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

He was shot in the right chest by a crossbow arrow on the city wall. The doctors who were in charge of his treatment worked all night to treat him and try to keep him alive.

Now, both the soldiers attacking the city and the soldiers defending the city fell into a state of introspection, and all fell into a rare silence.

Fatih's efforts to boost the morale of the troops will pay off tonight. During the past few days of the ceasefire, he has been regulating the soldiers' original anxiety, uneasiness and restlessness through a cycle of fanaticism and thinking, trying to calm them down and then inspire the strongest fighting spirit.

His preparations did not stop there. The mullahs and dervishes summoned by the Sultan played a key role in creating the right mindset. Thousands of wandering saints and ascetics came to the gates of Constantinople from the towns and villages of the Anatolian highlands, bringing with them a frenzy of religious expectations.

They were covered in dust, but they walked around the military camp with an eager smile that ordinary people did not have. The patches on their bodies could not hide their burning eyes due to excitement. They recited relevant verses and Hadiths from the Koran, telling stories about sacrifice, martyrdom and prophecy. At the same time, they reminded the soldiers all the time that they were following the footsteps of the prophet Ayyub, the standard-bearer who died in the first Arab attack on Constantinople.

The names of these saint-martyrs were passed down by word of mouth: Hazrat Hafiz, Abu Sabet ul Ansari, Hamd ul Ansari, and so on and so forth.

Of all the saints, the name of Ayyub, known to the Ottomans as Eyup, was often mentioned. The dervishes whispered to their listeners that it was their responsibility to make the prophet's prophecy come true:

The Prophet said to his disciples, "Have you ever heard of a city with land on one side and sea on the other?"

They replied, “We have heard about it, the Messenger of Allah.”

He said: "The final judgment will not come until the 70,000 sons of Isaac have conquered the city. When they arrive there, they will not attack the city with weapons and catapults, but with the words: There is no god but Allah. Allah is great!"

"Then the first wall will collapse, and the second time they say it, the second wall will collapse, and the third time the last wall will collapse. And they will enter the city in great joy."

These words attributed to the prophet are largely fabricated, as they appear in the earliest records no earlier than the 16th century, but the sentiment they convey is genuine. The great mission of completing the messianic cycle of history was entrusted to Fatih, who would realize the long-standing dream of all believers since the birth of the Crescent Church and win immortal glory for it.

Those who die in battle will also become blessed warriors and ascend to Paradise, in gardens watered by gurgling streams, where they will live forever with chaste spouses and the grace of Allah.

The anticipation was intoxicating, but from Chaldean perspective, they had a very pragmatic understanding of the soldiers’ true motivations.

"Many soldiers were forced to convert. Only a few were willing to sacrifice their lives for Allah. But on the other hand, if they saw an opportunity to seize the spoils, they would rush forward even if they were doomed to die. This was the experience of the Fourth Crusade."

"'God has promised you much spoils of war, and will give them to you quickly, and will restrain the enemies from attacking you, so that it may be a sign for the believers, and that God will show you a straight path.'"

"I still admire the Prophet very much. I have to say that the Quran is really a very versatile book. You can find almost any law, morality, tactics, strategy, management, and governance method applicable to the Middle Ages in it. And it very cleverly constructs a management system suitable for fanatics, pseudo-believers, and non-believers."

"Unfortunately, it is much harder to change his views now that they are somewhat outdated."

In the control room of Chaldea, Romani spoke highly of the prophet who was also a member of the Abrahamic monotheism. After all, this was a real achievement. No matter how chaotic the Crescent Church was now, it was undoubtedly advanced when it was first born.

Mashu was listening intently, but Ritsuka, listening closely, saw some traces that were hidden artificially.

"Ophie, look at that man."

With the help of Tamamonomae's big fox tail, Ritsuka made gestures to Ophelia who was looking at the city wall. Ophelia understood what he meant and immediately trotted to Ritsuka's side.

"See that man lying on the ground? Yes, that Serb with the black helmet."

"What happened to him? Shouldn't he be lying there resting?"

"No... He's dead. He starved to death."

Chapter 192 If God Shows Mercy

The fierce rivalry and hostility between the defenders of Constantinople had a long history. More than 400 years of religious schism, the sacking of Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade, and the commercial competition between the Genoese and the Venetians had led to the parties accusing each other of greed, treachery, laziness, and arrogance. The mutual hostility between the Greeks and Latins, the Venetians and Genoese, and even the Catalans and Castilians who came to support them was not so easily resolved, even though the final battle was approaching.

