Chapter 76: Kneel

Mehmed kept his stern face all day long from this failure of his very own idea.

The idea of digging tunnels almost turned into a tragedy. Keeping in mind that they are working in a wooden shaft covered with straws and hays, while around these shafts are wooden walls, siege engines and tents, all pretty easily inflammable substances. Actually if one look from a broader scale the entire Ottoman camp is being built with a bunch of woods.

Now what if there is a tiny spark in a place like this?

It would certainly be another fatal accident that will be recorded in history, and this siege will become one of the funniest battle ever occurred, the idea of tunneling and undermining will be taught in future military academies as a drool tactic and his big name will be introduced by the teachers spreading a laugh among the students.

But the God of fortune is on Mehmed's side today, just as he watch the cyclone of fire starting to form out of the tunnel spreading its wraith to nearby haystacks, the old engineer Hassam stepped out in time with a few of his disciples, they threw a big wooden plank used to assemble trebuchets right on top of the exposed tunnel hole covering it up. Surprisingly the wooden plank did not start burning but instead it disappeared, vanished into thin air, if it is not the heat in the environment it might have seem that the fire cyclone never appeared before.

But the Theodosian walls, firm as ever before, remains standing.

After the fire has been put off, Mehmed approached Hassam and appreciated his help. "Thank you, old man, you saved my life, I am not a miserable Sultan, tell me, what do you wish for?"

The old man Hassam kneeled down hastily in front of the Sultan with all four limbs and head on the ground and said a panicked tone. "I long for nothing my Sultan, I only wish for peace, then I can have some peace with my family and pass on my techniques to my disciples…"

Mehmed remained taciturn and quiet for a moment, then sighed densely and replied to the old man. "Peace…. That is a thing I cannot give you…"

The old man sank his head further into the ground.

"…You will know what I mean if you are in my position, this is a world that if we are not striving to become more powerful, we will get devoured up eventually."

"But anyways, you are just a peasant… Thus I shall grant you freedom and a piece of land beside the newly conquered Thessaloniki as my appreciation for your service, and I will also grant you a special privilege to reject future mandatory services."

Mehmed walked away after completing his words to inspect the situation of the camp and those injured, while the old man Hassam continued kneeling down there dare not raise his head up, until Zaganos Pasha stepped forward, kicked him gently with his boots and whispered. "Old man, you may go pack your belongings, collect your reward at the reception area at the Southern gate of the camp."

"Thank you honourable Pasha for your kindness, may your sword be sharp like it is just forged as always, but may I just ask one last humble question?"

"Speak."

"How about my disciples? Are they free also?"

Zaganos Pasha gave the old man a cold stare and walked away leaving a few cold words behind. "You are asking for too much."

…

The next day, Sultan Mehmed gathered all artilleries he could find in the camp – a hundred and fifty of them, big and small, and placed them all under his command. He created a name for this newly created artillery brigade, called the Topçu, which directly translates to 'artillery men'.

Then, Mehmed signed an executive order for all the bronze bells in various churches and monasteries in Ottoman territories of the Balkans to be melted, transported in the iron work in Edirne as fast as they can, then the Ottoman ironworks, no matter big or small, shall abort all previous projects and start minting artilleries, manufacture as many as they can and send it to the frontline at once.

Mehmed wants to retaliate with what Antonius has done to him.

He had all the canons in two battle lines in the center of the camp directly facing the city of Constantinople, the small guns on the front and the larger guns on the back, the flanks of the artillery corps is well protected by two divisions of Sipahi Cavalry. They are to repel any possible attacks by the Romans using their horsepower and agility, if they ever dare to come out that is.

The Ottomans canons started blasting out flames of fury immediately after they got into position, sending metallic shells of vengeance pounding onto the Theodosian walls of Constantinople, sending a impact and a message much stronger than the boulders of trebuchets last time, that they have came again, and this time they are much more serious.

The canon balls travels at an incredible speed of around 200 meters per second, finally bringing an true impact on these dammed walls as Mehmed calls it. The walls and the city trembles and groans as-if it is coming down. The citizens watch in terror as shrapnel and shells coming straight into the city on a scale never seen before. More than a dozen citizens are either smashed or badly injured this day, and they finally started remembering that they are in a war, and they should follow war precautions.

Anna Notaras too dropped her book in shock as the valuable glasses of painted art was shattered into pieces and flying, one shrapnel even came close to her face. She squatted down and started screaming, while her father the Mega Doux Loukas Notaras dragged her.

downstairs to the cellar and warned her do not ever come out of here.

Mehmed walks around inspecting the canons, even fired one himself, and exclaimed to Zaganos Pasha. "I want the canons to never stop firing all days and nights, keep firing until Constantine himself comes out, kneel in front of me and beg for mercy!"