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

By mid-May, with all other methods defeated at the Theodosian Wall, the siege entered its second month, and at the Sultan's behest, the tunnel engineers began a new project, this time a single-line wall near Blachernae.

Although digging tunnels is very difficult, it is one of the most effective ways to destroy city walls. These Crescent Moon armies have used this method for centuries and have achieved remarkable success. Among them, the Mamluk First Dynasty of Ben Duqdari was the most proficient. They used both land and tunnels to directly defeat all the Crusader states.

Starting in mid-May, under the cover of wooden fences and bunkers, silver miners began digging tunnels behind the Ottoman army's trenches, aiming at the city wall 5 meters away.

This is Fatih's last hope.

PS: Today is the 80th anniversary of the sinking of the Persian Cat, please be informed.

Chapter 186 William Wallace in Action

In 541 AD, just as Justinian the Great's reconquest of Rome was in full swing, a great plague whose origin is still unknown hit the most deadly part of the Eastern Roman Empire.

The consequences of this plague were extremely serious. The death of a large number of Latin people in the Eastern Empire directly led to a large population vacuum in the Balkans. Then a group of Slavs including the Bulgars marched into the Balkans in large numbers.

In 565 AD, along with the death of Justinian the Great, not only his leadership team but also the last Romans passed away. From then on, the Eastern Empire entered the Hellenistic era.

Well, if only the Slavs in the north moved south, it would not be unacceptable. After all, after Justinian the Great, mankind's oldest Crusaders, Heraclius, fought his way out of North Africa to clean up the mess, and for a time, the Slavs were almost unable to take care of themselves.

From Croatia to Thrace, the entire Roman Empire was attacked and attacked, and Emperor Heraclius led the Byzantine people to tell the enemy that we are fearless and fearless...

Then the four caliphs came.

Therefore, if the warriors in the city knew that these Slavs and Crescent Moon followers were mixed together and working together, they would probably be doubly angry.

Think about it, when Stefan IV established the Serbian Empire, he ushered in the Golden Age, and instantly became one of the most powerful countries in Europe. For a time, it was known as the Shield of the Orthodox East and the last hope of the Balkans. But he died just a few years later, and you have forgotten about it?

But even so, these well-trained Kosovo miners have already started to work. Under the illumination of smoking torches, the miners dug narrow underground tunnels and constantly supported the tunnels with wood during the advancement of the project. In fact, the Ottoman army had tried to dig tunnels to undermine the walls of Constantinople in the past, but they all failed-because Timur came.

The older citizens were convinced that digging tunnels would not work, because when Constantine the Great chose Constantinople as the capital a thousand years ago, he had already taken into account the possibility of attacking the city through tunnels. However, the city of Constantinople was built of solid rock, and the excavation tools at the time were simply powerless.

But the person who finally broke this reality was Constantine himself.

Late at night on May 5, Constantine, with a heavy heart, was sitting in his tent at St. Romanus Gate, thinking about the people he met that day, the things they talked about, and the road ahead. It would take him a long time to digest these things.

But someone interrupted his thoughts.

"who!"

Constantine, whose thoughts were interrupted, stood up. The guards with nervous faces had just rushed into the tent. It was obvious that the sound was not made by them.

"Be quiet, do nothing, and listen."

He signaled to his guards not to act rashly, and at the same time he listened attentively. A terrible idea had already emerged in his mind.

"…It was the knock of the mattock, your majesty."

Longabis, who arrived late, reported. Just now, the soldiers on the Theodosius wall accidentally heard the sound of mattocks knocking and an incomprehensible language coming from underground inside the wall. It was neither Greek nor Ottoman. But none of this mattered. What mattered was that the tunnel had obviously passed through the wall. It seemed that they were planning to dig the tunnel directly into the city and surprise everyone.

"That's it, commanders. Our enemies are coming from under our feet now. We must find a way to eliminate their threat."

Someone who can mine?

This issue obviously hit the soft spot of those commercial republics. They can do business and sail, but it is impossible for them to roll up their sleeves and go to the fields to mine.

Constantine asked a lot of questions and finally asked about the Teutonic Knights.

"Ludwig, are there any people in your Teutonic Knights with rich mining experience?"

