1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 114 Chasing Death and the North
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On the top of the Theodosian Wall, a Muslim squad leader covered his bleeding neck, stared at the gray sky with wide eyes, and fell to his knees softly.

Ibrahim, commander of the First Legion of the Purple Guard, gasped, drew his scimitar, leaned against the city wall, and looked around.

After the Ottomans' giant siege tower appeared, the originally calm northern section of the city wall encountered an unprecedented crisis. Ottoman soldiers continuously climbed up the siege tower, jumped from the highest level of the tower to the city wall, and engaged in close combat with the defenders.

The walls near the Charisius Gate were littered with corpses of soldiers from both the attacking and defending sides. Wailing, groaning, cursing, and prayers, along with the sounds of swords piercing flesh, filled the entire wall. Blood, flesh, and internal organs flowed out of the bodies of the wounded, and the black stone walls were tinged with a dark red.

The war was drawing to a close, and the soldiers on both sides knew very well that this battle would most likely determine the fate of the city and tens of thousands of people. They all fought madly with the intention of dying together with the enemy until the last moment of their lives.

Due to a shortage of troops, Ibrahim, commander of the Purple Guard and commander of the northern section of the city wall, personally led the guards to block the section of the city wall where the fiercest fighting was taking place.

At this point in the battle, the command systems and strategic information systems of both sides have been basically paralyzed, the soldiers' will is close to collapse, and they have long been bloodthirsty and don't care about anything, just wanting to knock the enemy to the ground.

clang--

An arrow fell from the top floor of the siege tower and hit Ibrahim's feet, splashing sparks on the stone slabs and making a crisp sound, which startled him.

"Haven't the reinforcements arrived yet?!"

Ibrahim shouted, looking at the messenger.

"Go again and tell His Majesty that if he doesn't send someone, I'm afraid we will have to be buried here!"

"Yes--"

Before he could finish his words, a crossbow arrow hit the messenger in the chest. The young soldier opened his mouth with difficulty but could only spit out a mouthful of blood foam.

"Another wave of enemies is coming!"

Someone shouted loudly.

"Pick up your weapons and prepare to engage the enemy!"

Ibrahim gritted his teeth, held onto the city wall, and stood up with difficulty.

"Reinforcements are coming!"

Under the city wall, the civilians who were responsible for transporting the wounded and providing supplies suddenly shouted, which immediately attracted the attention of the defending soldiers.

I saw a dozen strong men in heavy armor walking towards the city wall in the distance, holding war hammers. The giant in the lead was holding a large wooden barrel. The ground seemed to be shaking when he ran.

"Step aside!"

Abel shouted loudly using the newly learned Greek words, and the surrounding civilians and soldiers stepped back to make way.

The mercenaries with roaring boars carved on their chests quickly climbed up the city wall, stepped on the corpses on the wall, and rushed towards the giant siege tower.

The heavily armored warriors charged forward, knocking the attacking Muslim soldiers to pieces, their hammers flying and splashing blood.

Ibrahim looked at the barrel held by the giant and suddenly understood, so he ordered the archers to clear the way for the friendly troops.

The remaining soldiers defending the city mustered up their remaining courage and used all their strength to pull the bowstrings to their full potential again and again, shooting at the enemy soldiers blocking the road to the siege tower.

Abel was like the Titan in the myth, charging and charging, completely ignoring the arrows shooting at his heavy armor and the blades chopping at his body. It seemed that the only thing in his eyes was the huge siege tower.

Twenty steps, ten steps, five steps...

Finally, he kicked the last enemy blocking his way off the city wall. He gritted his teeth and pulled out the arrow nailed to his shoulder. He hugged the barrel and threw it with all his strength. The barrel flew several meters away and hit the siege tower, revealing black powder.

"It's black powder!"

Amid the Muslim soldiers' shouts of fear, Abel pulled out a torch with a grim smile and threw it at the barrel.

