If you have to describe how fragile the inner city of Athens is, the magistrate sent by Florence to Athens at that time should be the best testimony to surrender to the empire after seeing the outer city lost. At that time, the empire had nothing more than 10,000 soldiers and horses, and Chodila, who was resident in Athens, should have 5,000 living forces in his hands. The disparity in strength was not huge, but Giodilla was very decisive in giving up the defense of the inner city.

The best news for the Empire today was that the remaining city defenders had taken advantage of the time that Publius had been delaying in the port of Piraeus to withdraw the bronze heavy artillery to the inner city. And the firearms factory in Urban, perhaps because of John's unintentional actions at the beginning, happened to be sheltered by the inner city walls.

It's a pity that a large number of lightly armed guns produced by the firearms factory have already been sent out for installation in the Phoenix fleet or other cities where the city defense is not sufficient. And the heavy artillery is only one, and the solid ammunition that can be assembled is only nine rounds. What's more, the walls of Athens could not erect such a heavy siege cannon. Now stored in the inner city, the bronze cannon is just an ornament. What was really useful was the more than 100 muskets that Urban had built by the few muskets sent by John. It's just that as test subjects, their quality is quite poor, and their ammunition is not complete, but they can only be ordered in danger.

Latius even mobilized all the guards of the Doge's Palace, although they added up to only a hundred, but this was also the last line of defense in the true sense of the word of Athens.

Everyone is betting on the seemingly fragile city wall in front of them.

"Duke Latius...... You ask a few people to prepare some gunpowder. In case of...... In the event of the fall of the inner city, destroy all traces of the Urban factory as soon as possible. Including this heavy artillery. John pinched the fine flesh on his left arm, his voice trembling a little. He had not rested all day, and he was already quite tired. But at this time, any of his decisions involved the fate of nearly 10,000 people, and even the entire empire, and John could only use pain to keep himself as calm and sober as possible, "In addition, gather all the people who can use muskets, divide them into a small team, and let Francisco command." In these years, there is no point in scattering and assembling muskets. These musket-wielding soldiers must maintain high mobility at all times, and if the pressure on the city wall is high, they will immediately go to support...... The inner city is not big, and it is not too difficult to run these two steps......"

Latius took a half-step back with one hand on his chest and accepted the order with considerable formal courtesy. But all this undoubtedly adds a touch of sadness to this defensive battle.

"And, Publius,"

"Your Majesty......"

"Let all the ...... Citizens, wounded and sick, and soldiers who had not been rested last night, all went to the hills of Akropolis to repair. This is probably the last time the Empire will play the role of refuge in the Acropolis......"

The Acropolis itself functioned effectively as a refuge for citizens in the event of urban warfare, with strong walls around it, and the unique topography of the Acropolis Hills allowed the enemy to climb to the top from the west, that is, there was only one pass to defend, and the other three sides were cliffs that were difficult to climb. Of course, the defensive significance of the Acropolis walls is no longer the era of the city-state, and only the dangerous terrain still has its unique defensive value.

"It was only a matter of time before the inner city walls were lost. But counting the civilians, the Akropolis Hills will never shelter us all...... One last step. Let all civilians, including women, the elderly, and children, raise their weapons. ”

"Your Majesty, most of our armaments are still in the outer city, and we won't have time to deliver them to ......" Latius was about to speak, but was interrupted by John.

"But if one of our soldiers dies, let the civilians behind him take up his weapon, and if he has no weapon, he will move the boulder and sharpen the branches. Athens, must not fall ......"

At one point, John also thought that his expectations of the common people were unrealistic. Even most of the agricultural workers of his age who lived with the land all day may have some strength, but they were more eager to survive. Perhaps they would have surrendered to the Ottomans at the moment when the walls of the inner city collapsed. It's just that John somewhat underestimated the people's faith in Orthodoxy and Rome under Latius.

"We have no food, no supplies, not enough weapons and ammunition. The only thing we can rely on is reinforcements that I don't know where they are......"

At the port of Piraeus, Karacha immediately began to direct the assembly of siege weapons. He knew the importance of time better than the Roman Empire. To take the inner city is to turn offense into defense. Rely on the city and terrain of Athens to fight off the next reinforcements. Still, he decided to make a final attempt.

"Your Majesty, the battle of Edirne can be said to have made Ottoman suffer a lot...... I have to say, you are quite bold and quite wise. And your men are equally adept at forbearance and disguise. ”

Caracha nevertheless sent an envoy to invite John to make final negotiations outside the city walls. Since the siege weapons are still being assembled, everyone is not short of this time.

"Your Majesty, I have great respect for your commanding skills and leadership. Trust the Roman Empire under your leadership...... If you still have the chance, you'll be able to catch your breath a little longer. "Karacha didn't have any soldiers with him, and John didn't bring a secular knight with him. The two sides have never met, but they are like old friends who have been separated for many years.

"Mr. Karacha, you can state your purpose so that we can start the fight sooner."

As for why he didn't ambush Caracha during the negotiations, John certainly thought about it. The Ottomans must have been planning for a long time to attack Athens, and Karacha only came forward as a supreme commander. The Ottomans would never abandon their attack on Athens because of Karacha's missteps. However, if the Empire does anything during the negotiations, the city of Athens is likely to be slaughtered.

"We didn't ask for anything extra. Give up the city of Athens. We can still leave the door open for you and your army to leave intact. But if the war officially kicks off, we will definitely not be able to guarantee your life......" Karacha's tone was quite calm, but there was an awe-inspiring murderous aura. John only occasionally experienced this feeling in Latius.

Strictly speaking, this is a threat that cannot be resisted. In a surefire siege, the Ottomans could not even guarantee John's life, and it was self-evident what the ordinary citizens in the city who were loyal to the empire would do.

"Victory in a war is never achieved by begging, General Caracha."

"Then as you wish, Your Majesty."

Lewen