Before John led his legions to attack the city, the Ottoman servants on the city walls were already hurriedly opening the gates to welcome the king.

"Your Highness...... This ......"

Instinctively, Vasika began to wonder if such a good thing was a trap set by Murad. In fact, there was no so-called regular army in the city at this time. These servants were originally recruited from among the young men in the city. Most of them still believe in the Orthodox Church. In the face of the Roman legions, there was even a feeling of anticipation and support.

"Vasika, Murad II, has been smart all his life, but he is still in a hurry." John ordered the troops to be repaired in place for an hour.

The heavily armed regiments after a long forced march had almost no combat effectiveness, and proper rest was necessary. There were even local nobles who were originally subordinate to the empire, who took the initiative to provide food and water to the imperial legions.

"Murad had already expended almost all of his energy when dealing with Karaman, and his physical condition was already deteriorating, but the advantage of the empire in Greater Greece forced him to postpone his plan to abdicate and recuperate." John fed the horses under his crotch and explained, "He raised such a large army in order to recapture all of Greater Greece and Epirus while annihilating Latius and them." It's a pity that he didn't expect that the unguarded city of Thessaloniki would be ......"

“… Your Highness...... Your Highness ......"

Before John could finish speaking, an Imperial cavalryman riding an Ottoman horse stumbled and fell in front of him.

"You ......"

"Your Highness, I am ...... General Latius's personal soldiers...... Ottoman ...... Ottoman ......"

John handed the cavalryman, who was two heads taller than himself, some water, and then wiped the dried blood from his face: "Speak slowly. ”

"That Ottoman Sultan, personally defending Thessaloniki, had a lot more people than we expected...... We were routed by the Ottomans near the outside of the city...... We fled back to Thebes, but the Ottomans were still besieging the city...... We only have more than 2,000 people left...... Ahem......"

"Murad II personally defended Thessaloniki? But even if the Ottoman army arrived, it should not have retreated so quickly...... John asked puzzled, "If Latius knew that it was Murad, he should have known that the Sultan's own troops would join the battle, not to mention the reinforcements of Edirne...... Both Latius and Prince Thomas are experienced generals, and they should retreat in time at this time, how can they ......"

"His Royal Highness said that he was buying time for Thrace...... However, Thebes is running out of steam! I was sent out for help...... But there are Ottomans everywhere in the neighborhood, and fortunately, Your Highness, you have occupied this place......"

John pondered for a while, the most important thing now is to return to the city of Thebes, this is the last barrier of Great Greece, the walls of Athens are simply unable to resist the invasion of the Ottomans, once Thebes falls, the Ottomans can easily occupy the weakly defended Epirus and the remaining cities of Great Greece, and Salonika, which is reduced to an isolated city, will also lose any defensive value.

"Vasika!"

"Your Highness!"

Although the child in front of him looked so small and weak, Vasika, who was educated by the aristocracy, knew that his order was a holy oracle.

"Gather all the soldiers of the Phoenix Legion, abandon Thessaloniki, and gallop to the aid of Thebes!"

In an eerie atmosphere, Thessaloniki was once again an empty city after less than half an hour of exchanging control. The Ottoman servants, who had just surrendered to the Phoenix Legion, looked at their empty hands at this time, and were at a loss.

The path to Thebes, almost forged with blood. There were corpses scattered everywhere, weapons scattered. Some of the mortally wounded soldiers leaned to the side, groaning in pain, but no one could reach out to them.

Even a second faster can change the course of a battle.

Between the staggered trees, the back of the Ottoman siege force ushered in a death raid from the Empire.

……

"Lord Duke, the north side, the north side of the city wall has fallen, and the Ottomans have come up!"

Thebes is now like a purgatory on earth.

Many of the soldiers standing on the walls had been fighting the Ottomans for more than ten hours, and the Ottomans had not stopped charging since they retreated to Thebes. Murad II brought from the city of Thessaloniki the siege equipment he had been preparing for several days. Although the walls of Thebes were still strong, large swaths of the walls had fallen into the hands of the Ottomans due to insufficient defensive preparations.

In order to force the city wall, the Ottomans did pay a certain price, but the losses of the Greek coalition army were undoubtedly even more miserable. The defenders of Thebes were left with just over 2,000 men, all three walls had fallen, and the Ottomans had already entered the city.

Latius and Thomas were still resisting, and with the remnants of their army, they had retreated to the central square of Thebes. But the huge tactical width here will make the Ottomans more comfortable to kill.

Latius already had wounds on his chest and left arm, and Prince Thomas's horse was killed by the Ottomans' arrows.

"His Royal Highness...... I'm sorry for you, I'm sorry for Your Majesty, and I'm sorry for the Empire. ”

Latius knew very well in his heart that the moment he fell, the empire's plan of reconquest would be accompanied by the fall of Great Greece, and it would be a complete failure, and Constantinople would once again be reduced to an island. The future of the Morea region, which has lost its ruler, is also dark.

"If I can leave Thebes alive, I will let Your Majesty hang you on the city wall!"

“……”

"Hahahaha!"

The two looked at each other for a moment with blood on their faces, and then suddenly laughed maniacally again.

Just like all veterans who have fought for half their lives, they finally ushered in victory.

They have given everything for the Empire, and the victory or defeat on the battlefield can be controlled by the decisions of one or two people? I don't know if Your Majesty will scold Latius angrily after receiving the battle report and return my legion?

"Latius, drag a few more heretics on your back!"

The number of soldiers defending the city is declining at a rate visible to the naked eye, and with the collapse of the defense line to varying degrees, the fall of Thebes has also entered the final countdown.

Like the other soldiers, Latius and Thomas had reached the limit of their physical strength, but now they had to raise their weapons once again and make one last charge.