1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 105 Hear Me Roar

Chapter 105 Hear Me Roar
The siege of Constantinople had lasted for twenty days without a break since April 1453, 4.

During these twenty days, more than 200,000 Ottoman troops surrounded Constantinople and took over all the surrounding areas. They enslaved the Greek Orthodox Christians who did not have time to evacuate and forced them to participate in the siege of Constantinople as cannon fodder.

Hundreds of cannons of various types fired in turn, day and night. Thousands of stone bullets of various sizes were pushed into the air by the huge energy generated by the gunpowder explosion, drawing graceful arcs, emitting sharp whistles, and crashing into the walls of Theodosius.

Under the Muslim jihadists' charge regardless of casualties, several canals and trenches under the Theodosian Walls had been completely filled up, the outer defense towers had all fallen, and the defenders retreated to the top of the city walls for a final battle with the Ottomans.

The war was brutal. In just twenty days, the Ottoman armies had suffered nearly 20,000 casualties. The Eastern Roman side also suffered heavy casualties, and more than 2,000 Christian soldiers were buried in a foreign land.

Driven by religious fanaticism, the Ottomans' tolerance for casualties was horrific. After several bloody battles, there were only a thousand jihadists left who had rushed from the Arab world to join the war. More than half of the 10,000 vassal troops of Kandar Bey were killed or wounded, and several small forces brought by Turkmen warlords and Persian religious groups were almost wiped out.

Even so, they still shouted and fought fiercely, as if it was a great honor to fall on the city wall of Constantinople.

On April 1453, 4, the situation that had originally stabilized suddenly changed.

Zagan Pasha successfully instigated unrest in the city of Galata, and his army approached the border, leaving the Eastern Roman army in Constantinople in a dilemma.

On this day, the news that Galata was under attack spread like wildfire. All the soldiers and civilians looked toward the north worriedly, praying silently, hoping that the flag of St. George of Genoa would continue to fly.

Mehmed II had obviously planned this in advance and seized the opportunity very accurately. He mobilized all the royal heavy artillery to the central city wall and bombarded the city wall near St. Romanus Gate.

In the previous sieges of Constantinople, St. Romanos Gate was always the focus of the Ottoman army's siege. It collapsed and rebuilt many times and was the weak point of the city wall.

Under the concentrated bombardment of the royal heavy artillery, the earth wall temporarily built by the military and civilians of Constantinople quickly collapsed, and the gap became larger and larger.

"it's time."

In the golden and red tent, Mehmed II looked into the distance.

Under the Theodosian Walls, the soldiers and civilians of Constantinople were anxiously awaiting the end of the bombardment. Under the command of each team leader, they prepared sand, earth, stones and other building materials, ready to repair the damaged walls at any time.

Farther away, on the northern shore of the Golden Horn, thick smoke was rising from the Galata City, and the St. George's flag with a red cross on a white background was crumbling.

"After this round of artillery fire stops, launch a general attack on the middle section of the city wall."

"Notify Karaga and Mahmoud that the European and Anatolian Legions must firmly hold back the defenders on the southern and northern sections of the city wall and prevent them from supporting the middle section of the city wall."

"The Janissary Guards are preparing for an assault."

"I have been idle for so long, I should do my part in Allah's war."

In previous wars, the Janissary Corps had hardly played a role in the battlefield. Mehmed II let them briefly familiarize themselves with the atmosphere of the battlefield, and then immediately put them in hiding to recuperate and wait for the right opportunity.

"Tell all the commanders, I don't want any casualties this time."

Mehmed II drew out his scimitar, pointed it at the city wall, and a cruel smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"I only want Constantinople!"

……

puff-

A Kandar Muslim soldier pulled his short spear out of his opponent's body and watched as his opponent's body collapsed to the ground like a deflated ball, gasping for breath.

The Kandal soldier looked hatefully at the soldier with a wild boar pattern on his armor, kicked him in the wound, listened to his scream of pain, and kicked him again with pleasure.

This damn Christian was quite brave. Among the Kandar soldiers' squad, three Jihadist warriors had already died under his hammer.

He obviously looks like a Norman, why is he interfering in the affairs of the Greek emperor!

"Roar!"

A thunderous roar suddenly sounded, startling the Kandal soldiers.

Following the sound, he saw a huge black shadow waving a giant war hammer, forcing back several nearby Muslim warriors, and then running towards him.

