1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 112 Raven King
Corvin Castle, Transylvania, Kingdom of Hungary.

Corwyn Castle is built on top of a rock. It is extremely tall and magnificent, with towering towers, colorful roofs, flying windows and exquisite stone carvings.

The castle has double walls and strong defensive capabilities, with rectangular and circular towers on both sides, which can accommodate a large number of soldiers.

The architectural style of this castle is imaginative and eclectic. The main part is Bohemian, but it also has a distinct Transylvanian style.

Soldiers patrolled the castle walls from time to time. They were well-equipped with weapons, shiny armor, and a raven painted on their chests.

In the eyes of the world, the raven, this black bird has always been full of mystery, as if it is shrouded in a shadow and difficult to understand.

Some people believe that ravens are full of wisdom, always wearing pure black gauze and staring coldly at humans, giving people warnings and predictions.

Some people also believe that the raven is an ominous bird because it always appears around creatures that have just died, and its cry is sharp and creepy, as if it is the incarnation of the god of death.

However, in Eastern Europe in the mid-15th century, the raven emblem appeared frequently everywhere, accompanied by war, glory and fame, and everyone looked at it differently.

Because this is the emblem of the Hunyadi family.

The rise of the Hunyadi family is full of legends. In just over a decade, under the leadership of the "White Knight" János, the Hunyadi family repeatedly made exploits on various battlefields and leapt from a lower-level knight family to the largest landlord in the entire Hungarian Kingdom. They have countless castles and thousands of acres of farmland in the Transylvania region and are deeply rooted.

The current head of the family, János Hunyadi, is known as the "White Knight". He is brave and tough, hates evil, has rich military experience, and outstanding command ability. He has led inferior forces to defeat the strong many times, winning the favor of previous kings. He has served as the Governor of Transylvania and the Regent of Hungary.

Perhaps because of his humble background, János Hunyadi was extremely talented in military affairs, but somewhat incompetent in interpersonal relationships. He was domineering and overbearing, stubborn and self-righteous, and relied on his bravery to often bully his colleagues.

This has resulted in almost as many people in Hungary hating him as loving him.

Since Hungary was located on the front line of the Catholic world's fight against the Ottomans and was currently the only major power that could compete with the Ottomans in the Balkan Peninsula, Hunyadi, who was able to lead the Christian army to victory, was regarded as a hero. Under such a huge light, all shortcomings and flaws were temporarily covered up, and the nobles who hated Hunyadi could only hide this disgust in their hearts.

They also counted on Hunyadi to lead them in resisting the Ottoman invasion.

However, since the failure of the Varna Crusade, Hunyadi suffered a series of defeats on the battlefield against the Ottomans, abandoning his soldiers and fleeing alone. This made the voices of the opposition suddenly louder, and Hunyadi was forced to resign from the position of regent.

Currently, the Hungarian throne is held by Ladislaus, the posthumous son of the Habsburg family, and Hunyadi remains as the Governor of Transylvania.

However, whether the opposition admits it or not, the White Knight Hunyadi is one of the best generals in all of Eastern Europe, and he is the only one who has the ability to command a large army to fight against the Ottomans.

"Stop! Who is it?"

A patrol of cavalry shouted, pointing their sabers at the strange delegation.

"We come from Constantinople, on the orders of the Roman Emperors Isaac and Constantine, hoping to be received by His Highness Janos."

Anderson rode out of the delegation on horseback and spoke in Hungarian.

Anderson waved his hand, and Albert took out a letter of credence and handed it to the cavalry captain.

"Please wait for a moment. We will go and report."

After a while, the cavalry captain came with more people and welcomed the delegation into the castle.

The hall was spacious and solemn. In addition to Hunyadi's raven emblem, there were also many weapons hanging on the walls, including swords, axes, war hammers, and maces.

"They are all from my enemies."

"Every time I defeat an army, I collect the enemy commander's weapons and hang them here for everyone to see."

Anderson looked up and saw a middle-aged man sitting on the throne in the hall.

His hair was short and neat, like a sturdy pine tree; his eyebrows were thick and slightly curved, like two sharp swords; his eyes were bright and sharp as he looked at the visitor.

