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

Rustician had been traveling on the route near Constantinople before, so he was not unfamiliar with the mayor and emperor in front of him. Moreover, the emperor had already paid enough money, and he was just completing the task according to the contract.

"Thank you for your support, Your Holiness, and thank you for traveling all the way to Constantinople to fight against the infidels with us." Constantine XI turned and looked at the three captains from Genoa and bowed as well.

"You all must be aware of the financial situation in Constantinople. I don't want to deceive heroes who are not afraid of life and death. I don't have any money to reward you for your bravery. But there are still some gold and silver utensils in Hagia Sophia. You can take them at any time."

The Genoese captains looked at each other and finally said, "Your Majesty, we are only fulfilling the peace treaty with the Pope."

"The Ottomans prayed to their God and Prophet, but all in vain." Bishop Leonard from the Papal States came over at this time, holding a cross tightly in his right hand.

"But our eternal God hears the prayers of us Christians, and we will surely achieve victory under the comfort of the wind of God."

Everyone smiled at Leonard's behavior. This number one charlatan under the Pope had been in charge of preaching in remote areas before he was in charge of the unification of the Eastern and Western churches. It was normal for him to behave in a fanatical manner.

And wasn’t the kamikaze that was lost and recovered in that naval battle God’s will?

"Speaking of which, where is our X factor?" Balto looked around but did not see the familiar figure.

"Maybe something urgent happened." He consoled himself and then raised his glass to join the crowd celebrating.

People in the palace were celebrating, while in the small house next to the church, Alvin was writing down what happened today with a pen in his hand.

... Ottoman infantry poured over the boarding bridges, trying to reach the sides of the ships with grappling hooks and ladders, hacking at the opposing ships’ hulls with axes, or trying to burn them with torches. Some soldiers climbed up along the anchor cables and ropes; others threw spears and javelins at the wooden ramparts. The battle degenerated into a brutal hand-to-hand fight at close range.

There were shouts and chaos on all sides, but the soldiers encouraged each other, and while they were hacking at each other, they were also being hacked at; they were killing others and being killed by others; they were pushing, cursing and threatening each other - it was simply terrible.

The Christian ships were surrounded by five triremes, one by thirty longboats, and the most heroic of the fighters was surrounded by forty barges full of soldiers.

Perhaps a galley would retreat because its crew was exhausted, or be sunk, with its armored soldiers swept away by the current or clinging to the ship's pillars, but more warships would come to replace them and tear at their opponents like a pack of wolves hunting when they found their target.

Just as Alvin was writing furiously, a hand quietly patted his shoulder, and then, a very familiar voice sounded.

"The way you write this diary always makes me feel like you are writing a biography."

"Well, after all, this is one of the few ways to prove that I have lived in this world."

Alvin thought of the battle on the sea not long ago. Under the guidance of the professor, he was able to always stand in an objective perspective when evaluating anything. When Alvin read about this naval battle in a book, it was difficult to judge who was right and who was wrong in a sense, but for himself who had participated in the battle now, he could no longer evaluate the choices of either side.

Because they have no choice.

We are born into this world just to laugh to our heart's content, to vent our feelings, to cry freely, and to shout loudly. But what this world wants us to do is to gradually forget these things, so that we can no longer cry or laugh.

Before we become slaves to power and reality, we are first human beings. There are many similar scenes in this world, so familiar that it makes people startled, as if they were in the past life or the present life.

Alvin could no longer remember which book this sentence came from, but the fact that he would disappear was an unchangeable fact.

So, you have to leave something behind to prove that you have been there.

Da Vinci didn't answer, but leaned closer to his back. While Alvin felt the warm temperature, she also felt that her whole body was trembling slightly.

"da Vinci?"

"Nothing, just some sand in my eyes."

I am Leonardo da Vinci... I have never hated myself as a Servant so much.

PS1: Jiangsu won the Chinese Super League championship, avoiding the embarrassing achievement of Sanya Wang (×)

Zhang Linpeng, how can you learn to touch the trophy if you don’t learn it?

PS2: My roommate's snoring makes me want to die...

Chapter 129 The defeatist counselors are landing...

As time went on, the victory in the Sea of ​​Marmara had a more profound impact than any other, and Constantinople may have been inspired by this victory to defeat the Ottoman army's attacks one after another.

On the contrary, the Sultan was extremely unlucky. Not only did he lose the naval battle, but the Urban Cannon, which was regarded as a treasure against Constantinople, also kept breaking down today. Yesterday there was a slave riot, today the road wheels were removed, and it might rain again tomorrow. It was only a day away, but the Urban Cannon had not moved for five days.

This is just one of the reasons. The second one is naturally the transportation supply line.

