1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 126 Drawing fire from the bottom of the cauldron
It was already night, and Governor Gabriel had no time to rest. He put on his armor and continued to stay on the front line in the port area.

Over the past week, the enemy's artillery fire has never ceased. The roars are like heavy hammers, hitting the hearts of the people in the city.

The enemy was very cunning and chose the center of the city as their target, which would deal a greater blow to morale. When huge stone bombs fell from the sky, shattering houses and destroying city blocks, the direct shock to the soul was incomparable to that of bows and crossbows.

Due to the terrain, the defenders' artillery and catapults were unable to effectively attack the enemy's artillery positions on high ground. They could only watch as the other side leisurely loaded and fired, watched the flames break out, followed by a loud bang and the whistling of shells across the sky.

Gabriel had no way to deal with the enemy's artillery and could only patrol the city to boost the morale of the defenders and prepare for possible civil unrest and uprisings.

The Republic of Venice's rule over Negroponte lasted only a few decades, which was far less stable than that of Crete. In addition, the upper-class Latin nobles and financial oligarchs oppressed the island severely. Uprisings among the lower-class Greek Orthodox Christians occurred from time to time, but their strength was dispersed and they failed.

Since the artillery bombardment, the separatism that had been dormant for a long time has become active again under the promotion of some people with ulterior motives. When Gabriele patrols the streets, there are always hateful and hostile eyes lingering on him, making him extremely anxious.

Although Gabriel tried to undermine the goodwill of the lower classes towards the Eastern Roman Empire and divert their hatred to the real culprit of the siege, he had little success.

These ignorant Greek Orthodox Christians blamed all their sufferings on the Latin colonists and regarded the Roman emperor as their savior sent by God to save them.

Fortunately, he had already transferred the fleet to the naval port in the south in advance, so it would not be bombarded by Eastern Roman artillery and could set sail at any time to block the strait and prevent the enemy's landing operations.

As long as the fleet was there, he could rest easy.

"Governor, I will be on duty tonight. You should rest."

Beside Gabriel, the mercenary leader Patrick gave kind advice.

"Alright."

Gary Buelay nodded.

"We don't need to worry. Venice will not sit idly by and watch the Greek emperor act arrogantly. They will definitely send troops to support us as soon as possible."

"Before that, be sure to pay attention and be extremely careful."

"Especially our naval ports. Those fleets are our hope for a comeback."

"clear."

Gabriel patted Patrick on the shoulder and returned to the Governor's Palace with his personal soldiers.

Patrick is a descendant of Gattamegata and has inherited his ancestor's calmness and loyalty, making him a trustworthy deputy.

……

In an abandoned Orthodox church in the south of Chalcis, a meeting is being held in full swing.

The meeting was chaired by Alberto. In addition to Nathan and Lupo, the participants also included several of Alberto's die-hard supporters and the leaders of the remnants of the Navarre Mercenary Corps.

A week of shelling was enough to change many things. Many captains who were originally wavering joined Alberto's organization, and the captain Antonello, who had lost the support of the people, was almost left alone.

However, no one, including Nathan and Lupo, knew Alberto's specific plan.

"I have called you all here so late at night. I am sure you have guessed that I will make specific arrangements for the final steps of the uprising."

Seeing that everyone was present, Alberto looked around and spoke slowly.

"As we all know, the reason why the Venetians are so powerful is because of their powerful navy."

"The reason why the defenders in Chalcis are so confident is because of the powerful squadron in the naval port."

Everyone nodded, and the majestic outline of the Enrico Dandolo and the black muzzle of its guns emerged in their minds.

"If we cannot deal with this squadron well, your Majesty's landing force will not be able to land safely on Negroponte, so as to launch a large army and capture the city of Chalcis."

"This is Venice's naval port. It is very hidden and out of the range of the artillery positions on the Attica Peninsula. It will not be threatened by land-based artillery."

Alberto drew a circle on the map.

"Captain, do you want us to attack the Venetian naval port?"

"From what I know, the place is heavily guarded, with trenches connected, towers densely packed, sufficient troops, and special fire prevention measures. We can't handle it with our troops!"

A captain stood up and asked a question.

"I certainly won't be so presumptuous as to choose the Venetian naval port as my target, nor will I resort to fire attack."

A mysterious smile appeared on Alberto's lips.

"Our goal is here."

……

"That chick just now was really cool!"

"Of course, slaves from North Africa have hot tempers!"

Outside a brothel next to a military camp in the south of Chalcis, two clients finished their pleasure, pulled up their trousers, and prepared to return to the barracks.

"North Africa? Isn't that the territory of the Greek emperor?"

"Of course not. They are all North African natives who were driven out of their homeland by the Greek emperor. Many of them would wake up from their dreams at night by calling Isaac's name. Haven't you heard of that?"

"Uh……"

"Look at me, you are so weak!"

The clients were talking and laughing.

They were from Venice, sailors from the squadron in the naval port of Chalcis.