"Your Excellency, the Governor of Transylvania, the Master of Corvin Castle, the Holy Warrior of Jesus Christ, His Highness János of the Hunyadi Family, hello. I would like to express my greetings to you on behalf of my Lord. Thank you for your generous hospitality. May your military fortune flourish."

"May the military fortune flourish, well said!"

"My castle has received many guests, many of whom are richer and more noble than you, but you are the first one to wish me good luck in martial arts."

Hunyadi was obviously pleased with the compliment and twirled his beard with satisfaction.

He is just that kind of person, straightforward, showing all his joys, sorrows, anger and happiness in front of the world, and he doesn't bother to hide anything.

"My Lord has always admired your impressive military achievements. Unfortunately, due to my busy military duties, I have never had the time to come and pay my respects to you. This time, I was specially ordered to bring gifts to congratulate you."

"congratulate?"

"Congratulations on what?"

Hunyadi was stunned for a moment, then looked at Anderson with interest.

“Congratulations on sweeping across the Balkans, recovering the homeland of Christ, and spreading the gospel of the Lord.”

"You must be aware that the Ottoman army of more than 200,000 has gathered in Constantinople, and the country is extremely empty."

"For several months, our army has killed countless Ottoman troops in Constantinople, turning the Theodosian Walls into a nightmare for the Turks."

"Our Emperor defeated the Ottoman army at Galata, and the Second Vizier Zagan Pasha escaped alone."

"Our fleet is strong and has pinned down all of the Ottoman fleet in the Sea of ​​Marmara."

"As long as you can send troops westward, you will be able to annihilate the remaining Ottoman troops one by one, and your military power will be even more prosperous."

After Anderson finished speaking, he quietly waited for Hunyadi's reply, looking firmly into Hunyadi's dark eyes.

"You know, I have resigned as the regent of Hungary, and the city of Buda now belongs to the Habsburg family."

Hunyadi spoke slowly.

"That's why I didn't go to Buda or Prague, but came directly to your territory, the majestic Kerwin Castle."

"I did not ask for help from His Majesty Ladislaus. Although he is the master of Hungary, Bohemia, and Austria, he is not an ideal reinforcement or a staunch ally."

"On behalf of the two emperors of Constantinople, I ask for reinforcements from you, the White Knight of Jesus Christ, the slayer of the Turks, the great Lord Janos!"

Anderson spoke with great force.

"Before this, I had been to Kruje Castle in Albania and Belgrade in Serbia, and the two monarchs gave me different answers."

"His Highness Giorgio Castrioti firmly believes that you will always stand on the side of the holy war. As long as you send troops, he will follow you."

"But Grand Duke Durad Brankovich mocked your situation, thinking that you were so keen on political struggle that you had long forgotten your faith and your vow to fight for Christ."

"That bastard Brankovich, how dare he say that! He..."

As expected, Hunyadi became furious when he heard Brankovic's words.

The two men had a deep hatred for each other. At first, Brankovich was a staunch supporter of the Varna Crusade, contributing money and manpower to the holy war of Hunyadi and the Pope.

However, for some unknown reason, Hunyadi received the money and food but ridiculed Brankovic, and the two of them became enemies.

Later, Brankovich captured Hunyadi who had escaped alone and wanted to execute him immediately. However, due to the opposition of the nobles and priests, he released him and demanded a large ransom as revenge.

"However, Grand Duke Brankovich also said that, one thing is for another, he is on the same side as you on the battlefield of the holy war."

Hunyadi's curse suddenly stopped, and his expression was a little complicated. "How much of what you just said is true?"

"Or are these all lies you made up to persuade me to send troops?"

"How dare you joke about such a big thing!"

Anderson said seriously.

“How many troops does the Ottoman Empire have left outside Constantinople?”

“I want the exact number!”

Hunyadi's tone began to grow serious.

"The data we got from Grand Duke Durad is that as of May 5, the Ottomans still have nearly 19 troops, including about combat soldiers."

"It's still a bit much..."

Hunyadi estimated for a moment and whispered to himself.

"How about this, you report to Constantinople that the domestic situation is unstable right now and I cannot withdraw for the time being. Please ask the garrison to hold out for a while. If..."

"That's wrong!"

A slightly childish voice sounded from the corner, instantly attracting the attention of everyone in the hall.