Beneath this outward appearance of dissension and despair, on May 5, all parties were generally united behind Constantine XI, doing what they could to defend the city at the emperor's command. Constantine XI spent the day organizing, pleading, and inspiring the people and the motley garrison to unite in a common cause.

Women and children now joined the defence, and were busy carrying stones up the walls to rain down on the heads of the infidels. The Minotu, the governor of Venice, made a heartfelt and moving appeal.

"All those who claim to be citizens of Venice should go to the Land Wall, first for our love of God, and second for the survival of the empire and the honor of the entire Christian world. I hope everyone will stick to their posts and be ready to die."

It's funny to say that shortly after Alvin and Leonardo da Vinci borrowed troops from Venice, the Duke of Milan stabbed Venice from behind, and the Pope was so angry that he directly excommunicated Milan.

This is probably the good habit brought about by smoking with the King of France.

Across the river, the citizens of Galata watched the preparations for the final battle with increasing anxiety. The mayor of Galata may have secretly issued a final summons to the citizens, asking them to sneak across the Golden Horn to find Giovanni and join the defenders of Constantinople. Originally intended to be the "Duke of Burgundy" in Genoa, he now finally realized that the fate of the Genoese enclave under his rule depended on the survival of Constantinople.

In stark contrast to the calm of the Theodosian Wall, Constantinople was noisy. Throughout the day, church bells rang and gongs and drums rang, calling people to make final preparations. After the terrible omens of the previous days, people continued to pray, hold liturgies, and call on God for help with even greater vigour.

Finally, on the eve of the war, these religious activities reached a peak. The Christians in the city and the Crescent Moon Christians on the plain outside the city met each other, as if returning to the distant seventh century, when the Arabs suddenly rose from the desert and the Abrahamic monotheism fought to the death again.

Now a great procession of clergy, men, women, and children assembled outside Hagia Sophia. All the city’s holiest icons were removed from their shrines and chapels, including the icon of Our Lady of the Way, which had met with an ominous omen in the last procession, the remains of saints, a gilded and jeweled cross containing a fragment of the True Cross, and a host of other icons—St. Joseph, St. George, St. Louis, and St. Constantine, the city’s first master, Constantine the Great.

The bishops and priests, in brocaded vestments, led the way, followed by the laity, who walked barefoot in penitence, weeping, beating their breasts, asking the Almighty to forgive their sins, and joining the chorus of hymns. The procession passed through the city and along the entire length of the land wall. At every important position, the priests shouted ancient prayers, imploring God to show His glory and protect the wall. The bishops and patriarchs raised their croziers and blessed the defenders, throwing holy water on them with bundles of dried basil.

History is often so sad that for the first time since the summer of 1054, Catholics and Orthodox Christians prayed together in the city under the rule of an orthodox Roman emperor. At this critical moment, 400 years of religious division and the feud caused by the Crusades were put aside, and both sides participated in a service to pray for God's forgiveness.

After the parade, the emperor summoned the most important nobles and commanders of various factions in the city and called on everyone to unite and fight bravely for the last time. But what Constantine did not know was that John Bessarion, the future Patriarch of Constantinople of the Catholic Church, was also present to listen to his speech.

"Everyone in Constantinople! Thank you for fighting for your beliefs and honor! My citizens, in the past 53 days, we have fought tenaciously for our homeland. Don't be afraid of the wild shouts of the untrained mob of the evil Turks. The strength of the Romans comes from the protection of God, but also from their excellent fighting skills and excellent equipment."

"That lowly Turkish swineherd tore up the previous peace treaty, built a fortress on the Bosporus, and talked about peace, but in fact he provoked war. All Romans! Fight for your homeland, your religious beliefs and the future of Rome!"

"Crusaders from the West! Many of your great and noble warriors have brought glory to this city, and you regard it as your own. Now, face the new struggle with high morale!"

"Remember this, today is your glorious day. If you shed even a drop of blood on this day, you will receive the warrior's crown and immortal glory!"

These words had the expected effect on the audience. Everyone present was inspired by the emperor's speech and vowed to resolutely resist the impending final attack.

With God's mercy, we may win.

It seemed as if they were all determined to put aside their differences and join hands in the common cause. Then they dispersed and returned to their respective posts.

Then he said goodbye to the priests and the people, bowed in all directions, and left the church. He was the people's guide and protector, and the safety of the city walls required him to go to the front line.

