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

"Ah."

As night fell, Constantinople had quieted down and was waiting for the enemy to attack. In the darkness, it began to rain heavily, but the Ottoman army continued to move siege equipment to the front line. Giovanni entered the position first, followed by Constantine and Alvin.

At this final moment, the entire empire entered a perfect state that had not been achieved in the previous thousand years - the lowest people and the highest emperor, the humble soldiers and the noble nobles, all stood shoulder to shoulder at this moment, fighting for the survival of the city and the final glory of the empire.

The optimistic Venetians even declared that they would win the battle without a doubt. Although few people were as optimistic as they were, everyone was still quite confident that they could withstand this last storm.

In the early hours of the morning, the Ottoman army was ready. In the darkness of the tent, Mehmed II made his usual prayer, begging God to give him the city. Not only that, he also put on a magical short shirt, which was embroidered with verses from the Koran and the name of God. It was very magnificent and according to legend, it protected successive Ottoman sultans from bad luck - of course, this was not the case. Sultan "Thunder" Bayezid I was captured alive by Timur.

The Sultan, accompanied by his principal commanders, rode to the front and decided to lead the offensive himself. The Ottoman army carefully prepared for a three-pronged attack and followed through on the plan.

Fatih decided to commit a large force to the temporary fortifications of the defenders, rotating the troops in order of their effectiveness and combat effectiveness. He ordered the first wave of attacks to be launched by irregular legions, including ordinary infantry conscripts and foreign auxiliaries - poorly trained troops conscripted to seize spoils and soldiers from vassal states who were forcibly conscripted.

According to Franz's records, many of the first wave of troops were Christians who were forced to fight, mainly from the Balkans; the Bishop of Galata said that they included Greeks, Latins, Germans, Hungarians - those from all Christian countries. In short, they were a mixture of races, beliefs, and equipment, but most people only had simple scimitars and shields, and even no armor.

They are just cannon fodder. And they are cannon fodder who don’t have enough food to eat. Perhaps this is the prototype of “black cattle”.

But even so, Fatih still gave a very brilliant pre-war speech:

"Once we start the war, we will fight without stopping, without sleeping, eating, drinking, resting, or taking any breaks. We will continue to put pressure on the enemy until we defeat them."

"You know, there are many vacant governorships in Asia and Europe. The best position will be awarded to the first one to break through the enemy's line. I will give him the honor he deserves, reward him with high office and generous salary, and make him the happiest in our generation; but if I see someone hiding in a tent instead of fighting under the city wall, I will make him live a life worse than death."

"These sufferings are intentional by God. The sword of Islam is in our hands. If we do not choose to endure these sufferings, we are unworthy of the name of jihadists and will be ashamed to stand before God on the Day of Judgment."

"I swear by the Prophet, by the souls of his fathers and children, and by the sword he wears, that he will give the soldiers everything in the city, including all the citizens, men and women, everything in the city, its property and land, and he will keep this oath and will not violate it."

This was by no means a well-disciplined and powerful combat force, but the Sultan's goal was to use these infidel cannon fodder to wear down the defenders' strength before committing more valuable troops to the killing zone.

The first wave of troops came from the north end of the city wall, carrying ladders, preparing to launch an attack along the entire middle wall, especially focusing on the temporary barriers.

Now, thousands of people are waiting in the darkness for the order to attack, waiting for the dream that is so close yet so far away.

As for food? F*ck it!

Chapter 195: Firelight Illuminates the Plain

"Hmm, anyway, the time for the decisive battle has come!"

"Now is the time for us soldiers to fight bravely. Fight, my remaining soldiers! Transform into my sharp swords and defeat all the enemies that stand in our way!"

"My sword is the fire of origin, and the sound of my sword is like the stars surrounding the universe."

"Be dazed by this sound. Then sing praises and rejoice! My sharp swords!"

The sight of Nero standing on a high place and waving his arms makes it hard not to think that he is on the scene of solving the Crisis of the Third Century. Of course, the actual situation is not as Nero said, "The rise and fall of Rome depends on this battle."

Ritsuka and Scathach, who had just returned from the front line, happened to see Nero just finishing his speech, and Ritsuka's tense brows finally relaxed.

