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

PS1: kennyS, what are you doing there?

PS2: Trump's strategy of surrounding the cities from the countryside is good. Now we just have to see how the battle for Michigan turns out.

But after this election, I probably won’t be able to watch any talent shows anymore.

With so many gems before it, who can be more exciting than this?

…Michigan lost!

Chapter 124: On the verge of breaking out - Battle of the Bosporus

The Ottoman galley fleet was urgently prepared for battle under the urgent orders of Bartoglu and the various governors. The Sultan's orders were death-like, and Bartoglu's orders were naturally crazy. Soon the oars were fully manned, and the decks were crowded with elite heavy infantry, archers, and some of the Sultan's Yericheni.

Light artillery was once again carried aboard the warships - even though it had been proven that this was not a good method, there were also various incendiary weapons and various combat equipment adapted to sea battles and fighting. The fleet went south along the Bosphorus Strait to fight against the ships that had trespassed and symbolized the Pope's will. For the red apple that was within reach and for their own lives, they had to win.

But this time the battlefield of the Battle of the Bosphorus was farther away from Constantinople, and the erratic wind direction and local currents in the Bosphorus Strait were more unpredictable and placed greater demands on ships.

The caravels only relied on the wind, and under the control of skilled oarsmen and sea sailors, they moved forward quickly with the wind, advancing towards the Golden Horn like a fish in water; in contrast, the Ottoman fleet was sailing against the wind, and without the use of sails, it could only rely on oars to move forward in the rough sea. The huge fleet was more like an old elephant staggering.

By early afternoon, four rescue ships had arrived southeast of the city and were heading steadily toward the Tower of Demetrius, a prominent landmark on the Acropolis.

The rescue fleet was centered around Santiago Rusticiano, a descendant of Marco Polo's roommate. Firstly, as a descendant of a famous family, Rusticiano was acquainted with the Genoese captains of Galata. Secondly, he had been traveling in the Sea of ​​Marmara for a long time, was familiar with the environment there and had a very good relationship with Constantinople.

After discussing with the Genoese captains, Rusticiano decided to bypass the dangerous southeast corner of Constantinople and enter the Golden Horn directly. If they stayed in the small port south of the city, they would be very vulnerable to attacks by the Ottoman fleet. It would be safer to anchor in the Golden Horn.

The huge disparity in power between the two sides made Rustiqian dare not take it lightly, while Bartoglu was full of confidence in victory. Although the Ottoman galleys were against the wind, they still approached the opponent steadily with their huge formation.

Then, accompanied by the traditional Ottoman art - drum beats and prayer music, the remaining more than 100 Ottoman warships gathered around the four sailing ships. The heavily armed soldiers beat their weapons eagerly, and it seemed that the ending was not difficult to guess.

The citizens of Constantinople flocked to the sea walls, rooftops, the top of the hippodrome, and other high places overlooking the Sea of ​​Marmara. Even Constantine XI himself rode his horse from the camp at the St. Romanus Gate to the garden of the palace and prayed nervously for the four merchant ships. On the other side of the Golden Horn, in the distance of Galata City, the Sultan and his entourage watched the naval battle from a hill - a naval battle that determined the fate of Constantinople.

When the Ottoman galleys approached the Genoese merchant ship in front, Bartoglu tyrannically ordered the fleet to lower the sails from the stern deck and accept Ottoman inspection.

Even the most experienced sailors scoffed at the Ottomans' high-sounding statements, saying that they might not even work to fool a three-year-old child.

"Just watch!" The first mate blew into his palms and rubbed his hands, loaded the gun, aimed intently at the approaching galley, fixed the barrel and picked up the torch.

"Captain, how many shots shall we fire?"

"Oh, don't worry about it for now, let's fire two rounds at these Ottomans first!"

If the first mate was eager to try before, now he rolled up his sleeves with full confidence, fine-tuned the gun barrel towards the cockpit, and ignited!

"Ottoman barbarian! Your Genoese grandfather is here!"

boom--

Accompanied by a loud bang, the shell rushed out of the thick smoke, drew a black shadow in the air, and whistled towards the target. Under the expectant eyes of the sailors, the shell drew a perfect arc and finally sank into the sea with a "plop".

