Let me introduce you, this is my girlfriend, the Israeli boxing champion

"If the Ottomans force their way through this road, they will be stuck in it and unable to attack effectively. If they want to pass through normally, they must first pave it with dry soil and rest, and second, wait for it to dry naturally."

"It takes a lot of time and effort to get dry soil to rest. It is difficult to do it within three days. It is also too difficult. If they force themselves to rest, there will definitely be heavy casualties. So they can only wait for natural drying, but waiting for natural drying will also take three days."

At the command post of the Charisius Gate, Alvin, who was seeing off Leonidas I, was explaining the news he had just received.

"I didn't expect you to think so much. Is it the Mamluk cavalry?"

"No, that's General Lindenwan and his rebels, teacher." Alvin corrected El-Melloi II and then asked Palaiologos about the latest situation on the Athenian peninsula.

"It's incredible. After taking over the place, these Venetians did not do anything out of the ordinary except putting the purple nobles under house arrest. On the contrary, they continued to build fortresses."

"The Venetians understand the principle of the lips and teeth being interdependent," said Boudica.

"Can you tell us about the young sultan?"

General Justiania asked. As the defender of Constantinople, he was under no less pressure than Leonidas I who had to guard two fortresses.

Seeing everyone is

"A map of Europe hung in his bedroom, with the countries and provinces marked on it. His greatest passions and interests were world geography and military affairs. He longed to rule the world; he was very shrewd in judging the situation."

"There should be only one empire, one faith, and one monarch in this world. That's what the Sultan said before he set out on his campaign. We are dealing with just such a man... He said, 'Thirty years in the east, thirty years in the west'; he announced that he would march from the east to the west, just as the Westerners had marched to the east."

"Of course, the Ottomans have their Sultan, but don't we have the same people, Your Majesty?"

PS1: I almost drowned in this rain in Tianjin...

And as expected, I still can’t go out during the National Day (￣o￣)

Chapter 104 The Emperor's Handwriting: Only War Can Come

(It is extremely troublesome to find historical materials, please forgive me)

The request for help from Europe was actually successful, which was beyond my expectation. You know, those people are ruthless and ruthless. This is something even I can't do.

Constantinople's main difficulty in obtaining aid from the West and in organizing an effective defense of the city can be traced back to dramatic events one summer nearly 400 years ago, although its true causes are even older.

According to the Patriarch's diary at the time, it was July 7, around 16 p.m., when the priests were preparing for the afternoon worship ceremony in Hagia Sophia, three senior priests dressed in full holy clothes walked into the church from a door on the west side and walked deliberately towards the altar. The believers gathered in the church looked at them, and he thought that these three were priests from Greece, so he ignored them - but in my opinion, even if the Patriarch had taken action that year, it would not have changed anything.

These three were cardinals of the Catholic Church sent by the Pope to settle theological disputes with their brothers in the Eastern Church. The chief priest was named Moyant Moutier. They had been in Constantinople for some time, but after long and difficult negotiations, they finally lost their patience and decided to take action in the afternoon. The content of the document in his hand would have an explosive effect on the unity of religion. He walked into the temple, placed the excommunication bull on the main altar, turned around swiftly, and walked away.

The stubborn cardinal strode into the bright summer sunshine, shook the dust off his feet, and declared loudly: "May the Lord look upon us and judge us!" A church deacon ran into the street waving the bull in his hand, caught up with him, and begged him to take it back. The cardinal refused and continued walking, leaving the bull in the dust.

Two days later, the three cardinals returned to Rome by boat; violent religious riots broke out in the streets of Constantinople, and the Orthodox Church announced the excommunication of the papal delegation, which calmed the riots. The pope's excommunication bull was burned in public, and it is unknown whether this issue will be resolved in the distant future.

Thanks to these historical issues, the split between the Eastern and Western Churches was an extremely difficult problem for me in the winter of 1451. If it weren't for Mr. El-Melloi and his men, I'm afraid the current situation in the empire would be even more serious.

