Chapter 28: The Siege Continues as He Awaits

Back in the Rumelihisarı fortress, things are not looking so good.

First thing is they do not have abundant food supplies in the fortress. The fortress only has a food supply storage that is meant for roughly around four hundred men lasting for one day, as wagons of food are transported here on a daily basis. Furthermore, as they are a sneak attack task force, they came light weighted and thus did not bring any surplus food for the next day.

However, waving your blades, shielding enemy attacks, loading a crossbow are all energy-intensive activities, and energy comes with food. Thus, no food directly leads to lack of energy to fight. If the Ottomans have the time, they can just sit here and watch as the Romans inside the fortress starve themselves to death.

But luckily they don't have the time.

"Zaganos Pasha, Selim Pasha. I am a humble Itch-oghlan here on behalf of our Sultan." In the next day afternoon, a messenger came in the directions of Edirne, bowed towards the two Pasha, and asked. "Our Sultan demands to know what has happened over here, the Sultan is very unpleased awakened in the middle of the night hearing the news of Rumelihisarı fortress, he asked me to ride here to question Zaganos Pasha and Selim Pasha at once."

Zaganos Pasha and Selim Pasha looked at each other's eyes, then Selim Pasha stepped forward and explained. "Honourable legate, I am deeply sorry for the inconvenience caused to you and our Sultan. We can explain how this happened…"

Selim Pasha paused a while, trying to re-phrase his words, and continued. "A bunch of filthy Roman rogues sneaked upon the fortress, and the captain of the Janissaries responsible for its defence did a poor job… he led the Romans take our fortress. Hence Zaganos Pasha and I are here to correct his mistake and take it back."

The legate looked at Selim Pasha who is bowing down and replied. "I see, but our Sultan deeply unpleased with this piece of news. He demands that you take back the fortress by tomorrow. If not he shall send fury of lightning upon your dereliction of duty. Anyway, I demand to see the survivors and casualties of the Janissaries."

Zaganos Pasha bite his teeth, stepped forward gripping the handle of his blade, and said under his breathe. "With all my respect, honourable legate. I am sorry but all Janissaries guarding the fortress has been executed by those barbaric Roman brutes…"

The legate stared into the eyes of Zaganos Pasha and repeated himself. "Not a single person from the four hundred Janissary garrison survived?"

"No."

"I see, I will report the situation back to our Sultan. Meanwhile the Sultan wants the problem here dealt with quick."

The legate of the Sultan then left the tent, leaving Zaganos Pasha and Selim Pasha behind, wiping their cold sweat. They looked at each other with a grim face, knowing that their tricks screwed up this time. An awkward silence took over briefly, until Selim Pasha asked.

"So, what now? I am sure that legate won't say anything good for us in front of our Sultan."

"We shall get that fortress quick; I shall immediately commence the assault after the afternoon prayers."

In the afternoon, soon as the Ottoman army finished praying. Zaganos Pasha picked two other regiments, all equipped with Turkish Turban helmets and chain mail armour to commence the second wave of siege. Different from the half destroyed Sinop Regiments yesterday, these soldiers have the ease of simple siege ladders, rams and clinging ropes, and specially picked with siege warfare experiences in Thessalia and Karaman.

There is no diplomacy before a battle this time. Both sides know what their opponents are after.

Battle cries, glitters of blades and sound of swords thumping against shields once again filled the vast open lands among the Ottoman camp and Rumelihisarı. It is an usual tactic that the Ottomans have adopted from their old foes Timurids, to yell and shout before engaging to strike mental fear into their enemies, making them shoot their arrows and bolts even before it is in range, thus decreasing enemy projectile supply landing on their heads later.

"Hold!" Giovanni restrains his crossbow men and archers as he has his eyes on the Ottoman formation, calculating their distance to the walls and the effective range of Milanese crossbows and Roman composite bows.

"Hold!"

The Ottomans started forming a wall formation as they move, warriors with shields shifted in front, and Ottoman archers stay behind in cover with their heavy arrows on their bowstring. Meanwhile, seeing the tactic of scaring enemies did not work, stopped wasting their strength meaninglessly. Suddenly the whole battlefield quietened down, but everyone knows that this brief moment of quietness is only a prelude of another melody of torment and demise.

"Hold!" Giovanni continues waiting, while the Ottomans, knowing what the Romans are after, raised their shields above their heads in preparation.

"Hold…Shoot!"

As soon as Giovanni lowered his hand, the Romans fired their first salvo of bolts and arrows in the day. The projectiles, fired into the sky as dense as the thorns of a porcupine, descended with their howling speed piercing through the air, falling like rains upon the Ottoman formation.

Soon the silence is broken, by Ottoman pioneer warriors stung to the ground, crawling in agony as they watch bolts pierce through their abdomen hopelessly. The just dried blood that tainted the ground dark red yesterday, is again painted with another fresh stream of blood. However, the Ottomans did not stop or back off. The warriors with shields at the back soon stepped forward to replace the position of the warriors that has fallen. They continue marching, with their shields full of arrows, while the Ottoman archers, also waiting to get into range for their chance to strike back.

They continued marching, with shields sheltering above their head against the 'rain'. They withstood three more salvos of Roman projectiles, and finally they reached a point close enough for their archers to be able to fire upon the enemies on the walls.

Immediately after another round of arrows by Romans, the Ottoman commander, Ismail Bey, under a shield knew this is an opportunity to strike as the Romans reload their crossbows. He threw his shield down, snatched a re curve bow and heavy arrow from an archer behind him. His eyes are blood shot with the catastrophic scene of his men falling down one by one.

He placed the arrow on the bow string, and his hand on the grip. The Bey pulled the string with full force aiming towards a man yelling and signaling on the walls and commanded in rage.

"ateş etmek!"

…