1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 108 Brankovich

The Balkan Peninsula is located in the southeastern part of the European continent, bordering the Adriatic Sea to the west, the Black Sea to the east, the Aegean Sea and the Ionian Sea to the south, and the Great Hungarian Plain to the north. It has rugged terrain, narrow plains, and dense rivers and lakes.

Branches of the Alps, the Dinaric Mountains and the Balkan Mountains run from northwest to southeast, cutting the entire Balkan Peninsula into pieces, leaving a small plain in the coastal area and the rest mostly mountains and hills.

The abundant water vapor brought by the Mediterranean climate makes the rainfall here abundant. Rivers meander among the mountains, washing out fertile river valleys and forming settlements.

The Balkan Mountains are well endowed with resources, with a complete range of minerals and abundant reserves. Among them, common metals such as copper, iron and tin are widely distributed and easy to mine.

It is located at the junction of Europe, Asia and Africa. Constantinople at the easternmost point is only separated from Asia by a river, and the Morea Peninsula at the southernmost point is only a day and a night's sail away from Cyrenaica. The southern peninsula extends deep into the Mediterranean Sea.

The long coastline has resulted in many good ports here. During the heyday of the Eastern Roman Empire, all trade between the East and the West passed through here, and the Empire made huge profits by selling goods from Constantinople to Western Europe at high prices.

The strategic location here is extremely important, and there have always been endless disputes and wars here.

On the Balkan stage, Alexander's Empire, the Roman Republic, the Eastern Roman Empire, the Bulgarian Empire and the Serbian Kingdom each dominated this mountainous land.

Due to the limitations of the peninsula's terrain, the population here is relatively sparse and scattered. The dark religious rule and the corrupt feudal system have become two huge mountains weighing on the local people. It is difficult to introduce new ideas. The people are ignorant and cowardly, and the nobles are greedy and fickle.

Since the rapid decline of the Eastern Roman Empire, the Ottoman Empire crossed Gallipoli and took over half of the Balkans at an astonishing speed, gradually stabilizing the situation through various means.

As the Ottoman Empire continued to expand, it aroused fear among European Catholic countries. The Balkan Peninsula gradually became a battlefield for the conflict between Christian and Islamic forces. Hungary and the Ottoman Empire each won over local noble lords. The nobles switched sides and constantly launched wars. Ordinary people went with the flow and survived under exploitation and oppression.

"Lord Anderson, Lord Albert, across this mountain range, Belgrade is ahead!"

A large delegation was moving slowly along the mountain road. There was a gurgling river beside it, clouds and water vapor were rising from the mountains, and green trees and red flowers complemented each other, making it look like a fairyland.

The carriage of the delegation was painted with the emblem of a double-headed eagle and the coat of arms of a cross with four betas, which obviously came from the royal family of the Eastern Roman Empire, the Palaiologos family.

Foreign Secretary Anderson and Chief of Intelligence Albert sat in the middle carriage, waiting quietly without saying a word.

The mountain road is winding and winding. After going around the mountainside, the view in front of you suddenly opens up.

The river in the distance is quiet and broad, like a blue ribbon tied across the vast plains.

A huge city is located between the rivers. The sun is shining brightly, and the city appears warm white against the backdrop of green land and blue sky.

One of the capitals of the Grand Duchy of Serbia, the key to the Balkan Peninsula, the White City of Belgrade.

Belgrade is located in the northernmost part of the Balkan Peninsula, controlling the passage from the Danube River Basin to the Balkan Peninsula, and its strategic location is crucial.

The Danube and Sava rivers meet here, with farmland and pastures crisscrossing along the two rivers. The workshop and commercial areas are densely populated, presenting a thriving scene.

The city was built by the former Serbian Grand Duke Stefan Lazarević, who transformed a small Byzantine castle into a solid fortress that firmly guarded the gateway to the Balkan Peninsula.

A cloud of dust rose up on the road in the distance, and a group of Eastern European knights came marching on the ground, holding high the flag of the Serbian Grand Master Brankovic family.

"Emissaries who have come from afar, friends from Bilinchi, the Grand Duke has learned of your purpose and ordered me to come here to welcome you. Please come into the city and rest. Allow us to show our hospitality."

The knights stopped in front of the delegation, and the young man in the lead took off his mask and spoke loudly, smiling and politely.

Anderson had done his homework before his mission and recognized the young knight from his decorations and emblems.

Stefan Brankovich, the nephew of the current monarch Durad Brankovich, is brave, wise and polite, in sharp contrast to Durad's several naughty sons.

"Hello, respected knight. We are here on the orders of Emperor Isaac. We have just left Albania and hope to be received by the Grand Duke."

……

Constantinople, southern section of the Theodosian Walls.

Giovanni Giustitiani, wearing armor, inspected the city defenses.

