1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 23 Lifelong Enemy

The war is raging, but we have to fight.

It has to be admitted that Ottoman's strategy was very successful this time.

First, a small number of soldiers were used to guard the garrison in the western section, and then a large number of siege equipment was deployed to the middle section of the city wall, forcing the eastern section to send reinforcements.

Afterwards, they took a risky move at night and stormed the eastern section of the city wall.

In the absence of military rations and cannon fodder, this strategy is most likely to end the war in the short term.

Now that we have fallen into Osman's trap, all we can do is race against time.

"Drive! Drive!"

Isaac rushed forward, followed by more than 200 cavalrymen he brought with him and Yaroslav's Ruthenian cavalry.

A total of more than 500 people rushed to the war in the dark.

The rest of the infantry followed behind.

The Wall of Corinth must be defended. If the Ottomans were allowed to plunder 6 people as they did in history, the entire Morea would be completely destroyed.

Anxious, Isaac whipped his horse hard.

The Andalusian horse under his crotch ran hard and snorted.

"Your Highness, please go to a safe place later. I will take care of the frontal battlefield."

"At night, vision is obstructed and it's easy to be hit by stray arrows."

Knight Conte came over and kindly reminded him.

"Okay, I'll guard the rear for you!"

After crossing a hill, we saw flames in front of us and the sounds of fighting.

"Everyone stop and rest for a quarter of an hour!"

Isaac ordered.

The strength of cavalry lies in its mobility and impact force; tired horses are useless.

The cavalrymen dismounted, took out their water bags and dry food, and replenished water and energy for themselves and their horses.

Everyone was silent. In the silent night, the only sounds were of fighting in the distance and the sounds of people eating and horses chewing their food.

Some soldiers fought and marched all day, and they just ate some food and drank some water and fell asleep.

Isaac did not eat anything but drank some water.

Judging from the sounds of the battle in the distance, it should be quite intense, which at least means that the city wall has not been lost.

No, we have to find a way to maximize the characteristics of cavalry. Filling the city walls is a waste.

"Yaroslav."

"Your Highness, I am here."

The Ruthenians stepped forward.

Isaac carefully examined the hill, which separated the eastern and middle sections of the Great Wall. The mountain near the north was steep and in plain view, and was a natural fortification.

Neither the attacking nor the defending side paid much attention here.

"Is there a small path here that can go around to the north of the city wall?"

Yaroslav thought about it carefully.

"Your Highness, there is indeed a trail on this mountain. It was deliberately opened up by merchants who evaded taxes. It was discovered a few weeks ago, but it has not been blocked yet."

At the end, Yaroslav also thought of something and his eyes lit up.

"The point is, the Ottomans definitely don't know about this place."

Isaac weighed the pros and cons and paced for a long time.

"Do you dare to take a gamble?"

In the reflection of the flames, the boy's face was trembling with excitement.

"Why don't you dare!"

Yaroslav said cheerfully.

"If this succeeds, I will ask my father to take credit for you."

A quarter of an hour had passed and everyone set off. The cavalrymen who were sleeping on the ground got up immediately.

"Get on the horse and set off."

Isaac said briefly.

"Put out all the torches. If you can't see clearly, just follow the path ahead."

These days, there are many soldiers with night blindness, but not horses.

Led by Yaroslav, Isaac quickly found the mountain path that the merchants used for smuggling.

The path was wide enough for a carriage to pass through.

In the dense forests between the mountains, horse hooves made dull sounds as they stepped on the dirt road.

The darkness facilitated the Ottoman siege, but also obstructed their vision.

When Isaac finally got out of the mountain road and reached the coastal plain, he was only a few hundred meters away from the Ottoman siege camp.

Isaac could even see the flames on the city walls and the details of the fighting between soldiers on both sides.

Thanks to Constantine who prepared the most Greek fire in the most difficult to defend eastern section, both sides' firearms could not be used normally at night due to accuracy reasons, but the Greek fire was not affected.

There's no precision anyway, so just spray randomly.

Even so, the vanguard troops formed by the Janissaries had already climbed onto the city wall and were engaged in a tug of war with the Grand Duke's Guard led by Constantine.

"Come on, come on!"

In the Ottoman siege camp, a thin middle-aged man clenched his fists and stared at the battle on the city wall.

There was a piercing hatred in his eyes and his face was distorted.

It was Isaac's old acquaintance, Zagan Pasha.

After being rescued, Zagan Pasha asked to be punished.

But Murad II forgave him and allowed him to continue his work.

This plan of making a feint to the east and attacking in the west was the one that Zha Gan came up with.

Next to him stood a young Ottoman nobleman with delicate features, long and thin eyebrows, thick lips, and a thin layer of beard on both sides of his mouth.

He was wearing typical Ottoman noble clothing, but with a Latin-style sword. He was leaning on a chair, casually peeling an apple with a knife in his hand.

His eyes were always fixed on the apple, and he seemed to be peeling it very seriously.

"Zagan, calm down and don't let those cowards like Khalil disturb your mind."

"As long as the Kafirs still occupy Constantinople, we can't have peace, but please note that our goal is to seize benefits, not revenge."

“Just like this apple, you peel it to eat it, not to destroy it.”

The young man took a big bite and pursed his lips with satisfaction.

"Yes, thank you for your warning, Your Majesty."

Mohammed sighed.

"I am no longer a sultan. Don't call me that anymore."

Muhammad turned his eyes to the Janissaries who had already climbed up the city wall with a gloomy look.