The giant's face was filled with anger. When he ran, the earth seemed to be shaking. His armor was shaking violently. The sound of metal colliding and the dull sound of stepping on the ground struck the hearts of the Kandal soldiers again and again. For a moment, they didn't know what to do.

thump—

The giant raised his war hammer high above his head and smashed it hard into the face of the Kandar soldier.

Before dying, the Kandal soldier finally saw the pattern on the hammer, which was stained with blood and brain matter, and it was exactly the same as the pattern on the armor of the Norman soldier he killed.

Savage and fierce, a roaring boar.

Abel kicked the body of the Muslim soldier away, lowered his huge head and looked at his comrades, with unspeakable sadness in his dark eyes.

This was a gap next to the St. Romanus Gate, where the Muslims attempted a concentrated breakthrough.

Constantine XI had no choice but to withdraw troops from the city walls and ask them to deploy outside the gap to resist the Muslim attack and buy time for filling the gap and repairing the city wall.

After leaving the protection of the city walls, the Christians' casualties suddenly increased. The two sides fought repeatedly around the gaps created by the royal heavy artillery. The ground was soaked with blood and corpses piled up like mountains.

The First Legion of the Guards and the Royal Guard of Constantine XI were stationed in the middle section of the city wall, assisted by Grand Duke Lucas who led more than a thousand city militiamen.

Although the troops on the middle section of the city wall were of excellent quality and well-equipped, they still seemed somewhat overwhelmed by the repeated bombardment and uninterrupted charges of the Ottomans. The Fifth Corps of the Guards, which was originally used as backup, was taken to Galata, and Constantine XI and Grand Duke Lucas were caught in a tough battle for a while.

On the southern section of the city wall, Justitiani saw that the bayonet array of the Third Legion of the Guards performed well, and asked the crusaders to go to the middle section of the city wall to assist in the defense.

Abel and his mercenary group were ordered to provide support and resist the massive Ottoman attack under the city walls.

After a hard fight by the Christians, the Ottoman attack failed again. The Muslim holy warriors retreated like a tide. The soldiers and civilians defending the city cleaned up the battlefield and waited for the next attack by the Turks.

Abel stretched out his right hand, wiped the blood on his lapel, and closed his comrade's wide-open eyes.

His eyes were empty, and besides the pain that had not yet subsided, there was also a hint of deep relief.

At this point in the war, the initial courage and passion of both sides had been exhausted in the repeated killings and escapes from death, leaving only numb hands that still retained the memory of swinging the sword.

Crossing the sea from Provence to Constantinople, Abel and his hundred or so warriors gradually gained fame with their unique weapons and bravery. Even the proudest Crown Lion Legion and the most honorable Royal Guard looked at them with admiration.

Here, perhaps because of the national crisis, no one looked down on their mercenary status, nor did they care about his unclear bloodline.

During the holy war, everyone has only one identity, that is, the people of Jesus Christ.

Emperor Constantine received him personally and praised him highly for his feat.

Cardinal Isidore walked past him and sprinkled holy water over his head.

The citizens of Constantinople held bread and dried meat to his mouth, fearing that they would neglect their hero.

Here, he and the other boar warriors felt respected and loved.

"The soldiers of the Wild Boar Legion are all great, and Baron Abel is even better. Jesus Christ will surely bless you."

More than once, Abel would puff out his chest with pride and a savage grin on his face when he heard these words of praise.

Of course, the wild boar warriors are all strong men carefully selected by themselves. They have all developed good skills in the endless wars between Italy and France, so they are naturally extraordinary.

However, watching the soldiers lose their lives one after another in front of him, he still felt a little lost and regretful.

He was born in chaos, grew up in war, and was accustomed to death and killing. He did not feel sad for the sacrifice of his comrades. On the contrary, dying on the battlefield fighting for Christ was the best destination for a soldier.

He regretted that his comrades were not able to participate in the victory celebration and did not live to see the day when the Ottomans fled in disgrace. Many people were puzzled by his optimism and persistence. In their view, the greatest victory was to force the Ottomans to retreat and achieve a decent ending as much as possible.

There were also many holy warriors who were staunch pessimists. They never thought about completely defeating the Ottomans. They just wanted to die gloriously on the walls of Constantinople and be loyal to their Lord to the end.

This sentiment reached its peak after the Galata attack, when everyone was immersed in a pessimistic atmosphere and morale continued to decline.

They didn't understand where the confidence of this rough mercenary leader came from.

Whenever this happened, Abel would always smile, recalling his conversations with several soldiers of the Crown Lion Legion.

