1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 101 Royal Artillery
On April 1453, 4, after failing to persuade the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II to surrender, he ordered an artillery attack on the city.

On the plain west of the Theodosian Wall, the Ottoman artillery units had been assembled, with more than a hundred artillery pieces of various types, in a well-organized and tightly-arrayed formation.

In the 13th century, Arabs introduced gunpowder from the East to Europe. Engineers soon discovered the huge warfare potential of this black powder and gradually applied it to the military field.

Europeans began to load gunpowder into long tubes and use the thrust generated by the explosion to launch heavy stones for use in warfare.

Although the Holy See had long ago banned countries from using gunpowder in military applications, no one really took this ban seriously.

The initial artillery was not very powerful, and its main effect was to strike at the enemy's morale. It often had unexpected effects on the battlefield, driving horses crazy and causing soldiers to retreat.

Later, as soldiers and horses became more familiar with artillery, the impact of fire and loud noise on morale became less and less obvious. This bulky weapon gradually disappeared from field battlefields and instead found its place in siege warfare.

Around the end of the 14th century, the Ottomans witnessed for the first time the great role that artillery played in siege warfare. They were ecstatic and immediately recruited artillery casting experts and various raw materials to formally train artillery as a branch of the military.

To the Ottomans, siege artillery seemed to satisfy a particular need deep in the nomadic soul: a deep-seated hostility to strong walls.

The descendants of the grassland nomads are always invincible in mobile warfare with the advantage of cavalry, but they find it particularly difficult to deal with the heavy city walls of the settled peoples.

As a result, from the Mongol Empire to the Timurid Khanate, almost all nomadic and semi-nomadic regimes were very fond of, and even obsessed with, powerful siege equipment.

The Ottoman Empire is the most representative one among them.

Under the development of the previous sultans, a large number of artillerymen and craftsmen have gathered in the court of Edirne. They are not valued in Italy and Hungary, but the Sultan can spend a lot of silver and ask them to make cannons, while satisfying their affluent life and lofty ideals.

With more than one hundred artillery pieces of various types, there is no one better in the whole of Europe.

Mehmed II divided all his artillery into 15 artillery batteries. Each battery consisted of a heavy artillery and several light artillery pieces, and was equipped with guards and engineers to ensure that the artillery could achieve maximum effectiveness.

Artillery batteries were dispersed and deployed at every weak point in the Theodosian Wall, precisely aimed at every gap.

In the hundreds of years since the Fourth Crusade, the Venetians had known every inch of Constantinople, and were especially familiar with the Theodosian Walls.

And now, they were only too happy to share this intelligence with the Ottoman Sultan in exchange for a handsome reward.

Thanks to Isaac's foresight, the famous engineer Urban did not go to the court of Mehmed II, and the Ottoman cannons failed to reach the terrifying caliber of the original time and space.

However, the Ottomans' largest cannon was still capable of firing giant stone shells weighing over 1,200 pounds, and its power should not be underestimated.

This huge cannon had been widely used in the Ottoman army since the time of Murad II and was called the "Royal Heavy Artillery" by his enemies.

In fact, in the original time and space, the Urban Cannon had surpassed the limits of the metallurgical technology at the time and was damaged at the beginning of the war. It was other heavy artillery that caused actual damage to the Theodosian Walls.

In addition to artillery, Mehmed II also prepared a large number of catapults, battering rams and various siege weapons for his army, fully demonstrating the Ottoman Empire's powerful military soft power.

The rumbling of cannons was like the terrifying horn of the end of the world, striking heavily in the hearts of the soldiers defending the city.

Constantine XI walked between the towers, exchanged views with the legions, and cheered on the soldiers hiding behind the city walls.

He seemed to be completely unconcerned about the enemy's attention and deliberately wore bright armor and a gorgeous purple robe so that every soldier who was suppressed by the artillery fire could see their emperor at a glance.

Constantine and Giovanni divided the city wall defense into three sections, and personally stationed in the middle section where the Ottomans mainly attacked, guarding the weak area near the St. Romanus Gate.

Constantine XI, along with some priests, inspected the city walls, holding high the icon of the Virgin Mary, prayed and blessed the soldiers in the name of God, and stood firm amid the sound of cannons and the shaking of the city walls.

"Sir Urban, when can our artillery fire?"

Constantine XI walked up to a tower and pointed to the cannons that were ready to fire.

"Your Majesty, our artillery is inferior to the Ottoman Royal Heavy Artillery in every aspect, and the range is too short. I do not recommend that you activate it now!"

Beside Constantine, Urban spoke loudly, trying to drown out the sound of artillery fire.

During the year when he was ordered to cast cannons, Urban found out clearly that the walls of Theodosius were not suitable for placing cannons, let alone firing large-caliber cannons.

The Theodosian Wall was built too early. The mature wall embodied all the wisdom of the Greek and Roman world about city defense engineering before the gunpowder age, but it also basically limited its framework, making it difficult to make further changes.

