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

Alvin, who was lying on his seat, spoke weakly. He looked at the dome of Hagia Sophia with lifeless eyes, thinking only of what Emperor Justinian had said in the Valley of the Fountains.

Alvin felt only confusion about his choice at that time.

At some point, El-Melloi II had already left, and there were only a few people left in the church. Looking at Giovanni's sad face, he could do nothing but express sympathy.

Pity?...It suits me quite well.

"Hey, bro, wanna go get a drink?"

As he was about to leave, the leader of the Tekopo mercenaries called him. Unbelievably, although he was a Turk, he spoke in Greek.

As if noticing Alvin's confusion, he explained as a matter of course: "Don't say that, man. How can you do this business without working hard? You should know that our first captain learned French specifically to solicit business from Baldwin II."

"So, why not have a drink? Relax, we don't have so many rules."

Alvin hesitated for a moment and replied slowly.

"If you don't mind."

"Come on then, my friend, drink while you can, as our Ibn Battuta said in his story."

Facts have proved that these mercenaries really disdain those so-called dogmas. In a tavern in the Golden Horn, the leader who pushed the door open and said the first words to the boss almost shocked Alvin to death.

"Boss, give me a plate of good meat and a bottle of wine!"

"You guys also bring meat and wine?"

As if he had expected Alvin to ask this question, he took the wine glass, took a big sip, and then put it heavily on the wine cabinet.

"Surprised? Look at what my brothers are doing."

Alvin looked in the direction of his finger. That was the largest and most lively place in the tavern. If the Caliph who was currently in Egypt saw these people drinking and eating meat, he would probably be as angry as the Pope in Rome and excommunicate them.

Or maybe just join if you can't beat them?

The dish of meat was finally served. Although it was thickened with a rich sauce, it still could not cover up the aura itself. Where did it come from? It came from that creature. Alvin believed that the person in front of him knew this very well.

"In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, and be thankful for His grace."

There is not much difference in this respect between the majority and the minority, but the most bizarre thing is that one second they express their devout faith in Allah from the bottom of their hearts, and the next moment they start to feast on the food.

"Meat and wine pass through the intestines, but Allah remains in the heart."

Although he had the Jordanian Muslim classmate in front of him, it was still a big blow to Alvin in this era when secularization had not yet been popularized.

"Put the wine bag aside, place the book together, drink three cups of good wine, and read a few verses from the scriptures. Reading the scriptures is a good deed, drinking is a bad deed. If Allah forgives, the good and the bad will cancel each other out."

As if he had seen through Alvin's estimate, the captain simply recited a poem.

"This is a masterpiece by the great Persian poet Abu Nuwas, who was appreciated by the Caliph and became the royal poet of the palace."

"As for the meat, if you don't tell me and I don't tell you, who knows what kind of meat it is?"

Since people said so, Alvin might as well let go. After all, he is just an ordinary person in the guise of an Abrahamic religion. Can't he do whatever he wants?

"Those who set the rules have all made mistakes before, so they know the source of mistakes and then set the rules to prevent future generations from taking detours. But how can you know what is right if you don't make mistakes?"

"So drink when you should drink and eat when you should eat. The rules are dead but the Caliph is alive. Since you are in the secular world, the Caliph will not abide by the literal rules. What are we believers afraid of?"

He burped, looked at the gypsy who came on stage with his musical instrument, and said to Alvin:

"Would you like to listen to it? It's Carmina Burana, a hymn from Bavaria in the Holy Roman Empire. We still have an hour to go, so go ahead and listen."

While the entire Constantinople was filled with a tense and solemn atmosphere, only the Drunkard Master's Tavern by the Golden Horn remained peaceful.

"What's the name of this song?"

"In Taberna, easy-to-understand Latin name, right?"

Chapter 174 The rise and fall of an empire depends on this battle!

The joy in the Drunkard Master's Tavern was short-lived after all. Half an hour later, the mercenaries left this tavern beside the Golden Horn Bay one after another.