Boom——Long——

A fireball rose up, accompanied by a wave of heat and a deafening roar.

When the smoke cleared, the defending soldiers looked towards the siege tower, their eyes filled with anticipation.

The siege tower was on fire, and some of the soldiers on the top floor of the tower had been burned black and were rolling around wailing miserably.

However, the siege tower still stands.

The defenders could not hide their disappointment, and the entire city wall suddenly fell into deathly silence.

Click——click——

Finally, a load-bearing wooden beam broke, pulling the defenders back from the brink of despair.

Then, in full view of everyone, the wooden beams broke completely, and the entire siege tower collapsed, splashing dust all over the ground. Many Muslim soldiers who did not have time to evacuate could only watch themselves getting closer and closer to the ground until they hit the hard ground and their eyes went black.

……

At the same time, in the calm Golden Horn Bay, a war to determine sea power officially broke out.

"Captain, after observation, the enemy fleet has about sixty Foster warships and nearly ten medium-sized triremes. Don't underestimate them!"

This time, Fidel, captain of the Mediterranean Fleet, was in charge of the command of the joint fleet. With Isaac's advance warning, all the ships stayed firmly in the middle of the Golden Horn, and the sailors witnessed the wonder of sailing on dry land with their own eyes.

One ship after another slid into the sea from the top of a nearby hill, with sails flying and masts standing tall. Sailors were busy on the deck, officers were directing the work, drummers and musicians were playing powerful music, and the entire fleet seemed to be really sailing on land.

The sailors were stunned. On the one hand, they were deeply shocked by the sight of sailing on dry land, and on the other hand, they were more convinced of their emperor.

"Send the flag signal! We will arrange the ships horizontally! We will not allow any Foster warship to reach the sea wall!"

Fidel ordered.

The fleet dispersed and gathered, with the two caravels, the Duke of Morea and St. Nicholas, as the center, and several large galleys such as the Archon and the Theodosius as the fulcrum. They were arranged horizontally and pointed their black gun muzzles at the sea to the west.

Fidel climbed up to the observation tower of the Grand Duke of Morea and breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the ships gradually arrive at their designated locations.

Before that, he racked his brains to arrange the ships in the appropriate positions, and deliberately kept the ships of Venice and Genoa far away to avoid confusion.

Even at the most critical moment, these Italians refused to calm down for a moment. Quarrels and exclusion were commonplace, and mutual accusations and attacks never stopped.

He did not have the prestige of the Emperor, so he could only adopt such a plan to prevent internal conflicts from escalating during the war.

The boats and ships were everywhere in the bay, and the Golden Horn Bay was already narrow. The combined fleet was located in the middle of the bay, protecting the fragile sea wall behind them.

It's like a Great Wall on the sea.

Fidel knew very well that whether it was a land battle or a naval battle, if he wanted to defeat the enemy, he must try his best to play to his strengths and avoid his weaknesses, use his advantages to face the enemy's disadvantages, and thus kill the enemy to the maximum extent possible.

The Foster battleship is very fast, flexible and swift, and can penetrate and surround at will. This advantage is fully utilized in the calm and narrow waters of the Golden Horn.

The combined fleet was outnumbered by the Ottoman fleet, and its large ships had a deep draft, making them unable to reach some shoals and difficult to turn, making them rather clumsy in the Golden Horn.

However, the combined fleet had far more artillery and caliber guns than the Ottoman fleet, and also had close-range defense weapons such as Greek fire and arquebuses, giving it an overwhelming advantage in firepower.

So, after discussing with His Majesty the Emperor, Fidel developed a battle plan aimed at maximizing the firepower advantage of the combined fleet.

In his original idea, all the ships should be connected with iron chains and wooden boards, so that the ships can be connected to each other. After one ship was involved in a boarding battle, the sailors on other ships can provide support at any time.