"Now that the wheat has been harvested in the east, we must fortify our walls and clear the fields to wait for the enemy. If the general cannot capture the enemy and cannot gain any advantage along the way, within ten days, the 100,000-man army will be able to defend itself without a fight."

Although the earliest record of this term is in the biography of Xun Yu, the practice of strengthening fortifications, making fortresses solid, and clearing and storing food crops and important materials in the wild is consistent in the East and the West.

Because of this, the Sultan's transport lines had to start from the nearest Edirne and transport them all the way along the road to the Ottoman army front in Constantinople - but problems also arose in this regard.

The cavalry, a group of cavalry that came and went without a trace, had already set fire to the poor grain transport team several times. The extent of the looting was proportional to the Sultan's increasingly dark complexion. No one knew their names, but judging from their clothing and fighting style, their origins were clear:

They were the Mamluks. The Mamluk cavalry that had defeated the Mongolian cavalry appeared in the Balkan Peninsula.

This forced the Sultan to allocate several troops to increase the strength of escorting the grain route. Although he could not be as extravagant as in the Romance of the Gods and let Erlang Shen Yang Jian be the grain guard officer, they were also the backbone of the siege troops.

As the situation grew stronger, the Sultan's decision in Constantinople became increasingly precarious, so much so that during the siege three days later, the death squads of elite Ottoman soldiers on whom he placed his hopes could not even cross the moat.

The delicate balance would eventually be broken. After three consecutive days of victories, the defeatist advisers began to suggest that the emperor take the initiative to negotiate peace with the Ottoman Empire, promise tribute, and quietly wait for the increasingly fierce conflicts within the Ottoman Empire to erupt.

"Your Majesty, you just need to go with the flow and give the new Ottoman Sultan a way out. Use Khalil Pasha as an intermediary to persuade the Sultan to withdraw his troops and return to Bursa."

"As long as the young Sultan can no longer hold back and withdraws his troops hastily, Prince Orhan will be released, and the new Sultan and his pagan empire, who have lost their prestige, will soon face a bloody civil war. And civil war is precisely the key to the rebirth of the Roman Empire."

In a siege, there is actually a complex symbiotic relationship between attackers and defenders. Constantine XI was fully aware that the Muslim camp outside the city was in a state of crisis. For the first time since the beginning of the campaign, the Ottomans began to express serious doubts that Constantinople was still impregnable even under the double blockade of artillery and fleet, and was a "bone stuck in the throat of God."

For these warriors with devout faith, this city is not only a military problem, but also a heartache for them for generations. At the beginning of the war, they were confident that they could defeat the pagans and turn the tide of history, because they had various advantages that other countries and nations did not have, but now this confidence suddenly became fragile.

In the midst of heavy worries, they recalled the story of the Prophet's standard-bearer, Ayyub, who was killed under the city wall eight centuries ago. Even the Prophet's standard-bearer and the most pious apostle of the Prophet had failed, so what should they do?

Since ancient times, morale has always been the most important factor in military operations, both in ancient and modern times, both in China and abroad. It determines the outcome of a battle and is also determined by the outcome of a battle. Now is a critical moment for the confidence of the Ottomans in their jihad.

On April 4, ten days after the naval defeat, the bleak prospect of a long siege seemed within reach from a pragmatic point of view, with its attendant logistical difficulties and low morale, widespread disease, and the possibility of desertion.

This was also an obvious threat to the Sultan's personal authority. The first thing to be affected was the issue of the Janissaries. The Ottoman Janissaries accompanied the Ottoman monarchs and had always been a huge power distribution issue. What made the Sultan even more unforgettable was that the Janissaries had previously drawn their swords against him, which was an undeniable fact.

On the evening of the 20th, Memet II suddenly received a letter from his spiritual mentor and the main religious leader in the Ottoman camp, Sheikh Aksem Sedin, which concentrated on the seriousness of the current situation. It portrayed the uneasy mood of the army and issued a warning:

The defeat brought us great pain and a heavy blow to our morale. But looking back, the failure of the battle was the responsibility of the soldiers, the generals, and the Sultan. Some people think that your Majesty made mistakes in judgment and lacked ability in issuing orders, but your Majesty does not need to care. The reason why a king is a king is that he must execute orders even if he knows they are wrong. Our army bullies the weak and fears the strong, and needs to be severely punished. If severe punishment is not imposed immediately, then when the final order for the general attack is issued, the troops will not give their best.

The Sultan looked at the letter with a grim face, then turned his gaze towards Shuangzhu Port, where the main Ottoman fleet was stationed and it was also the source of his shame.