"More than 200,000 troops besieged Constantinople. The soldiers and civilians in the city have been fighting hard for a long time. If we continue to wait, it will be too late!"

A young man dressed in aristocratic clothes walked out of the crowd. He had pale skin, delicate features, and a slight blush on his cheeks due to excitement.

There was also a raven embroidered on his chest.

"This is my second son, Matthias."

Hunyadi introduced it to the delegation, his pride and joy evident on his face.

The two sons of the Hunyadi family, Laszlo and Matthias, were both precocious people, and their bravery and wisdom were no less than their father.

The eldest son Laszlo and the White Knight János not only look alike, but also have exactly the same personalities. They are simply cast in the same mold.

The second son, Matthias, seemed weaker and preferred to draw strength from literature and books.

"Father, I think we should send troops to rescue Constantinople."

"The Ottomans have been unable to conquer the country for a long time and are exhausted. This is a good opportunity for us to launch a jihad."

"The attackers and defenders of Constantinople are now like two giants wrestling with each other with all their might. They have exhausted their physical strength and morale in the long war. They will collapse with just a slight touch!"

"We don't need the support of the Habsburgs, nor do we need a very strong army, or even sufficient supplies."

"We need only gather our own army, march across the Wallachian plains, and threaten the Ottoman flanks."

"What we have to do is to harass the Ottoman homeland, plunder the Ottoman countryside, disrupt the morale of the Ottoman army, and make it collapse without a fight!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the hall fell silent.

"Your Highness, our main focus now should be on the Holy Roman Empire. The Habsburg family is coming with great force, and many nobles in the country have been won over by them. We must be on guard..."

Next to Hunyadi, an old minister patiently explained to the young prince.

"That's wrong! Most of our family's territory is located in Transylvania, on the front line against the Ottoman invasion. If we allow the Turks to grow stronger, our territory will never be at peace, let alone interfere in the affairs of the west."

Matthias raised his head and looked at his father proudly.

"Father, you and my brother must focus on Buda. I am willing to lead 3,000 light cavalry, bypass the Wallachian Plain, and head straight to Bulgaria, the core area of ​​the Ottoman Empire in the Balkan Peninsula, to resolve the threat from the east."

"As for those people from Vienna and Prague, if I may be frank, even if they are given another thirty years, they will never be my opponent!"

"Well said! This is my son, Janos!"

Hunyadi slapped his forehead and stood up excitedly.

"Get the map!"

A map was unfolded in Hunyadi's hands. He found the location of Korvin Castle and drew a curve diagonally, crossing the Carpathian Mountain Pass and reaching the border plain between the Principality of Wallachia and the Principality of Moldavia.

It is summer now and the Carpathian Mountains are no longer blocked by snow, and several passes are accessible.

Next, the road to Bulgaria will be smooth.

"Mr. Anderson, what do you think of this plan?"

"Your Highness is indeed extraordinary."

Anderson exclaimed.

He knew that this was the best option he could get. It was impossible for the Hunyadi family to risk everything for Constantinople. Three thousand light cavalry was the limit they could accept.

If the plan succeeded, the Ottoman army would lose morale, and the Hunyadi family would gain huge benefits in wealth and fame.

Hunyadi looked at the map, thought carefully, and used his meticulous military thinking to fill in the gaps in the plan.

There is nothing wrong with the plan itself, but there are still many difficulties.

How to ensure a successful crossing of the Carpathian Passes?
How to ensure that Wallachia and Moldavia would sit on the sidelines?

Hunyadi had a plan and turned his gaze towards the crowd, looking at two of them.

The two men met his gaze, walked out of the crowd, and stood beside Matthias, one on the left and one on the right.

"Your Highness, I think you are in need of a few guides."

A sinister voice came from the middle-aged man.

Hunyadi nodded and turned to Anderson.

"Please allow me to introduce these two nobles to you. They have temporarily lost their country and are living in my court with a group of followers."

"They are also great warriors of Christ who are familiar with the local terrain and will surely shine in the upcoming holy war."

Hunyadi pointed first at the gloomy middle-aged man and then at the smiling young man.

"Prince of Wallachia, Vlad of the House of Drakuri."

"The Moldavian prince, Stefan from the Mushat family."

"I wish you a pleasant cooperation."

(End of this chapter)