Anthemius, who first built the city wall a thousand years ago, would never have imagined that one day, an extremely powerful kinetic weapon would completely change the war pattern between the attackers and defenders, causing his city wall to be left behind by the times.

The towers and battlements of the Theodosian walls were ill-suited for artillery positions. They were not wide or strong enough to withstand the powerful recoil of the large explosions of gunpowder. The heavy artillery did more damage to the walls than to the enemy, while the light artillery was too short-range to reach the Ottoman artillery camps.

The Theodosian Walls were structurally inadequate in this new era of warfare, and as kinetic weaponry became increasingly advanced, traditional walls like the Theodosian would only become increasingly vulnerable.

boom--

There was another loud bang, and a royal heavy artillery in front of the St. Romanos Gate spewed flames, shooting an extremely huge stone into the air, over the city wall, and coincidentally, hit the tower next to Constantine, smashing it directly. It continued to move forward and fell into a church on the edge of the city wall, where it came into contact with the wooden floor, making a hissing sound and emitting wisps of white smoke.

The smoke and dust raised by the collapsed buildings covered that section of the city wall, making it difficult to see clearly.

For a moment, the attention of all the soldiers nearby was attracted. They looked at the smoke anxiously, worried about the safety of the emperor.

The smoke and dust gradually dissipated, and Constantine XI's purple robe was still bright. He held a scepter in one hand and a sword in the other. He climbed up the ruins of the tower, roared loudly, and showed his intact body to the soldiers.

Everyone cheered, and the medical team waiting on the side rushed forward to rescue the wounded.

Constantine refused the doctor's help and walked on the city wall by himself, with his head held high and chest puffed out, loudly laughing at the incompetence of the Ottomans.

He waved to the soldiers, strode down the city wall, spit out a streak of bright red out of the crowd's sight, wiped the corners of his mouth, bit his lips tightly, and held back the painful groan in his chest.

In the recent collapse, he had been hit in the chest by a piece of rubble and was in severe pain.

As the sky gradually darkened, the sound of artillery fire slowed down a little. Without sending a single soldier, the Ottomans had already thrown the defenders into chaos.

Constantine stood at the corner of the city wall, waiting for the pain to subside, and looked at the blood-red setting sun in the sky.

From April 4 to April 12, the Ottoman royal heavy artillery and various artillery roared continuously, pouring thousands of boulders onto the Theodosian Walls and the city of Constantinople, making it impossible for the soldiers on the Theodosian Walls to raise their heads and causing them a considerable blow to their morale.

The middle section of the city wall guarded by Constantine XI was the focus of the Ottoman bombardment. They deployed eight artillery companies and dozens of catapults here, firing at the weak points of the city wall day and night.

Responsible for guarding the middle section of the city wall were Constantine XI's Royal Guard and Isaac's First Guards Corps. Although they were extremely elite, they could only passively take the beating under the powerful Ottoman firepower and suffered in silence.

The city walls around the St. Romanus Gate had collapsed in many places. The Ottoman Mujahideen Corps often took advantage of the defenders repairing the city walls to fill the trenches in front of the Theodosian Walls in a hail of arrows, thus clearing the way for the subsequent Sultan's troops.

It was still the first phase of the war, and the Ottomans were trying to use overwhelming firepower to break the morale of the defenders and thus reduce casualties.

The Eastern Roman defenders were filled with anger and clung to the Theodosian Walls, waiting for the Ottoman general attack.

……

"A fuster is a fast, long-sailed galley widely used in the Ottoman and Arab countries. It can carry 30 to 50 sailors. It is small, flexible and fast."

"The side of the Foster warship is very shallow, and it is generally not equipped with cannons. It may be equipped with crossbows or grappling hooks on the ship, and the crew is equipped with bows and crossbows, mainly for close-range boarding combat."

In the port of Prousfilion in the Golden Horn, Isaac summoned naval generals to hold a combat meeting.

To be honest, judging from the number alone, the huge Ottoman fleet was really astonishing, causing panic among the residents of the entire city.

"Their Fust warships pose little threat to our carracks and large galleys, but we still cannot be careless and try not to let the Fust warships get close to us."

"What should alert us is that the Ottomans actually have 24 large and medium-sized galleys, and we are completely unaware of it!"

Isaac slammed the table and stood up, looking a little angry. A year ago, Isaac had sent someone to estimate the number of Ottoman fleets. The number of large and medium-sized galleys was about ten to fifteen, far from the current scale.

Even if Mehmed II put all his efforts into shipbuilding in one year, it would be impossible for him to produce ten more warships out of thin air, right?

"Your Majesty, I may know part of the reason."

Miloto, the Venetian alderman, stood up and said.

"Please help me clear up this confusion."

"Just three years ago, Zagan Pasha, a die-hard fan of Muhammad, suddenly sent someone to find me, hoping to purchase as many ships as possible."

"From Candia to Negroponte, almost all private shipyards have received orders from Zagan Pasha. Their prices are very high, and not all shipyard owners can resist the temptation of money."

“Orders placed three years ago were probably delivered en masse a few months ago.”