"It looks like he has fully recovered. I originally thought he would have some psychological burden or something. Is his ability to self-regulate so strong?"

"Perhaps someone enlightened her."

Not wanting to be left out, Romani interrupted, "Not to mention Miss Nero, even here I can hear the Sultan's voice and cheers after his speech. He is truly worthy of being the jihad that everyone feared in the Middle Ages."

"But at least Constantinople will not be treated the same way as Baghdad, which is perhaps a blessing in disguise."

Palace of Wisdom, my Palace of Wisdom...

"It is now 5:29 in the morning of May 1th. It is estimated that the final trumpet will be blown soon. Ritsuka, are we participating in the battle against Blachnell Palace and Hagia Sophia?"

"Well, it would be even better if we could find Murad II's court magician this time."

The battle has already begun, but the Servant's presence has not yet been sensed.

"Did Murad II also have a court magician?"

Ophelia thought about the secret history of the Ottoman Empire's court in the past ten years and found that there seemed to be such a person.

"I suspect that person is No. 64 Floros - Leif Lionel Floros."

"Leff... It's hard to imagine that the creator of 'Sheba' would be the Demon Pillar."

In this regard, Ophelia still finds it difficult to accept.

"He is a dangerous man who almost destroyed Chaldea and threatened that the end of the world has come. He does not deserve any sympathy, Ophelia."

It was rare that Aku Hinako comforted her with words. This was probably the care of a senior for a junior.

"In short, you must be careful. If you encounter the holder of the Holy Grail, you don't know what will happen."

"Well, although we still don't know who holds the Holy Grail." Olga Marie smiled bitterly. It was really uncomfortable to not know who the real enemy was when the finale was approaching.

"Gil de Ray of the First Singularity used the power of the Holy Grail to summon the True Devil from the Dreamland. There is no guarantee that they will use this power only to summon Heroic Spirits this time."

"The true devil?"

"It is said that demons will attach themselves to people's hearts and try to move through human bodies, but the human mind, as the seedbed, cannot bear it. In the end, it is normal for them to spread demonic nature around and then self-destruct. This is what I found from the information I brought from Astra Academy. Ah, but unfortunately, this is all I can say."

Having said this, Ziyuan paused subconsciously before saying the second half of the sentence.

"Because the final battle has begun."

At 1:30 a.m., when humans are most sleepy, earth-shaking horns, drums, and cymbals suddenly sounded, announcing the start of the offensive. Mehmed II was indeed a genius who could think of nothing better than picking such a time. Not only the defenders, but even the Ottomans who had been ready for the attack had not expected it.

The cannons began to roar, and the Ottoman army advanced from all directions by land and sea. The irregular troops received strict orders that they must advance steadily and not leave the battle line without permission, even if they were charging towards the opposite gun muzzle.

With bloody advances, the Ottomans finally crossed the 70-meter no-man's land and advanced into the range of the guns. The crossbowmen and musketeers began to fight back, desperately suppressing the defenders on the city wall. After the second order was issued, they lined up in rows, ran across the filled trenches, shouted and rushed towards the city wall with spears and scimitars in hand.

The defenders were already on high alert. When the irregular troops tried to climb the wall, the Christian defenders flexibly used various hand-held incendiary weapons to ignite the ladders, throwing oil bottles and pouring hot oil at the enemy who were desperately climbing at the foot of the fortifications. In the darkness and chaos, only the dim flashes of hand-held torches could be seen, and the shouting, blasphemous insults and curses could be heard.

Giovanni quickly mobilized his troops and filled those places that seemed more critical. In the fight with swords and knives, the defenders gained the upper hand. With the help of rich combat experience and solid city walls, fighting these irregular troops was like slaughtering pigs and sheep.

From the day in January 1453 when he dramatically arrived on the quayside at the head of 1 of his finest soldiers in shining armour, Giovanni had been the defining figure of the defence – having come there voluntarily and at his own expense.

"For the good of the Christian faith and the glory of the whole world!"

He was a master of the art of defending a city, fought bravely, was indefatigable in his defence of the land walls, and alone was he loved and loyal to all who, though they had originally been full of hatred for Genoa, made a great exception in Giovanni.

