ps: I just found a bug, the protagonist they teleported to this era of yacht "Shiratori" tonnage is 15 tons, not 150 tons, accidentally hit an extra 0, so that it exceeded the limit of Wang Qiu's teleportation ability...... I'm sorry that this has been fixed. ,!

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In the royal tent, draped in silk curtains, Sultan Mehmed II once again stooped alone to the map table, leaning over to carefully examine the model of the city of Constantinople made by skilled craftsmen on the table, based on information provided by spies.

-- The strategic center of gravity of the Eastern Roman Empire was always in its capital, Constantinople, which at the intersection of Europe and Asia, controlled the east-west traffic between Asia Minor and the Balkans, as well as the shipping between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Its military and economic value is very important. The geographical layout of the capital was not only extremely advantageous for its own defense, but also provided appropriate strategic cover for the entire empire; Constantinople was not only the key core of the Eastern Roman defense system, but also played a role in coordinating the defense of all regions of the country.

Therefore, the Turks, who aspire to replace the Eastern Roman Empire as the new generation of Mediterranean hegemons, must get their hands on the city, no matter how great the cost and how heavy the sacrifices - otherwise, their Ottoman Turkish Empire will be dug out of the core hinterland, as if a person without a heart will never be complete.

But the problem is that Constantinople was not easy to storm. This is true even now, when the Eastern Roman Empire has fallen into extreme decline.

-- The Eastern Roman Empire was able to survive for thousands of years in large part because of the strong defense system of its capital, Constantinople, which was able to resist all attacks of the Cold Weapon Age, and with the manpower and material resources hoarded in the city, it repeatedly formed the basis for the reconstruction of the empire. And whenever the enemies of the empire are in decline, with the resources and geographical advantages of this capital. He can even lead the empire on the path to victory and conquest again.

Viewed from above, this great city has a triangular shape, bordering the Sea of Marmara to the south. Bordering the Golden Horn to the north, the coastal walls defending the north and south sides of the city are relatively low, and the enemy who had previously tried to attack Constantinople had attempted to attack it. For example, the Arabs, Persians, and Western European crusaders generally liked to advance by land and water, because they felt that this was an easier breakthrough to open. However, the entrance to the Golden Horn is pulled with a huge iron chain with a thick bowl mouth, which is difficult to break through and break through from the sea. Moreover, with the level of shipbuilding and shipping capabilities in the Middle Ages, it was also very risky to let ships go deep into the slender and narrow Golden Horn and land a large army under the rain of stones and arrows.

- So, except for the Fourth Crusade, which had the cooperation of the moles. None of them succeeded.

The city wall of Theodosius, which faces the open land, is not only tall and majestic, but also intricately designed because of the Thracian plain outside the city, which is not only tall and majestic, but also intricately designed - the wall of Theodosius from the outside to the inside is the outer wall, the moat, the inner wall of the moat, the steep slope wall, the outer platform, the outer wall, the inner wall, and the inner wall. The outer wall is about eight meters high. The inner wall is about 12 to 20 meters high. The outer side of the city wall is steep, made of granite boulders, and the top of the wall is a walkway and a battle platform, and there are pheasant moats to cover the soldiers. The inner side of the city wall is a slope with a rock parapet, a cave and a storehouse. Ninety-six towers, more than 300 corner towers and blockhouses stand on the outer and inner walls, with square towers protruding about five meters from the city wall. The average spacing is more than 60 meters, forming a powerful fire support system.

Such a majestic and tall wall, connected with the natural barrier of the Balkan Mountains, fully guaranteed the security of the land entrance to Constantinople.

Due to its extremely strong fortifications, Constantinople has always been known as the first fortress in the world. Whenever an enemy appeared in the suburbs, he would look up in fear at the endless Tiodonius Wall and the towering towers, and be deeply shocked by the majestic city.

These stones that make up the city walls once mocked the barbarian nomads who swarmed indiscriminately, the Persians, Arabs and Turks repeatedly invaded, and to this day they still mock all the tools of human warfare, whether it is ancient crashes, rushing cars, stone throwers, or early artillery that has just appeared, they are powerless to break through this indestructible tortoise shell, and can only look at the towering city walls.

For thousands of years, the walls of Constantinople have been repeatedly strengthened and rebuilt by successive Eastern Roman emperors, and they are a symbol of perfection - the few times the city has fallen in history because of the cooperation of moles, rather than violently smashing it from outside.

