Chapter 40: The Mercenary's Carnival

“…… On the same day that we arrived on the outskirts of Adrianople, Admiral Trevison, who had led the fleet along the Thracian coast, also sent a paddle boat up the Maricha River to inquire about the vicinity of the battlefield of Adrianople, and happened to meet my men. While I have made it as convenient as possible for them, I have asked them to give this report to Admiral Trevison and take it back to their home countries.

If nothing else, I will send a second report to the country after the war is basically over.

Your most deferential servant, Girolamo. Minoto

March 2, 1453, on the outskirts of Adrianople"

After putting down the quill pen, Girolamo. Ambassador Minotto spread out the letterhead, grabbed a handful of dry fine sand from the sand pot next to his desk, and carefully sprinkled a layer on the paper, allowing it to absorb the ink from the paper. Then he opened his mouth to blow the fine sand off and rolled up the letter paper.

When the report was sent away by the messenger, Ambassador Minotto also stood up, stretched, got up and walked to the small balcony on the second floor, looking far away at the majestic fortress city of Adrianople at the end of the horizon.

It is an ancient city and a fortified city designed from the very beginning of its construction to the standards of a military fortress. Back in the distant days when the Roman Empire had not yet been divided into two parts, Adrianople was already a famous military town, and there were countless bloody battles. The subsequent Eastern Roman emperors, every time they used troops on the European battlefield, they also gathered a large army in Adrianople and used it as a base to advance to Bulgaria or Serbia. Correspondingly, any army attacking Constantinople from the west must also pull out Adrianople.

Under the test of the long war, the city was built high and fortified. When Adrianople fell to the Ottoman Turks, the Ottoman Empire spared no effort to build it as its capital, and the city defense facilities were the top priority.

As a result, Adrianople today has a population of only about 40,000 or 50,000. It is also far less than the size of Constantinople, but because of its compactness, it is probably still in Constantinople in terms of defensive strength, which is surrounded by wide moats and inclined embankments, and the walls are made of huge stones. The water gate to the Maricha River was also heavily guarded by forts. And blocked the waterways with heavy metal chains.

Although it had just experienced a bloody Turkish royal infighting, Adrianople's city defenses were destroyed in many places, and the artillery on the walls was dismantled and transported to the Constantinople front. Thus greatly weakening the city defense liliang. However, before the arrival of the Eastern Roman army, the defenders of the city took the time to complete the defensive deployment, and collected a large amount of masonry, rubble, and wooden blankets to plug the gaps in the walls that had been blown up. So that Christians who are bent on picking up bargains. I had to look at the magnificent walls of Adrianople from afar, and sighed again and again.

In view of the fact that Adrianople was already heavily guarded and the walls were full of swords and guns, Constantine XI knew that the rebellion in the city should have been quelled and ready for battle, and that he no longer had the possibility of fishing in troubled waters, so he had to order the whole army to temporarily camp and recuperate in the suburbs - not because he was sympathetic to his soldiers, and did not know the reason why he was quick to fight while the iron was hot, but because the emperor was a group of unorganized and undisciplined rabble. The whole team stretched loosely for dozens of kilometers on the Thracian plain, and the vast majority of them were still hanging far behind.

In order to wait for the large army behind to catch up, the emperor could only let the mercenaries who followed him rest on the spot first, and wait until everyone was ready.

However, this does not mean that these veterans are ruffians over the years. They would stay outside the city like young children and do nothing - after receiving the Emperor's order to rest, they would skillfully go their separate ways, plundering the Turkish manors and villas scattered outside the city, and then making their own in them - it was better to have a house to live in than to sleep in a tent - and the Venetian ambassador and his mercenary detachment were no exception.

Presently. Girolamo. Ambassador Minotto is stationed in a small estate on the outskirts of Adrianople. The original owner had already abandoned his home to escape the war, and Minotto unceremoniously took people to live in. By the way, I also looted all the belongings that I hadn't moved.

At this time, looking out from the balcony of the estate, Gironamo. Ambassador Minotto could see the rippling waters of the Maricha River, the well-cultivated fields, the lush olive and fig trees, and the hedge of wildflowers and shrubs that bloom in spring.

-- The plains of Thrace, which have been shrouded in the light of civilization since the time of the ancient Greeks, have now been developed quite well, and every inch of land has been carefully cared for, cultivated and cultivated with crops. Perfect canals, dams and waterwheels were built to fully irrigate the soil.

However, this idyllic landscape, which should have been as beautiful as a picture scroll, is now tainted by clouds of black smoke and red flames.

-- Hordes of soldiers, under the banner of the cross of "holy war," were rampaging through this fertile field, burning and looting, plundering cattle and sheep, grain, fruits, cloth, gold and silver, and all the booty they could see...... The Turks, who had just lost their most elite armed Liliang on the outskirts of Constantinople and were then bloodied in fratricidal slaughter, were unable to put up any effective resistance.

-- On this day last month, the Turks carrying the crescent flag were still burning and killing on the outskirts of Constantinople; And just a little more than 20 days later, it was the turn of the double-headed eagle of the Eastern Roman Empire to show off its might on the outskirts of Adrianople......

Just as he was lamenting the impermanence of fate, there was a commotion at the gate of the manor not far away. Ambassador Minotto looked down with some displeasure, but saw a small group of mercenaries flying the golden lion flag of the Republic of Venice, carrying wine barrels, driving cattle and sheep, carrying chickens and ducks, carrying large bags and small bags, and even pushing a few crying pagan women, talking and laughing towards this temporary camp.

The Venetian diplomat couldn't help but smile knowingly at the sight – after a week of nibbling on hard bread and corned beef, he was finally able to indulge in a feast of wine and indulgence with the Turkish woman in his arms tonight......

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