Under the command and combat of these commanders, the increasing casualties and hunger caused the following Ottoman soldiers to gradually waver and retreat, but Fatih was determined to use these gray animals to the limit, so he deployed a supervision team in the rear, who used sticks and whips to drive the retreating soldiers back to the battlefield. Not only that, behind the supervision team there was a team of yericheni holding scimitars, ready to chop down anyone who rushed through the gendarmerie interception line.

The miserable irregular soldiers were caught between the fire in front and the constant pressure from behind, and they cried out in terror. They would die if they went forward or backward. Under the bright armor and scimitars of the Guards, they turned to attack the city wall again, and desperately tried to set up their own ladders under the overwhelming fire, but were slaughtered by their own people.

Although these worthless people suffered heavy casualties, they had achieved the Sultan's goal. Within two hours, they had greatly exhausted the physical strength of the defenders on the city wall. Only then did Fatih allow the survivors to retreat, and he limped back to his own line - the Sultan was hit by a bullet in the leg.

There was a brief lull in the fighting at 3:30 in the morning.

It was still dark, but the fire lit up the plain.

Chapter 196: The Sultan's Gift of Fermented Grape Juice

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

They replied: "We have heard about it from the Messenger of Allah."

He said: “The Last 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 sea wall will collapse. When they say it a second time, the second sea wall will collapse, and the third time, the land wall will collapse. They will enter the city happily.

Alvin on the city wall pulled the trigger, and the crossbow arrow coated with poison had already whizzed past, aiming directly at the guy who blew the retreat horn.

"There is no certainty in the outcome of a war. Even if one has the equipment and manpower advantages that determine victory, victory may not be achieved. This is the situation that the Sultan is facing now, Giovanni."

As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of the horn was artificially paused.

"Then tell me what it is?"

"Victory and superiority in war depend on luck and chance—and that is what I fear, Giovanni."

"What do you mean?"

"Giovanni, your luck has run out, and you are the proof of it now."

The Genoese opened his mouth and wanted to refute something, but he couldn't say anything at this time.

They all knew that Constantinople was now extremely thinly stretched. After seven weeks of attrition, the original 7 soldiers might now be reduced to 15000, while the total length of the defense line was 8000 miles.

Elsewhere along the line, the Ottoman irregulars’ attacks were less intense; the still intact walls made their advance difficult, but the attacks elsewhere were diversionary in nature, designed to keep the defenders too busy in their respective positions on the front line to relieve the friendly forces under great pressure on the central wall.

The garrison's deployment was now so bold that there were only ten defenders on a 300-meter-long wall, and the reserve troops on standby at the Apostolic Church in the city were no more than . The people on the wall looked out to the plain, hoping in vain that the enemy would stop there and retreat, but this hope was soon dashed.

"I'll do my best."

Giovanni nodded seriously. He also knew the value of his head.

"But now, I think we might be able to take a break. Fatih has been hiding the food crisis for nearly a month, and it's time to break out."

The crisis broke out just as Alvin had expected, but what Alvin did not expect was Fatih's way of resolving it.

"Go find the horses and camels with damaged hooves and hand them over to the cooks. They know how to cook them. I want to have a good meal after daybreak."

Fatih said to his great vizier while bandaging his injured left leg.

"Sultan, this is not in accordance with the rules of the Koran."

"Whoever is forced to do so, without any voluntary action and without excess, commits no sin. This is what the Quran says in Chapter 173, Verse . Shall I find this verse and show it to you?"

Fatih, who had eaten pork, said disapprovingly. Not only that, he opened his kettle and took a deep sip. This fermented grape juice has been deeply loved by the caliphs since ancient times, and even the sultan is no exception.

"That's it. Call the other imams. They know what to do."

After giving the order, the Sultan limped out on crutches, and a moment later he rode to the Anatolian heavy infantry on his right wing. These troops were well-equipped heavy infantry, wearing chain mail, with rich combat experience, strict discipline, and full of enthusiasm.

Although Fatih is only 21 years old, his speech does not sound immature or unfamiliar at all, as if this is something he does as a matter of course.

"Forward! My friends and children, the time has come to prove that you are heroes! Remember the great blood flowing in our bodies, and victory will surely belong to us!"

