Giovanni Giustiniani's plan of attack and defense on the Thracian side is simpler. The garrison of the Ottomans in Western Thrace consisted mainly of a standing force of three thousand men. These units are not so capable of fighting, and they can only play the role of minimal hindrance. What the Imperial army needed was to attract the attention of the Ottomans to the Thracian side by besieging the city, not by storming, and what John and Sophia's Phoenix Legion had to do was to cooperate with the rest of the army and deal with the reinforcements from Edirne, depending on the number of them. i.e. ambush annihilation, interception or delay.

And Thessaloniki, which the empire is determined to win, is the key to this operation. As long as the reinforcements from Edirne were divided to defend Thrace, then, as long as the reinforcements were delayed, the empire would have plenty of time to send troops to capture all of Greater Greece. The armies of Epirus, Moria, Achaia, Athens, and Thebes were to be assembled, so the plan had a great deal of fighting flavor.

Perhaps this is the character of Constantine XI. is indeed the best portrayal of the current empire.

In order to avoid a head-to-head confrontation with the reinforcements of Edirne, this time the Imperial army will take an offensive posture in Greater Greece for the first time. While this would be a great drain on troops, once Ottoman reinforcements arrived, it would only leave more Imperial soldiers behind.

Constantine waited restlessly in the palace for two days, and finally received a reply from Latius and then Thomas. Now that both sides of the Isthmus of Corinth were in Imperial hands, the Ottoman army's control over Greece was so weak that it was impossible to predict the movements of the Imperial army. The attack on Thrace was also carried out only in the discussions of the Imperial Council, and the soldiers were not informed until a moment before departure. Therefore, the beginning of this war will be the first surprise attack launched by the Eastern Empire.

According to the words of Constantine XI, from the moment the Ottomans stepped on the territory of the Empire, the Empire and the Ottomans would never stop fighting, and Greater Greece was only the starting point, from the city of London on the other side of the English Channel to Alexandria on the other side of the Mediterranean, and the Roman flag would eventually be replanted.

It was also because of this pre-war speech that in the city of Constantinople, the emperor was given the title of "Balkan Revenator" by his subjects.

In the early morning, the San Romanus Gate, which had been closed for nearly a month, slowly opened again.

It was a win-or-death game, and the final move to determine whether the Eastern Roman Empire could achieve nirvana.

"Your Majesty, go back to the palace." Sophia looked very obedient and pulled Constantine away from the lookout of the St. Romanus Gate.

At the Imperial Council, Giovanni had repeatedly emphasized one thing, that Constantine must not be allowed to go on a personal expedition again. As soon as Constantine XI left the capital, the whole city would be in fear. Moreover, although the pro-conscription will be a very good boost to the morale of the army, the effect of this encouragement will gradually decrease with each pro-conscription. Moreover, in John's mind, the scene of Władysław being cut off by the Sultan's own soldiers is still vivid, and he will never take the risk of letting Constantine XI frequently visit the front line.

Moreover, John had already sensed that as the course of history was moving in an uncontrollable direction, his foreknowledge of the future would no longer be accurate. And if the future empire will face a life-and-death decision, his judgment may no longer be accurate......

Filled with unease, he embarked on an expedition to Thrace with the secular knight Morey.

……

Autumn insects are not very active at this time. Therefore, the sound of a person in armor as he walks over a pile of fallen leaves is particularly abrupt.

Latius rode at the forefront of the formation, and in the distance, the walls of Thessaloniki were lit with torches.

The Ottomans were already on guard. Unlike the young and vigorous Mehmed, Murad II was very sophisticated in his approach to military matters and had a thorough knowledge of the basic tactics and military prowess of the Eastern Empire.

The old sultan had already counted the fact that the Romans would continue their expeditions into Greater Greece while their armies were pulling the crusaders. Thessaloniki's garrison is no longer the same. If nothing else, if the Romans dared to launch a strong attack, they were doomed to fail.

The man who can beat the Eastern Romans to the point of trembling in Constantinople is definitely not easy to deal with.

"Your Royal Highness, the one on the city wall, and you and I should be old acquaintances."

Thomas was also smiling wryly. He even wondered if this sudden surprise attack would wipe out all the money he had accumulated in Moreah.

Murad II actually came to the city of Salonica in advance, waiting for the arrival of the combined forces of Morea and Greece. After the two sides looked at each other, Murad II did not hesitate, and the dense archers on the city walls instantly began to rain arrows towards the phalanx of the empire.

The arrows were incredibly powerful at such a distance, and the inexperienced peasant soldiers in the back row, who had not had time to raise their shields, had already fallen to the ground after a wave of baptism.

"Retreat! Retreat! Latius immediately pulled out the army, and if he marched in this way, the troops would not be able to get close to the city walls at all, and they would suffer a large number of casualties, "Your Royal Highness, it is not difficult to see from the number of archers in this archer, the defenders in the city are at least more than seven thousand!" Our total strength does not exceed 13,000! ”

"Your Majesty's order is to quickly and forcibly storm the city before reinforcements from Edirne arrive...... But in this case, not only is it basically impossible to succeed in the siege, but we are even likely to be completely annihilated! ”

It was only after all his troops had retreated beyond the reach of their bows and arrows that Latius began to think about his decision again.

"In any case, it is already a fool's dream to take Saloniki in the short term, and this matter must be notified to Your Majesty. Even if Edirne didn't send reinforcements, it would be impossible to force the siege! ”

"Latius...... In my opinion, since Murad II has appeared in the city, it means that the garrison in Thessaloniki is far more than usual, and there are even Sultan guards. Siege is no longer realistic...... Our logistics are not enough to support our long-term siege ......"

An expressionless Murad II still stood on the city walls, dressed in his specially made armor. At this time, the empire's preparations for this attack for more than a month can basically be declared a failure.

"No...... Let's think differently. His Royal Highness the Prince. Latius suddenly opened his closed eyes, "In order to cooperate with us, Your Majesty has said that he will send a large army to feint against Thrace." But all this is based on the premise that the Ottomans did not guess our plan. Now that Murad II has appeared in Greater Greece, it shows that the focus of the Ottoman defense was on Salonika...... As a result, the intensity of the defense and reinforcements in the Thracian region ......"

"You want Your Majesty to ......?"

"Quick! Use me ...... No, His Royal Highness, write a letter in your own hand, and send it to Constantinople immediately. Our goal now is not to capture Thessaloniki, but to contain Thessaloniki's reinforcements and the Edirne army intent on returning at all costs! ”