Now, it was clear to everyone that the Ottomans' most concentrated and fierce attack must be in the Lycus Valley, between the St. Romanus Gate and the Charisius Gate, where part of the outer wall had been destroyed by artillery fire. On the last day before the general attack, the defenders repaired the earthen fortifications here as much as possible and sent troops as reserve forces.

Although Giovanni can now only walk with the help of a cane, his responsibility tells him that he must take part in the final battle.

It was at the St. Romanus Gate, the site of the final battle.

......

"Where are Mr. Alvin and Basilius?"

"They went to the Yelebatan Water Palace and seemed to have something to discuss."

"I see... I hope they can hurry up."

PS: Everyone knows St. George and Constantine the Great, St. Louis is Louis IX

As for Saint Joseph, you may not believe it...it is Joseph.

Chapter 193 The Eve of War

At midnight, silence and darkness enveloped the Ottoman camp again. But hidden in the silence was endless murderous intent and greedy eyes.

The Jihad warriors carried all their weapons and piles of arrows, and stood in order at their respective posts. They were excited about the upcoming fierce battle, dreaming of the glory of martyrdom and the gold within reach, and waited silently for the signal of the final general attack.

It seemed that everything was ready. Both sides knew that the next day would be extremely important. Both sides had made spiritual preparations. The devout believers still believed that the Christian God would ultimately decide the outcome of the war, and the defenders in the city would surely win the victory with the glory of the Lord.

“On that day, I had a bad feeling.”

George Franz wrote from Galata on the evening of May 5. He and the emperor had been lifelong friends and had an absolute loyalty to him that was rare among the group that surrounded the emperor in the last days of the Byzantine Empire.

23 years ago, he had saved the life of Constantine XI during the siege of Patras. He was then seriously wounded and spent a month in chains in a dungeon full of insects before being rescued by the emperor.

In the 31 years that followed, he made countless missions to Western Europe on behalf of the emperor, including spending three years looking for a wife for the emperor - although it was ultimately in vain, it was not his responsibility.

In return, Constantine XI appointed him governor of Patras and activated the honor of consul that had been dormant for five hundred years; and when he got married, the emperor himself attended the wedding and became the godfather of his children.

On this day two years ago, he was far away from Constantinople and had a premonition: "On the night of May 1451, 5, I had a dream: I seemed to be back in the city; I was crawling on the ground, and when I was about to kiss the emperor's feet, he stopped me, helped me up, and kissed my eyes. Then I woke up and told the person sleeping next to me: I just had such a dream, remember this day."

For 53 days, they defeated the extremely powerful Ottoman army with their tiny forces; they withstood the most violent bombardment of the largest cannons in history in the Middle Ages - 5000 artillery shells and 5.5 pounds of gunpowder still could not shake the Wall of Sighs; they repelled three large-scale attacks and countless raids, killing tens of thousands of Ottoman soldiers, destroying enemy tunnels and siege towers, and even launched an extremely successful counterattack under the leadership of the emperor.

They fought fiercely at sea, attacked from within the city, and worked tirelessly to wear down the enemy's morale.

They may not know that they are actually just a little bit away from victory.

"No matter how many times I see this kind of text, it always makes me feel sad."

Lixiang was standing on a small hill with a telescope in her hand. She looked like a female commander on the battlefield. If someone took a picture of this scene and spread it, there would be no need for publicity. Those who had signed up would probably line up overnight for the physical examination.

"Between the Blachernae Palace and the Charisios Gate in the north; in the Lycus River Valley in the middle; at the third city gate in the south, facing the Sea of ​​Marmara. Master, it looks like we have to split up this time."

The city walls in these areas had been severely damaged, so Fatih's words were not an exaggeration during the pre-war mobilization.

"The moat no longer exists! Three locations of the land wall have been destroyed. Not only light and heavy infantry like you, but even horses and fully armed heavy cavalry can easily charge in!"

"No, this time it's the final general attack for both sides. Ritsuka, we have to follow behind these conscripts and the Yericheni, and we will take action after they rush up - you don't seem to dislike this at all, Ritsuka."

——Although Fatih's words sounded nice, everyone still had a very clear understanding of the Sultan's bold words. The concentrated offensive would focus on one location, that is, the middle section of the land wall, the shallow valley between the St. Romanus Gate and the Charisius Gate. This is the Achilles heel of the entire defense system, and the most powerful firepower in the past seven weeks has been consumed here.

"It's all helpless, Master. People always need to grow a little bit."

