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

"Eh?"

......

The sultan was surprised by the strong counterattack of the defenders, and he immediately ordered the whole army to launch a general attack, aiming directly at the St. Romanus Gate. The army immediately prepared, and followed the artillery fire to form a dense formation and launched an overwhelming attack on the city wall.

The bells on the Hagia Sophia rang, and the rapid sound foreshadowed a major attack. The Ottomans' rapid offensive caught the defenders off guard. In the tense situation, Giovanni also joined the battle accompanied by his guards.

The charging Ottoman soldiers were knocked to the ground in droves, and were trampled by the other soldiers who rushed up from behind. The corpses almost filled the empty trenches, but the endless Ottoman army just stepped over the corpses of their comrades and continued to fight as if they were galloping on the prairie. The bodies of the dead did not scare off the attackers, but instead became a bridge to the city.

The Ottoman army, spread all over the mountains and plains, hit the city walls like waves, leaving behind corpses and sweeping forward again, determined to smash the walls to pieces.

John stared in amazement at the lunatics outside the city. The miserable cries and the roars of wild beasts shook their heartstrings. Compared with these fanatical Crescent followers, he suddenly felt how gentle and lovely the pagans of the Baltic were.

"Blessed Virginity, I'm just a fuckboy."

After saying this, he took command of the artillery again, this time targeting those desperate Jihad fighters.

"Be careful!"

At some point, Alvin suddenly appeared beside him and pulled John aside, and the next moment several sharp arrows shot towards him.

His ears were constantly filled with the whistling sounds of powerful bowstrings. Under the protection of the battlements, the archers on the city walls poured down arrows seeking revenge or eliminating the fear of war. There was no need to aim at all and any arrow could hit the enemy.

But the Ottomans under the city seemed to have taken stimulants and climbed up to the top of the city without caring about their own lives. Some of them even continued to fight with several arrows stuck in their bodies. Every defender who fought the enemy at close range was shocked by their madness. Almost everyone had the same idea: these Crescent Moon believers were crazy!

The bloody fight lasted until the evening, and the defenders finally repelled the attack with great difficulty. Piles of dead bodies were dumped in the trenches, extending from the gap in the city wall to the position in the Lycus River Valley. The blood flowed like a river and the blood floated on the oars. The defenders and citizens were exhausted and fell asleep, leaving the wounded wailing in pain outside the city.

"If it weren't for you or Basilius, I would have thought I was in Constantinople in 717."

Alvin pulled out the arrow stuck in his arm. Now he suddenly felt that Gotia's surgery was not bad after all. The lack of pain sensation in his right arm unexpectedly helped him.

"It's a pity that we don't have enough Greek fire in stock." Constantine expressed deep regret. "Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you something."

"what's up?"

"Ms. Mona Lisa is looking for you."

Chapter 179 "Can I be your Mona Lisa?"

After the brutal battle, the clergy who had been prepared began their work again, burying the dead Christian brothers and counting the bodies of pagans. After the Black Death that swept across Europe, these corpses that could be seen everywhere made everyone dare not deal with them casually as before.

Giovanni was already exhausted physically and mentally by the war of attrition, and his expression became even more troubled after seeing the casualty figures - how many Ottomans were there?

But there was good news. He found that the Ottomans would no longer risk snatching the bodies of their comrades from the defenders. Preserving the bodies of their comrades was a traditional cultural and religious factor in their life, but it was all based on high morale.

Just as Basilius thought, Giovanni was sure that the enemy forces outside the city had reached their limit, and all he had to do next was to hold on until the last moment.

Alvin was standing at the gap in the Theodosian Wall, stroking the scarred bricks and stones. Although the Urban heavy artillery had exploded and was scrapped, the remaining artillery could still suppress the city wall.

He shook his head. The so-called special attack on the city wall was not the highly anticipated Urban Cannon, but the conqueror Fatih himself.

The Lykas Valley position has been under repair non-stop. As a position that the Ottomans must retake, its location is just like that of the former Teutonic Knights, opening a gap near the heart of the Ottoman army.

