John's firmness also more or less boosted the morale of the defenders of the inner city of Athens. As the heir to the throne that has been determined by the royal family of Valleologo, fighting with ordinary soldiers on the walls that are about to fall, others have no reason to retreat.

However, in Caracha's eyes, all John's efforts were more like the last struggle of a knight to win glory before he died.

"Calibrate the catapult and aim for the central wall. The Sultan did not care about the life or death of the Roman emperor. Karacha grasped the hilt of his handguard sword and scanned the outer edge of the inner city walls.

Because of the inconsistent siege rhythm of the Ottoman army, the Roman defense line on the city wall is now in disarray. What's more, every time the Ottomans stormed the city walls, they would inflict great casualties on the Athenian city defenses. Karacha did not skimp on the use of the Sultan's Guards. Muhammad gave a death order, and since the control of the Guards was in his hands, as long as he could take Athens, even if the establishment was destroyed, it would definitely be worth it.

What's more, the empire has long since lost this ability.

"Remember, we don't need captives, and we don't need mercy ......"

The Ottomans, who had received the order, immediately launched a second and official attack on the city walls. By this time, the catapult had been built with the efforts of hundreds of craftsmen and servants for more than three hours.

The tsunami-like offensive was launched with Karacha's order, and the sight was particularly striking in the narrow streets of Athens.

"General Publius ......"

"Don't mess around! Keep suppressing with arrows! "Publius led several of the city defenders to the siege ladder that the Ottomans had just erected, and gave way to the loaded musketeers to take out the battlements and suppress the enemy beneath the walls. Even if it is to delay time, it is not easy to give up the gaps in the city walls.

"General! Catapults! ”

I don't know which soldier suddenly yelled, and Publius instinctively fell to the ground. And in the next second, a boulder flew out of his scalp and landed on the ground behind the city wall, and the flying rubble and deafening loud sound destroyed the will of the city defense army almost instantly.

It's not an arrow, it's not something a shield can block.

"Their trebuchets have started calibrating! The walls will soon lose their defensive value! Inform everyone, retreat to the Acropolis! "Publius remained calm. A boulder of this size that hits the inner city wall with precision is a death sentence for the city wall. If the walls were to be defended, Athens would not even survive until noon, and would be annihilated by the influx of troops because of the collapse of the walls.

"General! Your Majesty is still on the city walls! ”

"What did you say?"

At this time, the situation of the middle section of the city wall is even more unoptimistic. Because Publius had divided the musket squad into two teams to defend the left and right lines, the middle wall was not covered by firearms. Coupled with the second round of attack, Karacha naturally changed the direction of the main attack. By this time, the Ottomans had carved out a position in the middle of the city wall.

Some of the secular knights had joined the city guards in defending the walls, but the situation of the Imperial soldiers was still not optimistic. The Sultan Guards seemed to have a steady stream of troops. Not only is it rapidly reducing the Empire's forces, but it is also constantly creating opportunities to break through the city walls.

The Ottomans had already established themselves on the walls, which meant that if the remaining soldiers wanted to retreat, someone had to stay on the walls to resist the Ottoman offensive.

"Your Majesty, retreat to the Acropolis! By the time they started throwing stones, the walls had no defensive value! Morey took off his overlay in one hand and slashed off an Ottoman soldier who had just climbed up the siege ladder with the other, "Let the secular knights cover your retreat!" ”

The boulder just now has proved that the entire section of the city wall is within the range of the Ottomans. John's safety could not be guaranteed at all.

"Morey, let your people come back!"

"Don't expect the city defense army to buy us any time, you all withdraw! Give time for the defensive war of the Acropolis. When the time comes, we will retreat! Morey put on his covered helmet again and rushed to the line of the Ottomans on the ramparts.

"You're a secular knight! Your priority is to keep your patron safe! Now, I order you to retreat! John roared. The secular knight was the last barrier given to him by Gregory III, and Morey was his best friend, and he could not afford to watch Morey lose in such a place. He took a deep breath, then said to the other two secular knights who were guarding him, "Disarm Morey, take him, and retreat." ”

"But Your Majesty ......"

John's sharp eyes forcibly stifled the second half of the secular knight's words, and when Morey was unprepared, he knocked out the heavy sword in his hand with a blow from the back of the sword. This technique was not new to secular knights.

Morey was obviously frightened by the sudden attack, and when he came back to his senses, he realized that it was actually his comrade: "What do you want to do!" ”

The mountain road to the summit of Akropolis was quite rough, and the high mountain could irreversibly hinder the Ottoman army's attack. But giving up the inner city walls is also a double-edged sword. This meant that the Ottomans could advance to the position of the siege weapons positions without any scruples. Eventually, as long as the angle allows, the Acropolis will probably lose its terrain advantage of absolute safety.

"General Publius...... How many more people do we have? "Morey was raised to the top of the hill by three secular knights, and he looked somewhat embarrassed at the moment.

"Civilians are temporarily housed in the Acropolis, and there should be more than 2,000 people in the city defense and the Holy See Guard combined...... Your Majesty, if we want to continue with the bow, we must forcibly conscript the militia. Publius was still panting, although he was protected by armor, but Luo Shao had some wounds left on his body, and he didn't feel anything during the battle, and when he was idle, the pain was spreading.

"Is the equipment enough?" John looked around at the city guards who were still panting. From the assault and defense of the port to the acropolis in disarray, the Empire's soldiers had lost more than half, while the Ottomans' losses were nothing in comparison.

"The ones that were rescued and replaced by injuries. It's enough to arm about two hundred people. Publius shook his head, "It's not going to be happy......

Before Publius could speak, suddenly, Morey, who had just been put down by several secular knights, shouted behind John: "Your Majesty! Get down! Get down! ”