"Here we are, Emperor Isaac is very famous, and his story is known all over the Mediterranean. Some Muslims say that he came from hell and is a punisher sent by Allah. Is this true?"

The crown lions smiled at each other, obviously accustomed to this kind of question.

"I don't know if it's true or not, but one thing is absolutely true."

"what?"

"Since our emperor took command of the army, he has fought dozens of battles, big and small, and has never been defeated."

……

"For the glory of the Lord and the will of the Roman Emperor, follow me and charge!"

In the city of Galata, Isaac was dressed in fine clothes and riding a horse, holding a long sword, pointing to the Ottoman army in the north.

At present, the situation at the north gate of Galata City is quite chaotic. The remnants of the city guards led by the mayor of Leinster, the Genoese rebels and the small group of Ottoman troops entering the city are crowded together, blocking the narrow streets, and every step forward is difficult.

"Your Majesty, the northern part of Galata is a wealthy area, where many big businessmen and nobles live. When ordinary Ottoman troops see these riches, they will surely start looting. This may be our chance."

Next to Isaac, the newly appointed commander of the Second Legion of the Purple Guard, Orhan, came over and gave him advice.

Although this Prince Orhan was of Ottoman blood, he was a native of Old Constantinople, where he had grown up and was extremely familiar with the neighborhood, even more so than Isaac.

"I suggest that you send some troops to the east to occupy the tower with the chain hanging on it to ensure the safety of the Golden Horn."

"That makes sense, Orhan, listen to my orders!"

"Follow your orders!"

"You lead our troops to the East City quickly, eliminate the rebels along the way, and ensure that the tower is not lost!"

"Yes!"

Orhan rode eastward and led his troops away.

"Captain Nathan!"

"Your orders!"

Nathan, captain of the Catalan Guard, stepped forward following the sound.

"I need you to go to the west gate and take charge of this area to prevent the Ottoman army from launching a surprise attack."

Isaac thought about it and added.

"In theory, you are the guest army and do not need to obey our orders. If the situation is not feasible, I allow you to report and then retreat first."

The Catalan Guard was not Isaac's army, nor were they jihadists. Instead, they were reinforcements temporarily loaned to Isaac by King Afonso of Aragon for the sake of Pope Nicholas V and Leonor. Although they were small in number, they were extremely well-equipped, well-trained, and had rich combat experience.

"Your Majesty, in the holy war, there is no distinction between host and guest."

Captain Nathan was obviously unhappy with Isaac's words and frowned.

"Young men of Catalonia, show Princess Leonor's husband what a true warrior loyal to Jesus Christ should look like!"

Feeling the surging calls of the Catalans behind him, Captain Nathan turned around, bowed proudly to Isaac, and rode forward.

"Avilon Notaras!"

"His Majesty!"

Isaac looked at the somewhat thin young man.

"I heard that your Notaras family has served the country in the military for generations and has established an immortal reputation on the battlefield. Your uncle, Grand Duke Lucas Notaras, is one of the best among them."

"Of course!"

Avilon puffed out his chest and showed Isaac the family crest engraved on his armor, obviously very proud of his family background.

"I wonder if you have inherited the bravery and loyalty of the Notaras family?"

"Your Majesty, you don't need to provoke me. Just tell me where you want to hit me!"

"Even if I die in battle, I will never bring shame to my family!"

"very good!"

Isaac looked at Avilon, whose face was flushed, and patted his shoulder with relief.

Sometimes, this simple provocation is very effective. Even though they know you did it on purpose, they are still aroused and excited.

"There are three gates to the north of Galata, one of which has been blocked. The main force of the Ottomans is fighting with the Galata guards at the gate to the north."

"I need you to take 600 militiamen to occupy the northwest city gate. Fight to the death and never retreat. Can you do it?"

"Fight to the death and never retreat!"

"Come back alive and I'll award you a medal."

Watching the last team disappear at the end of the street, Isaac's eyes became deep and sharp.

"Are you ready?"

Isaac turned his head and looked at the Armenian flag captains behind him.

"As you ordered, we are ready!"

"Haven't you been talking about it privately, complaining that I favor the First and Third Legions and never led you into battle?"

"Now, the opportunity has come."

"After this battle, no one will dare to underestimate the Armenians anymore, and everyone will be amazed by your tenacity and bravery."

"I will take you with me to find back our lost glory and hometown one by one."

"I will lead you to create legends and establish immortal achievements."