1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 110: Sailing on Land
Constantinople, the port of Prousfilion.

In the meeting room, Isaac sat at the main seat, and the naval officers sat on both sides, naturally divided into several small circles according to their subordinate camps.

The Cyrenaica Mediterranean Fleet, the former Eastern Roman Empire Fleet, the Cyprus Kingdom Fleet, some Venetian merchant ships, the Genoese Galata Fleet...

"Bartholomew, you report first."

Bartholomew of the Gattiluccio family, commander of the Genoese Galata fleet, stood up and faced Isaac and his colleagues.

"Last week, my fleet launched three sorties, reaching as far as Marmara Island. As we expected, the island was completely occupied by the Ottoman army and was heavily guarded."

"We encountered a small group of Ottoman troops. They also spotted us, but did not get involved with us and left quickly."

Since the siege of Constantinople, the Eastern Roman coalition fleet has relied on the protection of the Golden Horn chain to avoid direct attacks from the Ottoman fleet's Fust battleship group.

However, a fire in Galata City directly changed the combat strategy of the Ottoman fleet. After the plan to control the Golden Horn failed, the Ottoman fleet began to adopt a blockade policy, patrolling the Sea of ​​Marmara, and cooperating with the Cutthroat Fort and the Anatolian Fortress to tighten the noose around Constantinople's neck again and again.

To this end, under the command of Isaac, the Eastern Roman Empire's joint fleet used the Golden Horn as a base and iron chains as support, and sent small and fast warships to the Sea of ​​Marmara to scout for the enemy fleet and look for opportunities for a fleet decisive battle.

Fighting a fleet decisive battle in the rough Sea of ​​Marmara would be very disadvantageous for the Ottoman fleet, which was mainly composed of small first warships, and the Ottoman naval generals were well aware of this.

The fleets of both sides had been testing each other in the Sea of ​​Marmara, with small-scale conflicts breaking out from time to time, but they were limited in scope and there was no further entanglement.

The Ottoman fleet was mainly docked at the Port of Two Pillars north of Constantinople, within the protection range of the Cutthroat Fort and the Anatolian land-based artillery, and the Eastern Roman joint fleet could not directly attack it.

Since the strength gap between the two fleets was not large, they were very cautious in choosing the time, place, weather and wind direction of the decisive battle. They were like two savage beasts, using the Golden Horn Bay and Shuangzhu Port as their nests respectively. They would not give in to each other, but dared not to cross the line rashly.

They are all waiting for the other party to reveal a flaw first.

"Archon Miloto."

"Your Majesty, we have compiled a summary of all the Ottoman ships that we could observe in the Sea of ​​Marmara. Here are the results."

Miloto handed Isaac a document.

"We found that although the total number of Ottoman ships in the Sea of ​​Marmara remained basically unchanged, the frequency of large galleys increased, while the frequency of small fusts seemed to be gradually decreasing."

Isaac took the document, looked at it carefully, and found that it was true.

Starting from May 5, although the number of Foster's warships observed fluctuated, it did begin to decrease in general. The large galleys that were supposed to be used for decisive battles rather than reconnaissance suddenly began to increase, as if to deliberately cover up something.

Isaac's heart skipped a beat and he suddenly turned around to look at Captain Fidel, who was in charge of patrolling the Golden Horn.

"Fidel, have you seen any unusual phenomena during patrol?"

"Everything is fine, your majesty,"

"According to your request, we will conduct two patrols a day, and four patrols in the places you focused on, but we have not found anything abnormal."

Isaac nodded. He believed in Fidel's professionalism, but the doubts in his heart could not be wiped away. Instead, they became stronger.

Maybe Osman was just switching defense normally?

"Keep observing and report immediately if anything happens!"

"Bartholomew, accompany me to Galata this afternoon!"

……

In the fire that shocked Europe, the city of Galata was completely reduced to ruins. Several towers in the southeast corner survived due to wind direction. Orhan's Second Legion of the Purple Guard and the remnants of the Mayor of Leinster's City Guard were ordered to garrison here and cooperate with naval ships to guard the Golden Horn chain.

"Your Majesty, after the Battle of Galata, the Ottoman army began to gradually occupy the rest of Galata City and tried to attack us. After being blocked, they immediately retreated and did not choose to attack by force."

"Just the day before yesterday, we observed that the Ottoman artillery units began to appear in the western part of the city, but they have not taken any further action yet. They may be afraid of our naval fleet."

In the tower on the southeast side of Galata, Isaac listened to the reports from Orhan and Leinster. His mind was confused and he had no idea about the abnormal behavior of the Ottomans.

