The Venetians, in order to revenge themselves for the loss of Enabekht, Motone and Corone, sent to beg assistance from the king of France,[16] who, having equipped some vessels and appointed his nephew commander, sent them to join the Venetian fleet. The whole, amounting to two hundred vessels, set sail, and in the month of Rabia-al-Avul 907 (A.D. 1501) came upon Mitylene. The Prince Korkud, being informed of this, sent one of his agas with eight hundred men to Ayazmend, whence one dark night they sailed for Mitylene, and with the assistance of Krassi Beg and his troops, massacring the infidel tribes, they entered the castle; in doing which the aga was killed. When this unpleasant news reached the Sultan, his majesty without loss of time filled the vessels that were at hand with troops, of which Hersek Oghli Ahmed Pasha was commander; and Senan Pasha, the governor of Anatolia, was also ordered to join the fleet with the forces of his district. When Ahmed Pasha arrived in the neighbourhood of Mitylene the infidels had blockaded the castle; but as the French general was about to enter it he was killed; and all the troops that had been stationed about the castle seeing this betook themselves to flight. The Venetians also took refuge in their ships and went off. The protection of the fortress being left to the begler-beg of Anatolia, Ahmed Pasha returned to the Porte. This Ahmed Pasha, after being made grand vezier, was dismissed. In 912 he was made a capudan, which office he held for five years, and in 917 he again became grand vezier. It is recorded that this expedition gave rise to the levying of taxes and enlisting galley-men. Formerly these impositions were not made on the subjects; but from that time to the present they have been authorised by law, and are raised annually.