"There is one, sire, and he is an old acquaintance to you and Mr. Alving."

Old acquaintance?

With this in mind, two people with heavy hearts named by the Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights followed him to the Teutonic Knights' station at St. Romanus Gate.

"You're really an old acquaintance."

Alvin looked at the gunner he had rescued a few days ago and lamented the smallness of the world.

John Wallace, yes, is the descendant of William Wallace in the Scottish War of Independence. He was once a member of the Scottish Order of St. Andrew, and later joined the Teutonic Knights on the recommendation of the leader. Like his ancestors, he is a knight with superb martial arts skills, and is also well versed in artillery and engineering technology.

Now, he will face a brand new task, and the Slavs who are proficient in digging technology have also met a real opponent.

The Scotsman was obviously very familiar with tunnel operations. He quickly calculated the exact location of the tunnel based on the sounds made by the Slavs digging the tunnel, and then decisively and quickly dug his own tunnel.

The battle was about to break out, and Constantinople had the advantage of surprise in this regard. The soldiers rushed into the enemy's tunnel in the dark, burned the wood supporting the tunnel, and finally ran away at the speed of light in one go.

As for the Ottoman engineers, they were not so lucky. As the supporting wood burned, the tunnel collapsed and they were trapped in darkness. The only outcome left for them was suffocation.

Even though the first battle was won, the threat posed by the tunnels completely deprived the defenders of the security brought by the Theodosian Walls. After that, the defenders were particularly careful to look for signs of enemy tunnels.

In response to this problem, John designed a set of standard tactics for the defenders to defend against the tunnels. He buried a large wooden barrel in the soil at intervals under the city wall, and filled it with water until it was level with the ground. Once a large range of ripples appeared, it proved that there was a vibration underground. The defenders, who gradually learned to be smart, also dug some tunnels under the city wall in advance. Once the specific movements of the Ottomans were determined, several tunnels were used to block them.

Locating the enemy's tunnels and intercepting them quickly and secretly required more skills. In the days that followed, the two sides launched a brutal struggle underground. This underground battle required special skills and discipline, and was a second front outside the city walls, fought in broad daylight.

PS: By the way, William Wallace was one of the important leaders in the Scottish War of Independence and also the Protector of Scotland. The movie "Brave Heart" tells his story.

So there is a reason why people are clamoring for a referendum to secede from Britain.

Chapter 187: Time is running out for both sides

In the days after May 5, the Christian engineers did not find any enemy movements. But the experienced Scots knew that the Ottomans would never give up so easily, and they must be digging secretly in other places, but they had not discovered it yet.

Under the continuous urging of Longabis, they finally found a new tunnel on the 21st. This tunnel had been dug through the inner wall and was about to open a tunnel entrance in the city. Constantine personally led his troops to intercept the tunnel, but failed to catch the enemy off guard. The Ottomans, who had suffered losses before, knew that there were also experts among the defenders, so they did not dare to go too deep. The Ottoman soldiers who were originally preparing to rush in quickly retreated from the tunnel and burned the supporting wood, destroying the tunnel themselves.

This time the crisis is neither the beginning nor the end. Both sides keep groping in the dark underground, and a cat and mouse game is being played. Unfortunately, there is no familiar music.

On the 22nd, at the time of the Christians' daily evening prayers, another tunnel was discovered near the Caligaria Gate where El Melloi II was. They had been holding back their anger for a long time, so they brought a barrel of Greek fire from the city wall. The flames spewing from the copper pipe burned all the Ottomans in the tunnel to death.

A few hours later, when the exhausted guards returned to the ground and complained, the detectives brought back desperate news: the vibration had not subsided, and there should be a secret tunnel nearby, which might be even deeper.

There was no choice but to re-enter the designated tunnel and wait anxiously. Perhaps it was God's mercy that the Ottoman tunnel was dug too deep, exceeding the excavation technology at the time. The supporting wooden beams collapsed and all the engineers present died.

Even after suffering huge casualties, the Slavic miners continued to work tirelessly and fearlessly - because they gave so much.

Under pressure, Basilius personally issued instructions: use everything in the city that can be mobilized to fight the enemy, smoke, water attacks, and even smelly excrement. In some special places, well-equipped soldiers formed commandos to engage in hand-to-hand combat.