The powerful shells hit the sea, creating huge waves and tossing the galleys, which were only a few meters long, to and fro, and the heavy infantry were immediately thrown into disarray.

It missed by two meters.

"Fuck you!" The captain, who always thought he was good-tempered, suddenly lost his temper and started cursing.

It’s so close that even his grandmother could hit it if she took aim!

"Don't panic!" The captain in charge of the ship raised his command knife, calmed down, and gritted his teeth and ordered: "Let the rowers row faster! Our gunners are ready to fight back! Brothers, get ready to board the ship and fight!"

The first mate's forehead was covered with cold sweat. He hurriedly loaded another shell and adjusted the angle. Just as he was thinking about making amends, he heard four consecutive explosions from the other side and four shells whizzed towards him.

"Get down!" the captain shouted, and then he pulled the first mate down to lie down and protect his head. The sailors followed suit in panic.

A moment later, crackling sounds were heard on the deck, but there was no sign of the vibrations from the shells hitting the hull.

Could it be that the other party also missed the target?

The captain quickly stood up and patted the first mate on the shoulder to ask him to fight back, then turned around and glanced at the deck. There were countless black particles the size of fingernails lying on the deck. The ship was safe but looked dirty, and there were many small holes in the sails.

"You're actually using a shotgun. You're really ambitious. Are you sure you can eat us?"

Shotguns can cause long-range, large-scale, minute damage. Although the granular shells cannot sink a ship, they can still injure sailors. The reason for using shotguns is obvious. The Ottomans want intact ships and cargo, not a sunken ship.

"boom!"

The first mate's second shell hit the flagship's cockpit, and the place where the pirate leader stood suddenly became a sea of ​​fire, and the fire swept the entire deck.

"You little bastards, this is what we call artillery!"

The captain shouted at the top of his lungs, cheered and clapped his hands with the first mate, and the sailors who felt they were on the verge of death a few seconds ago pinched their faces and found that they were still alive. After a brief panic, the well-trained soldiers wanted to put out the fire and then operate the shotgun to fight back.

"The fleet's side guns are ready to fire. Give our MSL friends a good bath!"

At the command, dozens of artillery shells set off bursts of screams, and the several-meter-long boat was blown in half. The soldiers who did not have time to escape were covered in blood and flesh in an instant.

There were many broken wooden boards floating on the sea, and many equipments were floundering in the sea while holding on to the wooden boards. As for the heavily armored soldiers, they had completely sunk. They looked at the approach of the three-masted sailing ships in horror, their faces were black and gray, and they looked miserable.

The second phase of the Battle of the Bosphorus, the swan song of the galleys, the largest and last naval battle in the Middle Ages -

At the touch of a hair.

PS1: I thought I could go offline to gank some professional players at IEM Beijing, but it turned into an online competition. Fuck.

Last year, MD came back from Beijing on Sunday with Faze's autograph and ran into G2 and lost 3-.

What hatred, what grudge...

PS2: Pennsylvania is blue——

Chuanbao fell down (crying voice)

But this way you can play GTA6

Great!

Chapter 125 Give up fantasy and prepare for battle!

At a distance from the Pope's fleet, Bartoglu was sitting on a small table at the bow. Tea from the Eastern Silk Road was a popular commodity at any time. As the new nobles of the empire and the elite force in the army, it was natural for him to enjoy tea.

"It's really worthy of being a tea from the East. This Longjing tea is really good..."

"General, the galleys we sent to solicit surrender were sunk by the stupid Genoese."

"Oh, it was sunk... What did you say?!!"

Bartoglu's computer crashed at this moment.

"WCNM! Didn't we agree that these were all merchant ships?"

He was so angry that he almost smashed the teacup in his hand.

"what is going on?"

"General, we've been fooled. These Genoese ships are not all merchant ships! They are equipped with artillery!"

"Damn it..."

The adjutant's report made him even more annoyed. Bartoglu turned around and looked in the direction he came from. The Sultan was sitting there.

"Army attack!"