During that time, with the help of Mr. El-Melloi II, Mr. Leonidas, and Ms. Boudica, Constantinople gradually regained its vitality and was slowly getting back on track. I was finally able to free up my hands to study this historical issue.

In fact, the events of 1054 were only the culmination of a long process of separation between the two faiths that had been brewing for hundreds of years. The split between the Eastern and Western churches had cultural, political and economic reasons.

In the East, the language of the church is Greek; in the West, it is Latin. Different forms of faith, different ways of church organization, and different views on the role of the pope:

We are the ones who view their western neighbors as uncouth barbarians; the Byzantines had far more in common with the Muslims next door than with the Franks across the sea.

But at the heart of the conflict are two key issues. The Orthodox Church is willing to accept the idea that the pope has a special status among the patriarchs, but is very annoyed by the idea expressed by Pope Nicholas I in 865 that the pope has the power to rule "the whole world, that is, the whole church." The church sees this as the arrogance of a tyrant, and perhaps this is the root of the problem.

What is even more chilling is the remarks made by Pope Gregory VII.

“It is far better for a country to be ruled by Islam than for it to be in the hands of Christians who refuse to recognize the authority of the Catholic Church.”

Alas, if it weren't for that damn plague, perhaps things would be completely different.

......

Winters along the Bosporus, as the Arabs experienced in 717, could be surprisingly harsh. Geographically, Constantinople jutted into the strait, exposed to fierce northerly winds blowing in from the Black Sea. The air was damp, temperatures could drop below zero, and winds could be bone-chilling. Weeks of heavy rain turned streets into mud puddles, and steep alleys could suddenly flood. Snowstorms would come suddenly, completely flattening the coast half a mile away, and then disappear just as quickly. Sometimes thick fog would shroud the city for days, and an eerie silence seemed to grip the city, so that the church bells could not be heard far away, and the sound of horses' hooves in the public squares was so muffled that it seemed as if the horses' hooves were wrapped in felt.

But the situation this year is different, with calm seas and bright sunshine. Instead, something is wrong with the Ottomans - Attila stayed in Belgrade for nearly three months, which was a heavy blow to the Whip of God. Although I don't know what happened there, the longer it drags on, the better. However, judging from the mysterious whereabouts of the God-Ancestor in those days, I probably know the answer.

Despite the circumstances, we did our best to prepare the city's defenses. He sent envoys to the Aegean islands and beyond to buy food: wheat, wine, olive oil, dried figs, chickpeas, barley, and beans. At the same time, we began to repair the dilapidated sections of the fortifications. Although the people had reservations, I persuaded them to join in the work. Through public collections, the court raised funds from individuals, churches, and monasteries to buy food and weapons. All available weapons in the city were collected and redistributed. In addition, soldiers were stationed in the few fortresses outside the city walls that were still controlled by the Byzantines, including Selimbria and Epibatos on the northern coast of the Sea of ​​Marmara, Hierabia on the coast of the Bosporus, far from the Fortress of Cutthroat, and the Princes' Islands.

At this moment, an opportunity for good fortune appeared - the two distinguished guests from Chaldea came here despite knowing the outcome. In the words of Alvin Vashak, this is idealism - an extremely irrational decision made for the sake of one's inner ideals.

Leonardo da Vinci, I asked her to back up all the precious books in the great library and pass them on to future generations, to which she readily agreed, and in return, we took down the pair of slit-throat forts. It was a genius decision to let Boudica face Nero.

As for Alvin, I think I have no more words to describe this young man who created miracles. With his ability to turn decay into magic, breaking the deadlock does not seem to be such a far-fetched thing. If possible, I even want to give him the title of purple nobleman.

Alvin said something very well yesterday. Those who remain in this city are fighting with the determination to fight to the death.

So Mehmed II, don't let people down.

Constantine Dragaces Palaiologos

1453 December 4

PS1: Türkiye SUP defeated Europe's MAD Lion (×)

Battle of Varna (√)

LGD should not go back to Hangzhou, just live under the Huangpu River.