While the underground battle was in full swing, the Sultan played one more of his trump cards.

At dawn on May 5, Boudica at the Charissian Gate began to prepare for a day of fighting, but then she reached the city wall. She looked over the enemy tents and thought it was just that, but her soldiers were stunned by what they saw.

A dozen meters in front of them, at the edge of the trench, stood a huge siege tower, its height even exceeding the height of the city walls and towers. The soldiers rubbed their eyes in disbelief to make sure this was real, not an illusion.

"It seems that Erdogan has done something."

Fatih looked at the siege tower with satisfaction. The frame of the siege tower was made of solid wooden beams, covered with camel skins and double wooden fences and stones to protect the personnel inside. The lower part of the tower was filled with soil, and there was a circle of earth walls outside. The entire siege tower was like a moving tower, and the cannons and muskets equipped by the defenders could not do anything to it.

The tower had ladders connecting the levels, which also served as links to the city walls, and a large number of laborers had built a protected causeway on the back of the tower, covered with camel skins, so that the jihadists could walk safely from the tower to the barracks without fear of bullets, crossbows, and small artillery shells fired from Constantinople.

"But we have to hurry up..."

When he thought of his logistics, his brows furrowed even deeper. Just yesterday, he ordered the execution of several people who spread "rumors" about food shortage.

Constantine should not destroy the road too thoroughly. According to the engineers, it would take at least three months to repair it.

Three months! By then, I’ll have no home left!

Constantine XI and his commanders hurried to the city walls to deal with the new crisis. Everyone, including the emperor, looked worried when they saw the huge siege tower.

The threat of the siege tower was obvious. It gradually filled the trench under the defenders' noses, and the archers' covering fire made it difficult for the defenders to respond. By dusk, the Ottoman army had made considerable progress. They not only recaptured the Lykas Valley position, but also filled the moat with wood, dry branches and soil. The people in the siege tower pushed it closer to the city wall.

If this siege tower overlooking the city were to fall one day, the consequences would be disastrous. At this moment, both sides reached a consensus.

After dark, the well-prepared Varangian warriors prepared barrels of gunpowder behind the city wall, and placed the barrels of gunpowder directly under the siege tower through the tunnels dug earlier. As Basilius personally lit the fuse, the siege tower fell to the side in an instant after a dull bang, followed by a series of huge explosions. Perhaps the gunpowder that was unwilling to be lonely exploded together.

The siege tower was completely shattered after the explosion, and many Jihad warriors and wood fell from the heights. In line with the principle of hitting the drowned dog, the Knights Hospitaller had already poured barrels of burning asphalt on the wailing pagans below. The Varangian Guard and the Royal Guards, led by the emperor himself, decisively attacked from the hidden small door, slaughtered the surviving pagans, and finally burned everything with fire.

"Erdogan you are a piece of trash!"

After witnessing this failure from a distance, the Sultan was furious and ordered his soldiers to retreat immediately. It was obvious that although this siege tower was designed with threats such as artillery into consideration, it completely forgot about attacks from below, making it just a useless showpiece.

The underground battle became more and more intense. On May 5, the defenders found and entered another tunnel. They advanced along the narrow tunnel with the help of flickering firelight, but suddenly ran into the enemy head-on.

"Hello?"

"Hello?"

The two sides looked at each other in confusion until one of the jihadists shouted "Allahu Akbar" and rushed forward with a Damascus scimitar, which woke up the others. The Crusaders quickly retreated and used portable Greek fire to burn the supporting wooden beams. After the tunnel collapsed, all the enemy engineers were buried alive, and two officers were captured.

When these two officers were captured, the underground battle was declared over. There was no need for Basilius's instructions. A complete set of Greek three companies were directly called in. After all the tunnel intelligence was obtained, they were directly taken out and beheaded.

Finally, the Ottomans made one last attempt. The engineers dug a tunnel under the city wall again, but were discovered and repelled by the defenders again. In the eyes of the Crusaders, this was the most dangerous tunnel they had found - not surprisingly, its exit was at Hagia Sophia.

And now, it is May 1453th, 5.