Ritsuka said this, but he felt very bitter inside.

If I could, I would rather not be like this.

"Master should be more worried about Mashu and the others. One is a magician and the other is a sub-servant, but they are extremely resistant to this in their hearts."

"Tamamonomae has gone to work. Let's first think about the issue of Nero looting for three days after he knew the city had been captured."

Fatih was extremely confident about this general attack. There were already nine large gaps on the outer wall, some of which were more than ten meters long. Most of the gaps were in the river valley, and the defenders blocked these gaps little by little with wooden fences. The framework of this temporary barrier was connected by wooden beams and stones from the collapsed city wall, plus all the materials that could be found at hand: firewood, branches, bundles of reeds and rubble, and the gaps were filled with soil and mortar.

This fortification was better able to absorb the impact of cannonballs than a stone wall, and gradually the earthen ramparts were apparently built up to the same height as the original walls, with their tops wide enough to serve as good fighting platforms.

At the same time, wooden barrels and wicker baskets filled with soil were placed on the top of the fortifications to serve as battlements to provide protection for the defenders. Fatih ordered his commanders to dismantle these temporary battlements as their first priority during the attack.

"That's how that Giustiniani used makeshift earth and wood to plug the holes caused by the collapse of the city wall, Ritsuka, did you know that?"

"what?"

"Giustiniani, in Lombard, means Justinian."

Since April 4, the maintenance of the earthworks had been the top priority for the defenders, and soldiers and civilians had been working non-stop to repair and expand it. Men and women, young and old, as well as monks and nuns, took part in the work, carrying stones, wood, cartloads of earth, and cut vines to the front line.

Both the old Jihad soldiers and the Crusaders knew that victory or defeat would be decided at the foot of the city wall. If there were any signs of defeat there, the entire land wall would also collapse.

Therefore, the defenders decided to lock all the side doors behind the soldiers after they entered the position, and the keys were entrusted to their supreme commander, Constantine XI.

Now the defenders will lean against the city walls and fight to the death - but there's a problem.

"Why hasn't your Majesty come yet?"

PS: I went out for internship and slept less than twelve hours in three days

If I can update one chapter, it will be considered a success.JPG

Chapter 194 The Final Battle, Roma VS Roma

"…We read omens in people's answers and greetings. We note the cry of fowl and the flight of crows and deduce omens from them. We study dreams, believing them to be able to predict the future."

"It is these sins, and others like them, that make us deserving of God's punishment."

Hagia Sophia, which was once regarded as a symbol of the restoration of the church and its merger, should have been deserted, but now it has welcomed back the devout believers and has once again become the most dazzling pearl among the Queens of Cities.

They came out of the secret passage, passed the Emperor's Door which was said to be made of wooden boards from Noah's Ark, and came to the dome that "looked like a golden chain hanging from heaven". In the past, they held meetings at the Queen's Stand. Although the angle there was good, it was not as shocking as standing under the dome.

"I heard that the angel's face on the dome was covered later?"

"Yes. But it was revealed again. But I just can't accept the image of an angel - a face wrapped in feathers?"

"What about the mosaics?"

"The Madonna of Apses and the Day of Judgment in the Daesus mosaic in the South Gallery are both works of great perfection."

"Then you should have seen the marble tablet of Enrico Dandolo, the 41st Doge of Venice, there."

"There's actually nothing in there."

Just like Rome today.

Under the dome, the elderly Ecumenical Patriarch was preaching to the believers, sharing the revelation he received in his dream last night.

"The Virgin Mary will always protect Constantinople herself, and the relic of the True Cross is within the city, so it can never be conquered."

“Even if the enemy entered the city, they could only advance to the colonnade of Constantine the Great at best. Then the Archangel Michael in the paintings of the Eastern Palaces would descend from the sky with a sword in hand, and inspire the defenders to drive the Turks out of the city and drive them all the way to a place called the Red Apple Tree on the border of Persia.”

Listening to the words of the Ecumenical Patriarch, Alvin pointed to Constantine's arm.

"Is this your handiwork?"

"The Roman emperor is God's representative on earth, so it's not impossible to let the Ecumenical Patriarch do this kind of thing."

“It’s a good trick, but that’s all.”

The bell tower struck eleven times. Now there was only one hour left until May 5th. It was time to head to the final battlefield.

Please save your city, as you know it and wish it. You are our weapon, our rampart, our shield, our commander, fight for your people.

Constantine Dragaces Palaiologos.

"lets go."