1453: Revival of Byzantium

Chapter 147: The Red Crusader

Everyone knows that something big are going to happen this night. Almost every single Ottoman soldier are put into action with most of them patrolling and guarding the walls and port preventing the Crusaders from taking a surprise siege on the city, although the Crusaders are equally as chaotic as many took the Blood Moon as a message from God, a warning of their past despicable deeds. The soldiers are praying hard to ease the wraith of God while the nobles and the priests who came supervising the Crusaders tried relentlessly on deciphering the message.

Just as everyone is waiting, the church bell rang.

The chime and pealing produced by the enormous church bell became the iconic sound of the night, unlike the usual days when the bell ringing would mean a calling for church service or reporting of time, the chaotic haphazard clanging of the church bells only means one thing, someone in the church has an announcement to make, and it is not a nice one.

Within a few minutes, sounds of shouting, bashing, slashing erupted in the city as thousands of citizens of men and women, elderly and youngsters rushed onto the streets with their kitchen knives, carrying pole, wooden sticks, chopping axes attacking the patrolling Ottoman soldiers by surprise, snatching their weapons and equipping themselves.

After one torch is lit in the night, hundred and thousands of them soon lit following the lead in every street and balcony which must have been a rather breath taking sight if seen from the sky. These torches soon moved to their respective locations trying to take control. It did not take much trouble for Fisnik to gain control of the light house and harbour as it is relatively poorly defended with only two dozen Ottoman patrols. But things are not going that smoothly at the other two gates.

The gates and the keep are the key locations for Ottoman defence, and thus it is heavily defended and the rioters indeed met a tough fight over there, with only minimal weapons and protection they crashed with the Ottoman soldiers with only fist, kitchen knives and wooden sticks, and the professional Ottoman soldiers did teach them a lesson in how professionals fight wars.

The Ottoman infantries teamed up in groups of ten forming up formations against the rioters just in front of the gates with their Kalkan shields in front and archers at the back with the mayor seating on top of the Gate watching and commanding the battle beneath him.

The mayor, although already expecting a riot would break out in this newly conquered piece of territory, did not know that it would come so soon, so fast, like a lightening strike that landed directly onto his head. It just feels like in less than thirty minutes every citizen in the city rose up against his rule. The only thing he could do now is to drop a trusted man down the walls on the unblockaded area through a basket and a rope to Karaca Pasha, the Beylerbeyi of Rumelia, with his letter of death.

If the city is gonna fall, the mayor is determined to die along with the city.

Seeing that this gate is too hard to attack, the rioters soon switched their target to the other gate which is relatively poorly defended with no commander around and less guards. It did not take long before an Ottoman soldier with face bloating from blood came crying to the mayor that the other gate, has fallen to the rioters.

The rioters, under the lead of that gang leader, cheered as they opened the gate and rushed out of the gate singing Orthodox holy rhythms, they felt that this is the happiest day ever since they are 'enslaved' by the Ottomans, they can finally feel the breathe of freedom in the air. Yes, they trust that they are now free, back to their merry old days. The rioters grouped together dancing raising the weapons they just grabbed from the Ottomans high up in the air, waving their torches frantically moving towards the Crusaders.

But the lord of Crusaders blockading this gate, the Norman knight Tancred of Foggia don't think so. He just had a tough time trying to calm his troops down even chopping down a few hands of his own men preventing a revolt from happening, angry, frustrated, scared and extremely tired, he saw these bunch of folks jumping and cheering towards his camp holding weapons and torches in their hands.

"Look! Look! These barbarians in this city even dare to come out of their tortoise shells and engage in direct combat with me? I shall teach them the power of Norman Knights!"

What the knight did next changed the entire course of the Crusade and with it, the history. He picked up his Nasal helmet and his Norman arming sword with shield, gathered his foot men and lined up in front of the camp, then, he drew his sword and ordered. "The Moon is a blessing and message from God himself! God has ordered us to conquer this city, and His Holiness the Pope has granted us permission to slay any non believers of the true faith!"

Then, the knight pointed his sword forward towards the dancing crowd who have not yet realised that trouble is brewing. "Charge! Deus Vult!"

"In the name of God!" His foot men charged with him.

The leader of the gang watched in delight as the Crusaders advanced towards them, but soon realised that something is not right.

The Crusaders are charging in full battle formation, and the faces behind those shields and helmets certainly does not look friendly.

The first man of the crowd hesitated and stopped, with the others soon following him, they are equally as confused.

Aren't the Crusaders here to help them? Why do they march towards them with shield and sword in hand?

But still there are some town folks who went thinking that the Crusaders are armed because of their superior discipline which makes them always cautious to any potential Ottoman threats incoming behind the crowd still struggling in the city. These people, including the leader of the revolt, laughed and continued walking forward to the Crusaders.

Suddenly, his laughter stopped.