Chapter 188 It's Just a Volcanic Eruption

Since the Romans converted to Christianity, the inhabitants of Constantinople have become increasingly superstitious. "Like the city itself, its founding was based on a vision of a cross floating in the sky and a voice echoing in his mind, as Constantine the Great witnessed on the eve of the crucial battle of the Milvian Bridge 1240 years ago.

"With this banner, you will be invincible."

Omens were actively sought and interpreted, and as the empire inexorably declined, they became increasingly associated with a deep pessimism. One widespread theory was that the Roman Empire would be the last empire in the world, lasting until the end of the world.

"City of Seven Hills, when the twentieth letter is proclaimed on your walls, disaster will befall you. Your fall and the destruction of your kings are not far away."

For this reason, the Romans since the 15th century viewed the Ottomans as the people who would bring about the end of the world, marking the Last Judgment described in the Bible and being God's instrument of punishment for the sins of Christians.

In this atmosphere, people constantly looked for signs that could herald the end of the empire or the end of the world: the Black Death, natural phenomena, the coming of angels, etc. Constantinople was so ancient that it was beyond the understanding of its residents, and the city itself was shrouded in legends, ancient prophecies, and supernatural allegory.

The original significance of the ancient monuments in the city that have stood for thousands of years has been forgotten. Now they are considered to be magical codes, implying predictions of the future. The most important thing is that these mentally retarded citizens always make blind guesses!

The carvings on the pedestals of the sculptures in the Piazza della Signoria were originally about Greek (Roman) polytheistic mythology, praising the greatness and glory of Jupiter (Zeus), but are now interpreted as a prophecy about the end of the city; and the giant equestrian statue of Justinian the Great pointing to the east no longer represents his confident conquest and rule over the Persians, but foreshadows the direction of the enemy that will ultimately destroy the empire and the city.

In this environment, as the siege continued day by day, people's premonition of the Last Judgment grew stronger and stronger. The unnatural weather and the horror caused by the continuous bombardment convinced the Orthodox believers that the end of the world would come in explosions and black smoke.

"I was thinking... our logistics should be enough to feed the entire city for three or four months, right? How did this become like the end of the world?"

In the Purple Palace, Constantine was almost driven into a fool by his people. The citizens of this generation of Constantinople could not recognize the inscriptions or understand the statues. Now they began to make up stories: a child saw the angels guarding the city wall abandon their posts; someone fished out bloody oysters; a series of terrible earthquakes and hailstorms would completely destroy the city; the destruction of the whole world would be imminent, etc.

All signs indicate that the city is running out of time. In the Monastery of St. George there is a prophetic document divided into squares showing the emperors of each generation, with a portrait of an emperor in each square.

“As time went on and the squares filled up, they saw that only one square remained empty”—the one that would be occupied by Constantine XI.

The Romans have long held a philosophical concept that time is circular and symmetrical. The second prophecy about the royal family further confirms this concept: the emperors who founded and lost the city were both named Constantine, and their mothers were both named Helena. Indeed, the mothers of Constantine the Great and Constantine XI were both named Helena.

In this atmosphere of fanatical superstition, the citizens' fighting spirit seemed to have collapsed. Prayer services were held continuously in various places in the city. Regardless of day or night, people continued to pray in the churches, only Hagia Sophia was always empty - this was the fault of those who advocated church merger.

"The above are rumors widely circulated in the city, and there are some fragmentary ones..." Alvin stood beside the emperor with a manuscript in his hand and reported word by word. After finishing the report, he finally couldn't help but say out what he had to say.

"So, what era are we in and we're still discussing Arianism? See, there's something wrong, right?"

Facing Alvin's words, Constantine XI, who was also a wanderer, closed his eyes in pain, then couldn't help but smiled bitterly and asked: "My dear friend, why are our people so ignorant that they still pin their hopes on illusory things when facing a powerful enemy?"

"Almighty God and merciful Mary will only save those who strive to live, and those who lose their self-struggle will only disappear in despair - you see, it has a certain flavor."

"And there are more problems than just these - like the moon tonight, Constantine."

