A few days later, when Alexius received the reply from Bakhchysarai via messenger, it was said that he was so angry he fainted on the spot.
At the same time, Manuel returned to Mangup specifically for his reform plan.
When the father and son met, they exchanged a few pleasantries before getting down to business.
"Father, judging by Bakhchysarai's rude reply, their mobilization of troops, and their indulgence of bandit cavalry, it is my humble opinion that the possibility of a Tatar invasion from the south is not low."
"Then, Manuel, do you have any countermeasures? Or, to put it another way, you must have discovered some strategy against the enemy to come to me this time, right?" Alexius smiled at his eldest son, hoping he would present something that would impress him.
"Yes, Father, I have an immature idea." With that, Manuel took out the detailed reform plan he had brought this time.
Alexius eagerly took it from him.
After a long while, having roughly browsed through it, he rubbed his eyes, sore from the plan, and said with satisfaction, "This is an innovation, Manuel.
However, this means many old things will be overturned."
"Father, to resist the Tatars, we must reform, and reform is not a dinner party, it is not writing an essay; it cannot be as leisurely as in the past.
Reform is a drastic change, and now is the window period when the Tatars show signs of invading from the south, which can be said to be the best time," Manuel said solemnly.
"You want to use the pressure from the Tatars to force the entire Principality to accept your reform plan." Alexius keenly perceived Manuel's intention.
"Yes, Father, a small boat is easy to turn.
Now is the worst time, but also the best time." Manuel was quite direct about this.
Then the two looked at each other and remained silent for a long time.
After a while, Alexius, with a slight headache, made his decision, "Let's start with Theodosia first; some places in Mangup are more troublesome.
Also, my suggestion is to start with military reforms, not fiscal land taxes."
"Yes, Father."
Upon returning to his palace in Theodosia, Manuel immediately summoned high-ranking officials from the new military department and key personnel from land and finance to forcibly push through military reforms by discussing the Tatar situation.
After several high-ranking generals arrived, Manuel immediately expounded his grand theory:
"As stated in the previous meeting, my main intention is to use war to assist diplomacy.
But if our military strength is insufficient, then all our attempts are nothing but castles in the air." Manuel's words were like a bucket of cold water poured over everyone present.
After a while, all the generals became disheartened, "But Your Highness, apart from the Philaka Legion, we don't seem to have any other legion that can fight against the Tatars, do we?"
"We are too weak; we have no power."
"It doesn't matter; I will retreat."
"Exactly, if we talk, the door is open; if we fight, I'll be the first to run."
"Silence, you insects!" What kind of defeatist advisor's speech was this!
Manuel almost fainted from anger.
"Those who just shouted about running away, I will strip them of half a Greek acre of fiefdom."
"No, Your Highness, Your Highness, I was wrong, I was joking!"
"Me too!"
The generals who had just shouted about running away if war broke out quickly bowed their heads in apology, pledged their loyalty, and pleaded bitterly.
Under their continuous requests, Manuel finally withdrew his resolution, but still deducted half a month's military pay from them.
"Alright, let's talk business." Manuel scanned the generals, and after making sure they were listening quietly and attentively, he slowly articulated his countermeasure, "To resolve this grave situation, I have decided to deepen the reforms in the military system." With that, he took out several pre-prepared reform plans from the table, waiting for the key personnel from land and finance to arrive to formally discuss the improvement and refinement of the military system with them.
After the arrival of the key personnel from relevant fields, seeing that everyone was present, Manuel unfolded his military reform plan on the table and began to discuss with them the practicality of such a plan and the intensity of its implementation.
According to Manuel's initial vision, those ownerless wasteland and useless lands should be distributed to the original city soldiers under Tukharovsky, now renamed the City Defense Army, with each receiving two to thirty Greek acres of land.
They would normally work as farmers, though engaging in non-agricultural activities was also permitted.
In times of war, they would take up arms and armor to join the army.
It must be emphasized that joining the army in wartime was compulsory military service for them, and the land was the right granted to them.
The original militia generally remained largely unchanged, but all adult male citizens of the city were required to participate in a one-day military training session monthly.
Those unwilling to participate either paid for an exemption or went to Yuzhne Prison.
This was to ensure that the militia also had some combat effectiveness, at least not like conscripts who rush forward with a pitchfork to sacrifice themselves.
As for the existing minor lords, their inherent rights were still recognized, but they were required to personally serve as knights in wartime, an obligation that could not be avoided with money.
As for weapons and equipment? Of course, they had to prepare them themselves; otherwise, why would they have such large fiefdoms?
However, this was only a draft plan.
Due to its importance, Manuel and the relevant key personnel discussed the specific policies and decrees for a full week before finalizing them.
Eventually, when this document, later known as the "Theodosia Military Reform Law," was officially released, its content had some slight differences compared to the initial plan:
The biggest difference was the regulations for the standing farmer-soldiers.
Compared to the original plan, their land now had quite a few strict rules, such as not being allowed to be privately transferred or sold to others without Manuel's personal approval.
If discovered, they would be directly sentenced to deprivation of military status, land, and property, and exiled to the Kerch Isthmus.
However, they were allowed to temporarily outsource the management of the land to others, but the outsourcing period was strictly prohibited from exceeding nine months within a year.
Furthermore, the land was not hereditary; their land could only be used for one generation.
If they wished to pass it on to their descendants, their descendants must also join the standing farmer-soldiers.
Moreover, they were not the true owners of these lands; the true owners were the Gavras Family, led by Manuel, and the farmer-soldiers only had the right to use the land and retain agricultural products.
In other words, regarding these lands, Manuel himself had the final right of interpretation.
Before these regulations were announced, some asked if Manuel was being too harsh, but Manuel just smiled amiably and said, "For these lands, how many people want to cultivate them but have no access?"
There were not many changes concerning the militia, only an expansion of the group exempt from military training, including bakers, executioners, officials, and so on.
It was also stipulated that on the day of military training, the day's meals would be provided by the official authorities of Theodosia.
Although it was a bit expensive, Theodosia could still afford it, fortunately, due to the slave trade.
As for the lords, most remained as usual, but they were allowed to pay for military service exemption, though the amount was substantial, ranging from 3k to 7k ducats depending on the situation, which most minor lords could not afford.
They were also allowed not to provide their own equipment but to purchase it from official sources for money, though whether it was cost-effective remained a question mark.
When this decree was issued, some rejoiced while others worried.
The militiamen who received land were grateful, and the urban poor were ecstatic for a full meal once a month, with some even beginning to call Crown Prince Manuel "our little papa."
However, the minor lords mostly complained, but since the new military system did not fundamentally violate the classic feudal obligations of Western Europe, it was not entirely unacceptable.
Just as the military reforms in Theodosia were in full swing, Manuel, feeling that the situation was excellent, decided to push forward with some improved army formations.