But as the war progressed, all that was left was cruelty and more cruelty.

I hope they will not get involved in this meat grinder-like battle. The cruelty of this war is not something they can face and accept.

He looked through the gap and saw that there were enemies in front of him. Even if he eliminated all of them, the war would not be over.

Because this is the Balkans.

Just now, he saw the leader of the Tekopo mercenary group, who had drunk with him a few hours ago. He was leaning against the wall with a helmet on and looked tired. He seemed to be asleep. As for his fellow mercenaries, they might not be as lucky as him.

But as he himself said, let's drink and enjoy life today. For people like them who have their heads tied to their waists, there is nothing to regret.

Because that's their way of life.

Now, he turned around and left, passing the clergy who were praying, the soldiers who were resting, and those who were burying the bodies, leaving the battlefield and returning to the peaceful Constantinople.

In his opinion, Constantinople at night met all his childhood ideas about Renaissance cities, just like the Tuscan night, peaceful and poetic.

Then, under a street lamp, he saw Leonardo da Vinci holding a book.

She raised her head and stared at him blankly, unable to take her eyes off him. He had been exhausted and in great pain for more than ten days. Although he had not thought of retreating, he was exhausted. Now, seeing him coming over, his calmness and silence made her unbearable.

Leonardo da Vinci once considered himself a rational person, but in front of him, emotion occupied all her thoughts. She finally fell from the lofty palace of rationality to the human world, trapped in the shackles of thought and unable to escape the entanglement of emotion.

"what happened?"

"Can I hug you?"

She asked tentatively, but perhaps because of all the things she had done behind his back, her voice lacked the spirit and confidence of the past.

Afterwards, Da Vinci saw his smile for the first time in a long time. Although it was just a slight change in the corners of his mouth, it was enough to make her feel satisfied.

She finally smiled for the first time in so many days.

Alvin looked at Da Vinci's smile. He remembered that this smile was unique to a woman in love; but this smile appeared on Da Vinci's face, and she threw herself into his arms, sobbing deeply.

Tears were trembling in her eyes, and her pretty face was filled with heartache, regret, and deep relief. Even though his arms were still as warm and the faint fragrance on his body had not changed at all, Da Vinci always wanted to hold him tightly, as if he would leave her the next second if she let go.

The small dome diagonally opposite the Hagia Sophia, the late-night restaurant that Leonardo da Vinci opened for only one person once again welcomed its guests.

"If I say that even this kind of tiramisu is still an incomplete product for me, Alvin, do you believe me?"

"Why do you say that?"

If the news that the "all-powerful man" would say that he would produce an unfinished product were to spread, the people of Florence would simply think it was pure fabrication.

After all, no one would believe that there was anything she couldn't do.

"In fact, all the Italian cooking methods I know are just to restore the taste of my mother's cooking as much as possible. All my relevant knowledge is based on my memory of my mother's cooking."

"You can say it has been beautified by my memory, but this is one of the few things in my life that I admit I cannot master. No matter how much I prepare in advance, I cannot reproduce my mother's cooking skills in my memory. My painstaking efforts are ultimately not as good as the delicious dishes my mother prepared after hours of sweating in the kitchen. No matter how many times I review and study, I can only look at the back of Catalina in my memory and sigh that I am not as good as her."

As the illegitimate daughter of an ordinary country girl of a famous Florentine lawyer, Leonardo da Vinci did not obtain the status that William the Conqueror had, but this did not affect her life.

"This may be the only work I dare not serve to the public after I have painstakingly completed it. For me, who is skilled in art and has a lot of knowledge, I cannot show my talents in the art of cooking. No matter how you think about it, it is a shameful thing. It is completely unworthy of my reputation as an all-round genius. So I didn't muster up the courage to let you taste it until recently."

"So technically speaking, Alvin, you are the first person to eat the food I made myself."

It must be embarrassing that I, who in your eyes can do almost everything, can only make something so imperfect.