At this time, Mehmed had just finished his first round of sultan career. In 1444, Sultan Murad II, who was tired of political affairs, gave power to his 12-year-old son Mehmed in order to escape responsibility.

Who would have thought that his son would do such a fancy thing just after he became regent?

He directly invited a Shiite mendicant monk to live in Edirne, causing unrest in the entire religious community.

At the same time, the struggle between the Grand Vizier Khalil Pasha, who advocated peace, and Zagan Pasha, who advocated war, intensified, and the court was also in turmoil.

The local governors began to make trouble, and Karaman in the east also took the opportunity to invade the border.

Pope Eugene IV then became convinced of the Ottoman weakness.

Then the Crusaders were formed, Murad II came back and decided the outcome of the battle at Varna.

Just a few weeks ago, the pro-war Zagan Pasha suffered a crushing defeat and his entire squadron was annihilated.

Khalil Pasha took this opportunity to attack Zagan Pasha and Mehmed II behind him.

The Janissaries were also dissatisfied, and after their request for a salary increase was rejected, they launched a coup d'état, and Murad II reluctantly became Sultan again.

Murad II himself did not want to fight this war, but he had to launch the punishment for the sake of the empire's face.

The resources consumed by the empire on this war have exceeded expectations. In addition, Khalil Pasha was in the wind all day, so Murad II also hesitated.

This opportunity for a large-scale attack was something that Muhammad desperately fought for Zagan.

Three Janissary legions, plus 10000 private soldiers, were all the forces available to Mehmed and Zagan Pasha.

It is also the maximum number of people that military rations can barely supply.

Among them, 3000 troops were placed in the western section to contain the enemy, and 6000 troops carried a large amount of weapons and approached the middle section, forcing the elite troops in the east to return to defend.

Finally, the three most powerful Janissary legions attacked the eastern section of the city wall at night.

As long as we can break through the city wall, we can naturally get military supplies, and this gamble will be worth it.

Once the city wall is breached, what else can stop me?

Muhammad looked at the precarious situation of the defenders with a sneer on his face.

……

"How is the kerosene being prepared?"

"Ready."

"How are the horses resting?"

"We can fight."

"Then fight."

Isaac rode forward and looked at the more than 500 riders behind him.

"The Ottoman siege camp is ahead. They are very proud and didn't dig deep trenches. We can just jump over them. Without further ado, follow me and charge!"

"rush!"

Knight Conte took the lead, followed closely by Yaroslav.

Like a hunter in the dark, pouncing on its prey standing in the moonlight.

The earth began to shake.

"Raise our flag!"

Isaac's guards raised the purple double-headed eagle flag and lit torches for the defenders on the city wall to see.

The cavalry began to charge in groups, and the enemy was in a hurry and was unable to gather an effective defense.

The elite soldiers all rushed to the city wall, leaving behind the wounded and some guards.

They never expected that someone would attack them from behind.

Didn't the Kafirs just hide in the city and fight stubbornly? When did they come to us?
Conte led the cavalry to break through the first line of defense and officially attacked the camp.

"Throw out the kerosene bag!"

The cavalrymen threw out the kerosene bags in their hands and poured them on the Ottoman tents, granaries and armories.

Suddenly, flames shot into the sky.

Ottoman wounded soldiers crawled out of the burning tents, wailing in pain.

"Your Majesty, I will escort you to escape!"

Zagan Pasha, having recovered from his initial shock, spoke anxiously to Mohammed.

"Asshole! I still have 500 guards who can fight the Kafirs. If I run away, what will happen to the Janissaries?"

"Your Majesty! Your safety is the most important! There is fire everywhere, you must leave immediately!"

Zagan simply picked up Muhammad and put him on the horse.

"Asshole! I am the Sultan's son! How can I escape from the battlefield?"

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, you are the only heir of Osman, you must not make any mistakes..."

Zagan cut the horse's buttocks, and the warhorse ran away in pain.

"The cavalry mount their horses to protect His Highness, and the infantry stop the enemy!"

After saying this, Zagan jumped on his horse and followed Muhammad.

Of course the abandoned infantry refused to give in and simply fled in all directions.

When the soldiers defending the city wall saw their own flag, their morale was immediately boosted and they shouted loudly.

On the other hand, the Janissaries had already occupied a city tower and the situation was very good.

As a result, the camp was directly attacked and fire was everywhere.

The central army's flag was cut off and the commander-in-chief disappeared.

They were actually defeated by the counterattack of Constantine's personal guards.

"Conte! Give up the pursuit and focus on rescuing the defenders in the city!"

Isaac observed and found that the fleeing enemy cavalry had already run a long way away, and our horses were tired and there was no way they could catch up.

It would be better to end the war as soon as possible.

Conte turned his horse and began to charge towards the enemy troops under the city wall.

Isaac looked at the battlefield and suddenly felt something.

Turning around, he saw a young man in luxurious clothes among the fleeing enemy cavalry turning around and looking at him.

Isaac also patted his horse and faced him.

The other party waved his fist at him, then rode away without looking back.

The war was almost over, and the wounded soldiers and remaining infantry in the camp all knelt on the ground and begged for mercy.

On the city wall, although the Janissaries were still extremely brave, they were already showing signs of decline.

it is finally over.

Isaac walked slowly into the center of the enemy's camp, which was not destroyed by fire.

On the table in front of the camp, there was a bitten apple.

Somehow, Isaac felt very unhappy when he saw the apple.

Kick away.

The current Mehmed II was still very young. It was not until he abdicated in 1446 that he did a lot of learning and finally grew into the terrifying conqueror.

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(End of this chapter)