"See you in half an hour, then."

Alvin nodded. He shook the wooden wine glass in his hand. The brown wine reflected his eyes, making them look even deeper and more mysterious. He narrowed his eyes slightly, and they were filled with mist and a faint red color appeared behind his ears.

He was actually a little drunk.

"Boss, check out."

“That person has already paid.”

A thick Armenian accent came from the front desk. Alvin was stunned for a moment before he couldn't help but think of the past of this ancient nation.

“Are you still a member of the Apostolic Church?”

"That's natural, but it doesn't affect the fact that the Crescent Moon Cult members consume pork from me."

The boss was still wiping the wine glass. Alvin looked at the remaining liquid in his glass, his eyes gradually becoming dazed.

They could have enjoyed a wonderful life, but now they have to fight each other for various reasons. Fate, wealth, faith, instinct and other factors have made it irreversible.

"It's really... sad."

——He didn't notice the changes happening to himself at all.

At the St. Romanus Gate in the Lycus Valley, when El-Melloi II saw the troops in green helmets, his expression finally changed a little.

"Huh? They're actually here? I thought they had disbanded a long time ago."

"Did you find anything new, sir?"

Leonardo appeared beside him.

"The Tekopo Mercenaries, I thought they had disbanded like Guram, but I didn't expect them to swear allegiance to the Byzantine Emperor?"

After a slight surprise, there was a ruthless judgment.

"But even so, they still can't change the facts."

El-Melloi II has made a ruthless judgment, and the game of rebuilding Rome with his disciples can be closed. Now it is time to switch characters and start the life of the Sultan from scratch.

"If I could do it again..."

She whispered to herself, sometimes hesitating, sometimes silent, looking very painful.

If it weren't for my original choice, perhaps these things wouldn't have happened.

......

On the night of April 4, two light artillery pieces were deployed under the leadership of Theodore at night at a water gate along the Golden Horn Bay. One kilometer away on the other side was the Ottoman artillery position. Although the projectiles of the light artillery were not powerful, their firing rate was very fast, and they were very good at attacking the positions of the gunners.

At first, the effect of the bombardment was considerable. The Ottomans were obviously not prepared for the sudden bombardment by the Romans. Fourteen experienced gunners died on the spot, but the Ottomans quickly reacted and quickly launched a counterattack against the Eternal City.

The artillery of both sides bombarded each other across the sea for a period of time, but neither could destroy the other. The artillery of the Constantinople defenders could rely on the city walls, while the Ottomans could rely on the good protection of the artillery forts, and there was no effective artillery observation method at that time. As a result, the artillery competition gradually came to a stalemate, but the pressure of the Golden Horn was still there, and the Sultan soon responded with his own artillery plan.

In terms of tactical level, the Sultan knew that his army could not compare with the defenders in the city, but the Ottoman Empire had money and people. Soon, cannons with more curved trajectories were pulled from the rear to the front line. They could fire from the rear of Galata City, completely avoiding the risk of being destroyed by the defenders' artillery. At the same time, the extremely curved trajectory allowed it to pass over Galata and the sea wall and directly hit the interior of the city.

The new mortars were deployed in the north of Galata, and whenever they were fired, the ruthless shells would whistle over the heads of the citizens of Galata. This was undoubtedly good news for the Sultan: he could take this opportunity to put pressure on the suspicious Genoese and make them completely turn to the Ottoman Empire.

But accidents always come unexpectedly. Half an hour later, a Genoese merchant ship was smashed into two by the "surprise" that fell from the sky, and the hull capsized to the bottom of the sea without any hesitation. As a result, all the Genoese merchant ships still in Galata squeezed into the port near the Spring Valley to seek shelter.

The mortars continued to bombard at the Sultan's suggestion, but the range was slightly shortened. The shells began to fall on the walls of Galata and houses in the city, and there were even several accidental injuries.