——Even in the eyes of everyone in Chaldea, Da Vinci, who is almost omniscient, all-knowing, and almost omnipotent, has things he is not good at. Although the actual situation may not be as bad as she thought, since it makes her so concerned, Alvin tries to use her brain to try to solve this historical problem.

"I think if you sold these outside, the lines would stretch from Constantinople to Constantinople, really."

Alvin bit the remaining half of the cake with his mouth and gestured in the air with his hands, making a rectangle representing the workshop's logo.

"A shop specializing in handmade Italian desserts that guarantees deliciousness, and the store manager is an exotic long-haired beauty. This is bound to go viral on Twitter, right? I can imagine you wearing a uniform, a ponytail, a headscarf, and an apron, standing in the shop and loudly greeting customers."

It turns out that all I can do is to speak my mind frankly.

"I know you didn't lie to me." She turned her deliberately averted gaze back to Alvin, a smile appeared on her face, and then the smile spread.

Sure enough, this is what Leonardo da Vinci should look like.

Thinking back on the time I have known her, although I know that her current appearance is exactly her own self-portrait, I always subconsciously think of the famous painting hanging in the Louvre.

But after seeing the real person, he understood that once he set his eyes on her, it would be difficult to take his eyes off her. He was immersed in that rare beauty without realizing it. If it were not for the trip to Venice, the relationship between the two would probably still be like that of an unscrupulous businessman and a cheated customer.

But precisely because he was so familiar with it now, Alvin found it difficult to speak in a tone of understanding. In the past, he had never been able to specifically express the charm and allure of that world-famous painting, and could only vaguely use the word "beautiful" to explain the knots and doubts in his heart.

And this question has now finally been answered.

Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and he couldn't tell whether it was because of shyness or joy, but that blush served as the finishing touch to the already exquisite and perfect face of the beauty in front of him, revealing a rare emotion. Now, Alvin finally realized what true beauty was.

The wholehearted emotion, the connection with the cherished people, the past, present and future, everything you feel and want to express is now presented to you without reservation. If the painting completely transforms the viewer's visual experience into a spiritual connection with the artist, then the emotion of the person in front of you at this moment has penetrated deep into your heart, to the point of being astonishing and unforgettable.

She pursued flawless beauty all her life, perhaps she already knew the true answer.

"Your mother has had a great influence on you."

Not sure if it was because she was still daydreaming or because she blurted out something far beyond her expectations, she was stunned by this sudden statement, and Alvin even thought for a moment that he had said something wrong, which made her like this. But she quickly blinked at Alvin and returned to her usual confident appearance, and the emotion that had penetrated her heart gradually disappeared in her heart.

"Yes, after all, you know, as an illegitimate daughter, that is one of my happiest memories. The time I spent with my mother was the greatest comfort in my sad childhood, and it was also an outlet for my depression. Even though countless years have passed, as long as I close my eyes, I can recall her warm arms and lips, and the heart that makes me feel extremely at ease. Even if I am tired and hard-working, these memories can help me keep going and realize my unfinished goals and dreams."

At this point, Da Vinci put down the mug he was wiping and asked Alvin a confusing question.

"Alvin, do you hate me?"

"No."

"why?"

After finishing the last of the dessert, Alvin gave his answer.

"It's simple. Although there were some minor incidents in the magic workshop, Da Vinci-chan is not such a bad person in essence. I also know the role of the magic prism very well. Besides, you took care of me after coming to Constantinople. How could I hate you?"

After hearing this reply, she smiled peacefully again. What Alvin didn't know was that Leonardo da Vinci had now made up his mind.

“In fact, in the Chaldean archives, the records of Leonardo da Vinci’s body and appearance have always been the incarnation of the artist’s most proud work. That painting is still one of my proudest works, not only because of its completion, but also because it reflects my ideals and has become a symbol of the beauty that I strive to achieve.”