"I remember the governor forbidding the sale of large warships to the Ottomans?"

Captain Henry was a little confused, then seemed to have thought of something and stopped talking.

His first warship, the San Nicolaos, came from the private shipyard of Miloto, also in defiance of the Governor's ban.

For a moment, everyone was silent.

Three years ago, Isaac defeated the Hafsid fleet in the Kerkennah Islands.

It seems that the opponent in the golden and red tent outside the city knew Isaac's every move and had always treated him as an imaginary enemy.

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid it's more than that."

A Venetian stood up, seeming to be at a loss for words.

He was the captain of the Venetian galley Naxos, who chose to stay in Constantinople during its crisis and join the holy war against the Ottomans.

"Please, my dear friend."

"As far as I know, among the 24 large and medium-sized galleys of the Ottomans, at least four are from Christian's private fleet. I once served as the second mate on one of them, so I recognize those ships."

Christian?
Isaac frowned, thinking hard in his mind.

"He is a mixed-race man, half Syrian, who made a fortune from trade with the Mamluks."

Miloto warned quietly.

"His family had considerable trading interests in both the Mamluks and Cyprus."

"At the Venice Council held a few months ago, he advocated abandoning Constantinople and taking the opportunity to divide your Cyrenaica region."

"so……"

"So you hate me and the people of Jesus Christ?"

Isaac's expression was a little cold, and he memorized the name in his heart.

"That sounds like something the Venetians would do."

On the other side of the table, the commander of the Galata fleet, Bartholomew, snorted and turned his head away.

He came from the famous Gattiglusio family of Genoa and was Isaac's cousin by blood. With Isaac's support, he became the commander of the Galata fleet, commanding three galleys and two armed merchant ships.

"Humph! I remember that one of the Ottoman squadron commanders was from Genoa. I heard that he was a branch of your family. I guess you must be very proud, right?"

A Venetian captain immediately made sarcastic remarks and refused to give in.

"Bastard!"

Bartholomew glared at the Venetian captain, his right hand already reaching for the sword at his waist.

"Shut up, everyone!"

Isaac yelled, interrupting their quarrel.

"The war is imminent, what's the point of discussing this?"

"In this city, there are no Venetian second mates or Genoese captains, only brave jihadists and people of Jesus Christ!"

"Anyone who dares to disrupt our military will be severely punished next time!"

Seeing that Isaac was angry, everyone stopped and looked away.

After the meeting, Isaac was in a state of confusion. He stared at the map of the waters around Constantinople with an uncertain look.

He had already brought all the fleets that could participate in the war to the Golden Horn, and thought that he could gain an advantage over the Ottoman navy, or at least achieve a balance of power.

Unexpectedly, due to his own butterfly effect, the Ottoman fleet was larger than ever in history, crushing the ships he had assembled in terms of numbers.

The fleet that Isaac had painstakingly assembled was docked in the port of Prousfilion, including the former Eastern Roman Empire fleet, the Cyrenaica Mediterranean Fleet, the Genoese Galata Fleet, the Cyprus Kingdom Fleet and some ships from Venice. There were two caravels, eighteen large and medium-sized galleys, twenty-five small galleys, some auxiliary ships and armed transport ships, and a total of more than 3,000 sailors, less than half of the Ottoman fleet.

Due to the diverse origins of the fleet and the uneven quality, some of the ships of the Kingdom of Cyprus are very old and are antiques from the era of Peter the Great.

In Isaac's view, the success or failure of Constantinople lies in the waterway. As long as external supplies can be transported to Constantinople, it will be difficult for the Ottomans to capture the city in a short period of time.

On the contrary, if the waterway was cut off and Constantinople became a completely isolated city without external supplies, the morale of the soldiers would become lower and lower until it collapsed completely.

At that moment, no amount of troops would be of any use.

It is a consensus among all military strategists that an isolated city is difficult to defend.

In previous sieges of Constantinople, supplies came mainly from the peaceful Black Sea coast, bringing food and military supplies.

But now, Cutthroat Fort has cut off this golden waterway.

The Sea of ​​Marmara south of Constantinople and the Aegean Sea further south are rough and have complex sea conditions. Strong north winds blow for several months a year, causing great trouble to sailing ships coming from the Mediterranean.

European navigators had long since achieved headwind sailing using Bernoulli's principle, but these cargo-loaded transport ships were extremely slow against the wind and could easily be surrounded and annihilated by pirate gangs, making them highly dependent on coastal ports.

However, the Ottoman forces were all along the coast.

Am I really going to be trapped to death in Constantinople?

Isaac looked at the vague outline of the Acropolis in the distance, thinking hard.

The roar of the royal artillery could still be heard in the distance, the church bells rang continuously, and the Golden Horn was calm, in stark contrast to the Sea of ​​Marmara to the south.

In Constantinople, the purple flag still flies.

Historically, the Ottoman fleet was not weak either. It had 18 large galleys, 80 fust warships, and more than 140 small warships. This is not an exaggeration.

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(End of this chapter)