They advanced along the edge of the valley, then turned to face the ramparts in a neat march, approaching in dense formation, shouting the name of Allah in a terrifying manner. These fearless heavily armed warriors rushed towards the city wall like lions unchained. This resolute charge made the defenders highly nervous, and the bells of churches throughout the city rang one after another, calling everyone to their combat positions.

Outside the gate of Hagia Sophia, 5 kilometers away, the priests also provided support in their own way. They put on chain mail and robes, carried out all the holy icons, walked to the city wall, prayed, drew their swords with tears in their eyes, and rushed to the final battlefield.

The heavy legion quickly crossed the trench and rushed in a tight formation. The defenders immediately used light artillery to fire at them, but still could not stop their advance.

The Ottomans held up their shields to resist the hail of stones and arrows, and tried to rush to the base of the city wall. Relying on their large numbers, they successfully built ladders on the ramparts. Countless Ottoman soldiers rushed to the city walls despite the baptism of stones and asphalt, and started a fierce battle with the defenders.

One wave of soldiers fell, and another wave rushed towards the city wall with even greater courage. These soldiers seemed to be driven by a power beyond human power to fight desperately. In their eyes, death and victory were equal gifts. The more serious the losses, the more eager they were to unfurl their flags.

Under the tenacious resistance of the defenders, the ground was littered with the broken bodies of the Ottomans, and the countless dead bodies piled up together greatly hindered each wave of attack by the heavy army. The soldiers trampled on each other and crawled on top of others, forming a human pyramid.

The situation changed rapidly. Sometimes the Ottoman heavy infantry climbed up the walls and ramparts and pressed forward without wavering. Sometimes they were fiercely pushed back. The Sultan rode to the front, shouting at them to move forward and sending more fresh troops to the areas where gaps had been opened to replace those who had died and wavered.

The sounds of swords colliding fiercely on shields were crisp; the sounds of blades cutting throats, arrows piercing chests, lead bullets breaking ribs, and stones smashing heads were much lower.

Behind these voices there was a more terrible cacophony of voices: prayers and battle cries, words of encouragement, dying curses, howls of pain, sobs and whispers of the dying. Smoke and dust drifted across the front lines. Jihad warriors raised the crescent flag high in the darkness with hope, and the torches they held in their hands emitted smoke, illuminating bearded faces and armor.

This is a battlefield for mortals, but in the next second, those "gods" will join the battlefield.

Chapter 197 Nika!

"This is the city that the world longs for..."

Standing at the port of the Golden Horn, the Genoese who were supporting Constantinople from Galata had no idea that an enemy would appear among them.

Just standing at the port, Nero could see the heyday of the empire. The capital of the empire changed from Rome to Ravenna, then to Pavia in Milan, and finally to Constantinople.

At this moment, even Nero had to admit that compared with the City of Seven Hills, the more developed Eastern Mediterranean region in all aspects was more suitable as the center of the empire. And under the decision of Constantine the Great, the land under his feet became the new center of the Roman Empire until today.

"I suddenly realized that apart from the bloodline from Augustus, I am nothing..."

Just as Nero was lost in thought and recollection, a communication from Chaldea once again interrupted her thoughts.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but now is not the time to admire the Queen of Cities. A servant has reacted not far from us."

"Where exactly?"

"The Circus Maximus, the site of the Nika Riot during the reign of Justinian the Great. There are two reactions I can observe from my side. You have more than one Servant to fight against, and although almost everyone in the Roman Empire is fighting on that side of the wall, please be careful."

After giving repeated instructions, Olga Marie lay directly on the backrest behind her, picked up the mug on her right and started drinking.

"Wow, what's in this? This is too bitter."

"Ah, that, that's the coffee that Romani forgot to take away. It's the bitterest kind in all of Chaldea. According to her, drinking this kind of coffee helps her stay awake."

"Didn't it ever occur to you to oppose her, Sion?"

"It's completely useless. Once Romani gets serious about doing something, no one can stop her. This is one of the reasons why Leonardo proposed taking turns when she was here. However, since she is now in the singularity, it has been temporarily shelved."

"So I have to implement this system?"

"That's it, Chief. Don't stop."

At this point, Shion pretended to run, but was ruthlessly refuted by Olga Marie, of course, not the previous sentence.