Galata sent a delegation to the Sultan's camp, and after some flattery, they complained about the recent friendly fire attacks. A vizier said expressionlessly that they had always targeted the garrison's warships, but they were not yet proficient in the operation of the new artillery, and calmly assured the representatives that they would pay off the money owed to Genoa in one lump sum after they finally occupied Constantinople.

“This is how the Ottomans repay the friendship that the people of Galata have shown them.”

Consul Minotu still hated the Genoese for their betrayal, and the "friendship" he referred to was the Galatas' tip-off to the Ottomans, which led to the failure of the night attack.

In fact, since the failure of that night attack, Basilius basically gave up the fight for the Golden Horn and focused all his energy on the defense of the land wall, which was the place of the decisive battle and where the fate of Constantinople was determined.

He stood in front of the gate of St. Romanus, looking at his multinational troops with different thoughts. To be honest, this might be the best troops he has ever commanded in his life:

Genoa and Venice, the former Three Musketeers of Italy, the volunteers of Aragon, the overlord of the western Mediterranean, the French cavalry of Naples, the loyal Varangian Guards and the battle-experienced Tecopo mercenaries.

Although the communication problem is still a difficult issue, Constantine is no longer able to consider so many issues.

"The rise and fall of the empire depends on this battle!"

PS: Tekopo, which means sons of the Turks, mainly refers to the Turks and Greeks living in Anatolia. There are also Syrians and even Bedouins. The ethnic composition is complex.

Among them were Crescentists, Apostolic Church and Coptic believers. This army was known for providing light cavalry, equipped with long spears, good at archery on horseback, and the horses were not equipped with complex armor and were flexible. Their main role was to suppress archers and provide support for the Frankish regular army.

Because of their language and appearance, quite a few of them served as scouts. Their ranks were relatively low, and they could not eat at the same table with other regular troops or knights. In the Battle of Cape Hattin during the Second Crusade, more than 4,000 Tekopo mercenaries participated.

Chapter 175 Dancing on the edge of a knife, removing the firewood from under the cauldron

It had been a long time since Constantine had personally led an army into battle.

Since the death of the previous emperor, Basilius, and his elder brother, Ioannis VIII, five years ago, the position of Prince of Morea was given to his younger brother Thomas, and he himself went to Constantinople alone.

He looked at the soldiers, most of whom were infantrymen, and all he could think about were the bravery of the Holy Armor Cavalry that he had read in stories from his childhood.

Of course, it was just a thought. Five years ago, Constantine had asked Halfdan, who might be the last captain of the Varangian Guard, about this question, and the Swede's answer showed the present state of this ancient empire helplessly.

"Unfortunately, Your Majesty, given the current situation of the empire, we cannot even provide a minimum-sized Holy Armor Cavalry unit (250 men)."

"Although I know that the training cost of the Holy Armor Cavalry is very expensive, can you tell me to what extent?"

"If Your Majesty had so much financial support during your Northern Expedition, I think you would have been able to recover the coastal areas of the Balkans."

Well, now Constantine has a new understanding of the 20 troops that Manzikert sent away. What is even more frustrating is that years after the Battle of Manzikert, the Seljuks were completely torn apart...

"Halfdan, let me ask you something."

"Your Majesty, please speak."

"You're not going to let me get shot in the ass with a musket, are you?"

"From the perspective of the result, it might be better to let your Majesty be hit by a lance. After all, that is the great Emperor Alexius."

At about one o'clock in the morning, Basilius personally led his army out of Constantinople. The total strength of this multinational force reached 8,000 people, including 300 French cavalry, 4,000 Teutonic and Hospitaller Knights, and 2,000 crossbowmen. The rest were composed of Tekopo mercenaries and Varangian Guards.

Originally, the Ecumenical Patriarch wanted to involve the dozen or so Knights of the Holy Sepulchre who were protecting him in the battle, but was rejected by the emperor.

"I don't want Constantinople to fall when I return. The Knights of the Holy Sepulchre and the Order of St. Constantine fought for this very moment."

