Chapter 19: The Venetian Hindrance

Chapter 19: The Venetian Hindrance

In Constantinope, shortly before the Venetians and the Genoese ratted off to Momoana...

“Hu! We have finally filled the gaps!” Constantin XI murmured with a worried frown. “But how long will it last?”

The repaired sections of the wall were bound to be more vulnerable compared to the real thing.

Furthermore, their enemy would likely be firing their cannon every now and then, which meant that they would be living in terror for the coming period. They wouldn’t know when huge rubble would fall from the west wall and crush them.

It would be a harsh trial not just for the west wall but the garrison troops too.

“Suna.” Constantin XI turned to Madam Marti, who had been following him. “That cannon will likely blast through our walls very soon. A tough battle is awaiting us. I truly regret letting that engineer go!”

In truth, the Indomitable Cannon’s creator, Orban, had first visited Constantin XI with his blueprint, but with Romain’s empty coffers, he couldn’t afford to pay Orban’s wages, let alone construct that powerful cannon.

Thus, Orban turned to Momoana, who helped him to realize his blueprint, and the weapon was then used against his previous boss.

“...Let me ask him if he has any ideas,” Madam Marti said.

“It’s worth a try.” Constantin XI nodded.

The prophecy seemed to be slowly realized. Despite having previously thought it was just meaningless rumors that the people used to console themselves, Constantin XI was starting to waver after seeing what the Khitans were capable of.

Perhaps the prophecy might have really come from a seer?

“Isn’t that simple?” Shu Yichao exclaimed after Madam Marti explained her words via gestures. He waved his hand and said, “We’ll conduct a night assault.”

While he was farming mobs along the Ink Sea, he realized that this mod had a high penalty for night battles. Often, the enemy forces would crumble at a barrage of arrows or a single charge.

Since that’s the case, I might as well do a night assault.

But Shu Yichao and the others didn’t notice a nearby mercenary eyeing them.

Later, the mercenary found an excuse and left his position. He disguised himself before heading to one of the houses in the residential district.

“The Khitans are planning to assault the Ottomain barrack?” A bespectacled woman with braided hair closed the accounting book in her hands. “That’s interesting. If that destitute emperor had sent his own troops, his army would have died en route. Those incompetent Romains won’t survive long without their walls.

“However, it’d be a different story if the Khitans led the way instead. I have to admit that those Khitans are the strongest warriors I have ever seen. The Sultana’s army is overshadowed like fireflies before the brilliant moon.”

Just like that, the two scheming commercial cities delivered the news concerning Shu Yichao’s imminent night assault to Momoana.

“That’s not a bad idea.” A sharp glint flashed across Momoana’s eyes.

She knew that the two commercial cities were scheming something, but what about it? Her greatest enemy right now was the Khitans. It would be ideal if she could exploit this opportunity to eradicate the Khitans.

Thus, she began secretly mobilizing her troops.

Momoana ordered her men to dig out a ditch near the Constantinope’s walls. She stationed some soldiers and concealed it with wooden planks.

She dug out a second ditch near the Ottomain barracks. She placed horse repellers in front of the ditch and planted sharp spears inside the ditch, so as to ensure that the Khitans wouldn’t be able to pass through it. She secretly deployed 8000 soldiers in the vicinity and stationed some of the cannons there.

As soon as the Khitans crossed the first ditch, the soldiers would spring forth to block their path, and they would be bombarded by cannons.

Momoana didn’t believe that the Khitans could still fight their way out of the encirclement under such circumstances.

So, the 10,000 soldiers lying in ambush waited from sunset to nighttime, then from nighttime to midnight, till...

“It’s two hours away from daybreak.” The fatigued Momoana’s eyes were red. “Why is there no movement from the west wall? Did those despicable merchants dupe me?”

While she wondered if she had made the wrong decision, the night assault commenced, just that things didn’t go the way she anticipated.

Boom!

It was a thunderous rumble so loud that it made her ears ring. The earth shook, and dust and stones flew everywhere.

And the source of the explosion—

“No! My cannons!!!”

Momoana turned to look toward her cannon site. A searing red cloud rose amidst the rippling heatwaves.

At the same time, countless silhouettes darted across the Ottomain barracks like specters, leaving screams of misery in their wake.

Pandemonium had befallen the Ottomain camp!

“How is this possible?!” Momoana felt light-headed.

How did those Khitans sneak to the back of their military formation? Did they fly over?!