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Chapter 80: Bloodless conquest (2)

It was a wise and shrewd move on Corrado\'s part to accept the surrender and to promise that no punitive action would be taken against the city and its people. He clearly understood the importance of establishing himself as a fair and reasonable leader who was willing to treat his citizens with respect and compassion. By accepting the surrender and swearing that no sack would be made against the city and its people, he had undoubtedly made the job of subjugating Calabria easier. It would also serve as a message to the other cities in the region that he was a leader who came to liberate them and would not deliver harm to his own .

Once inside, Corrado entered the administration hall and sent his men to summon the mayor, as he needed to meet him. The mayor was summoned quickly, undoubtedly worried since he didn\'t know the reason for which he was called.

Corrado entered the room, briefly looked at him, and ordered a report of the general situation of the city . Knowing that his position was secure the mayor extended a breath of relief, for above all he was worried about losing the powers he had till that moment.

Without losing any moment he gave the general information about the situation of the city of Reggio.

\'\'How is the town\'s food situation? In the event of a siege, how far can the city go?\'\'

Corrado asked the mayor while staring him down, prompting the mayor to blink nervously.

\'\'If we had enough time to prepare and call all the farmers inside the city, I believe we could go for around two or three months, your lordship; but, we could extend it to three and a half months if we rationed it to one meal a day instead of two, your lord. Corrado was relieved by the news since it suggested that the city could endure a siege for an extended period of time as a last option; after all, Reggio would be the final city to be besieged since a lot more fortresses were present between the upper part of Calabria and the lower one.

\'\'What about the garrison? How many men can you put on the walls?\'\'

Corrado continued asking, worried about the defense capability of the town.

\'\'We currently have 600 city guards; however, if we enlist the population, we will easily reach 2,500. This was a sufficient number to defend a city; after all, if the worst happened, Corrado would get inside the town, receive supplies from his ship, and defend it with his army along with the city guards.

Now Corrado asked the mayor one last question; in fact, he asked him how many men the city would be able to equip and add to his army. The mayor then responded that the last time he checked, he had enough equipment to at least offer basic weaponry for 2,000 men; however, of these, 300 would actually be armored.

Corrado was pretty disappointed by the news, but he had to do with what God gave him. As such, he ordered the mayor to recruit 300 men, equip them, and send them as reinforcement for his army. The mayor understood that this was necessary and that he could not refuse; as such, he accepted without making any issue. So on the first siege, Corrado not only did not lose men but increased his numbers from 1,900 to 2,200, an increase that even though seemed like a little one, meant that he now had more men that he could use.

As for what was to be done next, after conquering Reghium, Corrado decided that the best course of action was to make the army rest inside the city, after vehemently ordering them to remain in their lodgings.

He did this to prevent as much as possible the possibility that his men could irritate the people they had liberated, ruining the image that the city had of them. Corrado was clearly a wise and thoughtful leader, as he was well aware of the necessity of maintaining discipline and decorum within the ranks of his army. He was also aware of the importance of projecting an image of order and respect in order to gain the support and trust of the citizens of the city. It was a crucial and sensitive time, and it was important that his forces conducted themselves in such a way as not to give any cause for alarm or controversy.

Corrado decided that the next stage was to reach Monteleone, the stronghold that stood between him and Cosenza, which he would utilize as his first and strongest line of defense against the French force.

After a good night\'s sleep, the count was well-rested and ready for the second day of March. He gave the command to the soldiers to assemble outside the walls of Reggio and prepare for the next step of their mission after a brief meal. He was eager to get started as soon as possible and to keep pushing forward and pressing on in his quest to free Calabria from repressive French authority.

The men awakened well-rested and invigorated, ready and eager to start their march toward Vibo Valentia. They would have been anxious to advance the campaign and continue their fight for justice and freedom, fueled by the previous day\'s success and the backing of the residents of Reggio (the Norman name of Reghium will be used from now on). They were ready and vigilant as they gathered outside the walls, awaiting Corrado\'s order to depart, which he gave quickly.

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Girifalco (Calabria\'s Muslim community) May 9, 1267

A man was observed riding over the countryside, his horses brown like his hair. Inside his luggage was a message, which Corrado had instructed him to deliver to the leader of Girifalco\'s Muslim community and subsequently announce to his majesty\'s Muslim subjects. The count had definitely entrusted the soldier with an important message, and it was certain to contain instructions for Girifalco\'s Muslim community.

The envoy , was approached by two individuals once he arrived in the city.

As he reached the wall, one of the guard said, \'\'Halt there, announce your intention !\'\' which prompted the envoy to explain himself in order to reassure them of his intention.

\'\'I am an envoy sent by Count Corrado Capece, and I respectfully request permission to enter in order to display the message written by my general.\'\' the envoy said as he slowly advanced towards the wall while showing a scroll in his hand.

The guards glanced at one other and stayed mute until one of them spoke to the other,

\'\' ????? ?????? ??????? ??? ??????? (Go call the elder; I shall remain to keep him in check).\'\'

The guard said in a language the envoy did not understand but assumed was Arabic; the same guard then ordered him to lower his blade to the ground in the meantime, which the envoy did as he did not want to appear as a threat. It was an important gesture that he made in order to diffuse any immediate tension and to make himself appear less threatening and more approachable.

Sure enough, after a few minutes, the envoy noticed an old man appearing outside the gate, signaling to the guard to bring the man inside, where he would apparently have the chance to explain himself and complete his mission. The older man signed him to follow him, and as he did, the elder led him inside the town and was then brought inside a private area where the envoy would be allowed to converse with the elder.

\'\'So \'\'the elder started, \'\'You said that your general sent you, correct?\'\'

\'\'Yes, I did, \'\' the envoy said. \'\' He was tasked by his highness Conrad to liberate Sicily; the general, however, after doing so, went to Calabria to create a more defensible fort; last I heard the city of Reggio surrendered as soon as they understood that we would not harm them but free them.\'\'

\'\'So what is your message, esteemed envoy?\'\' the elder said while looking at the envoy expectantly.

\'\'It would be easier to give you the message written by the general; please keep in mind that I was also tasked with reading it aloud to the people. \'\' The elder took the letter and started reading. As he had finished reading, he gave the letter back to the envoy without changing his expression. The envoy felt that he had failed in his mission to convince the leader of the community to turn to Corrado\'s side and was ready to try anything to make him change his opinion.

\'\'There was actually no need for that envoy; we were already more than inclined to serve in his majesty\'s army.\'\' Said the elder much to the shock of the envoy who had previosly thought that he had failed in his task. \'\'Tell me, do you think we do not know that we are currently running out of time? For if the French actually manage to take control of the kingdom, how much time will pass until, in order to please the pope, he will enslave or directly slaughter us? We never had a choice to begin with ; we were just waiting for the opportunity to let his majesty return to his throne before rising in his name , as our very own survival depends on that.

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