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

The Ottomans’ sacking of Constantinople was no worse than the Byzantines’ sacking of the Saracen city of Gandia on Crete in 961, when Nikephoros II Phocas, the “White Death of the Saracens,” let his army loose on a bloodbath in Gandia for three full days, but it was no worse than the destruction of Constantinople by the Crusaders in 1204; and with Fatih’s timely stop-gap measure, the Ottomans’ behavior was more organized and disciplined than the Byzantines’ irrational xenophobic brutality during the Komnenos in 1183, when they massacred almost all the Latins in Constantinople, including women, children, the elderly, and even patients in hospitals.

But that doesn't mean he's going to stop it.

Alvin and Constantine stood side by side at the end of the steps of the Grand Palace. Looking back, they saw twinkling lights of fire behind them and the moon was about to fall. The "hot night" belonging to those conquerors was about to begin.

Under Fatih's command, several roads from the Hagia Sofia Mosque to the Golden Horn were cleared to allow them to leave, and he seemed to understand something and waited for them at the Golden Horn.

The night of May 1453, 5, fell on the Bosporus and Constantinople, sneaking into the windows of the dome of Hagia Sophia, completely obscuring the mosaic portraits of emperors and angels, the porphyry columns, the onyx and marble floors, the smashed furniture, and the pools of blood on the ground.

Rome was gone, gone forever...

Chapter 223 Marble King

The work of converting Hagia Sophia into Hagia Sophia Mosque has begun. Craftsmen quickly built a wooden minaret as a temporary minaret; at the same time, the paint on the walls was also on the way, covering the gorgeous mosaic patterns, but retaining the four guardian angels under the dome - according to Suleiman the Magnificent, this was Fatih's respect for the souls of this place.

Moreover, other pagan symbols in ancient cities have also been preserved intact for a period of time - the equestrian statue of Justinian the Great, the Serpent Column at Delphi, and the Egyptian columns.

Assass230 looked at the sky. The bad weather was gone that day. For the first time, they enjoyed the beautiful starry sky by the Sea of ​​Marmara.

The noise in the city behind them gradually grew louder and the flames lit up. At this point, even Mashu, who was under heavy protection, understood something.

“They are starting to reward people based on merit.”

According to tradition, Fatih, as the supreme commander, should enjoy one fifth of all the spoils. He settled his share of Greek slaves in the Fanar district near the Golden Horn in the city, which has been a traditional Greek settlement until modern times.

"About 3 were sent to the slave markets of Edirne, Bursa and Nicaea. A few important figures were later bought and freed, and their fates are recorded."

"I ransomed my sister from one place, my mother from another; then my nephews. To the joy of God, I set them free."

But overall, his experience was still very miserable.

"But my father and brother will never come back."

In addition to the death and separation of his relatives, the reason that made Camarillotes most heartbroken sounded a bit ridiculous.

"Three of my four nephews, through hardships, due to the frailty of youth, abandoned the faith of the Lord... If my father and brothers were still alive, perhaps this would not have happened... So my life, if it can still be called a life - is full of pain and sorrow."

It was not uncommon for Christians to convert to the Crescent because they had tried to save the city protected by God from being conquered by the Crescent world through prayer and the power of holy relics, which is known as "false conversion, later regret."

But even so, their efforts were in vain. Many more captives were assimilated into the Ottoman gene pool, borrowing the lament of the Armenian poet Abraham of Ankara: "Like dust, scattered throughout the world."

"Do you know the legend of the Marble King? Or the King in the mountain or something like that?"

Constantine leaned back on the stone chair. Before Manzikert, this was the true power center of the empire.

But now, this place is just a glimpse of the past.

Basilius said this, and it seemed that he knew something.

“When did you start to discover it?”

After hearing this, Alvin put down the work in his hands and just looked at Constantine. Although he is now inferior to before in many senses, the dignity of the emperor cannot be insulted.

"When did you notice it?"

"That's when you said you were going to make me a 'saint.'"

Many nations in the world have such legends, but the specific plots are slightly different. The framework of the story is usually that a hero of the nation is sleeping in a cave in a deep mountain, sometimes with loyal followers. Once the country is in danger of survival, he will wake up and fight to save the nation. This shows that this hero is usually a combat hero.

The specific identity of the hero is usually a historical figure of the nation, and is usually an emperor or general who has made great achievements in military affairs, such as Frederick I of the Holy Roman Empire, Charlemagne, the "Father of Europe", and Constantine the Great. Only these heroes who have made great achievements can defeat the invading enemies.