After the Battle of Galata, the Ottomans and the Eastern Romans continued to fight to the death under the Theodosian Walls, gritting their teeth and sending wave after wave of troops to the battlefield.

The city of Galata was in ruins and its walls were damaged in the fire. Isaac abandoned most of the rest of the city and ordered General Orhan and the mayor of Leinster to defend the Golden Horn Tower in the southeast corner.

After this battle, the Ottoman naval fleet began to sail out of the Port of Two Pillars frequently, cooperating with the Cutthroat Fort and the Anatolian Fortress to strictly inspect the ships in the Sea of ​​Marmara and tighten the blockade of Constantinople.

The Ottoman army got some prisoners and military flags from Cyrenaica, Surt and Cyprus from somewhere, and made a lot of propaganda outside the city walls, claiming that they had conquered North Africa and that their families had all been captured and enslaved.

Then, some Hungarian envoys and envoys from German states began to appear in the Ottoman camp, and it seemed that some agreements had been reached, which also brought considerable pressure to Constantinople.

Neither Isaac nor Constantine had any good solution to this problem. They could only intensify inspections and order priests to preside over blessing ceremonies to calm the troops.

However, nearly a month of isolated fighting had exhausted the defenders physically and mentally. The rumors spread by the enemy diluted the joy of the Galata victory, and the increasing casualties also eroded the soldiers' determination for the holy war.

Fortunately, the enemy's situation was similar, and Zagan Pasha's tragic defeat deepened the jihadists' deep fear of the walls of Constantinople.

In the previous hundred years, they had tried countless times to attack this city on the Black Sea, but all ended in failure.

Every time they rushed to the gates of Constantinople with great momentum, they fled in disgrace not long after, leaving scars everywhere.

Before a war, they would always encourage each other, shouting "Allahu Akbar", implying that they would definitely succeed, thus covering up their inner fear.

However, a fire in Galata completely burned the fantasy they had woven, revealing the bloody reality.

It turned out that the enemy was not weak, but strong and brave.

It turns out that the Greek emperor was not incompetent, but rather resourceful and cunning.

The cannon fodder had been almost exhausted, and new cannon fodder was still being recruited. The elite Janissaries began to take on the main attack and fought bloody battles with the enemies on the city walls.

All of the outer towers and several trenches of the Constantinople defenders had been lost, and the defenders huddled on the city walls, waiting for the Ottoman charge.

"General, don't you think the enemy has too many Royal Cannons in the southern section recently?"

On the city wall, Daniel, the legionnaire of the Third Legion, asked this.

"They had been focusing their attacks on the middle section of the city wall. There were already several large breaches in the wall there. Instead of striking while the iron was hot, they shifted the focus of their attacks. This is very abnormal."

"Indeed, are the Ottomans increasing their forces in the southern section?"

Giovanni asked everyone present.

"No, the Ottoman offensive has weakened, but the artillery fire has continued, day and night."

Giovanni frowned and thought for a moment, but he had no clue.

"I will go to the two emperors to report the situation. You should step up your guard to prevent the Ottomans from launching a surprise attack!"

……

"The commander on the other side is Giovanni Giustitiani, a Genoese, a mercenary leader, a pirate captain, a perpetrator of all kinds of evil, but a devout Christian."

After this speech, everyone in the siege camp burst into laughter.

Mahmoud did not smile.

"His identity as a mercenary and pirate shows that he is experienced, and his devout faith shows that he is tenacious and unyielding."

"This is not an easy enemy to deal with."

"As far as I know, the idea of ​​loading the cannon with buckshot and surrounding the corpses to attack the reinforcements was proposed by this Giustitiani."

Everyone immediately fell silent, obviously still frightened by these two arts of war.

"According to the will of His Majesty the Sultan, the former Anatolian Army and the three Janissary Corps are under my command. I hope you will be prepared at all times and never relax." "When there is a combat order, no matter what you are doing, stop immediately and assemble at the parade ground."

Mahmoud looked around.

"I know that some of you are of nobler birth than me, and some of you have more experience than me, and you are very dissatisfied with me, a young man who is in charge of the army for the first time."

"I don't care what you think in private."

"Anyone who disobeys orders will be killed without mercy."

Mahmoud drew his scimitar, stuck it on the table, and looked at the beys and pashas with murderous intent.

"Pasha, what exactly did you arrange? At least inform us, right?"

a Janissary officer asked.

"You don't need to know so much, just follow the orders."

"Go out."

Everyone left the command camp. Mahmoud sat for a while, left the tent and looked at the towering city walls in the distance.

As the sun sets, busy soldiers can be seen on the city walls. They are repairing gaps, consolidating the defenses, and debugging artillery, crossbows, and Greek fire.

Obviously, the continuous shelling for several days had made the enemy commander alert.

Mahmoud mounted his warhorse and left the camp with several personal soldiers.

They avoided the lights and found an abandoned church with few people.