PS2: A seemingly sad conversation became a meme in just half a day. Is this the era of entertainment to death?

Chapter 105 The dew is white from tonight, the moon is bright in my hometown

"Venice and Genoa, now that we have dealt with the Venetians, the next target will be Galata." Constantine XI said while riding on his horse to his friends and ministers who were frowning beside him.

"My minister, what are you feeling?"

George Franz, the famous historian and author of the Great Chronicle and the Little Chronicle, replied somewhat unhappily: "My lord, with all due respect, those Venetians cannot be trusted at all. Our ancestors trusted them so credulously that they brought about the tragedy of the Fourth Crusade, and..."

"And what? Just say it."

Franz looked at Hagia Sophia in the dusk. This greatest building of the Middle Ages was built on a hill. Only in the surrounding areas of Constantinople could you see this building that seemed connected to heaven.

"Those holy images are our roots. We never gave them up even when we were displaced to Nicaea. What will we have left if we lose them?"

Franz's painful expression seemed to make the emperor understand something. Yes, what is left of this ancient thousand-year-old empire? Are they those precious holy images? Or are they those broken marble sculptures?

As we all know, the city of Rome broke away from the rule of the empire hundreds of years ago, but the people and emperors of the empire insisted on calling themselves Romans, as if these three words contained some kind of divine power.

Franz's words puzzled him. History books clearly recorded that the Roman Empire did not believe in Christianity a thousand years ago, let alone those holy icons. Now even the Roman god ancestor had not expressed any opinion on this.

"Franz, I think I understand.

"The emperor suddenly reined in his horse and looked at him as if he saw through everything. Franz was a little confused, but he stopped and asked subconsciously: "What?"

"Do you think those lazy people in the city who are drunk and eating all day and waiting to die are Romans?"

"..."

After a long silence, Franz nodded, although he looked quite reluctant to admit it.

The emperor gazed at the city standing in the wind. The solid city wall seemed like the boundary between hell and heaven. "I often lamented and hated my people at night. They were drunken and dreaming when the empire was in decline, and they had no fighting spirit when the army was approaching. But..."

"But I've read in books that the Romans were tenacious, brave, simple, and enterprising. They worked together as one and finally built a great empire with their blood and sweat."

"So I firmly believe that the people's degeneration stems from the incompetence of their guides. Ask yourself, who among Ducas, Angelos, or even my ancestors can bear the title of Roman emperor?"

"I believe that as long as I try my best, those noble qualities will return to my people."

"But it's useless to say all this now." Constantine XI stopped the discussion abruptly and said, "The most important thing is to defend Constantinople first."

The emperor and his minister rode back on horseback. Romulus, who "happened" to pass by, felt uncomfortable when he saw the emperor going away.

"There is a saying in the Far East that a dynasty lasts no more than 753 years. Rome has a history of nearly 4 years from April 21, 2000 BC to the present."

"...An ordinary person's traces in this world will not exceed three generations at most, and Rome is destined not to be forgotten. To be honest, I would have been satisfied..."

"But now, I still feel unwilling..."

Leonidas I was worthy of being the hero who personally guarded Thermopylae, and the other heroes did not disappoint the emperor's expectations. It was a piece of cake for them for El-Melloi II and Alvin to bring the sea water from the Golden Horn into the moat outside the city and let the water flow from low to high. All the sections of the city walls that seemed weak were reinforced. The towers were also renovated, and the shooting angles became more scientific and reasonable. In addition, they were equipped with artillery to counterattack the Ottoman army.

Of course, these are the appropriate siege configurations for this era, while the following magic barriers and a series of back-up plans are prepared for the heroic spirits.

The walls of Constantinople remain the most fortified structures of the era, and the city’s impregnable defenses were a major reason the Byzantine Empire survived for so long.

There is no other city in the world with such a unique geographical location. The south of the city is surrounded by the turbulent Sea of ​​Marmara, and the harsh natural weather has prevented any invaders from seriously trying to attack from here for a thousand years. Although the Golden Horn Bay in the north is calm and a rare good harbor, the Byzantines were well prepared. Several thick iron chains were placed between Constantinople and Galata on the opposite bank. Once the war worsened, the chains would be raised to block the enemy.