Sultan Mehmed II thought he knew better than anyone else about the wall and its might. In the past few years since he ascended the throne, whether he was dreaming or waking up in the middle of the night, there was only one thing he could never forget, that is, how to destroy this impregnable wall. He had on his desk the drawings, dimensions, and plans of the heaps of enemy fortresses, and knew every high slope, every depression, and every river in front of and behind the walls, and his engineers worked with him over every detail...... And finally found the tool to crack this hard walnut.

-- That's the most terrifying cannon ever made!

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“…… Repay the Great Sovereign! The engineers of Urban, escorting siege artillery, have arrived at the front line on the outskirts of Constantinople! ”

One of the guards lifted the curtain and reported in a loud voice to Sultan Mehmed II. The young Sultan nodded reservedly, got up and left the map table, and walked out of his tent, where he burned expensive spices, bypassing the colourful veils of tulle.

As soon as he stepped out of the large and heavy tabernacle, a blinding light poured down in his face, and all kinds of noisy sounds came to the Sultan's ears.

Looking out from the door of the Sultan's royal tent, the whole chaotic and noisy battlefield scene. All at once.

At this time, the barren wilderness on the outskirts of Constantinople had turned the Turkish army preparing for the siege into a huge construction site in full swing, with all kinds of noise reaching into the sky, food, arrows, and weapons piling up in the camp, and the flow of cars and people on the road.

On the vast plains of Thrace, countless Turkish soldiers looked like red clouds. Slowly surging from the end of the road in the distance, a shiny scimitar and sharp spear looked even more dazzling against the red uniform. Thousands of horses trampled on the ground. The smoke and dust turned into a gray mist...... In front of the fog, the huge Turkish military camp stretched for more than ten miles, as magnificent as a moving city.

Driven by the Sultan's orders. With no end in sight, the Ottoman Turkish army pressed mightily towards Constantinople like a sudden sea rage, reaching beyond the walls of the city. The entire vast field was trembling with the footsteps of soldiers and horses.

And in the midst of this astonishing array of horses, there is something that will terrify the defenders and excite the besiegers - the hammer of Thor, which can cut through the walls of Constantinople! An epoch-making bronze monster called "Urban Cannon"!

Dozens of sturdy bulls, hundreds of sweaty coolies, were shouting hoarsely, dragging it slowly forward.

It was designed by the talented Hungarian engineer Urban in charge. The most powerful artillery on the Shijie today is also the most expensive.

-- Thousands of carts worked day and night to transport the ore to the Adrianople Arsenal in order to forge this priceless bronze beast, and the artillerymen spent three months and suffered numerous casualties. Finally, the red-hot molten metal was cast into the clay model, and a thick cannon barrel weighing seventeen tons and twenty centimeters thick was created. The money, manpower and material resources spent during this period can only be described as astronomical.

But it was worth it - at the time of the test launch, it was able to shoot more than half a ton of shells almost two kilometers away!

Then, in order to drag this artillery across the entire Thracian plain. Transported from the Adrianople Arsenal to the city of Constantinople, an entire army had to drag the heavy behemoth on a two-month trek: the Sultan sent his best cavalry to clear the way in case the treasure was attacked—in fact, it only dispersed some curious onlookers. Behind the cavalry, hundreds of Greek and Bulgarian builders worked day and night to transport the overweight monster, but no matter how strong the road was, it was sure to break down as soon as it passed.

The seventeen-ton barrel had to be pulled by sixty of the strongest bulls, and because it was impossible to build wheels with such an astonishing load-bearing capacity, the convoy had to use thick rolling logs to form slipways on the road, as the ancient Egyptians did when they carried huge rocks to build pyramids. There were also 200 big men on both sides who carefully supported the metal pipe that swayed from side to side in the bumps, so as not to tip over and overturn in the middle of the way; Due to the heavy weight of the guns, the wooden gun carriage was damaged several times on the road, and a team of carpenters had to be brought in to repair it at any time, and the rolling wood in front of the barrel was constantly replaced and lubricated. Once it encounters rain and snow, it is a tragedy within a tragedy...... When it was finally transported to the front, the entire transport team was relieved, and felt that they were almost more exhausted than after a grueling siege battle.

In addition to the seventeen-ton bronze monster, the engineers of Urban, who had forged some smaller guns for the Sultan, as well as the old guns that the Turkish army had already equipped, were all transported to the front line, forming an artillery group of sixty-nine guns of various types, neatly lined up in a phalanx, and opened their black and round mouths against the towering walls of Constantinople.

In a modern battlefield where all kinds of RPGs, rocket artillery, and missiles are flying everywhere, such a weak firepower that is not even able to form a barrage of fires is probably inferior to even the poorest guerrillas. But in this era when artillery was just put into use, it was already regarded as the thunder of the gods.