Just as he was feeling complacent about this plan and happily sharing the good idea with His Majesty the Emperor, he was strongly opposed by Isaac. He was forced to give up the idea and, at the strong request of His Majesty, equipped several large ships with sound fire protection facilities.

This strategy was designed entirely for defense, specifically to counter the wolf pack tactics of the Ottoman fleet.

"Attention everyone! The enemy's ships have basically been reorganized. Captains, check your weapons and equipment, sails, cables, oars and rudders, and stay alert!"

In the western waters, groups of Ottoman First warships have begun to charge. They are obviously impatient and eager to open a sea route to the sea wall, thus forcing the already small number of defenders to continue to disperse.

Fidel confirmed that the fleet's formation was correct, grabbed a rope, and slid steadily down the deck.

Come on, charge, and fight!

Behind this natural barrier of the fjord is the Roman Iron Wall!
……

On Mount Maltepe, in the golden and red tent, all the high-ranking Ottoman army officers gathered here, and the atmosphere was very solemn.

"It is reported that Matthias Hunyadi led his army across the Carpathian Mountains, marched thousands of miles, crossed the Wallachian Plain, and arrived in Bulgaria." "The traitor Skanderbeg also allowed his troops to plunder the border. Brankovich is a little hesitant and is waiting and watching."

"Karaman Bey looted several villages, and the Aries King Uzon Hassan is ready to make a move."

"If the war drags on, it will only be a matter of time before they start raiding the border."

Sitting on the throne, Mehmed II calmly informed his viziers, pashas and beys of the news, his whole body buried in the shadows and his face could not be seen clearly.

In the big tent, a low whisper suddenly spread, and the generals looked anxious and somewhat at a loss.

"This is all Zagan's fault!"

"If his entire army had not been annihilated in Galata, our morale would not have suffered such a blow!"

"How dare the surrounding countries be so presumptuous!"

"Your Majesty, I suggest that Zagan be beheaded in public to appease the troops!"

A pure-blooded Turkic Bey stood up and spoke, accusing Zagan Pasha harshly while looking at Khalil Grand Vizier with a look of seeking credit.

Canglang——

The scimitar was unsheathed, and the head of the Turkic Bey, who had just been so passionate, fell to the ground, his head rolling, his eyes full of disbelief and astonishment.

Amid the surprised gaze of the crowd, Khalil Grand Vizier put the bloody knife back into the sheath and knelt on one knee.

"This man disturbs the morale of the army and should be executed!"

"I have dared to resort to arms, and I hope Your Majesty will punish me!"

Mehmed II was also caught off guard by the sudden change. He looked at Khalil's old face with complicated eyes.

"teacher……"

"Your Majesty, I have two suggestions. As for how to implement them, it depends on your will."

"Please stand up and speak."

Mohammed sat up straight and listened attentively.

"First, we should negotiate peace with the Constantinople defenders as soon as possible while they are losing their fighting spirit due to the strange phenomenon from heaven. We should strive for more tribute and privileges and bring our remaining troops back to Edirne. This will put the invading enemy in a dilemma."

"We need time to recover and prepare for the next siege."

After listening to this, Mehmed II remained silent.

"What about the second one?"

Khalil sighed softly, and his expectant eyes dimmed a little.

"Second, block the news, gather all the remaining troops, storm the city, and try to capture it."

"Whether it's Skanderbeg and Brankovic in the west or Karamanbey and Uzunghasan in the east, at best they can only cause us some trouble, harass the border and create chaos."

"The truly deadly force is Hunyadi in the north. Their light cavalry is very fast and can bypass large fortresses and passes and go straight to our core areas."

"They can even just kill people along the way, creating a large number of refugees, and drive them south, causing panic among our troops besieging Constantinople until they completely collapse."

"But if we can capture Constantinople before the situation gets worse, all the efforts of the Christians will be in vain and come to nothing."

"but--"

Mehmed II stood up and raised his right hand to stop Khalil from speaking.

"Since Grand Vizier also thinks so, let's adopt this strategy."

