1453: Revival of Byzantium

Chapter 52: Chaos

A huge wave of different colours started appearing on the horizon. The walls below them tremble as-if it is going to come falling down. The cries and songs coming from the distance startled every single person with their familiar but unnatural tone. It is an army, an army that stretch all the way from the extent Antonius' eyes can see to another side. From the Southern coast of Constantinople stretching all the way to the Northern coast of the city, coming on all fronts, making Antonius almost lost his feet and fell on the ground.

Under the white sky and fluffy ashen clouds, on the high Theodosian walls of Constantinople, Antonius can see perfectly how the twenty thousand Timarli Sipahi Ottoman calvaries approaching the city from the two flanks. A twenty thousand calvary charge is definitely some sight that you will not frequently see in your life, and it can neither be described with words nor be neglected by anyone.

The movement of a twenty thousand calvaries are like the mountain coming crumbling down, like the earth goes cracking.

Ottoman light calvaries are mostly donned in the colour of grey robes or grey light leather armour. When they move as one, they look like the devil reincarnates from hell, skeleton knights with blue flames jumping in their eyes coming for retaliation. Most Roman soldiers on the walls came falling down at the sight of this, while some still existing Roman soldiers who experienced the last siege of Constantinople, sighed and went to their respective posts. Some others braver ones like Antonius and Giovanni narrowed their eyes and started observing the weakness in enemy lines

"Ding~~Ding~~Ding~~Ding~~" All the churches, cathedrals, monasteries inside the city started ringing their bells in warning of the impending army, no matter whether they are of Catholic of Orthodox roots. Citizens hurried to hide and secure their safety. Ottoman spies inside the city bolted and started creating chaos on the streets spreading the fake news that Ottoman soldiers have entered the city. The various city gates have been shut and locked with a double seal, preventing the mistakes that the Ottomans made back in the fortress of Rumelihisar.

In the midst of the chaos, armed rogues began creating chaos in the city, robbing shops, setting fire to warehouses, spreading rumours, ambushing and kidnapping guards or clergies of the churches. Some daring ones even attempted to organise armed raids in an attempt to take control and open the various gates to welcome the Ottoman forces inside, hoping that the Sultan will in turn approve their contributions and reward them with a spectacular amount of wealth and fortune.

Giovanni observed the chaos and fires in the city for a while. "Need not worry the enemies outside first, they cannot get in yet." He ordered Mauro and other captains of the army's face already pinky-red from the rage. "In my orders, blockade the four exits of the merchant's district, then let the calvaries and heavy infantry wipe out all rogues who are engaged in criminal activities along the streets. No matter whether they are robbing, stealing, raping, or any other criminal activities, arrest them at once! If they got a blade in their hands without a valid reason, confiscate their weapons and force them to go help out with extinguishing the flamesat once!"

Mauro and others, seeing the rage of their superior, gulped and slammed them fists against their chests. "Yes sir!"

Giovanni sat down on a stool, his beard moving in the wind as his calvaries goes fighting against crime. It took them quite a while until the order and stability in the city are re-established with a roll of heads chopped and hang on the poles and spears across the city.

After dealing with any internal threats, he had his eyes on the Ottomans again. The Ottoman calvaries, as he had expected, do not dare attacking the city directly in risking their very own lives. They are only here to surround and encircle the city first, while wishing that by their sheer size they can scare the people inside a city into submission, another tactic the horse lords have been using for almost a thousand years when they are still in the Steppe.

The Ottoman calvaries then began 'cleaning' any Roman presence outside the city, either taking those farmers as slaves or letting them ascend to heaven. Then they started pitching tents, building a line of wooden walls and other fortifications along the city's land walls, sending a message to Giovanni that they came serious this time, showing that this time it will be a prolonged siege. After all of this, they wait for the bulk of their infantries to arrive.

Giovanni continues observing the Ottoman camp, while the emperor Constantine, the Mega Doux Loukas and a bunch other noble, having heard the news of an Ottoman siege, came looking for him on the walls.

Upon their arrival, they immediately bursted into a state of quarrels and in-fighting like they used to do back in the senate, showing their laughable figures to the Roman soldiers, further diminishing the morale of the army guarding the walls.

Some senators propose that the army should not just wait inside the city protected by the walls, the senate pays them to fight, so they should go outside the walls, form into formations and push back the Ottomans in order to protect their manors and properties outside the city.

Others suggest that they should immediately execute all non-believers of god inside the city, confiscate all the properties and wealth to distribute them among the nobles in order to repay the loss they suffered because of this siege.

Another group of nobles then went on to suggest that they should double the tax of the citizens in the city immediately to build up the city's defense and fortify their estates and wealth inside the city.

While those true nobles who are more concerned about the fate of the city and country immediately started arguing with them that their wealth shall be completely worthless if the Ottomans came inside, plundering all the wealth, butchering or enslaving all of them. By then these nobles will suffer even more than the peasants, like slaves.

They began a massive brawling session on the walls even before the Ottomans started their siege.