Compared with the original time and space, the impact caused by himself is already very large, and it is difficult to predict the next move of the Ottoman army.

"How many Ottoman troops are currently stationed in Galata?"

"Not much, sire."

"There are more than 3,000 combat soldiers, more than 4,000 civilian laborers, and many wounded soldiers. It is basically impossible to drive us out of here."

"However, their camp is very close, just at the edge of our maximum range."

The Mayor of Leinster said.

"Have you sent out rangers to investigate?"

"The Ottoman army was spread out widely, and they kept strict checks on spies and rangers. Most of the rangers we sent out never returned, and those who did return did not find any useful intelligence."

"Keep watching, and pay special attention to the movements of the Ottoman artillery units."

"If there is any unusual movement, send a fast ship to inform Constantinople immediately!"

……

February 1453, 5, late at night.

The Valley of Springs is located directly north of Galata City.

“What a great idea!”

Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II could not help but admire the huge outline looming in the night.

Under the dark sky in the distance, the gentle hillsides undulated slightly, outlining a beautiful shape. On this flat land, dozens of ships were moving slowly.

The ground was covered with rolling logs and wooden boards smeared with butter, and each ship was pulled by strong oxen in front, moving slowly but steadily towards the southwest.

There are rows of masts and groups of ships, and they are sailing on dry land.

The crowd leading the land boat trip was huge and silent, and all the grandeur was hidden under the tranquility of the night.

Mehmed II was filled with pride as he watched the fleet moving slowly on dry land.

The plan of sailing on land had been formulated long ago. The purpose was to bypass the blockade of the iron chain of the Golden Horn, enter the Golden Horn directly by land, and directly strike at the fragile sea wall north of Constantinople.

This plan was time-consuming and costly, requiring the search for a relatively flat valley and low hillsides, and secondary construction on them to make it easier for the warships to hide and transport when passing through the tracks.

In addition, supplies such as oxen, grease, logs, brackets, rollers, etc. also require time to prepare.

After the Battle of Galata, Mehmed II put this crazy plan on the agenda again and began to implement it step by step.

The fire twenty-six days ago disrupted Zagan Pasha's plan to march into Galata City, but it also indirectly facilitated the plan of sailing on dry land.

The city of Galata was reduced to ruins, and the remaining defenders huddled in the iron chain of the Golden Horn in the southeast corner. As long as some troops were sent to keep a close eye on them, it would be difficult for them to detect the specific movements of the Ottoman army north of Galata.

In order to make the plan foolproof, Mehmed II transferred three artillery companies to the north bank of the Golden Horn and built land-based artillery positions on the spot to prevent ships from being attacked when entering the water. In addition, Mehmed II also dismantled some ships and prepared to transport them to a place near the Golden Horn for secondary assembly.

After twenty days of hard work, nearly seventy small Foster warships and nearly ten medium-sized galleys have been transported ashore and hidden at the foot of the hill near the Spring Valley, and their number is still increasing.

According to this method, even if the defenders of Constantinople discovered any abnormalities, they would not be able to effectively interfere with the project until the land voyage was completed.

"Your Majesty, the Sultan, all preparations have been completed. We are only one hill away from the Golden Horn."

"Everything is ready, just waiting for your order!"

The person in charge of coordinating the land navigation project was the naval commander Bartoglu. This experienced naval officer was also very excited as he looked at the outline of the fleet in the distance.

"There's no rush yet."

"Mahmoud's tunnel is complete, and Karaga's giant siege tower is almost ready. You continue to prepare and wait for my orders."

Mohammed stared at the naval ships docked on land with fascination, his eyes red and his fists clenched.

Since the siege of Constantinople, he has been under pressure that is unimaginable to ordinary people. The tasks of various armies, the allocation of military supplies, the boosting of morale, and the replenishment of troops are all crucial in a war, and no one dares to slack off.

He was suspicious and cunning by nature. He didn't want to hand over such an important task to his subordinates and wanted to do everything himself.

After the defeat of Galata, disappointment, pain, doubt and dissatisfaction came to him from all directions, either explicitly or implicitly.

Muhammad II withstood all of this, and with his extraordinary psychological quality and tenacious perseverance, he suppressed all doubts and continued his jihad cause.

As the war became increasingly brutal, casualties on both sides soared, and the trenches were almost filled with dead bodies. The Ottoman camps were no longer as simple and clear as before. Human and animal urine, solid garbage and disabled soldiers caused small-scale diseases. The scorching summer heat greatly increased the material inconveniences of the Muslims, and the Ottomans' determination was softening every second.