Sheikh Mentor's meaning was very clear. Even the Sultan himself was extremely disappointed with Bartoglu's successive failures and poor performance. In order to maintain morale and his own prestige, it was time to make a decision.

On April 1453, 4, Mehmed II, accompanied by the guards and cavalry, set out from the military camp in Maltepe with great fanfare to the naval fleet anchored in the Port of Two Pillars. This move once made the defenders in Constantinople highly nervous, fearing that the young but ambitious Sultan would make any bold moves.

In fact, it was not a bold action. It was just to meet a person: the "naval leader" who destroyed almost the entire Ottoman navy.

——Baltoglou.

PS1: If anyone sees this, please take a guess.

Where exactly is Constantinople's Achilles' heel?

PS2: Perkz, my Perkz...Ocelote, I can't stand the same sky with you!

Give me a firm handshake at S11 next year!

Chapter 130 Where is Constantinople?

Bartoglu looked at the Guards soldiers who came to invite him but were actually escorting him, and then looked at the wounded sailors around him, and finally went to the shore helplessly, ready to explain the defeat. In the fierce battle the day before, the naval commander's eye was cut by someone with a knife, which was really lucky to some extent.

Of course, now it should be said that it is unfortunate.

When he saw the Sultan sitting on the carpet with an angry and gloomy face, Bartoglu quickly gave up his dignity as the naval commander and prostrated himself in front of the Sultan in a daze.

"Well done, my respected Navy Commander."

The Sultan sneered, causing Bartoglu, who was lying on the ground, to shiver. An ominous premonition gradually took over his mind, especially when using such honorifics.

"I have high hopes for you. I admire your bravery in fighting on horseback." The Sultan suddenly changed his tone and asked, "I handed over a huge fleet to you. Oh~ How many ships are there in total?"

"18 galleys, 80 fustians, 25 heavy barges and more than 50 small vessels."

"Yes, I believe it is a large fleet even by the standards of Venice and Genoa."

The Sultan nodded, and then roared from the bottom of his heart: "Why didn't you capture the enemy ships when the sea was calm? If you can't even deal with these few ships, how can you destroy the more well-equipped Venetian fleet!!!"

"Your Majesty, please understand." Bartoglu bowed his head and pressed his forehead tightly to the ground. "I have tried my best to capture the Christian ship. Everyone can see clearly that the spur of my galley has been biting the poop of the Pope's ship..."

After a pause, Baltoglu swallowed and continued to explain: "I have been fighting in the front. Everyone knows that many of my men have been killed, and many people have been lost on other galleys as well."

"The sailors and soldiers on the caravels are very well-equipped, and they are very familiar with sea warfare. Although our soldiers are good at land warfare, they are difficult to use on the sea, so they can often defeat ten of them with one. I suggest taking this opportunity to negotiate peace with Constantinople, continue to train the navy in the Double Pillar Port, and closely monitor Constantinople to prepare for the next siege."

"Well, then you were surrounded by the Venetian who came down from the sky with knives." The Sultan said unhappily. "Even so, can't you, the entire ship, take care of him?"

"Sultan, I...that person is not a human being!"

Mamtim II looked at Bartoglu with amusement as he was crawling on the ground and still making excuses. His anger not only did not subside but became more and more intense. The Sultan, who was upset, waved his hand and made a decision.

"Yericheni, drag him down and nail him to the stake, so that everyone can open their eyes and see what happens to the loser."

"Sudan!"

"Please think twice, Sultan!"

"Sultan, although General Bartoglu was indeed defeated, he fought bravely to the end. The wound in his eye is the best proof of his hard work. Such a brave soldier should not be executed, otherwise it will chill the hearts of the soldiers!"

"Yes, Sultan, please take back your order..."

The ministers were shocked by the Sultan's tyrannical behavior and knelt down before him to plead for Bartoglu.

Mehmed II looked at his ministers who were pleading for mercy with satisfaction. This was the result he wanted.

"Since so many people have pleaded for you, the death penalty can be exempted, but punishment is necessary. As punishment, Guards, drag Baltoglu out and whip him 100 times in front of all the sailors and the Yericheni. Take away all his property and official titles. In addition, distribute the property to the Yericheni. That's it."

The Sultan was well aware of the propaganda value of this decision, both positive and negative, but the urgent situation had forced him to do so.

Bartoglu disappeared from the history books, and the position of naval commander was handed over to Hamza Bey, who was the person Murad entrusted to him before his death. However, due to the obstruction of the army faction led by Shehabuddin, Bartoglu, who was from the army, was elected. However, now that the fleet has been completely destroyed, it is the right time to elect an original naval commander to rebuild it.

——If there is still a future.

