Chapter 591: Caesar vs Sultan Part 5
The battle rages on under the cover of night,
Ottomans and Romans face their fates, sealed tight.
Like blood-soaked roses, the field unfolds,
Destinies entwined, stories yet to be told.
Ottomans charge forth, hearts ablaze with fire,
In this decisive wave, their empire’s desire.
Failure means downfall, fate teetering on a thread,
Their destiny hanging, by a single word unsaid.
Romans stand firm, reserves fully deployed,
Their strength and resolve, not to be destroyed.
One misstep, and their whole troop’s undone,
Mere jesters in the court, a battle never won.
Swords clash, cries echo beneath crimson skies,
Souls intertwined where hope and despair lies.
Survival the prize, amidst petals of red,
Blood-stained, shining blades, a story to be read.
Antonius has officially taken over command from Helios, for the later is now all the way at the back watching over the Ottoman garrisons.
It seems like the Ottomans has somehow managed to slip through the tight watch and passed some information into the hands of Alaüddin Bey, with the later finally woken up from his daydreams and started activating his troops again preparing for another offensive operation, aiming to break through the Roman encirclements and push the enemies on two sides like a ’V’ shape, eventually pushing the bulk of the Roman troops into the Aegean.
Helios sensed this, and thus he went back to command the two regiments guarding over the garrisons, sending all the rest of the men to the frontline. The three artilleries who are stuck behind due to poor road conditions are made into use on the spot aiming towards the gates of the fortresses and started pounding on the Ottomans within range, which in turn forced the Ottomans back, successfully delaying them in their actions.
Antonius tirelessly moved back and forth along the entire Roman formation, accompanied by a group of guards acting as firefighters. Whenever the troops showed signs of collapsing, he joined the frontline formations, filling the gaps and preventing the enemy from breaking through. Antonius was not the kind of leader who would stay protected at the back and watch his warriors perish. With the two armies locked in a tangled battle, there was limited role for the main commander. Instead, Antonius chose to immerse himself in the fray, offering his support wherever it was needed and moving on to the next crisis once it was resolved.
The soldiers were not mere figurines to Antonius; they were human beings with emotions, pride, feelings, and beliefs. In this critical moment, Antonius had become their beacon of hope, a symbol of victory. His presence alone boosted their morale, instilling in them the belief that they could overcome any obstacle. He fought alongside them, exerting every ounce of his strength without disrupting the chain of command.
Antonius understood that his soldiers were not just pawns on a chessboard; they were individuals with hopes and dreams. He embodied their collective spirit, inspiring them to push through the challenges of war. In the midst of chaos, he served as a constant reminder of their shared purpose and the possibility of triumph. His unwavering dedication fuelled their determination, enabling them to fight with renewed vigour, united under his leadership.
The young Sultan is no different from his senior either, he knows that he has thrown all the things he have into this battle, he knows that the Roman troops are going to collapse any time soon, he knows that his troops still have the capabilities to drag on the fight if he pushes them a little longer, he knows that his trusted Janissary cavalries are engaged with the Roman counterparts. The young Sultan, with the help of his faithful Janissary guards, stormed multiple fronts along the Roman lines, penetrated through the enemies for multiple times cutting the enemies into multiple sections, but soon to find out that that damned Caesar Antonius has came to aid, reinforcing the penetrated fronts and even commencing with some tactical counter offensives, deeming the Sultan’s efforts worthless.
The Ottomans in the forts, under the leadership of Alaüddin Bey, started two new rounds of coordinated offensives, but are inevitably crashed by the two infantry regiments and the three artilleries stationed towards them sealing off all the main gates, if the Ottomans attempt to storm out of the gates, they would be pounded upon by a series of shelling and rains of arrows, and if they still persist, they would be pushed back by a Roman infantry charge, and in the end the morale of the Ottoman troops in the garrisons have been completely diminished, and Alaüddin could no longer organise any form of offensive, for his men have completely lost faith in him.
Unfortunately he is not like his predecessor Hamza Pasha, nor is he like his opponents Helios and Antonius, for his entire strategical thinking and defensive planning is revolving around these walls and fortresses, he could never place his mind out of the box. If it is Hamza Pasha, he would have abandoned the forts prior to this leading his troops into the hills and woods to prepare for a counter offensive aiming towards the fragile sides of the Romans. If it is Antonius, or Helios, or Julian, or any of the Roman field commander, they would attempt to blast the walls open and start the charge from inside, which is a tactic that Romans have used in the past.
The Ottoman in the forts is no longer capable of launching any attacks, and their fates are sealed till the conclusion of the battle, determined by the victor of the war.
Helios went back to the main battlefield at half past five with one infantry regiment and one artillery, leaving the other one which only consists of a little more than seven hundred men to take care of the two fortresses, for he has now realised that his opponent, Alaüddin Bey, is totally ill equipped with military knowledge, and because of this his men have already been completely crashed; Although they are still alive and in large numbers, but their souls have already been lost.
Alaüddin Bey is being looked down upon here, and he is the only one to be blamed.
The battle raged on throughout the night, stretching into the early hours of morning.
Nearly every Ottoman fighter had clashed with the Romans, some engaging in combat once, while others faced multiple encounters. The plains behind the Ottoman lines were littered with the fallen, their cries of pain echoing through the air. Abandoned and left to suffer, they slowly succumbed to their wounds, their lives slipping away as blood drained from their bodies. There were no medical personnel or peasants available to tend to them; they had all been drawn into the relentless chaos unfolding a mile ahead.
Amidst the chaos, some Ottoman fighters met a grim fate. Hungry and exhausted from prolonged fighting, they transformed into menacing beasts. Desperate for sustenance, they descended upon nearby villages, wielding their weapons with an insatiable hunger. When the villagers dared to resist, they became victims of these marauders. With a single stroke of their blades, the peaceful homes were shattered, and cherished members of households were lost forever. In the end, these criminals turned bandits would set their sights on the weeping maidens, leaving behind only devastation in their wake.
These marauders had no attachment to the land or its people. Their destructive actions extinguished any sense of loyalty from the locals, hindering their willingness to contribute to the war effort. It was a stark contrast to the time when Hamza Pasha was present, rallying the people to support their Sultan in his time of need. The betrayal of these bandits tainted the memories of past unity, leaving the locals reluctant to lend a hand to their Sultan’s cause.
Their Roman counterparts are not in any better position, maybe even worse, because they have run out of supplies.
The Roman archers no longer have any arrows to shoot with their sour limbs, instead they have to jump onto the front with all forms of weapons. The Roman cavalries have been defeated, and the remaining cavalries led by Khalid is now only capable of harassing the Ottoman cavalries, keeping a nail on their throat preventing them from charging the Roman lines. The Roman casualties are not tended to either, lying by themselves on the rubbles with no food or water. Even Antonius’ cutlass now has multiple dents and curves, his helmet and gauntlet are already gone, receiving a couple new bruises on his face and body, if it not for his guards’ protection and his well built armour, he would have already been dead.
This war now has already became a war of attrition, no one is spared from fighting on the frontlines, including the monarch themselves. It shall only end if one side’s determination and morale collapse, and before that, the plains between Kavala and Mandres shall continue to be a gigantic meat grinder devouring up one after another young lives from the two nations.