In fact, after six weeks of fierce fighting, both sides were exhausted, people's nerves had reached the critical point of collapse, and the war for Constantinople had evolved into a duel between the two commanders to maintain the morale of their subordinates.

In the past few days, he ordered the army to deliberately slow down the pace of the attack, send the last bit of cannon fodder into the battlefield, withdraw the Janissaries to rest, and put on a show of decadence, so as to conserve strength and confuse the enemy.

Mehmed II was a strong man. The greater the pressure he was under, the clearer his mind became. He ignored all opposition voices and unswervingly pushed forward his plans to the end.

The tunnels in the southern section of the city wall, the giant siege towers in the northern section of the city wall, the royal cannons in the middle section of the city wall, the land-based boats on the sea wall of the Golden Horn...

As time passed, Mehmed II remained calm and composed in front of everyone, but the anxiety and restlessness in his heart were growing day by day.

For both the attackers and defenders, the war had lasted too long, the casualties were too severe, and the dual torture of psychological and physical torture drove people crazy and wore away their wills, leaving only bodies that retained their combat capabilities but could only swing their swords numbly.

Mehmed II turned his head and looked towards Constantinople in the southeast. Night was falling and the city was fast asleep.

It's time for a decisive battle.

……

"Your Majesty, the Ottomans are making unusual movements!"

In the Grand Palace, Isaac looked at Captain Fidel who had hurried over and thought to himself that something was not right.

"what happened?"

"The enemy has begun to set up land-based artillery in large numbers at the westernmost part of the Golden Horn."

"Didn't you try to interfere with their actions?"

"The location they chose was very clever. The battery was located on a high ground. Our artillery could not effectively attack it, but they could cover the water with firepower."

"In order to avoid unnecessary losses, we will temporarily withdraw to the port."

Isaac picked up a pen, took out the map, and drew a line on the gentle plain north of Galata, connecting the Double Pillar Port on the coast of the Bosphorus and the Valley of the Springs along the Golden Horn.

"Your Majesty, what is this?"

Isaac did not answer, but kept his eyes downcast.

Unexpectedly, even though they had changed the world line so drastically, the Ottomans still chose to take this risky move.

"Fidel, listen up, lead the fleet to the northwest of the Golden Horn immediately and patrol outside the range of the Ottoman land-based artillery. Don't panic no matter what you see."

"Get all your weapons ready and get ready for battle."

"Your Majesty, what exactly are the Ottomans planning?"

Fidel was also a little flustered when he saw Isaac so anxious.

"In the next few days, you may see a strange sight at any time."

"The Ottoman ships, in groups, climbed up from the valley to the top of the hill, and then slid down the hill into the sea."

"Tell our sailors these things so they can be prepared and not panic."

After basically confirming the intentions of the Ottoman army, Isaac felt very complicated. In addition to his worry about the worsening of the war situation, he also felt a little relieved.

It's time to come.

He knew the Ottoman method of land navigation, the approximate time and location, but he had no way to stop it.

The terrain of the Spring Valley is high in the southwest and low in the northeast. This caused the Ottoman fleet to hide behind the low hills after landing on the land from the Double Pillar Port. With a large army gathering nearby, the Ottoman fleet had no way to counter it at all.

The Ottomans specifically chose a shallow shoal to launch their warships and mobilized artillery for defense. Their large warships had too deep a draft to reach that place, and their small warships could hardly pose a substantial threat to the Ottoman fleet.

As the main attacker, the Ottomans naturally had the initiative and could come up with all kinds of clever strategies and break through everywhere. As the defender, they could only be trapped in an isolated city and passively take the beating.

This is Constantinople's absolute strategic disadvantage. No matter how well it fights tactically, the war situation will always slide in a direction that is unfavorable to it.

"Your Majesty, are you saying that the Ottomans will sail on land?"

Fidel frowned, trying to imagine the strange scene.

"Correct."

"If this is all true, won't we have to fight a decisive battle with the Ottoman fleet in the Golden Horn?"

"Scared?"

Fidel laughed.

"We have followed you on your expeditions throughout our lives, fighting wild beasts in the forests of West Africa, enduring storms on the vast ocean, and fighting Muslim pirates on the long coast of Tunisia."

"I have enjoyed all the glory and wealth, my wife and children are safe, and I have nothing else to ask for."

"We are not profit-seeking Latins, nor are we timid Cypriots. We are the invincible fleet of the Roman Empire."

"Why should I be afraid? I can only fight to the death."

(End of this chapter)