The guards outside the church were on high alert, with many sentries, obviously to protect military secrets.

"Aga!"

At the church entrance, the squad leader in charge of the garrison saluted Mahmoud.

"how's it going?"

"The progress is good. The reward you promised is very generous. They are working in three shifts non-stop and it is expected to be completely completed the day after tomorrow."

Mahmoud nodded, threw the reins to his guard, and walked into the church.

The church has long lost its former sacredness. The dilapidated statues lie on one side and the murals on the walls are mottled.

There is a big hole in the middle of the warehouse. Many miners dressed in German clothes are coming in and out. On the table next to them, an engineer is writing and drawing.

Seeing Mahmoud come in, the engineer stood up and reported to him the progress of the project.

"Your Excellency Pasha, our workers work day and night to achieve the goals you set..."

“Can it be finished the day after tomorrow?”

Mahmoud interrupted the engineer and asked directly.

"The reward you offer is quite generous, and we will definitely complete it on time."

"In my native Saxony, when an engineer defaults on a contract, his career is over."

"I hope so. I will increase the frequency of the bombardment to provide cover for your works."

Mahmoud said noncommittally.

This group of engineers and miners came from Saxony. They were originally employed by the Grand Duke of Serbia as workers at the New Brdo Silver Mine. This time they were attracted by the high salary offered by the Ottoman Sultan and were responsible for the excavation of siege tunnels.

To these skilled miners, who are experts in digging and tunneling, marble is as soft as beeswax and the dark mountains are nothing more than a pile of dust.

Mehmed II handed them over to Mahmud and ordered him to dig a tunnel through the southern section of the city wall, thereby destroying it from underneath.

Digging tunnels is extremely difficult, but it is one of the most effective ways for Muslims to destroy city walls. It has been used for centuries and has achieved great success.

At the end of the 12th century, Saladin's successors mastered this technology and, through a two-pronged approach of artillery bombardment and tunnels, successfully captured several large castles of the Crusaders in just six weeks.

Before this, previous sultans had used this method when attacking Constantinople, but they failed because the land of Constantinople was relatively hard.

"I once looked through our ancestors' attacks on Constantinople and found that they all made a mistake."

Mahmud remembered that Sultan Mehmed II said this after the meeting in the Port of Two Pillars.

"The middle section of the city wall is indeed the weakest, but the land below the middle section is the hardest. It is not appropriate to dig a tunnel here."

"We need to change our mindset and shift the main attack direction appropriately, focusing on the southern section of the city wall."

"The soil here is relatively soft, so we should be able to find a suitable place for the operation."

So, Mahmoud took his engineers to visit the surrounding land, and after considering various factors, they finally found this abandoned church as a cover for construction.

At the end of the meeting in Shuangzhugang, Mehmed II commended Mahmud for his pro-war behavior, but had reservations about his plans.

In Mahmoud's view, after the construction of the Slitthroat Fort, Constantinople was like an apple hanging in front of him, and he just needed to wait for it to ripen. He did not understand the Sultan's urgency.

According to his plan, the army was disbanded, leaving 20,000 troops to guard Constantinople, focusing on the navy and slowly wearing out the defenders in the city by attacking transport ships.

Most of the enemy troops are from Cyrenaica, and the composition of the navy is even more complex. If they defend for a long time, they will surely lose their fighting spirit, and even a mutiny is not impossible.

Moreover, due to wind direction, the route from the Mediterranean to Constantinople was difficult to navigate for several months a year. Constantinople had only more than 40,000 people, a considerable number of whom were citizens and Latin expatriates who did not engage in agricultural production. Without the supply of transport ships, it was difficult for it to be self-sufficient.

This does not include iron weapons, artillery shells, kerosene and building materials necessary to repair the city walls, which Constantinople was unable to produce on its own.

Over time, the enemy will inevitably cause chaos, and then there will be only two paths before them.

Either they defend Constantinople to the death until their energy runs out or they are conquered in one fell swoop.

Or they could escape from Constantinople on a large ship and follow the north wind south to Morea or Cyrenaica.

Mahmoud was also aware that the Ottoman small boats could not stop the large warships, especially when sailing south with the wind.

According to his strategy, the worst outcome would be that the enemy would cross the river to the south and continue to cause trouble for them in Morea and Cyrenaica.

"Strategically speaking, we are almost invincible!"

At that time, Mahmoud spoke excitedly to Muhammad II, wishing he could show his loyalty.

However, Mehmed II simply rejected his suggestion lukewarmly and asked him to continue the siege.

Mahmud and Mehmed II had known each other for several years. Mahmud had always been open-minded and generous, treated him very well, encouraged his ministers to express objections, and was not an autocratic monarch.

However, in this matter alone, Mehmed II was so stubborn that it was outrageous.

Is the temptation of Constantinople so great?

Mahmoud walked out of the church and looked at the dark sky.

(End of this chapter)