"Pass on my order, all troops, press forward, anyone who retreats will be killed!"

Mehmed II looked like a gambler who had lost all his money, with a crazy look on his face and ferocious eyes.

……

The war continued, and the Ottoman army launched the final general offensive. Artillery fired crazily without regard for their lives, siege towers, ladders and battering rams were all thrown into the battlefield, and the soldiers desperately charged towards the city walls, exchanging wounds for wounds and blood for blood.

The reserve troops in Constantinople had long been used up. Grand Duke Lucas led the last militia to block the gap in the central city wall. The soldiers of the First Legion of the Guards temporarily withdrew and took a short rest in the rear.

The northern and southern sections of the city wall also encountered an unprecedented crisis. After two months of fierce fighting, weapons and military supplies gradually began to run short. The consumption rate of Greek fire and black gunpowder far exceeded previous expectations, and supply gaps had already appeared on some city towers.

On the surface of the Golden Horn Bay, a sea wolf pack composed of Foster warships launched a desperate charge towards the Great Wall of Iron formed by the Combined Fleet, regardless of casualties.

The Combined Fleet gained the upper hand with its artillery advantage, but as more and more Foster warships began to approach the Great Wall on the Sea, a fierce boarding battle ensued.

On May 1453, 5, the final battle that determined the fate of Constantinople officially broke out. The war lasted from dawn to dusk. The incessant sound of artillery accompanied by the rapid bells of churches throughout the city struck heavily on the hearts of every soldier.

At the St. Romanus Gate, Isaac and Constantine fought side by side, leading their respective guards to rush to every gap in the fierce fighting, firmly defending this section of the city wall that had almost turned into ruins.

It was evening and the war was still going on. The blood-red setting sun hung in the western sky, illuminating the entire sky with a deep red glow.

On the city wall, the eagle flag is still flying.

The Ottoman army under the city wall organized another large-scale offensive, seemingly wanting to make a final counterattack with the last rays of the setting sun.

The sun sank into the horizon little by little. The Ottoman army's offensive became more and more frenzied. They climbed up the city walls countless times and broke through the gaps countless times, but were resolved time and time again by the defenders with their tenacious will.

The sunset glows across the sky like a raging fire.

"Look!"

"what is that?"

At that moment, the soldiers on both sides of the attack and defense turned their heads together and looked at the setting sun in the distance.

The light of the setting sun gradually dimmed, and on the plain west of the Ottoman camp, a flag was fluttering in the wind.

A double-headed eagle fluttering in the wind.

Then, more and more flags began to appear, the ravens of the Hunyadi family, the flags of various mercenary groups, and the family flags of Vlad and Stefan, one after another.

Under the flags, an army bathed in the glow of the setting sun, with dust flying behind them.

At that moment, something buried deep in my heart began to change quietly.

Panic, anxiety, despair and helplessness began to spread rapidly in the Ottoman camp. The soldiers on the city wall stared blankly at the Crusaders in the distance, their lips trembling, not knowing what to do, and let the swords of the defenders pierce their throats.

There was dead silence in the siege camp.

At the same time, cheers and shouts resounded throughout the city wall. Many Christians were in tears, holding up the crosses on their chests and singing praises to Christ's blessings.

The Crusaders in the distance began to charge, raising clouds of yellow sand.

In an instant, the will of the Ottoman army began to collapse, no longer paying attention to the command of God, and began to flee in all directions.

"Our Christian brothers are coming to reinforce us with an army of 100,000. They will definitely annihilate the Ottomans completely!"

Isaac climbed up a tower, tore down a double-headed eagle flag and held it high.

He jumped off the city wall and ordered people to open the city gate.

Isaac jumped on his horse, drew his sword with one hand and held high the banner with the other.

"In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in the name of the Roman Emperor!"

"In the name of Constantinople!"

"Warriors! Follow me and charge!"

(End of this chapter)