The soldiers and sailors who witnessed Bartoglu's humiliation, as well as the viziers and counsellors around the sultan, learned a hard lesson. But they had first-hand experience of the terrible consequences of the sultan's displeasure and knew what they should and should not do.

Of course, Constantinople would not miss this great opportunity, and soon a rumor spread from Constantinople: the Sultan ordered a golden stick made of pure gold, and used it to beat Bartoglu to death, and then gouged out his eyes.

This story seems to be fictional, but it does reflect the Western world's extreme view of Memet II and the Ottoman monarchs: tyrants, wealthy barbarians, abusers, and those who have an army of slaves who are absolutely disobedient to him.

After severely punishing the naval commander as a warning to others, the Sultan immediately summoned his close ministers to discuss the peace request that Constantine XI had sent the day before. These many events happened so quickly that they overlapped with each other and had a great impact on the situation. After a major setback and the first dissent and unrest, the problem facing the Sultan was simple.

Should we continue to fight or seek favorable conditions to withdraw?

There had long been two factions at the top of the empire, struggling for survival and power under the erratic rule of the sultan. One of these factions was headed by Khalil Pasha, a member of the Ottoman aristocracy and bureaucratic ruling class, who had been a very important minister during the reign of Murad II and had guided the young sultan through his turbulent early years and shared his life experience.

Khalil Pasha had personally experienced the years of crisis in Varna and Yericheni's rebellion against the Sultan in Bursa. He knew that if the Sultan was defeated and humiliated before the Greek walls, his chances of survival would be very worrying, so he was very cautious. His political opponents often took advantage of this and accused the Grand Vizier of being a friend of the infidels and of accepting bribes from the Greeks, Venetians and Genoese.

The other faction was Shehabuddin, Zagan and Salja, who had been against Khalil before, a group of upstarts whose empire was rising rapidly: they were all ambitious military generals. As the saying goes, civil officials advocate peace, while military generals advocate war. As young military generals, they had always opposed the peace policy and encouraged the young Mamtim to dream of conquering the world.

The faction's enterprising attitude won the favor of Sheikh Akshem Saidin, the religious leader, and fanatical jihadists. Even the knowledgeable scholar and Sudan's language teacher Ahmed could not avoid it, not to mention the young people who were indoctrinated with the idea of ​​"jihad".

Ironically, Shehabuddin, Zagan and Salja were all classmates of the Sultan.

The Sultan looked at the two sides who were refusing to give in with annoyance. As his mentor, Khalil Pasha actually had more prudent ideas. If he failed completely in Constantinople, he would really fall into the abyss and it would be difficult to recover.

But thinking back, would the Ottoman army, which had suffered several defeats in a row, really let go of the defeated monarch after withdrawing? Orhan, who was hiding in Constantinople, was waiting for his weakness - he had "killed" his half brother Erdogan, and many people were quite dissatisfied with this, even though they knew it was the ancestral precept.

For a moment, a feeling of weakness and exhaustion filled the Sultan's body, making him sigh heavily.

PS1: "-Where is Trafalgar?"

"—Trafalgar? It doesn't exist."

From the movie "Napoleon".

PS2: I chose Parvati for the 4-star character I selected and the royal companion for the costume. Now I can finally upgrade it to its full potential.

Chapter 131 Fatih, lead your brothers and make one last charge!

"What day is it today?"

The first thing Fatih did when he woke up was to call the people around him. The life when he worked as a postman and could sleep until he woke up naturally was gone forever. Now he was no longer that messenger, but the Sultan of the empire.

"It's the third day, Sultan. The Urban cannon will probably reach the front by noon."

"Really? That's great. I thought it would drag on for another two or three days..."

We can't wait any longer, we must resolve the differences within the team once and for all today!

Having said that, once the battle meeting started, Fatih, who was sitting on the main seat, was already yawning and about to fall asleep.

"We must seize the moment and take advantage of Constantinople's temporary weakness to withdraw with honor on favorable terms."

Khalil Pasha said coldly that the border issues with Karaman, Mamluk and Aq Qoyunlu Empire had always made him feel uneasy. Especially the Mamluk, a country that advocated the use of force, was far from being able to contend with the current empire. Maybe he hadn't conquered Constantinople yet, but when he looked back, he found that his home in Anatolia was gone.

"The successive failures in the naval and land battles have revealed the difficulty of the siege. If the battle continues to drag on, the possibility of rescue by János Hunyadi's army or the European countries will become increasingly greater."

"You know the capabilities of the Genoese and Venetian fleets better than I do. In the Battle of the Bosphorus in 1422, the Venetian fleet defeated our navy with fewer troops. Just yesterday, four Genoese sailing ships were able to take on 180 Ottoman warships without any problem!"