Chapter 586: The Price To Pay
At the bustling harbour of Constantine, in Thessaloniki, the crew of a war galley was busily preparing their vessel for an imminent journey.
"Do take good care of yourself, madam," implored Abdullah, as he gently held Lady Therma’s hands. "If you’ll allow me, I must offer my condolences once more for Lord Giustinianni. However, as his old comrade, I find it necessary to reiterate; life must persist, irrespective of what tragedies have unfolded before us. He has left in your care a child wholly dependent on you."
"I appreciate your words, Lord Miralai," responded Therma Sphrantzes. She offered a slight bow in Abdullah’s direction before stepping back onto the war galley. Abdullah traded a mutual nod of respect with Mauro, who then also retreated onto the ship.
With a booming command from the captain, the galley unfurled its sails and began its steady voyage out of the harbour, charting a course for the North.
This galley, by all appearances, was unremarkable, save for the presence of three distinguished noble passengers. Yet merely half an hour into their journey, this seemingly inconsequential vessel was enveloped by an imposing fleet of over twenty galleys and thirty additional convoys. The scarlet Leo, the naval flag of Rome, waved majestically high above, punctuating the skyline. These ships, laden with the bulk of Julian’s southern forces, had embarked on a northbound journey from Archaea, drawn to a battlefield ignited by a conflict that had only begun the previous day.
...
Mauro instantly stopped playing around with the little Giovanni by the side as he turned serious, unlike lady Therma he is an exceled military commander for years, and combining this scene with all the bits and pieces of information that he has gathered in his weeklong stay in Thessaloniki, he has realised that this is a coordinated strike requiring a coordinated planning and long term planning. Which means that, the Caesar of Thessaloniki, got to be planning for today at least minimally a month plus ago.
Which is just nice about the same time when the news of Giovanni Giustinianni death is passed to him.
Mauro turned to Therma with a stern but relieved look. "Lady Therma, now I can assure you, that your husband’s definitely got a faithful friend."
A line of tears came sliding down of Therma’s cheeks.
...
The Ottomans have retreated to the last three forts that they have on the western front.
They had to, for their entire line of defence have already been breached, their flanks are already in severe danger, with numerous Rumelian cavalries already appearing on the plains behind the forts. Their supply route are already in grave danger of being entirely cut off. Things are really desperate for the Ottomans defenders here; the bey is not lying to his Sultan.
The time is already in high noon, as the Rumelians finally stopped their offensive actions due to the debris and piles after piles of corpses blocking their way. The Ottomans are not in the spirit to launch a counter offensive either, as the commanders of various ranks are still busy with regrouping their men, consolidating the amount of losses, and trying their very best to boost the morales of their soldiers – not many men can maintain a high spirit after receiving a shock to wake one up from their slumbers, and their eyes filled with blood, dirt, flames, fallen friends and comrades, and their ears with nothing but cries of agony and exchanging of blades all the way till now.
The Romans are not appearing to be on a better side either, for the losses they have gained for the first few forts is just way too much. Hamza Pasha planned everything when building these forts, including moats, murder holes, machicolations, towers, liquid boilers, sally ports and small but useful barbicans. Although Alaüddin Bey was not that equipped with military knowledge, but as the one who designed these forts, he surely knows where these things are and how to use them. In just one offensive, the Romans threw an entire eight hundred new bodies on the field, with more than six hundred men declared to unable to resume with any form of combat – that means a third of the Roman combatants have now been wiped out.
Helios said nothing, because he knew that this would happen. Antonius said nothing, because he now does not care about casualty rate, he only cares about the murders in Constantinople – he only came to eradicate the Ottomans once for good, because these men are blocking his way of revenge.
"Your Majesty." Helios called out to Antonius. "My men have chased all the remaining men into the last three forts, but at the same time the Turks have gained their ground, what should we do now?"
"You have done good, general Helios." Antonius took a peek at the sun above his head. "Our goals have been reached, now I need you to surround these forts by sealing off all of its exits, the Turks inside have already lost their morales to launch any offensive, we will now focus on encircling them, and watch out for any enemy reinforcements."
"Your Majesty." Helios continued with a dimmed face. "I do not mean to question you, but there are nothing but plains after these three fortresses."
"I know."
"The Sultan of the Turks will surely come with all of his might."
"I know."
Antonius waited for a moment, crashed a rock beneath his boots, murmuring to himself. "All will be fine; everything is acting according to my plan."
Helios did not reply.
Countless of Roman soldiers walked past Helios and his guards, but they have all seemed to have lost their respect for this commander, no one stopped to salute, not one even took a look at their commander; they are just like a bunch of walking dead carrying the tasks according to their orders. Helios knows, this is a dangerous sign meaning that his men are unable to continue laying siege to the fortifications, if not there will surely be a uproar within themselves, and by then the Romans would suffer from a defeat far worse than any in the past.
...
The Ottoman reinforcement surely came fast, for the first section of Ottoman cavalry arrived before dusk, just slightly after the Romans have managed to build some kind of simple barricades and fortifications. These cavalries did not launch any attacks, instead they just came lurking on the outside of the Roman temporary camps, lighting up one after another torch waving them towards the fortresses. This is to tell the desperate friendly forces trapped inside the forts that reinforcements have arrived – although not much, but still these torches can act some what as light cones of hope for them, for they are no longer alone in the fight.
Helios stared at these torches, he did not order his cavalries to go out to disperse them, because he has no idea what are lurking in the darkness beneath his eyes in the woods. His role now has been changed from offender to defender according to the ’plan’ of his Caesar.
Antonius stood watching towards the Ottomans as well, years of lives on the seas and sufficient nutrients have given him a pair of eagle sharp eyes that allows him to see a far distance away, but even he cannot be sure if there are ambushes lurking around in the woods.
More Ottoman troopers arrived on the spot as time passes.
It looks like the Sultan is pretty anxious in saving the two thousand plus men trapped in the fortresses, as he did not even allow his troops to have any rest upon arriving, and immediately ordered them to enter combat formations, sending flares into the night skies calling for the Ottomans inside the forts to come out and engage when the time is right, while the Sultan started riding around various armies, calling out to his faithful warriors boosting their strength, hoping to tear through an opening allowing supplies and medications to be sent into the forts, and encircle the Romans with the help of the fortresses, just like what Julius Caesar did to the Gallic tribes.
It is a brilliant tactic, Antonius nodded beneath his helmet, sighing over the fact that this kid, called Beyezid, do have the guts, resilience and intelligence of his father Mehmed in mastering and army, marching them here without chaos, and organise them into combat formation in such a short period of time. If this happened during any other time he would have dealt with this incoming threat in a more serious manner.
But not now.
There is, a reason, for most military commanders to not launch any formal attacks against a moving military target in this era, is because most of the population in this era are cursed by God for an unknown reason, especially for farmers and inhabitants in the Ottoman country sides: Unlike most of their Roman counterparts they are unable to see clearly in the darkness, which means that it would be hard for these troopers to march in a ordered manner.
The Sultan might possess all the positive traits of his father, but there is still one thing that he lacks:
Experience.
And he is going to pay for it.
With blood.
