1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 230 Snowstorm
Thousands of cavalrymen galloped across the black land, their horses' hooves trampling the ground and splashing up fluffy mud.

After passing through a jungle, there is a valley in front of us.

At the front of the cavalry, Mahmoud raised his right hand, and the cavalry slowed down and slowly stopped.

After running around for a whole day, the riding horses had been changed twice, and there was a hint of fatigue in the eyes of the Turkic riders.

Mahmoud tore open a map and roughly identified his location.

"We are almost at Varna. The Greek cavalry will be in range ahead. Let's take a break here to recuperate and observe the enemy."

The Turkic cavalry were well-trained. Some of the rangers began to spread out and scout for the enemy, while more people breathed a sigh of relief, dismounted, drank some cold water, ate some dry food, and fell asleep.

The snow was much lighter than in the north, and the cold wind blew off the hillsides, making the cols perfect shelters. The riders removed animal skins from their horses and spread them on the ground to insulate against the cold.

Mahmoud sat on the ground, took out a few pieces of salted venison from the saddle bag, and began to chew it slowly.

"Grand Vizier, the head count is complete. There are 2,000 Kapikulu cavalry, 2,800 Delhi knights, 500 Sipahi cavalry, and 1,000 Akinkei cavalry, a total of 6,300 cavalry, not one less."

A general counted the number of soldiers, came to Mahmoud and reported to him.

"How are the soldiers doing?"

Mahmoud asked with concern.

"Grand Vizier, the Kapikulu Cavalry is full of energy and spirit, there is no problem at all."

“The Delhi Knights are a little tired, but they can definitely run for a few more days.”

"The Sipahi and Akınki cavalry are not very good. Their riding skills are poor, their horses are not very good, and their fighting spirit is even average."

The general curled his lips.

"If our high-intensity march continues for a few more days, I'm afraid that more than half of them will be left behind."

Mahmoud nodded and handed the general a piece of salted venison.

The Kapikulu Cavalry is the central elite cavalry of the Ottoman Empire. They have received systematic military training in the Ottoman Empire since childhood. They have been selected and eliminated at each level. They are well-equipped, highly qualified and tenacious.

The Delhi Knights are local elite cavalry, most of whom are descendants of converts from local knight families. Many talents who failed the Kapikulu selection chose to join them, and their qualities were beyond the reach of ordinary cavalry.

When fighting, the Delhi Knights always liked to wear some strange decorations on their bodies, such as the fur of wild animals and the feathers of birds of prey, and tuck black wings under their armpits to intimidate the enemy.

For this reason, the Knights of Delhi were called "Black Wing Cavalry" by their enemies.

The Akıncı cavalry were much inferior. They were light cavalry without armor, responsible for infiltration, looting and reconnaissance in the army, and they had performed brilliantly in the Albanian War.

The Sipahi cavalry is an old-style feudal landlord cavalry. The lords enjoy the production rights of a small piece of territory for life and do not have to pay taxes in peacetime. However, in times of war, they must provide their own weapons and horses and fight with the army.

The combat effectiveness of this conscripted cavalry was uneven. Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II once tried to make some reforms to the Sipahi system, but a series of defeats forced the reforms to fail.

However, whether it was the Kapikulu Cavalry, the Delhi Knights, the Akınki Cavalry or the Sipahi Knights, they all had a deep hatred for the Eastern Roman Empire. They lost their loved ones and their homes a few years ago, and now they were about to lose everything.

That year, Mehmed II fled to Anatolia and handed over the Rumelian Legion and part of the Sultan's personal troops, which were blinded by hatred, to Mahmud, asking him to defend Bulgaria to the death, preserve the last piece of European territory for the empire, and preserve the opportunity to counterattack the Balkans.

For several years, Mahmud single-handedly handled the crisis, which once caused great trouble to the Eastern Roman Empire. However, due to the lack of reinforcements, the number of elite soldiers decreased day by day, and today, only more than 10,000 people are left out of the 40,000-strong army.

In order to always maintain a combat-ready force, Mahmud eliminated all grassroots infantry except a small number of Janissaries, and kept a tight grip on the Kapikulu cavalry and Delhi knights, training them strictly and using the whole country's strength to guarantee their supplies.

This time, the Eastern Roman Empire had sent out its entire army, and Mahmud was in a desperate situation. He had no choice but to gather all his elite troops and make one last gamble.

In order to achieve this goal, Mahmud abandoned almost everything he could and worked with Vlad III to develop this crazy plan.

Of course, Mahmoud had exhausted Bulgaria's national strength, overdrawn all its military potential, lost the support of the people, and attracted a large number of foreign mercenaries with ulterior motives.

Even if he could defeat the siege of Varna, he would be in endless trouble and would probably be completely torn apart by the regrouped Eastern Roman army in a few years.

However, who can predict what will happen in the future?

One more day you live, one more hope.

"Anand, tell the captains to stay alert and not sleep too much. We will rest for a while and launch the charge immediately after we get the intelligence."

Mahmoud looked at the general beside him.

"We are very close to Varna. The Greek cavalry may find us at any time. The longer we delay, the slimmer our hope will be."

"Grand Vizier, aren't we going to wait for Archduke Vlad's follow-up troops?"

Anand asked.

Mahmoud shook his head slightly.

"In a raid, ordinary infantrymen play almost no role. They are too slow and will drag us down. I wasn't planning to wait for them."

"My plan is to use elite cavalry to lead the charge, break up the Greek army, and crush their fighting spirit. It would be best if they collapsed without a fight."

"After achieving this goal, we will immediately retreat before they can regroup, and then join up with Vlad III's infantry to engage in a final decisive battle with the remnants of the Greek army."

"The Greeks have spent half a year under the siege of Varna, and most of their soldiers are from the south, who are not used to the local climate. Even if they have sufficient supplies and better treatment, their morale will definitely be much lower than before the siege. This is our only chance."

Mahmoud said seriously.

"As far as I know, just last year, the Greek emperor carried out a military reform that greatly increased the proportion of firearms and spears used, which is very disadvantageous to us."

"If we fight them honestly on the plains, there is no way we can win."

"What do you think is the best way to deal with this kind of phalanx musket infantry?"

Mahmood looked at Anand.

"Thicker armor? In particular, abandoning the armor on the limbs and instead equipping the chest with thick steel armor?"

Anand thought for a moment and asked tentatively.

"Too slow and too expensive. You are right. This may be the trend of cavalry development in the future, but it is not suitable for us."

Mahmoud shook his head.

"In my opinion, there are two ways to deal with phalanx musketeers."

"First, we should launch a surprise attack, catching them off guard and giving them no time to prepare their positions."

"When they re-formed their battle array, we used the mobility of our cavalry to immediately withdraw, repeatedly pulling them back and harassing them until they were exhausted."

“That’s a good idea indeed.”

Anand nodded.

"Second, the weather."

Mahmoud reached out his hand and caught a slowly falling snowflake.

"The musket's fuse and gunpowder can easily be soaked or extinguished by rain and snow. At this time, the musketeers are like toothless tigers, and can only be slaughtered."

"Rain is of course the best effect, but heavy rain will also make the land muddy and uncomfortable for the horses, which will greatly affect the cavalry's charge. It's hard to say who is at a greater disadvantage."

"When it's snowing and windy like this, but there's not much snow on the ground, it's the best time for us to deal with the musket phalanx."

Mahmoud sighed.

"In fact, according to my observation, the Greek emperor's army looks very powerful, but it also has some problems. If it weren't for our limited manpower, we wouldn't have to be afraid of him at all."

"Oh why?"

Anand asked confusedly.

"I have conducted a systematic study of Isaac III's military system and found that his early military system was entirely focused on defending and attacking cities, and had great flaws in field warfare."

"So far, his army is still mainly composed of infantry. The two more famous cavalry teams are the Slaves Cavalry and the Ironclad Holy Cavalry."

"The Slaves Bloody Cavalry is similar to our Sipahi Cavalry in terms of organization, and similar to the Akınki Cavalry in terms of function. They are usually responsible for reconnaissance, roaming and looting, and they are indeed very brave."

"However, this cavalry mainly operates in North Africa. When they come here, they are not used to the local climate."

Seeing Anand frowning, Mahmud swallowed the venison, drank a sip of water, and continued to explain.

"I sent people to investigate. A standard Slaves cavalry is equipped with a barb horse, a camel, and a mule for carrying cargo. This indicator varies slightly in different thousand-man teams, but the difference is not too big."

"Both the Barb horse and the camel are special products of North Africa. They have great endurance and physical strength, but are slow and have poor running ability. In North Africa, everyone uses them, so of course there is no problem. But when they come here, their speed disadvantage becomes very obvious."

"Besides, the Berbers are heat-resistant but not cold-resistant, and Berber horses and camels are not adapted to the land with many rivers and lakes. Their fighting power in Bulgaria is definitely not as good as that in North Africa."

Anand listened and nodded silently.

"You're right. I've never thought about these things before."

"You are already very impressive. The idea of ​​thickening the breastplate is very forward-looking. The heavy cavalry in the future should move in this direction."

“But details are equally important and can often largely determine the success or failure of a war.”

Mahmood smiled and patted Anand on the shoulder.

"Speaking of the Armored Paladins, they are indeed very powerful. In terms of individual combat capability, even our Kapikulu Cavalry cannot compare to them."

"However, they are fewer in number, only 500 men, and slower, making them a poor match for infantry phalanxes, but we can use our mobility advantage to quickly leave before they can charge."

"That's why I said that even if we succeed in breaking through their army formation, we must leave before they reorganize their formation."

Mahmoud looked to the south, his eyes flickering.

"What we need to do is to inspire fear in their hearts and reduce their fighting spirit through the sudden appearance of a large number of cavalry."

"When they finally organized their troops, we had already left and disappeared into the darkness."

"When they start to panic, get scared, and start to flee, our infantry will arrive just in time to secure victory in one fell swoop."

"Grand Vizier, you have always said that Isaac III was also a very powerful monarch. Didn't he realize that there were problems with his military system?"

Anand frowned, tore off a piece of venison and continued asking.

"Of course he knows that the musket and spear phalanx are his reforms. With this infantry phalanx, their disadvantage over cavalry can be alleviated to a great extent, and they can even counter the cavalry."

Mahmoud sighed again.

"Their overall national strength has far surpassed ours. Their military-industrial system is very complete, and their military strength has left us far behind. We have lost the ability to engage in a head-on battle. We must be surprising and cunning."

"The victory or defeat of this war depends entirely on us. If we fail, even if Vlad III's infantry arrives as scheduled, it will be useless."

Anand bit his lip.

"What if we succeed but Vlad III's infantry fails to arrive on time?"

"Then we won't be able to achieve a major victory. We will probably just have to watch the Greek army leave Varna and return to the south to continue resting."

Mahmoud smiled bitterly.

"If that is the case, even though we have temporarily lifted the siege of Varna, we will still be forced out of Eastern Bulgaria by the regrouped Greek army and retreat step by step until our ultimate defeat."

The two of them didn't say anything else. They quietly ate the dry food in their hands, narrowed their eyes slightly, and recovered their strength.

The sound of horse hooves was heard in the distance, and a row of Akınki cavalry came up to the two of them. The leading captain helped a middle-aged man dressed as a farmer off his horse.

"Grand Vizier, he has been waiting in the forest you mentioned, and he has answered the secret code. He should be the person you are looking for."

Mahmoud nodded and looked at the Bulgarian peasants who were hunched over each other.

When the farmer saw Mahmoud, the dullness in his eyes disappeared and his back straightened a little.

"Grand Vizier, reporting to you."

"Choros, are you the only one? Where are the other spies?"

Mahmoud frowned.

"Some are dead, and some are participating in the siege and can't get away. I sneaked out with a few Bulgarian civilians last night and arrived at the place you scheduled to deliver the information to you."

"Maybe someone else will come after a while." Choros said quietly.

Mahmoud took out a purse and handed it to Choros.

"Tell me, what's the situation now?"

Choros took the purse, shook it, and immediately put on a smiling face.

"Grand Vizier, you may not know that not long ago, the Greek emperor himself came to the city of Varna."

"Also coming with him is his second son, Alexios."

"what?!"

Mahmoud's eyes widened.

"Grand Vizier, you can't catch them both. The Greek emperor's residence is very close to the port and he can board the ship at any time."

Choros guessed what Mahmoud was thinking.

Mahmoud felt a little regretful, but still nodded.

"This is normal."

"If he really sets up camp outside, that would be a problem."

"However, if he really runs away, the morale of the army will definitely be severely hit, which is also a good thing."

"How's the siege going?"

"Varna is holding on hard, but it has not fallen yet."

Choros said.

"When Emperor Isaac arrived in Varna, he was very dissatisfied with General Conti's progress in the siege. He scolded him in public, and Prince Alexius could not persuade him to stop."

"After the snow fell, General Conti was originally going to let the soldiers rest, but Emperor Isaac insisted on forcing the army to attack the city wall, which angered the people."

"After the snow, their artillery was not effective, and the progress of the siege was greatly slowed down. They could only fill the gap with human lives."

"As soon as he arrived, he forced the civilians to go to the battlefield, resulting in many civilians dying tragically. Everyone was very angry, and many took the opportunity to escape."

Choros paused.

“That’s how I escaped.”

Mahmoud nodded, the doubt in his eyes disappearing a little.

"How are their tents deployed? Have you stolen the garrison map?"

"They were very defensive and no one was able to steal it."

Choros shook his head dejectedly.

"But I noted down where some of the legions were stationed."

The doubt in Mahmoud's eyes dissipated a little.

"The Greek emperor's camp is outside the temporary military port. The armored holy cavalry and the First Guards Legion are stationed around him. It is the farthest away from us."

"The large phalanx of musketeers you are most concerned about is stationed in the center of the camp. There are three guards corps, totaling 6,000 people."

Mahmoud and Anand looked at each other with serious expressions.

"The other legions are stationed in various parts of the barracks. I can't remember their exact locations at the moment, so I only carefully noted down the ones you are most concerned about."

"As for the Slaves cavalry, they have a total of two thousand-man teams. Their camps are located on the outermost side. They are usually responsible for going out for reconnaissance."

