Chapter 117: The Decision, is Final

Bolts have no eyes, they cannot tell the target they are going for is a man or a silhouette, a friendly or a hostile, a noble or a peasant. The bolt knows no difference.

The Ballistae, an old Roman antiquity era technology, but still entrusted by soldiers and commanders up to this day. With a theoretical maximum range of four hundred meters but in practical only around two hundred meters when manned by experienced sharp shooters, getting more and more scarce due to the downfall of technology after the fall of Rome, and the money required to maintain it. Doubtless to say Constantinople is probably the only city in Europe that still has some of these grandfather-aged weapons left passed down from the Komnenian era. It can be said in other words that Mehmed got himself lucky this time round. Being at the right spot, not listening to his advisor's suggestion to yield, drawing himself the unnecessary attention in the eagle eyes of the sharp shooters.

The bolt, roughly one meter in length, went right through the breast of Mehmed's horse and came out through its belly pinning the prestigious horse to the ground making Mehmed himself have a taste of early spring mud and morning dew. Before he even tidy up his messy head and realise what has just happened, he is already evacuated down the hill carried by the two officers and the two viziers.

"My Sultan! Please go back to camp now my Sultan!" Candarli Halil Pasha begged Mehmed.

"Yes! My Sultan! Leave this place to me!" Zaganos Pasha agreed with his political rival for once.

Mehmed seems to have lost his mind, sitting on a rock behind the hill examining the fleet of ants travelling under his boots.

"I want…" After a while, Mehmed stood up and gave his first order of the day whispering.

"Pardon me, my Sultan?"

"I want all the guns… all the guns, to open fire right now at this gate… If I cannot get it, I will destroy it, with my own hands…"

"Yes, my Sultan, I will mobalise the artillerymen and start firing at once…"

"I will man the gun myself." Mehmed stood up with the support of his Kilij blade.

"Sultan!"

"The decision is final."

"Yes, my Sultan…"

Another round of endless bombardment began, but what makes different from last time is the mood of the guards and citizens inside the city. Apart from the recent victory they have just acquired, the people saw one thing in the war that they do not have last time, it is hope.

Immediately after the battle there came a gentle rain, washing the stains and splatters away from the Earth. Droplets of morning mizzles dripping from leaves and roof tops scatters the nascent rays of the morning sun, bringing calmness into the crowd evacuating. Some children hopped out of the crowd playing with the paddles of water and catching the frogs. It started with the kids first, then it spread to the adults. Soon laughter started to emerge from the crowd, and together with it came optimism for the future, which is hope.

With the hope of surviving and successfully defending the city, the people came out of the shelters during the intervals of the bombardments to the inner parts of the city evading from all those projectiles and fire bombs. Constantine even allowed his people, with the help of local Roman soldiers, to clear up the ruins of the Grand Palace and reside there, which is relatively far away from any Ottoman threat. The evacuation was originally suggested by Julian and his pals after seeing the tragedy of the deceased mother and her child, but was adopted by Constantine only after he inspected the Postern of Kerkaporta and saw the shocking amount of civilian bodies who are massacred in the looting, burning or bombardment.

With the flames of war away temporarily, order and daily lives is restored in the city. Some commerce is restored by the neutral maritime republics such as Venice and Genoa, or ships hanging the flags of Venice and Genoa, as the Ottoman gunners at the straits of Bosporus and Kaliopolis would not dare to attract any other potential of trouble attacking the Sultanate from the west. Some monasteries and educational institutes even hosted troupes for the tired soldiers and casualties that came back from the walls.

The people never forgot who are the ones enduring the danger lurking ahead for the priceless peace and prosperity they are at this moment.

'The siege is going to be over soon'.

This thought emerged in the minds of many people as they settled down at the back beyond the range and targets of enemy bombardments, receiving and exchanging goods with the Italians from Gazaria and Candia, living a new life, building their new homes from ruins, as all the population is crammed to the back of the city, it brought all of the communities together, restoring the past robust commercial city life Constantinople never had for a long time.

And with the thought, came the help from the Christian brothers.

Twenty first of March, six hundred mercenaries funded by the pope arrived at the Harbour of Julian, they were put under command of a Latin Cardinal called Isidore, who is already here with two hundred archers since last year.

Thirtieth of March, five hundred Venetians sent directly by the serene doge and the Collegio of Venice joined forces with the Venetians inside the city under the lead of Gabriele Trevisanos, together with them is a letter from the Serene doge Francesco Foscari wrote a personnel letter to Constantine for his pardon and agreed for more aid by Venice in the future.

Fourth of April, a hundred pirates wishing to follow Antonius' example came to the city's aid.

Fifth of April, two hundred soldiers from the republic of Florence.

Sixth of April, roughly two hundred men from Constantinople's long-term ally, the Duchy of Moskva arrived.

On the same day, roughly fifty knights from the Kingdom of Castilla arrived under the lead of Don Francisco de Toledo.

And many more is yet to arrive, but a surprising event broke out on the Ottoman side the day after…