In any case, for the reasons mentioned above, the Muslims finally saw the large oil painting of the Prophet, drawn by Christians. And before they could recover from the various confusions it caused, news of the "infidel tax" decree quickly reached their ears. Faced with a sudden increase in taxes and this act of openly mocking their faith, many Turkmen Muslims were enraged.
The most radical among them were the clerics and jurists of the Islam. After all, for these clerical classes who relied on scriptures, this administrative measure by the infidels was a blatant disregard for their aniconic doctrine. This was not only a complete provocation but also an undermining of their status among their co-religionists. It should be known that for Islam, a religion deeply intertwined with lifestyle, the forceful intervention of non-co-religious external forces through administrative means is a great taboo. This is not only because the Islamic clerics, known as the Ulema, adhere to the so-called prophetic teachings, but also because long history has proven that if commoners could barely get by following Christian lords, then these clerics would certainly be purged once the situation stabilized. What's more, the current ruler of Pontus didn't even bother to pretend, directly throwing the so-called "Prophet portrait" in their faces! Could they trust the other party? No, they couldn't.
Besides them, the Turk Muslim lords in the region also had many grievances. However, their reasons for opposition differed from those of the clerics; the main reasons were not doctrine but taxes and policies. According to this newly issued code, they keenly detected tax and policy changes that were unfavorable to them. These systemic changes were clearly not temporary but permanent, and they targeted not only their faith but also their way of life. For the former, they might try to convert, but for the latter, they could only try to resist. This is because most of them were not landowners like the Christian lords, but tribal leaders with tribal members who would inadvertently constrain them.
In short, with the cooperation and instigation of Islamic clerics and some Muslim lords who secretly maintained their faith, the vast majority of Muslims decided that it was time to rebel again. The reason for saying "again" is that these Turkmen, under Ottoman rule, disliked the Ottomans for being too "Hellenized," which violated doctrine and tradition, and thus rebelled repeatedly. Now, facing the infidels who were on top of them and the incitement of the clerical lords, they naturally had to repeat their old tricks against the Bosporus, who now ruled them.
For the next half month, while other regions of Asia Minor were still in fierce battle, the Pontus region once again had the intense smell of a powder keg. However, contrary to the strong smell of gunpowder, even at this time, Caesar Manuel would still not gather domestic nobles to hold small and medium-sized banquets in Trabzon or Bangkok Pu to celebrate various auspicious occasions or religious festivals.
But his leisurely behavior undoubtedly caused concern among the important domestic officials and nobles. Finally, one evening near May, David Komnenos once again represented many nobles of Pontus, quietly pulling his cousin aside at a dinner party to raise his and other nobles' questions.
"Manuel, by now, quite a few Turkmen Muslims have secretly gathered. It is also highly possible that they have stored a lot of weapons and armor, and some have even taken to the streets to demonstrate with the Quran. If we don't take some measures, these evil infidels are very likely to stir up a riot that Pontus currently cannot handle…"
"David, let me correct you, it's not 'highly possible' they stored a lot of weapons and armor, but they really did store many weapons and armor." Regarding his cousin's plea, Manuel, slightly tipsy from drinking wine, corrected the error in his information with a righteous expression.
This piece of intelligence made David completely lose his composure. Although he was not quite sure where Manuel's information came from or why it was so conclusive, he immediately shouted, "Holy Father above, Manuel, what are we waiting for!? Please send the peasant soldiers quickly. Now that everyone's lives are gradually becoming comfortable, some people want to use demonstrations and riots to destabilize the Autocratic State. These scoundrel infidels approaching the city are Lucifer's lackeys and incompetent rascals, and they should be eliminated as soon as possible!"
"Don't rush, I know you're in a hurry, but don't rush yet." To his cousin and the many Pontus nobles he represented, Caesar did not immediately give an answer, "Go back and finish this dinner party first, after all, today I invited many Pontus nobles, and even church people participated."
"Manuel!!!"
"Alright," faced with David's earnest persuasion, Manuel finally spoke out about some of the preparations he had secretly made. "Hasn't the army already been dispatched?" When talking about this, the look in his brown eyes became particularly sharp, and his previous slightly tipsy appearance vanished, "Before the compilation of the Code."
It seemed to be true, and he himself had come to see Manuel at that time, David recalled.
Seeing David recalling the scene from nearly a month ago, and quite possibly even remembering the details, Manuel returned to his slightly tipsy demeanor, waving his hand helplessly, "Rest assured, I have long been prepared. The reason I am keeping quiet now, besides luring the rebels, is because: stability is above all, it overrides everything.
"Oh, and the content of our conversation today is confidential, try not to leak it."
"Yes, Manuel."
Just like that, this stormy secret conversation ended. And for the next three days, did the Bosporus also pass peacefully?
In other words, until three days later—
On this morning, David and other Pontus nobles were all summoned early by Manuel to the Trabzon Palace. After a brief joint prayer, Caesar began to chat with them, who were still completely bewildered. And as everyone was talking happily, Manuel suddenly looked up and muttered cryptically, "It should be here soon."
What was that? Just as the other nobles were greatly puzzled, Vladimir, a Filakas officer, and Badars, the Commander of the Guard, who belonged only to Caesar, appeared as if by magic before him, reporting in great detail the entire process of how they and their soldiers had quelled the Muslim riots that were about to break out in various parts of Pontus during the night, and finally, in front of all the nobles, presented the enemy's identification documents to prove their achievements.
Watching Caesar, who had achieved such results in just one night, all the nobles present were shocked. And at this moment, they finally understood the reason why Caesar had deliberately relaxed these past few days, and David, who had learned a general idea earlier than others, praised his cousin in accordance with the occasion. And the other nobles quickly followed suit, offering their due praises. Except for David himself, who inadvertently asked one last question—
"So, Manuel, why are you so skilled?"
This question made Caesar, who was sitting proudly before them at this moment, suddenly recall his almost unbearable dark history from before he was about to ascend the throne…