OBS Chapter 672 Situation
Chapter 672 Situation
Chapter 672 Situation
The cheers from Constantinople were still clear and audible even from such a distance.
Coupled with the remnants of the defeated army retreating back to the camp in a panic, it was like a loud slap in the face of Mahamu II, who had stayed up all night observing the battle situation.
The Ottoman high-ranking officials had different thoughts, but no matter what they thought in their hearts, they did not dare to show any emotion on their faces.
In last night's battle, our side had already given its all. The main force was not only the elite Janissaries, but also many guards trained by Mahamut II when he was governor of Asia Minor.
Although the battle situation was bumpy, the Greeks were still defeated due to the absolute power gap.
Just when the outcome was about to be decided, three ships from Rhodes Island sailed into the Golden Horn. More than one hundred Knights Hospitallers and three hundred retainers descended like gods from heaven and turned the tide of the battle.
A blood-soaked Pasha led the remnants of his defeated army back to the camp. As soon as he entered the tent, he angrily accused: "We are only one step away from capturing Constantiniya for your Majesty. I want to know what our fleet is for?
It's fine that we can't attack the Golden Horn, which is guarded by the Greeks, but can't we even blockade the Aegean Sea? The empire spends a huge amount of wealth every year to support you, is it just to support a group of gluttons who eat bread?"
A naval general present at the meeting couldn't help but curse inwardly, "It's easy to talk without any pain in your waist."
The passage to the Black Sea was cut off by the two fortresses of Rumelia and Anatolia. Logically, the fleet only needed to block the enemy reinforcements coming from the south. To an outsider, this was not a difficult problem.
But in fact, the Ottoman siege of Constantinople required a huge amount of military supplies, which could not be dispatched only from inland areas. A large number of ships were needed for transportation, and the entire Aegean Sea was never idle.
In particular, there were a large number of fleets from Genoa and Venice. The Ottomans cooperated with both sides, and many military supplies such as gunpowder were purchased from them, which was quite in line with the style of capital without borders in later generations.
As a result, the Ottoman fleet, in principle, needed to inspect every passing ship, but in practice this was simply impossible.
What's more, the Pirate Knights of Rhodes Island possessed many holy relics and extraordinary people. If they were caught so easily, how could these pirates who flew cross flags and wantonly plundered Zoroastrian caravans have been able to run rampant in the Mediterranean for so long?
Even in the original history, there was no influence of extraordinary factors.
Constantinople's naval blockade was still not very tight. Not only did Constantine XI send ships for help, but the Pope also raised funds to purchase supply ships, and three Genoese merchant ships also broke through the Ottoman naval blockade and entered the Golden Horn.
However, no matter how much he cursed in his heart, he did not dare to show it at this moment, and could only helplessly explain: "After all, it was a rainy night last night, and the ships those pirate knights were riding were more flexible than ours, and the wind direction was in their favor..."
Hearing him say this, the Pasha became even more angry: "How dare you say that on a rainy night? Our soldiers launched an attack overnight in the cold rain, and you were still sleeping in your warm bed!"
"enough!"
Mahamu II said angrily, his pale golden eyes belonging to a dragonborn staring at the battle-torn Four Beta flag that was still hanging high.
"Even if you kill him now, can you take this city for me?"
He snorted coldly. When the news came, he wanted to smash his naval commander's head with his cane.
"This time, I will not hold anyone responsible. But next time, if there is someone who neglects his duty again, I guarantee that his fate will be more terrible than death."
next time?
Your Majesty, are you still not giving up?
The Ottoman high-ranking officials looked at each other. Deep down, they no longer had any hope of taking the city.
In fact, not everyone wanted Mahamu II to win the battle and further enhance his prestige.
Working under a strong monarch is not a good thing.
But at the moment, they could not think of any reason that would allow them to withdraw their troops in a dignified manner. After all, this was the first major thing done by Mahamu II, the new king, after he ascended the throne. If he failed, it would undoubtedly be a heavy blow to the prestige of the new king who had already stepped down in disgrace once.
There is no way the new king, who has lofty ambitions, would be willing to swallow this bitter fruit.
As for letting Mahamu II ride a dragon into battle himself, even if there was such an idea, they, as ministers, could not say it out loud. It could only be proposed by Mahamu II himself. Otherwise, who could bear the label of not caring about the safety of the monarch?
"I know what you are thinking now. Yes, we suffered a huge loss last night. We were about to break through the enemy's defense and seize this sweet red apple, but a group of pirates reversed the situation.
Anyone would feel frustrated, but our losses are heavy, so would the enemy's losses be smaller?
Could it be that just three or four hundred pirate knights could change the situation where the Greek emperor could only rely on the weak Greeks and the Latin mercenaries who were known for their weakness and fear of death?
How are those pirate knights compared to our defeated Dragon Knights?"
"Your Majesty, the losses we have suffered are too great. Once we become weak, the Europeans, the Karamans, and even Timur's lackeys, the Aq Qoyunlu, may pounce on us like vicious dogs and plunder our territory."
Grand Vizier Kandali said cautiously: “Your Majesty, why don’t you send someone to negotiate peace with the Greek emperor? As long as they are willing to pay three times the previous tribute, we will agree to lift the siege.
In this way, even if the Greeks were given a few years to recuperate, they would not be able to save enough money to strengthen their city defenses and prepare for war.
Mahamu II showed an unhappy look: "Needless to say, I will fight this city to the death. Either she defeats me, or I conquer her."
Mahamu II, holding the scepter, sneered and said, "I can afford more time than Constantine XI! Pass on my order, the whole army will rest for ten days. After ten days, I will personally lead the troops to fight a decisive battle with the Greeks."
The Ottoman officials had different expressions on their faces, but facing this powerful monarch, they could only obey his orders.
Faced with the current situation, Mahamut II has decided to take action himself.
But he still couldn't feel at ease until the threat of the Dragon Shooting Crossbow was eliminated.
He asked, "How long will it take for the dragon from the Dragon Farm to be delivered?"
...
Viviana was not at peace during her meditation. She woke up several times, went to the window to look at the four β imperial flags that were still standing, and then lay down again.
The battlefield needs iron-hearted warriors, not soft-hearted poets.
When she heard the news that the first city wall was about to fall, she could hardly control her desire to go to support, but in the end she chose to trust Lothar's decision.
She is not a good decision maker, and she knows it.
Otherwise, her father would not have expressed both relief and disappointment every time he saw that she had such a talent.
The old Emperor Franz would not value a woman from the Hohenzollern family who had competed with him for the leadership of Germany, and would not support her to become the representative of the Germanic people.
Fortunately.
The battle was won.
Listening to people's cheers, Viviana walked out of her tent.
Only a small part of her mental strength was restored, but it was enough for her to exert her full strength in a small-scale battle that did not last that long.
The streets were filled with cheering people.
The priests held the holy images and sang hymns loudly.
"The reinforcements from the Knights Hospitaller arrived. They joined the battle at the critical moment and defeated the Ottomans in one fell swoop."
"Is it just the Latins' credit? Last night, His Majesty personally stood on the top of the city wall and fought to the end. He didn't even take a step back. You know, His Majesty hasn't closed his eyes for three days and three nights!"
"God save your Majesty, God save Rome!"
"Long live Rome, long live your Majesty!"
The victory of this battle obviously greatly boosted the morale of the defenders. The bloody city siege and defense, as well as the horrific death toll, seemed to become insignificant under this atmosphere.