The specific ways in which they sleep are also different. Most of them sleep in an unknown cave, and some turn into stone statues. Such legends are distributed all over the world, including the British Isles, continental Europe, Central Asia and even the Americas.

It is also worth mentioning that the first legend to be transformed into a formal literary creation was the legendary Knight King.

"If I had known you would do this, I should have died at the Theodosian Wall."

Constantine sighed helplessly, saying that if he died under the city wall, all he would get in return would be the praises of the bards and the so-called Orthodox saints.

But if we follow Alvin's approach, the significance goes beyond this:

When Constantine XI was dying, an angel took him up, turned him into a marble statue, and hid him in an underground cave near Constantinople. There he lay in deep sleep, waiting for the angel to wake him up. At that time, he would enter the city through the Golden Gate with sword in hand and drive the Turks "under the red apple tree."

where are you?

Are you still alive, or did you die by your own sword?

Muhammad the Conqueror searched for heads and bodies, but he did not find you...

Some people say that you were hidden by the hand of the almighty God. Are you still in this world and have not left?

This was the lightness he had never borne before in his life. He thought that he was not worthy of being commemorated, worshipped, or deified in this way. The one who should be worthy of this was the first emperor named Constantine, not himself.

"It seems that you don't realize your own value, Constantine." Alvin continued to clean the environment of the old palace, and said to him: "If you knew that nearly 400 years after your death, you are still the pride in people's hearts, and inspired generations after generations, becoming a legendary symbol, would you still think so?"

As Alvin said, although he undoubtedly died in the battle under the walls of Theodosius, his spirit of doing what he knew was impossible and his courage to face death inspired future generations. When nationalism emerged, he undoubtedly became the symbol of popular support.

"You know, I once saw a set of paintings like this. In the paintings, the last emperor Constantine XI was awakened by an angel, crowned in Hagia Sophia, defeated the Turks, and finally came to Jerusalem to place the crown and the True Cross in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. After that, he came to Golgotha ​​and died again before the real resurrection."

Alvin, who had finally cleaned up, set up a small area in front of Constantine, then took out the golden apple and placed it on the ground.

"Now, an angel will come to the world."

PS: Golgotha, also known as the Skull, is located in the northwest suburbs of Jerusalem. It is said to be the place where Jesus died. There are many huge crosses in the area. In 33 AD, Jesus was sentenced to death by Governor Pilate and was crucified here.

Chapter 224 The Judgment of Fate

The surviving notables of Constantinople soon met their fate. Fatih had intended to detain all the important people he could find, but in the end he only found Grand Duke Lucas Notaras and his family, who were entrusted with important tasks.

"These Venetians are really good at running..."

Fatih stood at the dock of the Golden Horn, looking at the three-masted sailing ships and caravels gradually going away on the Sea of ​​Marmara, and sighed helplessly.

The Battle of the Bosphorus completely broke the backbone of the Ottoman Navy. Unless the Ottoman Navy temporarily rented ships from North African pirates, it could only sigh in despair as it could not even provide a single oar or sail.

"There are still many things to be resolved, but Venetians... just wait for me."

Like the Basilius of the Roman Empire, Fatih inevitably came into contact with the Venetians.

But things are different now. The Ottoman Empire has regarded the Venetians as its main rivals in the Mediterranean, so its punishment on them is particularly severe. He has planned to deprive the Venetians of their tax-free privileges and the right to dock at any port.

But this could not make up for the losses suffered by Fatih. Before entering the city, Fatih had already drawn up a long list of people to kill.

The Venetian alcalde, Minotu, played an important role in the siege and defense of Constantinople. He, his son, and other Venetian dignitaries were all executed.

Actual situation: He fled on a boat, leaving only 29 Venetians who did not have time to escape.

The leader of a Catalan mercenary organization from the Kingdom of Trinacrea and some of his key subordinates were also executed.

Actual reality: Run faster.

Two Orthodox United Church clergymen - Leonard of Chios and Isidore of Kiev.

Actual situation: It should be on the Volga River now

In a nutshell, the names listed on this list seem very long, but it is futile to put them into practice and they are completely useless.

Although it was a dilemma, Angelo Lomellino, the municipal governor of Galata, took decisive action to try to save the Genoese colony. Galata fought alongside Constantinople and was therefore vulnerable to direct retaliation from the Sultan. Lomellino wrote in a letter to his brother.

"The Sultan said that we did everything we could to aid the defense of Constantinople, and as a victor he was right to say so. We are facing calamity and must obey his will and avoid his wrath."

