There is no moonlight tonight, and only the black of chaos is left between heaven and earth.

It was the middle of the night, and the guards guarding the head of the Cut Throat Fort were sleepy, so they dozed off in the corner. The Ottoman camp remained calm as usual. Although the captain had repeatedly stressed the importance of the sentinels, most of them were exhausted after five or six torches.

I said...... We should be able to go back to the Balkans, right? After being drafted from Thessaloniki to His Majesty John, I hadn't seen anyone in my family for some time. ”

"I can't help you, but Your Majesty rarely suffers losses in wars, and depending on the situation, we will not risk our lives to defend this rotten land. Rest easy, boy, our boat is on the edge of the pier. The older veteran led the crowd to some relief, tightened his leather armor, and leaned on the battlements, "Whether it is bread, levy tax, pension, or soul of the Lord, we should at least be stained with the blood of the infidels." ”

"You're like a pious old priest." A Carrito recruit with a quiver on his back sneered, "We don't need this kind of comfort every time we rush to the front, but it is better to change to real Ducats to make people feel at ease." ”

"My little one, if I could, I would like to go headlong into the monastery and never come out......"

The night became even quieter, and the next group of guards in rotation had already walked out of the barracks, but just as the two sides were handing over, there was a sudden muffled sound in all directions.

If there was anything that could make their nerves more tense at this time, it would be the roar of artillery. But when the guards on the city walls poked their heads out and found that it was still dark in the Ottoman tents, they suddenly thought of a situation that they would not normally dare to envision -

Above the Bosphorus, the glimmer of the moon was lost, and the sailors of the empire could barely see anything clearly.

It wasn't until the bows of the two great ships were about to slash that the lookout let out a terrible howl of horror—and then, with the force of the impact, he fell to pieces on the deck like a kite with a broken string.

At this time, the other sailors, who were immersed in sleep, hurriedly took out their torches in the dark and lit up the ship. Immediately after, they were already being targeted by several swarthy guns.

A continuous bombardment of arrows and throwing stones sent sawdust to the hull of one of the Empire's galleys, and then an endless stream of water poured into the lower decks of the ship, whatever the Empire's sailors called, and eventually, it became the nourishment of the fish.

And all this happened in an instant, and no one would have believed that the Ottoman fleet dared to pass through the Dardanelles and engage in a naval battle with the main fleet of the Empire in this small bay, and that they even entered the strait by merely relying on the stars in the sky to discern their direction. They didn't even erect braziers and torches, hoping to take the empire by surprise in complete darkness.

And although the sound of the cannons had already alarmed the other ships of the empire above the Sea of Marmara, the Ottomans quickly split the fleet into two parts. With their familiarity with the strait, one fleet pulled up a hinged line with Genoa's heavy ghow-to-war ships, while another, bypassing them, made a beeline for the docks of Cutthroat Fort, where the lifeline of the Empire, a huge transport fleet, was docked!

"Bite them off! The infidels must not be allowed to approach the port. Francisco had quickly come to his senses by this time, and with the quality of the fleet, he commanded Ebius Brilliant to plunge straight into the weaker flank line of four caravels.

Although the mobility of the Radiant behemoth was not very dexterous, the caliber of the artillery more than made up for any shortcomings.

After lighting the fuse, the most terrifying shipborne gun in the world finally let out its roar.

Like a wolf in a flock of sheep, a sailboat was instantly torn apart by shells from its main guns and broadside guns, and broke in two above the waves. When the other small ships saw this, they hurriedly scattered. With their sparse arrows, it was not enough to leave a scratch on the body of Ebius Radiance, and even if he used the ramming horn to launch a death charge, he would probably only sink in the end.

But at this time, the sky and the earth still did not see any light, and only a few heavy warships could see a little light sporadically when they fired artillery. This also greatly hindered the flagship's command ability, and each ship seemed to be fighting alone, each looking for the most vulnerable point of this sudden defensive line.

Of course, the captains of the ships were not stupid people, or Francisco's former generals, or the owners of privateers, or the descendants of pirates, they did not lack experience in night warfare at sea, and they all knew very well that in such a narrow and barrier-free sea area, as long as the target could be locked, the next thing was a contest of firepower.

On the other side of the ocean, however, is a very different picture.

The purpose of the Ottomans was already exposed by this time. They didn't care about the small boats that had been forcibly requisitioned from the merchants and fishermen, and even the large warships were not out of the question of destroying them if they could achieve their goal for the night. The Genoese who participated in the war on the other side have obviously torn face with the Empire, not only ships in the Mediterranean, but also garrisons in the direction of the Crimea. If the Ottomans returned to Aegean, they would be able to reap the trade that had been divided between the Empire and Venice.

Of course, in the final agreement, there must have been a clause added that at this time, the royal heirs of the Eastern Roman Empire - John and Sophia, who were already like trapped beasts.

……

Almost subconsciously, whether it was the sentry who was originally on duty, or the sergeant who was resting and was awakened by the sound of artillery, they all subconsciously took steps and rushed to the burning dock. After all these transports are sunk, if the Imperial fleet fails to seize sea supremacy in a short time, they will be a flock of lambs to the slaughter in the sheepfold!

"Osini! Take care of your men! John hurriedly put on his armor and rushed out of the fortress, the cold wind burst into his mouth and poured straight into his heart and lungs, "You must understand that the walls are more important than the docks at this time! Latius, get all your big toys ready, and take the men to the docks, just make sure the sailors don't land! The rest of the people, all go to the city wall! ”

"Your Majesty, at the river in Plindali outside the city, I have a boat prepared! Let Morey take you and the princess first! At this time, you are no longer fit to command the battle! ”

Orsini even uttered this passage with a great psychological struggle. He didn't know if Prindali had a ship or not, and it was impossible for anyone to get through the Ottoman encirclement at this point. But he must find a reason to protect the Empire's crown prince from this land that is about to be covered in blood.