Furious, Bartoglu immediately ordered an attack. The galleys' artillery, which had been prepared long ago, roared immediately, and stone bullets flew through the air; crossbows, javelins and rockets shot from all directions; but the Genoese stood still. They placed three caravels with firepower capable of fighting back to the left, right and front of the transport ship, and the only empty side was handled by the escorting sailboats on both sides.

If the enemy is surrounded on all sides, it may prompt the enemy commander to make up his mind to fight to the death. On the contrary, if a gap is deliberately left, it may make the enemy commander waver between fleeing or fighting to the death, and at the same time make the enemy soldiers lose their fighting spirit. More importantly, leaving a gap does not mean leaving it alone, but setting an ambush in the place where the enemy must escape, so that the enemy will fall into the ambush circle in the process of hasty escape. Especially for the enemy who is besieging and defending the castle, once the enemy abandons the city and flees, the pain of siege can be avoided, and the enemy army can be completely destroyed on the field battlefield. In comparison, it is obviously much easier to fight a fleeing enemy than to fight an enemy who is fighting to the death, and the cost will be much less. As the saying goes, "surround three and leave one", Rustician believes that this tactic used for siege can also be successful on this sea.

——But this time it’s not for attacking the enemy, but for fishing.

It was destined that before becoming the supreme commander of the Ottoman Navy, Bartoglu was an excellent knight commander. If it weren't for Aldo Silva's misfortune, he would never have sat in this position.

In his opinion, leading the cavalry to charge in the wilderness was not as pleasant as being on this ship. He originally offered advice to the Sultan, saying that the galleys were too small and too shaky at sea. For the sake of the soldiers' combat effectiveness, all the galleys should be connected with iron chains. This would not only preserve the soldiers' combat effectiveness to the greatest extent, but also improve the conditions for artillery firing. He even called it a "chain plan."

But the result of the chain of schemes was not so good. The strategy he proposed in the morning was rejected by the Sultan in the afternoon. The Sultan was still muttering names like Pang Tong and Huang Gai, and said that he should thank the Chaldeans of unknown origin, otherwise it would be their fault, and so on.

Whenever he thought of this, Bartoglu always looked aggrieved. He and the Sultan were classmates and even wore the same pants when they were children. How could their relationship be less close than those who participated in the coup?

......

"Captain, there's something wrong with these sailors." The first mate who had just sunk the galley whispered to him in a low voice.

"First mate, go get a few of the old guys to prepare for the next battle, and leave these young guys to me."

"Yes, Captain."

After seeing off his first mate, Rusty stood up and looked at the lost sailors. He frowned and exhaled slowly, calling out, "Come here, guys!"

The sailors reacted much more slowly and walked over listlessly.

When everyone stood in front of him, he coughed a few times and said, "Do you think we are dead?"

The sailors didn't say anything. Some of them looked at the nearby Golden Horn, seeming to have accepted this fact.

"Do you have brothers? Brothers or friends who are better than brothers."

Rustiqian closed his eyes, and this time he finally heard a positive answer.

"Then you must understand the feelings between brothers. Now I want to tell you a story." His eyes were fixed on the place where he came from. Countless galleys were attacking him.

"That was about seven or eight years ago. I had just become the second mate at that time. My best friend was the chef on the ship. His grilled lamb chops were especially delicious and all the sailors on the ship loved them."

"He once saved my life. Otherwise, I would have been thrown into the sea to feed the fish."

The sailors were attracted by Rustician's expression and pricked up their ears to listen.

"It was a stormy night. We were sailing in the Mediterranean from Castile to Jerusalem. At one o'clock in the morning, we encountered Tunisian pirates. They were well-equipped and attacked suddenly under the cover of night. They quickly occupied our ship."

At this point, a trace of sadness flashed across the captain's eyes and he clenched his fists.

"They gathered all the crew and passengers on board together and used them as hostages to negotiate with the government."

"They killed one person every ten minutes. People were taken away one after another. Finally, it was my turn. When they were about to drag me away, my friend the chef suddenly stopped in front of me and asked to take my place. The pirates agreed."

"'You have a family and I don't.'."

"Yes, you should all know the meaning of the name Rustician. I have a family, and that's why I'm afraid of dying."