Fatih then ordered Yericheni to immediately destroy Galata's walls, moats and defense towers, and to surrender the artillery and all other weapons. The mayor's nephew and some Byzantine nobles were sent to the Sultan's palace as hostages. This policy would not only ensure the obedience of the Galatans, but also provide young and educated talents for the administration of the empire.

He really couldn't stand these people. They had no knowledge, no culture, nothing, and they were just busy grabbing. He was almost mad at them.

"Have all my distinguished guests arrived?"

"They are all seated. The arrangement of the venue is up to you. In addition, you will need to make the final decision on Grand Duke Lucas Notaras."

"Let's put this matter aside for now. At least I don't want to see any more extra blood tonight."

"I understand."

The problem for Fatih was what to do with the last of the Byzantine nobles, Grand Duke Lucas Notaras, the highest ranking of the Byzantine nobility, but whose role during the siege was controversial and against whom the Italians had been attacking.

The reason why he attracted Fatih, apart from the fact that he was the last person Constantine met before his death, was this intriguing statement.

"I'd rather have a sultan's turban than a cardinal's mitre."

As for what to do with it, he initially planned to appoint Notaras as the city's administrator, which reflected the Sultan's deep-seated strategy for Constantinople - but the ministers did not think so, so it had to be shelved for now.

"If he is unwilling to hand over his son, then let him be a prince of peace in Constantinople."

At the dinner party by the Golden Horn, when the drunk Fatih asked this question, Fujimaru Ritsuka thought about it again and again, and after thinking of the story of the Armenian Cao Gong, the Duke of Cilicia, he made this suggestion.

"Why didn't you think of calling him Lord Shanyang?"

“That’s the emperor level.”

"That's true."

While tasting the barbecue served to her, Mashu observed the environment of the big tent. The sound of the sea breeze whistled in her ears, and she felt something was not right.

It is well known that the Seljuk Sultan Arsalan was accustomed to living in a big tent, but it is questionable that nearly four hundred years later, Fatih, known as the conqueror, was unable to change this habit.

But this barbecue is still delicious.

Compared to Mashu who ate slowly, the Heroic Spirits seemed much more unrestrained. El-Melloi looked at Nero on his left, then at Elizabeth on his right, and then at Boudica who was chatting happily with Ophelia across from him. Finally, he realized that he was sitting in the wrong seat, so he could only turn a blind eye and eat.

......

"According to Doukas, whose writing is always vivid, the Sultan ordered Notaras to hand over his son to satisfy the Sultan's demands. Notaras refused, and the Sultan immediately sent executioners to kill his entire family. After killing all the males in Notaras' family, the executioners picked up the heads, returned to the banquet, and offered them to the bloodthirsty beast."

"The more likely truth is that Notaras was unwilling to send his children as hostages, and Fatih felt the risk of keeping Byzantium's top noble alive was too great."

"Constantine XI's self-sacrifice was useful. Archduke Lucas Notaras' life was saved by him."

Inside the Chaldea control room, the three old men in the monitoring room were also celebrating the completion of the repair of the second singularity. However, at this moment, Romani still had a can of coffee in her hand, which seemed a bit out of place.

"What brand is it this time?"

"Ritsuka recommended the Sumida River fresh coffee. Don't worry, it's added with oat milk." Romani scratched her head and smiled.

“Isn’t this just sweet coffee?”

“No, there is a difference between sweetened coffee and cafe au lait.”

......

.....

...

...

..

.

"There's a fire."

PS: Maybe it’s really because my horoscope doesn’t match my luck in Tianjin. A rain sent me straight to bed for four days.

Chapter 225 Please Pull the Trigger

Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field that the LORD God had made. And the serpent said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”

The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden,

But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, “You shall not eat of it, and you shall not touch it, or you will die.”

The serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.

For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was pleasant to the eyes and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, and he ate it.

——The Bible, Old Testament, Genesis

"Golden apples?"

"The real deal. You should know the story of the world's first beauty pageant. Legend has it that the ancestors of Rome were descendants of Troy. To some extent, this can be said to be the same end."

"Troy is just over the sea, and you can take a look at it after this is over."

Constantine stared at the golden apple in his hand. He finally understood why the three goddesses on Mount Olympus seemed to lose their souls when they saw the golden apple, which led to the war like a domino effect.

It does have that value.

"You want to send an angel into the world?"

"If you are sincere, your wish will come true. Why don't angels come to this world?"