The moon holds a special place in the hearts of the citizens of Constantinople. It rises from the bronze dome of the Hagia Sophia, illuminating the calm waters of the Golden Horn and the Bosporus. The moon and the stars have been the symbol of Constantinople since ancient times. Every night, the moon hangs high like a gold coin dug from the mountains of Asia; the waxing and waning of the moon symbolizes the antiquity of the city and the endless cycle of time it has experienced - ups and downs, eternal and ominous.

The inscription on the marble pedestal showed that the world would be ruled by the moon for the last 1000 years, that life would be fleeting, and wealth unpredictable. Towards the end of May, people had a particular fear: while the moon was waxing, the city would never fall; but after the 5th, when the moon began to wane, the fate of the city would be uncertain. This date struck fear into the hearts of the masses, and the whole prophetic history of Constantinople seemed to be reaching a critical point.

Therefore, people were very heavy-hearted and anxious as they waited for the dusk of May 5. After a whole day of bombing, the night suddenly became completely silent.

The Hagia Sophia was still empty. Constantine and Alvin walked side by side. The two people who were personally named by Emperor Justinian the Great in the ruins of the Blachner Palace that night were both in deep thought.

"Today they sent a messenger to tell us that there would be a three-day ceasefire."

"Perhaps it is because of this prophecy. After all, before he became Sultan again, Fatih was just a messenger. It is inevitable that he had never been to Constantinople. He is the best treated among the princes who failed in the competition."

The weather was fine today. Whether it was the Greeks, Italians or even the Ottomans, everyone agreed that it was a beautiful spring night, the most beautiful time of year in Constantinople. The last rays of twilight were still flickering in the west, and in the distance the sound of waves crashing against the city walls could be heard.

The air was pure and clean, with only a faint smell of gunpowder and sulphur, and the sky was cloudless and pure as crystal. But in the first hour after sunset, as the moon gradually rose, the lookouts on the city walls saw an extraordinary sight.

The moon should have been a complete jade disk, which was consistent with the records and descriptions of the astronomical calendar, but what they saw was a dim new moon with only a tiny crescent. For four hours, the moon remained gloomy and pale, and then it restored its entire disk little by little with difficulty, until the sixth hour of the night, when it formed a complete circle.

This partial lunar eclipse made the defenders feel the power of the prophecy. Even the Italians, who had always been indifferent, fell silent and carefully thought about the power represented by the prophecy. What was even more terrible was that the crescent flag was flying over the Ottoman camp outside the city.

In the original world line, it is said that Fatih dreamed of a crescent moon covering the world. His advisers interpreted the dream as a good omen, indicating that the Ottoman Empire would soon own the entire world. So the Sultan immediately adopted the crescent moon pattern as his flag.

The Ottomans outside the city also observed unusual signs and cheered as if victory had already belonged to them. This was undoubtedly a heavy blow to Constantine XI, who was trying hard to maintain the morale of the people.

"What are you going to do?"

"I was going to call on the citizens to pray to the Virgin Mary - it was useless."

"No, on the contrary, this is the best solution you can think of, Constantine."

The next day, under the strong promotion of Basilius, the whole city will pray to the Virgin Mary to boost morale. People firmly believe in the supernatural power of the Virgin Mary. Among them, the most magical statue of the Virgin Mary is believed to have magical power. It is said that the evangelist St. Luke himself created this icon, which has played a glorious role in many successful wars to defend Constantinople in history.

In 626, when the Avars attacked the city, Emperor Heraclius ordered his soldiers to carry the image and launch a decisive charge, defeating the enemy in one fell swoop; in 718, when the Arabs were at the gates of the city, it is said that after Leo III prayed, the icon once again exerted its divine power to use Greek fire to defeat the Arab navy at sea, directly driving the Umayyad Dynasty to the Iberian Peninsula. So on the morning of May 5, a large group of people went to the Church of the Holy Savior of Korra, where the shrine of the icon was stored, to ask the Virgin for help.

The statue of Our Lady of the Way was placed on a wooden pallet and carried on the shoulders of members of the Holy Icon Society. The penitential procession walked down the steep and narrow streets in the traditional order: the guide at the front held a cross; then the black-robed priests shook the incense burners, and finally the lay believers, ordinary citizens, garrison soldiers, and even the emperor himself, who basically walked barefoot to show their piety.