After the fall of the Duchy of Athens, they were sent by the Venetian Council to the eastern Mediterranean to protect the Republic's overseas territories.

boom--

Another cannon shot was heard from a distance, and the shells fell into the city, causing another scream.

“It’s really not over yet!”

A client said indignantly, kicking a stone on the side of the road.

Whenever it was late at night and everyone was asleep, artillery fire from the other side would occasionally sound without any aiming, just to disrupt the morale of the troops.

The key point is that the defenders have no choice but to endure it silently.

"It's so unlucky! Why wasn't I assigned to Crete?" another client complained.

"Who can figure out what a big shot is thinking?"

"Ugh……"

"I heard that the women in Crete are smooth and tender, with skin as smooth as silk. Is that true?"

"Humph, there are hot girls in Halkistan, but you just can't enjoy them."

"I heard from One-Eyed Gerard last time that there are many hot women in their barracks, and they are all top-notch."

The client said with envy.

"How can it be the same? He is from the Enrico Dandolo!"

His companions looked disappointed.

"When selecting, the most powerful warships only need the best sailors. If you don't have a special skill, you can't even think of climbing up the high ship's side."

"There are dozens of gunners on that ship, all of them are top-notch fighters. What can you do there? Be a rowing slave in the cabin?"

"I'm just saying..."

The two men walked crookedly, and the barracks in the distance were already in sight.

This camp is located south of the port of Chalcis and is exclusively for the naval sailors of the Venetian fleet. It has dozens of scattered barracks and a total of more than a thousand sailors.

When allocating barracks, Governor Gabriele planned to place all sailors in the crowded naval port, which was strongly opposed by all sailors.

The mercenaries can go into the city to rest, so why can't we? Anyway, there won't be any naval battles in the short term.

Perhaps because he was afraid that the sailors would cause trouble, or perhaps because he thought what the sailors said did make some sense, Governor Gabriel finally gave up his previous plan and provided the sailors with an abandoned village between the city and the naval port as a temporary base.

The two sailors crept into the camp on their stomachs, raised their heads and glanced at the watchtower high above.

"No, there's no one here!"

"All this effort wasted!"

"Where are you gambling again? Or are you looking for a woman?"

A client was cursing.

"The defenses are in such disrepair, the trenches are not dug properly, the fences are full of holes, and the watchtowers are deserted."

"Aren't they afraid of the enemy attacking?"

His companion sighed.

"What are you afraid of? Even if the enemy lands, they will definitely target several important ports. At worst, they will attack the mercenary camps. How can they attack us?"

"Besides, this is inland, surrounded by friendly troops, where are the enemies?"

"That's true, haha..."

"Just laugh if you want to. Why are you shaking?"

"Is your body really hollowed out?"

"No, it's not me..."

The sailor stood up in panic, but the shaking of the ground became more and more violent.

"This is--"

They turned around and were so scared that they broke out in cold sweats and ghosts were coming out of their bodies.

A strong bull with red eyes and foam at the mouth rushed straight towards them.

Behind the bull, a group of equally crazy animals were running towards the barracks, including bulls, camels, horses, and even small goats.

Behind the herd of livestock, about two hundred Catalan riders, holding sharp blades, looked at the madly charging herd of livestock, their eyes unable to hide the excitement.

thump—

The leading bull crashed into the fence of the camp, uprooting it, and continued to push forward, destroying a cabin before collapsing due to exhaustion.

Then, hundreds of mad animals trampled through the tents like crazy, reaping the lives of the sailors one by one.

They are precious sailors, athletes of the Republic, the soul of the fleet, and warriors fighting the wind and waves.

But now, they are just lambs to be slaughtered.

The herds of livestock soon destroyed most of the camp. Wailing and groaning sounds were heard one after another. The sailors, who didn't know what was going on, stood up, only to see the ferocious smiles and shining scimitars of the Catalan riders.

“The time to build a career is now!”

"Everyone, kill!"

Alberto took the lead and rushed towards the ruined barracks.

Behind him, the riders were like devils from hell, wielding life-threatening scythes.

……

On January 1454, 1, in the south of Chalcis Port, an internal conflict broke out in the Catalan Mercenary Corps. Captain Antonello, who supported the Republic of Venice, was killed, and everyone elected Alberto to take over the position of captain.

That night, Alberto declared his allegiance to the Eastern Roman Emperor and divided his assembled forces into two groups.

Alberto personally led two hundred riders, driving a herd of livestock prepared in advance to the outside of the sailors' camp, drove them crazy with drugs, forced them to charge forward, and followed with his army, killing indiscriminately.

Captain Nathan led three hundred soldiers and set up an ambush in the woods between the naval port and the sailors' camp.

The garrison in the port discovered that something was wrong and, out of caution, sent a small group of soldiers to investigate. They were defeated by an ambush and then held on to the naval port.

Then, the Catalan mercenaries killed the prisoners, abandoned their belongings, and quickly fled southwest, burning, killing and looting along the way, sneaking into the vast fields at the southern end of Euboea before the enemy could react.

At daybreak, in the Chalcis naval port, the fleet was still drifting, but it seemed to have lost its soul.

(End of this chapter)