When the sea route is blocked, the attacker can only look to the land, where he will be even more desperate. The Theodosian Wall in the west is not a thick wall as people usually understand it. As the greatest city defense project in the Middle Ages, how could it be so simple?

The Theodosian Walls consisted of five separate fortified areas, 192 towers, three layers of walls of varying heights and widths, and a moat. The Romans boasted about this feat in an inscription that read: "In less than two months, Flavius ​​Constantine succeeded in building these mighty walls. Not even Pallas (Athena) could have built such a fortress."

The mature Theodosian Wall embodies all the wisdom of the military engineering of the entire Roman world regarding city defense. Even if one of the five independent fortress areas is completely captured, it will not affect the operations in other areas. As long as the reserve troops left in the city can resist the enemy, there will be no problem at all.

In that small house, Alvin always understood this, and all he did was to equip it with sharp teeth.

"Mehmed II started preparing to attack Constantinople a long time ago. I believe that with his ability, he can fully detect the two weak points of the Lycus River area and the Blachernae Palace in the northwest corner. At that time, the main attack direction of the Ottoman army will definitely be these two areas."

"But they would never have imagined what kind of baptism would await them."

The Blachernae Palace has been transformed into a fortress. It is no longer a weakness. On the contrary, it is perfectly integrated into the city defense system. As for the river valley area, they have prepared a big gift there.

At the Charissius Gate, the Genoese are seeing off Leonidas I.

"The most dangerous thing for the defenders in a siege is being cut off from supplies, but that's not what we need to worry about. The emperor has already filled all the reservoirs in Constantinople, and the granaries are also full of food. He even shipped a lot of high-quality wine and cheese from Morea."

"Cheese? That's really good. I haven't tasted such delicious food in a long time. Everything is good after becoming a Heroic Spirit. The only drawback is that I have been away from my homeland for too long."

Giustiniani looked at Leonidas who was sighing and couldn't help laughing. "Me too. I've stayed in this city for too long. I really want to go back to Genoa to savor it again."

"Hahahahahaha, come to think of it, the Emperor also has the idea of ​​returning to Moria, so wish us both good luck, General."

"You too, King."

Chapter 106 Constantinople is not something anyone can get their hands on

Constantine XI stood on the city wall and looked at the Ottoman army not far away. The Sultan's golden and white imperial flag, surrounded by the red and green flags of the Guards Cavalry, stood on Mount Maltepe. It was the commanding height of the St. Romanus Gate, the weak point of the Theodosian Wall, and it was also the location that Alvin had pointed out on the sand table before.

"Those people wearing white tall hats are the Sultan's Yericheni. They are all from the Bektashi sect, a group of bloodthirsty and barbaric fanatics." Alvin pointed at the Sultan's guards. These well-equipped Yericheni were hard to ignore.

"The Sultan's Guards..." Giustiniani looked at the tall, strong, well-equipped guards, and the sternness on his face was self-evident. It must be said that these soldiers were the best fighters he had ever seen in his long military career.

At this moment, Constantine XI suddenly said: "Don't be so nervous. Although the Sultan's Guards are very powerful, I don't think they will participate in this battle."

Giustiniani looked at his emperor in astonishment, as if he could not believe what he said. You know, unlike the guards of other countries, the Ottoman Sultan, especially the guards, are famous for their bravery, tenacity and fearlessness of death. They have played the role of vanguard and surprise troops in all previous battles, and the Sultans have never been stingy in using them.

"If it was Murad II or the previous sultans, I believe the guards would definitely attack the city walls first. But Mehmed II would never do that. This was reported to me by Sfranzis, whom I admire the most."

"Why?" asked Giustiniani eagerly.