"I watched him fall in front of me, with the bullet hitting him right between the eyes, but he was smiling, and his smile will be forever frozen in that moment."

Anger rose in Rustiqian's eyes. He gritted his teeth, glanced at the sailors who were listening intently, and continued: "The Tunisian pirates killed my best friend. I was selfish and let him die in my place. I still feel guilty about this."

“You know, pirates are inhumane, they are a bunch of beasts! If you don’t kill them, they will kill more innocent people!” After saying that, he could no longer suppress his inner anger, let out a muffled roar, and punched the guardrail hard, scaring away several seagulls that had landed on it.

"Now, let me tell you, these Turkic barbarians and those damn pirates believe in the same religion. If we fall into their hands, will we survive?"

At this time, the sailors were like new recruits who had just received training, nodding blankly as they listened to their superiors' instructions.

"Do you understand?!" the captain roared, glaring at the sailors who were on their maiden voyage.

"understand!"

"Then give up your illusions and prepare for a fight! Everyone! Act quickly!"

PS1: Is there a bug in Valhalla so soon? Oh my god.

PS2: Komori...komori...sabi しい...

Chapter 126: Exactly the same as the wind that day

The initial battle was beyond everyone's expectations. The turbulent waves of the Sea of ​​Marmara made it difficult for the galleys to fire steadily or move accurately around the caravels. The tall sailing ships did not have this problem. The cannons on the side of the ship kept firing at the shaking galleys, and arrows, javelins and stones were shot down from the towers and sides with a steady momentum. The tactics of "encircling three and leaving one" could be executed so successfully on the sea, which made Bartoglu, who was also an army sergeant, think highly of him.

Under Rustician's resolute command, the ships were still breaking through the waves with the south wind. He wanted to turn this battle into a mobile war. The only advantage of the Ottoman fleet over themselves was that they had more ships, so they were always looking for opportunities to board the ships for close combat and rely on the fighting of elite soldiers to defeat themselves.

Driven by the strong south wind, the small fleet of tall sailing ships broke out of the encirclement and arrived at the Acropolis unscathed, preparing to turn into the safe Golden Horn, but at this moment disaster struck.

The wind stopped.

The originally turbulent sea surface gradually calmed down, and the sails hung lifelessly on the masts. The four ships were only a stone's throw away from the city, but they were unable to move forward. The difference in salinity between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea caused the caravels to begin to float helplessly on the strange and unpredictable reverse current at the open mouth of the Golden Horn.

The people on the sea wall were stunned, and the emperor on the sea-viewing platform in the palace was also stunned. On the leading sailboat, Rustician was already in a state of confusion.

"Is this God's will?"

Fate was so unpredictable that the sailboat lost its advantage in an instant, and the initiative shifted to the galley. Bartoglu shouted excitedly, thanking Allah for his blessing, and immediately gathered the warships around him to surround the sailboats. He ordered the fleet to move forward at full speed and forcibly board the other side while they lost power.

Groups of galleys and longboats surrounded the disabled caravel. On the sea, masts and hulls were tangled into a mess, like a town on land.

Bartoglu's trireme ran head-on into the carrack, the largest and most heavily armed of the four ships. In keeping with their glorious land tradition, the Ottoman infantry swarmed over the boarding bridge, desperately trying to reach the side with grappling hooks and ladders, climbing up amid arrows and rocks.

The sailors drew their swords and hit the heads of the attackers who climbed up the side from high above, and used daggers to cut off the fingers of the enemies who climbed up the boat. At once, the Ottomans fell into the water one after another, and their blood gradually dyed the water red, but the remaining soldiers showed no fear and continued to climb in neat steps.

The crossbowmen on the sailboats took careful aim and killed the selected targets one by one; the sailors used cranes to lift heavy stones and supplies, and then smashed them hard into the weak hulls of the enemy's longships.

There was a cacophony of noises, shouts and howls, the roar of cannons, the splash of armored soldiers falling into the water, the snapping of oars, the clashing of weapons, the whistling of arrows, the sound of swords piercing human flesh, and the agonized howls of the wounded.