"But the real reason and the truth are only known to you, and only Alvin will know it in the future - that is myself, that is, my self-portrait, and also the ideal appearance of me, Leonardo da Vinci."

"Caterina, my mother, is the one who is closest to the ideal beauty in my mind. If I think about it carefully, maybe it is because of the memories of my mother in my mind. I project the most beautiful memories in my heart into my own creations, and at the same time, they also subtly become the ideal beauty in my mind, which has had a profound impact on my values ​​since I was young until now."

"You must think I'm very selfish. Everything I do and everything I plan are just to satisfy my inner desires. I am even willing to drag down Michelangelo and Raphael to achieve my goals. Even if you hate me for being like this, I won't complain."

Alvin raised the white coffee cup in his hand towards her, drank the remaining coffee and shook his head. He originally wanted to deny the self-denial of the beauty in front of him, but what happened next was far beyond his expectations.

"But even though I am like this, I now have things I cherish and different thoughts... and for the first time, I have someone I love."

When you like someone to the point of almost losing hope, you can only rely on some hints you give yourself to prove that you are still holding on.

But in the end, he got nothing.

This is the story of my friend, Machiavelli. He liked a woman from the Borgia family, but as the secretary of the City Defense Committee of the Medici family, he could only watch his beloved woman marry someone else.

Leonardo da Vinci did not want to repeat the same mistake. Unlike the more reserved Romani, as one of the leaders of the Renaissance, she rarely took anything seriously; but if she was really interested in something, she would do anything for it.

If it were still the environment of Chaldea, Leonardo's attitude towards Alvin might have been just that of a proprietress and a guest at the beginning, but under the catalyst of war, she began to fear that she would lose him forever, which became more obvious after the Sultan launched the general offensive.

She couldn't wait to rush to the front line, she was looking for that person's figure, she was waiting for hope under that street light; finally after that hug, she chose to face her own heart.

In the past, her mother and Shapiro da Vinci did this; now, she is following the same path as her mother.

"This is the real Leonardo da Vinci, Alvin, can I be your Mona Lisa?"

On this night, Da Vinci showed his entire self to Alvin without reservation, not only herself, but also her heart, her past, and everything about her.

Now, she looked forward to Alvin's answer.

......

......

......

......

......

......

He lost.

In front of Leonardo da Vinci, he was completely defeated.

"...Can you tell me why?"

"I don't want to regret it."

Sorry, Romani, I may be betraying you.

PS: On this beautiful holiday (), this is the only thing we can do (probably)

Chapter 180 Izmir March

The first day of the general offensive ended. Fatih came to the battlefield. He looked at the dead soldier lying at his feet, then raised his head to look at Constantinople which was still standing. After a long silence, he gave the order.

"Please bury these fallen jihadists. Our fighters do not deserve this kind of treatment."

After that, he continued walking, both to relieve his inner distress and to think of ways to break into the city.

Compared to the well-prepared Constantinople, the situation inside his own army was obviously worse. Exhaustion, hunger and uncertainty began to cause serious losses to the Jihad warriors. There were already signs of food shortages. Even if he continued to trade with the exorbitant Genoese in Galata or went fishing in the Golden Horn, it would not fundamentally solve the problem. He had noticed that during the intervals between battles, many Jihad soldiers would leave their posts to search for food for themselves. After learning about this situation, the Romans on the opposite side launched several raids and continued to gain advantages in the battle.

Although faith is the best weapon and they have an absolute advantage in size, as long as the food problem is not solved, the huge army will eventually be dragged down.

And he did not forget that he was now surrounded by enemies on all sides. Fatih could now finally understand why this country could not afford to lose a single game, and why they could always turn defeat into victory at the most critical moments.

In this war-torn land of the Balkans and Anatolia, the strong ones can attack everywhere and dominate one side, while the weak ones will be beaten on all sides and anyone can come up and kick them.

But often in the most critical moments, the Roman Empire would always have a person who could turn the tide and save the collapsing empire. At the same time, they would rely on the Theodosian Wall to repel the enemies time and time again.