Chapter 302: Shocking Change (3)
The plan to storm the walls came to an end with the arrival of the Fourth Legion, which further reduced the number of both sides, and because of the change of control of the sea, it did not seem to make much sense to continue the siege.
However, Farah, the Ottoman front-line general, did not choose to withdraw his troops, and when he was forced to withdraw his camp, people in and around the capital remained panicked.
"Clean up the blood and corpses to prevent the spread of the plague. Add three more rounds of replacement shifts...... And ......" Nikephoros wiped the blood from his face and glanced at Osini, who was still panting, "temporarily dismiss the temporary levies, and correspond to the battlements of the wall passes...... It was succeeded by the Fourth Army Corps. ”
"Honorable Nikephoros Komnenos, I'm sorry...... We're a step too late. Ossini stroked his chest apologetically, "There was a little trouble on the way, but we have reopened the Black Sea route, and supplies to Trabzon are being sent out of the Golden Horn. ”
"At least Trabzon didn't give it to the Ottomans, so it didn't disappoint Her Royal Highness the Princess."
With the help of his attendants, Nikephoros removed his heraldic armor, and when the coat of arms and burqa was removed, the armor was covered with dense scratches and arrowheads hanging from the locks. The severity of the siege for several days can be seen.
"The Ottomans don't seem to have any intention of leaving." Nikephoros glanced out of the city. Because of the shortage of supplies in the city, he did not choose to concentrate on the Ottomans who were hurriedly moving the camp resources, but only used the fixed stone throwers on the city wall to carry out a "lottery" bombardment.
"The pagans hoarded enough supplies in Asia Minor to spend their lives under the walls of Trabzon until they died of old age. But it is clear that their intentions will not be so simple. Livia touched her chin, "They don't have siege weapons like Athenian heavy artillery, and ordinary solid shells can do very little damage to the walls. Maybe this group of Ottomans didn't mean to fight us to the death. ”
"I know." Nikephoros held on to the city wall and walked down the steps step by step, "Although His Majesty Constantine did not say it explicitly, the Fourth Legion should also be the last reinforcement that Trabzon can get." ”
Ossini and Livia didn't speak, but the three of them knew each other. The Fourth Army was the last bargaining chip to repel the tens of thousands of Ottoman troops outside the city gates.
The blood-colored remnant sun gradually sank into the mountains, and in its place was a bright moon.
The convoy had brought with it some necessary food and supplies, so that the soldiers who had withdrawn from the line of fire enjoyed a rare warm stew tonight. The wails of the wounded soldiers in the tent also subsided a little by this time.
"What should I do?"
Nikephoros opened the doors of the mansion, as the outer city was threatened with stonethrows and rockets from time to time, and the wartime affairs of Trabzon were also transferred here.
The scouts could only move a few hundred meters outward before they met the Ottoman patrols, which further confirmed Farah's readiness to fight a protracted battle.
"They are likely to abandon the storming of the walls because of the risk of battle damage, and instead have a long siege." Livia looked at the terrain sandbox of Trabzon and pondered for a moment. As an expert in defensive warfare, he prefers to expect the Ottomans to be more bloody, "Although we can get supplies from the sea, not only does this route require a lot of supplies to maintain, but the Ottoman Black Sea Fleet, which has not been completely annihilated, will become a pirate attack on our transport ships at any time. ”
"This is one of the risks, as long as Trabzon remains under siege, the Balkans will be under tremendous pressure. If the siege of Athens could happen once, it could happen a second time. Therefore, we must have complete information on the number of troops besieging Trabzon. Even a small transfer would be worth sending a report to Constantinople. ”
Nikephoros and Livia nodded at Osini. At this time, Trabzon's confidants were still concerned about how to get Farah to abandon the siege, but other details must not be spared.
"His Majesty will think of a way...... Before we do that, let's settle the problem at hand. ”
……
The fierce sound of gold and iron colliding sounded in the ears of John and the others, and several secular knights quickly spread a human wall on the side of the royal family. Bows and arrows will not be effective against their armored armor, but this rain of arrows has proved that there are probably more than 100 people ambushing them here.
The original secular knights, as John's personal guard, have been completely lost in Athens, and the current knights, although they are also assigned by the Pope and trained by Morey, are not comparable in combat power for the time being.
"Take Your Majesty away!"
The coachman was about to activate his shoulder when a short bolt was plunged into his left shoulder blade. Only then did everyone realize that at this time, there was a complete circular encirclement network around them. The land is still very muddy after the new rain, and it is a bit of a fool's dream to let the royal car that wants to make decoration more important than protection rush out like this.
John and the others remained in the carriage, but the other side did not have the slightest intention of negotiating. Greeted by a rain of arrows in the sky, wrapped in firewood and vines, and a ball of fire.
The knight's kite-shaped shield may be able to withstand the damage of arrows, but with the help of fireballs that roll down from high to low with potential energy, the human can only sigh.
Thankfully, the people in the car made the wisest decision in time.
Kalujie slashed open the curtain of the door, pulled John and Sophia and rushed out of the car. Several people rolled twice on the ground, and they were surrounded by four secular knights.
Although it looked a little embarrassed, but seeing the car that was engulfed in the sea of fire in the next second, although it fell really hard, it was worth it.
"Your Majesty! Withdraw to the east. ”
Morey shouted, and several secular knights caught the royal family in understanding.
The people who rushed down the hillside were dressed more like robbers, and they lacked sturdy armor, making it even more difficult to associate with a well-trained army.
But...... How could there be a robber of this magnitude, entrenched on such an important line of communication?
"There is even a large part of them that has only a rudimentary piece of leather armor...... How dare you attack the well-armed royal guard? ”
"Maybe there is no flag on our shoulders to indicate our identity? Let them mistakenly think that secular knights are mercenaries hired by wealthy merchants? ”
"Then they should also recognize the coat of arms of the church on their armour."
John spat out a mouthful of muddy water, and gradually retreated towards the weak area of the encirclement under the protection of the airtight ground. The knights in charge of the personal guards were obviously extremely brave, but when it came to battle, they could not fully care for the safety of the royal family.
"Sophia! Be careful! ”
Book Keju Reading Website: