1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 296: Mounting a Warhorse
The river meanders and flows towards the north. Compared with a few days ago, the water is much clearer, but there are still a lot of dead branches, leaves, dead fish and rotten wood floating on the surface.

Compared with previous years, the river's channel has become noticeably wider, the water more turbulent, and there are signs of flooding in the villages and castles along the coast.

This is the Sakarya River, a long river originating from the Anatolian Plateau. Due to the influence of the mountains, the river channel twists and turns, forming a large "S"-shaped loop. It is blocked by mountains to the east of Nicaea and changes its course to the north and flows into the Black Sea.

The Sakarya River is one of the largest rivers in the Anatolian Peninsula with the largest drainage area and one of the longest rivers.

The most famous rivers in Anatolia are the Euphrates and the Tigris, but the upper reaches of these two world rivers are mostly high mountains and canyons, and there are no large agricultural areas. Before electricity came onto the historical stage, their utilization value was extremely limited.

Compared with these two rivers, the Sakarya River can be called the "River of Life" in Anatolia. It has a wide basin area, suitable for farming and nomadism, and many large cities are distributed along the river.

Ankara, Afyon, Kutahya, Sakarya...

The Sakarya River flows through plateaus, hills and plains. The upper reaches rely on meltwater from snow mountains, while the middle and lower reaches rely on spring and winter precipitation in the Mediterranean climate. It is an important irrigation agricultural area.

In addition to its uses in people's livelihood and economy, the Sakarya River also has important military value. The lower reaches run from south to north, separating the densely populated areas along the coast from the inland plateau areas, forming a good natural barrier.

In the early days of the Palaiologos dynasty of the Eastern Roman Empire, several emperors built a large number of defensive facilities on the banks of the Sakarya River, which were successful to a certain extent and slowed down the invasion of the Turks.

However, perhaps because its luck was running out, the Palaiologos dynasty seemed to be punished by heaven and was always disrupted by sudden natural disasters.

In 1302, the Sakarya River flooded, and the fortifications and castles built by the Eastern Roman Empire on the left bank of the river suffered a severe blow. The Ottomans seized the opportunity, broke through the defense line, turned the fertile land in western Anatolia into a hunting ground, and gnawed off piece of fat from the aging body of the Eastern Roman Empire.

The flood in Sakarya allowed the Ottomans to gain a firm foothold in western Anatolia, the earthquake in Gallipoli allowed them to reach the Balkans, and the blood moon and fire in Constantinople made the defenders in the city panic...

The prosperity of a country requires 99% hard work and 1% luck, but history is full of coincidences. That 1% of luck is often the most important and may very well change the course of history.

In the face of nature, human power is insignificant. Even if we are extremely angry, we can only swallow the bitter fruit.

On the east bank of the Sakarya River, a large army was setting up camp. The tents were connected but in a mess, and were clearly divided into three parts.

The area in the center is relatively neat, with guards and patrols coming and going to guard every key point. The deep trenches, neatly arranged chevaux de frise and dense arrow towers also show that this team is well-trained.

This is Prince Bayezid's Kapikulu Central Army, which was assigned to the Eastern Legion before the war. Because it has been retreating all the time, it has never encountered a tough battle and its strength is relatively well preserved. However, its morale has fallen to a low point with repeated retreats, and its number of people is only 1,500.

There were military camps scattered around the Kapikulu Central Army. These camps were much more messy, with weapons and flags thrown on the ground at random, chevaux de frise and trenches built in a perfunctory manner, and the sounds of gambling insults and women's giggles mixed with the smell of alcohol and smoke spreading all around, making it very lively.

These were Prince Bayezid's conscripted soldiers, some of them were Sipahi knights, some were Ajinki light cavalry, and more were forcibly conscripted Azabi infantry. They had low morale, poor equipment, and lack of food and clothing. They had no way to vent their dissatisfaction and resentment, and could only numb themselves with sensory stimulation.

This type of soldiers is the largest in number, about 10,000 people, and their quality is also mixed. The Sipahi knights are slightly better, while the Akıncı light cavalry and Azab infantry have almost lost the ability to fight head-on.

The Sipahi Knights were the military feudal cavalry of the Ottoman Empire and were considered the most basic aristocratic cavalry. Since the prosperity of each fiefdom varied greatly, there were both light and heavy cavalry.

After the 15th century, the Ottoman fiefdom system gradually collapsed and began to turn to hereditary succession. The fiefs that provided money and food became increasingly corrupt, and those that provided soldiers also lost the bravery and fighting ability they had when they first entered the pass.

In fact, this problem has long been no secret, and it has been reflected since the reign of Murad II. As soon as Mehmed II came to power, he tried to make drastic reforms to the Sipahi system, trying to get rid of the old feudal conscription system and strengthen the Kapikulu Central Army, and achieved certain results.

However, Mehmed II's reforms came to nothing amid a series of military failures. The loss of the Balkans and the reduction in the strength of the Janissary Corps forced the Sultan to rely on the majority of the Turkish nobles, and the corruption of the fiefdom system became more serious.

In fact, both Timar and Sipahi were vested interests in the Ottoman Empire. His Majesty the Sultan had already ceded a lot of power to them, and they had no reason to rebel, so they had always been loyal to the Sultan.

However, in order to preserve his strength, Prince Bayezid, who was in charge of military affairs in the East, adopted the strategy of "trading space for time" and gradually withdrew with the Sipahis recruited from the Anatolian Plateau, "giving" their land to the Aq Qoyunlu Dynasty.

This move made many Sipahi knights very dissatisfied. Although Bayezid repeatedly promised that he would re-grant them their fiefdoms, many of them went directly to Uzungol Hassan with their equipment. Others stayed under Bayezid's coercion and inducement, but their fighting will was very weak. They soon became corrupt and joined other conscripts, looting, burning, killing, raping and insulting, and became old veterans.

As for the other elite troops of the Ottoman Empire, a part of the Kapikulu Central Army was responsible for guarding Nicomedia, and the rest were firmly held near the capital by the nobles of Bursa, for fear of a surprise attack by the Eastern Roman Empire; the equally elite Delhi Knights had long been completely disbanded with the loss of the Rumelia province, and the rest were incorporated into the Kapikulu Central Army.

Not far from Bayezid's royal tent, there was a relatively independent military camp. Their morale was much higher, and the faces of the soldiers passing by were full of pride, complacency and arrogance.

This was the reinforcement sent by the Aq Qoyunlu to Prince Bayezid, totaling 4,000 elite cavalry, led by Khalil, the eldest son of Uzung Hassan.

At present, the relationship between the White Sheep Dynasty and the Ottoman Empire was very delicate. Uzung Hassan dispersed his troops and occupied the remaining territories of the Ottoman Empire on the Anatolian Plateau, while sending reinforcements to Bayezid in an attempt to slow down the offensive of the Eastern Roman Empire.

Mehmed II made no comment. The Eastern Roman army in the northwest, the dire situation in Bursa and the endless rebellions in the southwest had exhausted him. He had originally planned to lead the army in person, but he had to stay in Bursa to stabilize the situation and did not dare to step out of the palace.

On the bank of the Sakarya River, Bayezid sat upright on his horse, staring silently at the turbid river surface.

On the river not far away, civilians were building a pontoon bridge, and on the river bank, teams of soldiers were preparing.

As early as the spring, Bayezid's army had arrived at the Sakarya River, preparing to cross the river from the city of Sakarya and attack the siege camp under the city of Nicomedia.

Sakarya and Nicomedia are not far apart, with a straight-line distance of only 40 kilometers. If the situation is good, without infantry, the cavalry can rush to the city of Nicomedia in just two days and complete the raid and relief.

In fact, the Ottoman Empire had formulated a series of plans long ago, preparing to use Nicomedia as bait to lure the army of the Eastern Roman Empire. This port city has strong defenses and complete defensive facilities. The warehouses are full of military supplies collected from various places. The defenders in the city are also of good quality and can defend for a long time.

After the war broke out, Nicomedia did prove its excellence and successfully made the Eastern Roman Empire consume a huge number of vassal soldiers, artillery shells and military supplies. If all of these were converted into money, the amount would be extremely terrifying.

After the fall of Nicaea as expected, the Eastern Roman army began to withdraw, and Nicomedia became an isolated city deep in enemy territory and was subjected to another fierce attack.

Several months passed, and the Eastern Roman Empire's attack on Nicomedia went from rapid to slow, and then to the final outbreak. The defenders of Nicomedia had been waiting for no reinforcements, and the situation was already precarious.

According to Bayezid's plan, the Eastern Legion he led would reach the banks of the Sakarya River in March, advance to Nicomedia before the fall of Nicaea, defeat the Eastern Roman Empire's siege army, making it impossible for them to take care of both ends, and then gradually eliminate small groups of enemies to achieve complete victory.

However, Bayezid obviously overestimated his prestige and the quality of the conscripted soldiers. Prince Bayezid, who had never won a great victory, found it difficult to gain the full trust of the soldiers like his ancestors. His "saving people and losing land" move also made him lose the support of the people. After the army set out from Ankara, it stopped and went for several months and finally arrived at the end of April.

Of course, this cannot be entirely blamed on Prince Bayezid. The current Ottoman troops are mainly conscripted soldiers. These soldiers do not require salary and bring their own horses and weapons to fight for the Sultan.

You can save some money, but food must be provided. If you dare not provide them with food, they will knock on the pot.

In order to raise food for the army, Bayezid had to allow his soldiers to loot villages and raise food on their own, which wasted a lot of time.

When these people are looting villages, they don't care about religious beliefs. Orthodox, Sunni, Shia, they rob everyone. The more they rob, the more addicted they become, and the less they want to fight a tough battle.

Bayezid was very angry about this and asked the commanders to restrain their soldiers, but he was met with their ridicule.

They can do without salary and can bring their own weapons, but the premise of all this is that the Sultan must guarantee the safety of their fiefdoms and their lands.

You have given away all my fiefs, you have abandoned my hometown, and the Turkmen tribe is humiliating my wife and daughter. What right do you have to try to restrict my military discipline?

What's wrong with grabbing a little bit of stuff? They didn't rush into Bursa directly because of the face of several generations of Ottoman ancestors!

In this way, Bayezid's army crawled at a snail's pace, and when they finally reached the east bank of the lower reaches of Sakarya and prepared to cross the river, a flood broke out.

The temperature rose in the spring of 1471, and the snow accumulated in the previous years melted a lot, causing another flood in western Anatolia. The level of the Sakarya River rose rapidly, blocking Bayezid's way.

For a powerful dynasty, a flood is nothing. The Sakarya River floods frequently. When the flood recedes, the land along the coast becomes very fertile and soon regains its vitality.

However, for Bayezid at this time, this flood was really fatal, just like the one that the Eastern Roman Empire had encountered more than a hundred years ago. A series of riverside towns including Sakarya were eroded, and the town of Karasu at the estuary was directly destroyed.

After the flood subsided a little, a detachment of the Eastern Roman army set out from Nicomedia, easily captured the city of Sacharia on the west bank of the river, and camped on the high ground southwest of the city.

Now it was summer and the flooding of the Sakarya River had improved. Prince Bayezid gathered the scattered grain-collecting troops and prepared to cross the river to rescue Nicomedia.

The Sakarya River is very long, and the terrain in the lower reaches is flat and wide, suitable for crossing the river. The army of the Eastern Roman Empire was unable to block the entire river.

In Prince Bayezid's view, the siege of Nicomedia was prolonged and even a strong army would inevitably encounter a series of problems. As long as he led his elite troops to rush towards the camp, the Eastern Roman Empire's siege army would collapse without a fight.

Under the dual pressure of food shortage and material shortage, the Ottoman Empire could no longer fight. They had to find the right opportunity as soon as possible to break the situation.

In order to carry out this plan that was already full of loopholes, the army of Bursa also changed its strategy and began to march towards Nicaea in small groups, harassing the army of the Eastern Roman Empire and doing everything possible to delay them.

"Your Highness, the plan has been made. The vanguard force consists of 7,000 cavalry, including all the Kapikulu, a portion of the more motivated conscripted cavalry, and the reinforcements of the Aries Dynasty."

Ishaq walked towards Bayezid and stood behind him.

"Has His Highness Khalil agreed to send troops?"

Bayezid looked eagerly at his confidants.

"Yes, His Highness Khalil said that he is willing to lead his cavalry to assist in the battle, but he must retain his autonomy. You cannot force them to complete tasks they are unwilling to do."

Ishaq responded expressionlessly. "They don't want to be the vanguard and will cross the river in the second or third group."

"That's fine too. As long as the Aries army arrives at the battlefield, everything will be fine."

Bayezid lowered his eyes and sighed.

To be honest, Bayezid no longer had any expectations for his army. His only confidence came from the 4,000 elite Aries soldiers led by Khalil. Among these people, 1,000 were Uzum Hassan's personal soldiers. They were heavily armored, each with three horses, and were well-trained.

However, the two biggest shortcomings of this army were its disobedience and brutality. Along the way, they had looted dozens of Ottoman villages without mercy, and had fought several battles with several Ottoman troops that were also heading for the villages, which made Bayezid very embarrassed.

Bayezid knew that the army he had forcibly put together was on the verge of collapse. If he dragged on, he would sooner or later completely lose control of them.

“What is the current situation of Kocaeli Fortress?”

Bayezid asked.

"It hasn't been lost yet, but we have run out of ammunition and food. When the weather got hot, a plague broke out in the city. Fortunately, the Greek army besieging the city was also infected, which is why it has been delayed until now."

Ishaq said.

"I suggest you speed up. The Greek-occupied city of Sakarya is just to the south. The flood has receded, and their cavalry will appear on the river bank soon."

"I do want to."

Bayezid smiled bitterly and shook his head.

"You were out collecting food and fodder before, so you don't have a deep understanding of the situation here."

"After the flood, several ferry crossings were destroyed. We want to build a floating bridge, which requires a lot of civilian boats."

Bayezid pointed to the floating bridge being built on the river.

“When I first came here, I visited several fishing villages hoping to borrow their fishing boats.”

"Guess what? It's gone!"

Bayezid's eyes darkened.

"The flood washed away some of it, and the rest was bought by the Greeks at a high price."

"I asked them why they wanted to sell their fishing boats, which were their livelihood, and they said they wanted to buy food. If they ran out of food, they would starve to death."

Ishaq was silent for a moment and licked his cracked lips.

"So how did you deal with them?"

"No action was taken, but soon after, the Aries people ran over and robbed them all. I couldn't do anything about it."

Bayezid sighed heavily.

"It took another half a month to cut wood and build the boat."

"However, flooding is not entirely a bad thing. At least the Greek warships cannot get through."

Bayezid waved his hand.

"I will gather you together after everything is almost ready."

"I used to think that having money is nothing special. As long as you have a strong enough army, no one can be your opponent."

Bayezid pursed his lips.

"Now I realize that as long as you are rich enough, you can really crush a powerful country with gold."

"The Greeks have money, but it's not endless. As long as this plan succeeds, we still have hope of a comeback."

Ishaq consoled.

"Forget it. Even if we can win, even if we drive them back to Rumelia, the Greek emperor can still make a comeback in a few years."

Bayezid was somewhat pessimistic.

"You don't know yet, do you? The Greek colony discovered gold. It's a large gold mine, very close to the coast, and easy to mine."

"The Greek emperor opened up the gold mines to the public, sparking a gold rush. For every ten pounds mined, he charged seven pounds, so the gold diggers still made money."

"He also sent two large warships to escort the gold to avoid pirate attacks, and then used the gold mine tax as collateral to borrow money from big merchants, built four Portuguese light gunboats, and expanded the army by several thousand people."

"Every gold coin he plunders can be turned into national strength, and he can then use the increasingly strong national strength to carry out deeper plunder. His prestige also ensures the stability of the country. In the long run, it will only become stronger and stronger."

"Tell me, how do we win?"

Bayezid complained to his good friend with an annoyed look on his face.

Ishaq dismissed the guards and listened quietly to Bayezid's confession. After a long while, Bayezid stopped talking and stared at him.

"Is your highness feeling better?"

Ishaq asked with a smile.

"Much better, thank you."

Bayezid forced a smile and returned to his serious state.

"Let the soldiers get ready. After the vanguard troops cross the river, the infantry must also complete the crossing within a week."

After Bayezid finished speaking, he came to the nearby pontoon bridge accompanied by his personal guards.

The pontoon bridge is almost completed. The recruited civilian workers are using ropes and wooden boards to carry out the final reinforcement. The vanguard troops on the shore are also ready to go.

These people were Bayezid's last elite troops. Some of them came from Kapikulu's central army, and the other part was the Sipahi cavalry who had not yet lost their fiefdoms. They would serve as the vanguard and clear the way for the subsequent troops.

Even if military supplies are in short supply, these people will not be deprived of the treatment they deserve. They are the most loyal to Bayezid and have the highest combat effectiveness.

If it were in normal times, this army would have a bright future. As the prince's personal soldiers, they would reap great rewards after Bayezid ascended the throne. Many of them would be in high positions as a result, and it is not impossible for them to become the next Mahmoud.

But now, the country is in danger and they have to sacrifice their lives for their prince.

Bayezid climbed up a mound and looked at the crowd. The soldiers' whispers of conversation gradually stopped and they looked at him. Compared to a year ago, there was not much enthusiasm left in their eyes, but more pessimism and determination.

Obviously, they did not think they could win this battle easily, nor did they think that the Eastern Roman siege army was as vulnerable as Bayezid said. They were just making a last fight for their prince out of gratitude and loyalty.

Bayezid understood this clearly, took a deep breath, and knew he should say something to boost morale.

"I don't understand why everyone is talking about Allah's wrath and the disasters that follow one after another, as if the ancient battlefield of Sakarya is destined to be a disaster for us."

"More than a hundred years ago, our ancestors set out on their journey from here. Wherever our army went, the enemy was defeated. The scene of the golden swords and iron horses, swallowing up the vast land, is still vivid in our minds."

"Today, let us start again from here, restore the glory of our ancestors, and let the Greeks have a taste of our power!"

Bayezid squeezed out the words from between his teeth, climbed onto his horse and drew his scimitar.

"Mount on the warhorse, we are still the descendants of Osman!"

In the summer of 1471, the flood of the Sakarya River receded, and the Ottoman prince Bayezid led the vanguard troops across the river from the north of Sakarya City and occupied several deserted villages without encountering any resistance or even a few human figures.

Afterwards, Prince Khalil of the Aq Qoyunlu led 4,000 elite troops across the pontoon bridge, joined forces with Bayezid, mounted their horses, and headed westward, rushing towards Nicomedia regardless of anything.

(End of this chapter)