"There are also some Berber conscripted cavalry participating in the reconnaissance. Their combat effectiveness and morale are low, so they shouldn't cause any trouble to you."

Choros thought for a moment and continued.

"There is also a special unit, the Archers from Constantinople, a total of 1,500 people. Some of them were lost in the siege. They are very brave and also use matchlocks and plank axes."

Mahmoud was quite satisfied and threw another purse to Choros.

"As of now, what is the situation of the Grand Phalanx?"

"Grand Vizier, it's snowing, so the matchlocks are severely restricted. The Greek emperor is reluctant to let them attack the city walls with their planks and axes, so he has been keeping them hiding in the barracks."

The smile on Choros' face became even more intense, and he quickly spoke.

"How is the morale of the siege troops now?"

"Well... they have been besieging for half a year and have been unable to take the city. Although they have sufficient supplies, their morale is inevitably a little low. After the Greek emperor arrived, things have improved a little."

Choros thought for a moment and said.

"But their morale is definitely not so low that it will collapse at any moment. You have to be prepared."

"I understand that the Greek army should not be underestimated. It is definitely much stronger than ordinary armies."

Mahmoud thought.

"By the way, according to your observation, what kind of army is the Shooting Army? I only know that they also use muskets and conscript soldiers. What is their specific combat effectiveness?"

"They look pretty good, but they mainly rely on their bravery and strength. They haven't received professional training like the Great Square Formation. I can't tell how strong they are in combat."

"They are all drunkards, which is a sin that Allah cannot tolerate. It hurts their brains, and their fighting ability should be just so-so."

Choros said.

"Okay, you did a good job. Take a break here. I still need to wait for the other spies to come back and report."

Mahmoud waved his hand and drove Choros away.

Mahmoud asked in a low voice after calling Captain Ajinki.

"Did you encounter any special situation when you came here?"

“Is there anyone following this person?”

"No, Grand Vizier."

Captain Akimki shook his head.

"We followed your instructions and waited in the dark for a long time. We also deliberately led him around a few times and didn't run into the Greek cavalry."

"but……"

Captain Ajinkyi hesitated for a moment and looked at Mahmoud.

"We found some traces of the Roma on the road and saw their caravans in the distance."

"Roma?"

Mahmoud didn't remember it for a moment.

"Aginganos, in Greek, means those wandering bastards."

Captain Akimki uttered a Greek word.

"What are they doing?"

Mahmoud asked.

"It seems they are migrating. Varna is under siege, and they have to find a place to spend the winter."

"They were quite far away, so I didn't care about them."

"You're right. We can't have any complications."

Mahmoud patted him on the shoulder and told him to go and rest for a while.

"Grand Vizier, do you think the Bulgarian peasant's words are credible?"

Anand came closer and asked in a low voice.

"It's basically credible. We have other spies, some of whom he doesn't even know. The cost of lying is too high, and he can't afford it."

Anand nodded.

"Isaac III is here. Will this affect our plans?"

Mahmoud frowned slightly, then relaxed.

"It's hard to say. Even if there is an impact, do you think we can turn back now?"

Mahmoud smiled bitterly.

"Wait for the follow-up scouts to arrive, we will verify the information, and then charge immediately."

"This time, we must succeed!"

……

It was snowing outside the curtain, but there was a fire burning in the tent, making it warm as spring.

In the camp, Isaac and Conti sat around the fire, drinking and chatting.

The curtains opened, and the gypsy chieftain Rao came in, accompanied by Alexios, and bowed to Isaac.

"Your Majesty, we have found Mahmoud's trail. They are moving very fast and have now arrived in the north of Varna. We are less than two hours away."

Rao said respectfully.

"How many people are there? How strong are they?"

Isaac asked in a low voice, perking up himself.

"Not sure yet, Your Majesty."

Rao said.

"Based on our observations of the horse hoof prints, their number is probably around several thousand, including both light and heavy cavalry."

Isaac nodded slightly and looked at Conte.

"Are you all ready?"

"All is ready, Your Majesty."

Conte said with a smile.

"Continue to push civilians and second-line troops to the front line to create the illusion of a desperate siege."

Isaac commanded.

"I have done as you asked, Your Majesty."

Conte hesitated for a moment.

"However, many Bulgarian civilians began to flee, and there may be many Mahmoud's spies among them."

"It doesn't matter. I let them run away on purpose."

Isaac smiled, pushed aside the curtain and looked towards the gloomy sky in the north.

The siege of Varna continued. Civilians and Berber vassal troops were forced onto the battlefield. Their morale was low and they were unwilling to fight to the death, so the defending soldiers had an easy time.

The snow was still falling and the sea breeze brought a chill, but Isaac's heart was burning with fire.

"War Marshal? Humph, I will make sure he never returns!"

(End of this chapter)