
"How much longer until Manuel returns?" Suleiman, in the palace, anxiously asked Badars beside him. With his wedding approaching, he truly hadn't expected things to be so outrageous.
"Don't worry," Badars reassured him. "According to His Highness's style, he should be back in less than two days."
"No need to worry, the wedding of the General and Aisha Giray will certainly proceed as scheduled," Barbara, nearby, smiled confidently.
"Why?"
But Barbara only responded with a mysterious smile, then turned and asked Badars: "How are things in Mangup?"
"It's already being carried out according to the plan His Highness left before he departed. Don't worry, His Highness will be fine. At least, he won't die."
And shortly before Manuel was about to return to the country, in Mangup City, not long ago, Alexius, who was under house arrest in the monastery, sadly recalled the strange signs from Isaac's side earlier.
"I didn't expect that after about a year away from the country, it would actually… Alas, it's my fault, or perhaps I should resign… Hmm, what's that sound?" The sudden commotion made him vigilant.
Less than two days later, which was a little over a week after Isaac started the rebellion, Manuel successfully returned to Theodosia under naval escort. Coincidentally, an envoy from Mangup arrived, seeking to negotiate with him.
"Let them in," Manuel said, smiling to reassure everyone, and allowed the envoy into the city. "I want to see what they're up to."
After entering, the envoy quickly stated Mangup's terms: allowing Theodosia autonomy in exchange for Manuel recognizing Isaac's position as Prince.
"What a joke? As the Crown Prince, I am already the legitimate Prince of the Principality of Theodoro! I will not relinquish the sacred authority granted to me by God and my father! Speaking of which, how is our father?" After flatly rejecting the envoy, Manuel suppressed his inner worry and asked, feigning indifference.
But the envoy fell silent at this point.
"Speak! What's wrong? What happened to our father?" Manuel felt that something serious had happened, and his tone became anxious.
After a long pause, the envoy said softly and fearfully: "Your Highness, I'm not entirely sure of the specifics, but since the day of the coup, no one in the Principality has seen His Highness the Prince…"
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly heard the sound of swords clashing near his ear. Although he was not hurt, it instantly terrified him, causing him to fall to his knees and beg for mercy.
Although Manuel always grumbled about Alexius, calling him "my cheap old man" in his heart, that was, in the end, just angry talk. When something truly happened to his father, even if it was mostly due to his father's own factors, Manuel truly found it difficult to sit still.
"Good, good, good. Isaac Gavras, you actually dared to do such a thing! No matter what, he is our father. Regardless of your stance, you shouldn't, and you can't… Alright, alright, alright, I understand!" Manuel sneered at the envoy, enunciating each word. "Go back and tell my useless younger brother, and his faction: you rebels, stay put! Watch as I send heavy cavalry to send each and every one of you to heaven!"
After the envoy scrambled out of Theodosia in a panic, Manuel slammed his chair fiercely and added, "These lawless rebels!"
With the collapse of this ridiculous negotiation, meaning there was no more room for maneuver between the two sides, the Theodoro Civil War officially erupted.