"Because Orhan is still with me. If we send out the Guards but fail to capture Constantinople, then without the support of the powerful Guards, what do you think the Sultan will face when he returns home after a disastrous defeat? The old generation of Sultan Pashas also have a bad relationship with him, and the traditional nobles also hate Mehmed II's radical expansionist policy."

"General, you may be good at commanding battles, but you don't know much about politics. The interests involved are often beyond your imagination."

"I know that. That's how it is in the Venice Nursing Home." Giustiniani said nonchalantly. "So I have nothing to say about Mr. Alvin."

"Nursing home?" The emperor was stunned for a moment.

The old general laughed nonchalantly. The Byzantine Empire and its people had long hated the Venetian Senate. Of course, the source of everything was the cursed Fourth Crusade.

As time passed, more and more Ottoman soldiers appeared on the horizon. Constantine XI had made his decision. He destroyed all the bridges over the moat and locked and sealed the city gates.

Now, the city is completely closed, awaiting its fate.

The Ottoman army besieging the city was divided into three main parts. The Anatolian Legion was on the right wing, which was composed of the MSL and was also the backbone of the Ottoman Empire. It was commanded by the Ottoman general Ishak Pasha. The left wing was filled with a large number of Christians in the European Legion, commanded by Karaga Pasha.

Yes, that's right, this is an army made up of Christians.

As for the Sultan himself, he led the central army to the Maltepe Hill, which was his carefully selected forward command post, opposite to the most vulnerable part of the city wall. In 1422, his father Murad II also commanded the battle here, although he failed in the siege and returned home.

"I will be the best king, father, just wait and see!"

......

......

......

......The biggest difference between Mamtim II and other sultans is that he is fanatical but not crazy. Every step of his foreign conquest war has been carefully planned. In his view, the Ottoman Empire's main concern at this time is only three countries, Hungary in the north, Venice and Genoa in the west, and Constantinople is the key point involving these three. According to his idea, as long as he quickly attacks Constantinople with overwhelming force, he can completely defeat Constantinople before the Christian world can react - this is based on the assumption that he thinks his enemies are really only those three countries.

Unlike the traditional rigid stereotype of the Ottoman Empire, their army has always known that the essence of war lies in speed, whether it is the capture of Nicaea, the defeat of the Crusaders of Varna, the construction of Anatolian Castle and Rumeli Castle. The experience summed up from all the battles is that success depends on the ability to quickly mobilize manpower and equipment on a large scale.

That day in Bursa, I saw the horsetail flag, a symbol of the majesty of the empire, erected in the courtyard of the palace, announcing that the Sultan was about to launch a war. When this signal was sent, the entire Ottoman Empire was mobilized, and the two regular armies, the European Legion and the Anatolian Legion, were also the main forces of this battle. At the same time, a large infantry force composed of Christians and poor MSLs would cooperate with the regular army. Although their tactical level was extremely poor, they could play a role in consuming the defenders' physical strength and supplies in the siege.

Mamtim II had a unique view on war mobilization. In the Balkans where Christians were everywhere, the Sultan issued a decree that Christian soldiers going to the war could be exempted from heavy taxes for three years, and those with outstanding military merits could obtain land and join the imperial government. For these Christians who should have been serfs for life, such conditions were too tempting; in the Balkans, people were enthusiastic and rushed to sign up, and were even willing to replace their neighbors who could not go to the battlefield, while those who were left at home felt that they had been wronged.

MD, these Catholics have lost all their dignity!

To traditional Muslims, the Sultan immediately transformed himself into the shadow of Allah on earth, shouting the noble mission of jihad and the happy and beautiful life in heaven. With the exaggeration of fanatics, when people heard that the target of this battle was Constantinople, the dream that had been buried in the hearts of all Muslims for 600 years was once again ignited.

The MSLs shouted slogans of jihad, and they firmly believed that the red apple of Constantinople possessed a mythical amount of gold and silver wealth; even those who were outside the borders of the Ottoman Empire came to the Sultan's army. The official religious fanatics desperately promoted the prophet's teachings and the glorious tradition of martyrdom. It seems that Anhurra Akbar's can be said to have a long history.