1453: Revival of Byzantium

Chapter 299: Im Coming Down!

"He declared that he knew nothing, except the fact of his ignorance."

-        Socrates, Diogenes Lartius

The air between the Rumelians walls and Ottoman rear intensified, as Ibrahim Pahsa passed the order around each section preparing them for the incoming battle. However, after a long enduring wait, not the shadows of Rumelian can be spotted outside of the walls. The whole crowd of ten thousand men just stood there under the noon winter sun of Greece, wearing armors and holding weapons getting their inner clothing soaked in perspiration. But still, no Rumelian infantry ever came out of that gate as what they are expecting, though they can still hear the rowdiness going on behind those walls. 

"Honourable Pasha!" Another scout came reporting. "I managed to catch a clear sight of what the Rumelians are holding in their hands It seems to be tools!"

"Tools?" Ibrahim Pasha could not believe what he has just heard. "What do you mean?" 

"Yes, honourable pasha, tools They are holding things like axe, hammer and ropes!" 

"Honourable Pasha! They seem to be renovating their walls! Their infantries gathered under the walls which is a blind spot for us preventing us from having a clear view" 

Slowly bit by bit more and more information came back from the scouts in the fronter that sounds more and more absurd, and at the same time contradicting with one another. One scout would come and say that the Rumelians are retreating, while another saying that the Rumelians are going to come out of that gate soon, and there are even some scouts saying that the Rumelians are upgrading the foundation of their walls In merely twenty minute's time Ibrahim Pasha got three different kinds of message. Though very soon later he will no longer have this kind of trouble, as Antonius is already starting to dispatch his Mamluk scouts intercepting the Ottoman scouts. 

Ibrahim Pasha awaited until the noon. The gigantic Ottoman army is already retreating for half a day, but due to its massive size the entire retreating process is not even close to one quarter, with the head has already gone a few miles away, and the tail still inside the camp waiting for their turn to pull out. The entire retreating army occupied the country road on the plains outside the mountain of Thessaloniki stretching for miles. Now it is already impossible to stop this process, and that means no matter what happens Ibrahim Pasha must stay put here for the sake of his comrades. 

Ibrahim Pasha is soaked wet in his own sweat although it is already in winter seasons. He has this increasing concern that Antonius will send out small groups of cavalries leaping on to the retreating troops stirring chaos, and at the same time he desperately wants to acquire information from the foes sending out all of his riders out, and finally he took a glimpse at that scarlet wall banner still flying there in the sky, although he kept telling him not to do so as it will only give him a panic attack. 

All of this finally ended when a scout, covered in blood from a prolonged fighting in the woods and hills, rolled down his horse before Ibrahim Pasha and brought him a shocking information with his last breath. "Pasha I had a clear view The Rumelian are not renovating their walls, they are demolishing it!" 

This message left Ibrahim Pasha gaping filled with even more bewilderment inside him. Why are the Rumelians demolishing their walls? What are they intending to do? Why are they still not attacking? What did this scout really see? Ibrahim Pasha leapt down his horse grabbing the scout by his collars and roared. "Hey! Soldier! What do you mean by the Rumelian are demolishing their walls! Hey! Wake up and tell me!" 

The scout did not answer his question, and he probably never will, with blood dripping down his lips and eyes tightly shut. Ibrahim Pasha stomped his feet throwing the corpse away. He has realised that things have entirely got out of his control, and he hates this kind of feeling; It is usually him who is the one manipulating others through his master mind of intrigues, but today it seems like the enemies got hold of him, the position has swapped around with him being the clown now. 

Ibrahim Pasha threw his last opporturnity away trying to tidy up the ball of messy twines in his head. From this moment onwards there shall not be any more chances for him to take any further decision, as just as he is thinking, a series of thunderous banging sounds can be heard from the Rumelian camps and dust carried to him by a whirl of wind. Ibrahim Pasha rubbed his eyes observing the situation, and then did he realise that the previously taught to be impassable series of walls on both sides have now been pushed forward collapsing on to the ground, done by non other the Rumelians themselves!"

If it is last time Ibrahim Pasha would almost jump up in joy instantly ordering his troops to charge in to this naked beauty before him, but not for now. Because what he saw inside these walls are not panicking Rumelians running towards the back, but the infantries retreating like a swarm to the back revealing what is behind them Two spear head formed by probably even more than five thousand cavalries, riding on sturdy horses holding all sorts of weapons fully prepared ready for an offensive.

Seeing this the twine mess in Ibrahim Pasha's head is solved almost instantly, why are the Rumelian demolishing their own walls? Why haven't the Rumelians come out yet? What are they intending to do? What did the last scout see? Now he got an answer for all of these questions.

Since there is a short distance between the walls and his Ottoman army for the cavalries to charge, why don't they just tear down their own camp demolishing their own walls, so that the Rumelian cavalries can assemble in to formations right behind the protection of the walls remaining unseen to their enemies? Further more with this lengthened distance their horses shall reach the highest acceleration charging right from their own camp. 

"I am so damn freaking dumb! I am so God damn stupid! How did I become so cretinous? Why had I not thought about this? Why? Why! Why!" Knowing all of these Ibrahim Pasha collapsed on to the dusty dirt with his entire body trembling, weeping out loud and slapping his own thigh as he eyes the thousands of neatly formed up joint Rumelian Mamluk cavalry force beginning their charge under the Symphony of drums and horns. 

Every thing is now too late, there are no more chance left for Ibrahim Pasha and his army, the final count down clock for their collapse has officially started tickling from this point of time onwards. 

Seeing the chaos among the Ottoman army in a distance away Antonius wasted no more time waving his banner. With a chain of haste drumming sound, the line of cavalries moved their kneels, their horses started moving their hooves out of the camp like one casting a visual impact and psychological coercion on any creatures before him from their natural instinct. Many Ottomans seeing this sight threw down their weapons and started attempting to run to the back, only to be blocked by their pals who has no idea what is happening in front resulting in a series of internal conflicts diminishing the Ottoman organisation by even more. 

Antonius led his cavalries riding on the first role with his bascinet gifted by Giovanni on, slowly riding through the remains of the camp and when he reached the broad road he resisted his temptation no more pulling out his old friend cutlass and roared some thing pointing towards the Ottomans a distance away, then squeezed hard on the belly of his mount letting out a loud neigh charging forward accelerating in to full speed. The other cavalries and riders soon followed pulling out their weapons and charging with their admiral, with their respective ways of starting the battle; The Mamluks sang prayers for The Mighty Allah, Romans shouted their famous historical Latin quote and the Genoese other hand shouted nothing. 

Watching this entire wall cluster of rolling dust charging right at them accompanied with all the shouting and crying, the Ottoman defenders are the front line finally could not take it any more and began collapsing in groups making the entire situation seemingly to be totally hopeless. This is made force as different from their European counter parts the Ottomans here knows very well on the impact and devastation of these horses, and thus they are the most determined to run away seeing a pack of horses coming right at them. 

Under the drums like rolling thunders Khalid, the Mamluk commander each commanded a portion of the cavalries coming right at the Ottomans with Abraham as the main in charge. He ordered the entire thousands of cavalries to put in no hesitation to leap on to their intended target as planned.