An hour later, the emperor's troops had all crossed the Lycus River Valley. Some Ottoman soldiers were on guard. When they saw the Teutonic Knights appearing before their eyes, they immediately began to shout loudly.

The Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, Ludwig von Errichhausen, immediately ordered his knights to charge. The Ottoman soldiers' camp was in a dry place on the river bank, and their camp was surrounded by sharpened wooden fences, but it had no effect on these experienced German knights.

The knights ignored the enemies. They just dismounted and guarded the bridgehead, and raised a flag gun. The other troops that had been planned in advance began to cross the bridge in small teams. The whole process was as smooth as a stream flowing into a stream. Before the Ottoman soldiers could even respond, the Romans had already successfully crossed the bridge. Those Ottomans who were originally asleep heard the sound of horses' hooves like a furious tide, and their faces turned pale. They didn't even send a messenger to the Spring Valley to report.

The Sultan's first position in the Lycas Valley was thus defeated, and not a single man escaped from beginning to end.

After capturing the Ottoman position in the Lycas Valley almost without a fight, the emperor gave a decisive order: he asked the Venetian officer Trivisano to stay there and repair the buildings, and left twenty knights to be responsible for the defense.

The emperor himself was dancing on the edge of a knife with these 8,000 people - he was heading towards Thrace, a region that every imperial emperor attached great importance to, and he believed that he could get everything he wanted there.

As it turned out, Constantine's extremely bold military action almost dealt a heavy blow to the Sultan - if the Sultan had not captured Constantinople before June 6, supply and Anatolia problems would have forced him to withdraw his troops.

When he arrived in Thrace, the emperor still encountered no resistance, only some roads and streams were damaged and blocked, which would have caused trouble for the supply of an ordinary army.

But the problem is that this is not an ordinary army. Basilius did not bring any logistics with him this time, and in terms of familiarity with this land, the Ottoman Empire is far inferior to the Romans.

In fact, the Sultan did have this idea. He sent Attila to deal with Basilius's troops, but he was stopped halfway.

"Get out of the way...Onii-sama."

"Only this one thing won't do, my sister."

Although Attila felt puzzled about the fact that he had an older brother (God Ancestor) and a younger brother (Charlemagne) out of nowhere, he could accept it.

But in the current situation where each of them serves his own master, he feels very troubled. Attila helplessly raised the Rainbow Sword in his hand again and aimed it at Romulus. From Belgrade to Constantinople, it seemed that he could detect whatever he wanted to do in time.

"Before we begin, I want to ask you...what is your relationship with Aetius?"

"Nothing, just a descendant of the Remos branch."

Facing Attila holding the Sword of Mars, he had no intention of using the Palatine Spear [Magna Voluisse Magnum] - he could just use his own hands.

The scene returns to the emperor. At this time, news came from Constantinople that the young Sultan was still commanding the bombardment in the Valley of the Fountains. This made the emperor very disappointed, but he also got good news - if he wanted, he could even take Adrianople directly.

But the emperor suppressed his restlessness and decided to march to Thrace immediately to cut off the Sultan's connection with Adrianople - even if it was only for a short time. He selected 2,000 Teutonic Knights and led the Varangian Guard to advance towards Thrace. The remaining main force was partly to protect the rear of the army, and the other part was to implement a scorched earth policy, which was the favorite method of the old Teutonic Knights of the Wendish Crusaders to deal with pagans.

Almost at the same time as Constantine advanced towards Thrace, the Venetians, unwilling to be left out, attacked again. Barto personally led 50 ships to invade the coast of Anatolia. They quickly looted the grain ships from Cilicia. The Venetians' anger towards the Genoese brought them rich rewards.

The next day, Fatih felt terrible when he saw that his breakfast was only one-third of his usual amount and saw the news that the Winged Hussars had arrived in Moldavia again.

Chapter 176 The Roman Emperor, He Comes Out