Sultan Mehmed II excitedly rode out of the camp and galloped to the vicinity of the Cannon, signaling the transport workers who were ready to bow down to continue their work, while contentedly reaching out and slapping the cold barrel, feeling the violent aesthetics peculiar to the big guy.

“…… Urban! It's taken so long, but you've finally got the big guy you invented! See the walls over there? ”

The Sultan turned around. He smiled and said to the Hungarian engineer beside him, while reaching out to the tall city wall at the end of the horizon, "...... Over the past seven centuries, I don't know how many warriors of Allah have broken their scimitars at its feet! Do you have the confidence to smash it open with your own invention? ”

“…… Bixia, when I traveled in Constantinople in the past, I had already carefully studied its walls and deduced the limits of the walls and their weak points! And then. Through the test firing at the Adrianople range, I was even more confident that this unprecedented heavy artillery could easily shatter not only the walls of Constantinople, but even the legendary walls of Babylon were no match for it. ”

This ancestor has been a Catholic for generations. The Hungarian engineer Urban, who was now not ashamed to serve the Muslim monarch, immediately smiled and bowed to the great benefactor who appreciated him, and at the same time proudly patted his chest with confidence. “…… As far as I know. There is no section of the wall in the world that is strong enough to withstand its fierce bombardment at close range! Even the strongest hell can blast a hole! ”

In fact, since the Turkish invasion of Eastern Europe, it is true that many Europeans, including Germans, Hungarians, Bulgarians, Hungarians, etc., have converted to Allah, either voluntarily or forcefully, and have often behaved more fanatically than the legitimate Arabs in terms of faith.

Therefore, in the face of great interests, whether it is blood, ethnicity, color, and creed. It is impossible to guarantee everyone's loyalty

Sultan Mehmed II nodded in satisfaction at Urban's answer, and then looked back at the front-line position, where about two hundred and fifty yards from the city walls, the industrious Turkish sappers had prepared the sites for firing their artillery—such as cutting down bushes and clearing the firing boundaries; Leveling the ground, digging gun emplacements, etc. - to prevent the defenders from firing to destroy these expensive weapons. Turkish sappers also deliberately installed thick wooden shields on the gun emplacements to provide protection for the cannons, gunners and piled ammunition.

Since there were only sixty-nine guns in total, which was a little too little, the Turks also prepared some traditional stone throwers to maintain continuous fire.

After some tossing, the most powerful urban cannon. It was placed in a conspicuous position directly in front of the Sultan's royal tent so that Sultan Mehmed II could check the results at any time. The urban engineers began the intense pre-launch preparations: cleaning the chamber, arranging the elevation angles, mixing gunpowder, and polishing the stone shells...... It is expected that it will not be until tomorrow morning that the fuse will finally be loaded into the fire door of the artillery.

In addition to these projectile weapons used to break the city walls, the Turks built a number of towering giant siege tower ladders. Compared with the relatively inconspicuous artillery, these tower ladders are even more huge behemoths, with a height of more than ten meters and a base of tens of meters in length and width, enough for hundreds of soldiers to climb the city wall at the same time. The tower was covered with three layers of thick cowhide, and small ballistas and archers were hidden on the hull to suppress the fire on the walls. In addition, there is a ladder that is raised and lowered by pulleys to facilitate the transportation of death squad troops to the city as quickly as possible.

With these impressive siege weapons, as well as the immense size of their own army, and the abundance of food and straw, most of the Turkish soldiers here were confident that they would be able to defeat both Constantinople and the Eastern Roman Empire in one fell swoop.

Looking at the spectacular camp stretching for dozens of kilometers, the more than 100,000 troops with high morale, the crescent moon military flags as dense as the woods, as well as the bright blades, huge siege towers, dark urban cannons, and a huge fleet with thousands of sails...... Sultan Mehmed II, who was fierce and belligerent by nature, was really fascinated and proud for a while, and could not help but recall the wonderful scene when the artillery was fired, and the earth shook and the mountains shook.

- With a thunderous roar, the fiery muzzles of the guns spat out stone bullets and let out a deadly scream, smashing the mottled stone walls that surrounded Constantinople into pieces, causing them to collapse one after another in the midst of a huge roar, soaring smoke and dust, and terrible tremors, while generously bringing doomsday despair and death to the Christians defending the city, frightening the fellows one by one and terrified......

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Of course, Sultan Mehmed II was well aware that the enemy on the other side of the walls would not sit idly by, and they were also preparing for war. According to the reports of the Genoese merchants, these unscrupulous, mercenary fellows, who organized a fleet to aid Constantinople in an attempt to stop the conquest of Sultan Mehmed II, and at the same time sold information to the Turks with impunity, making it impossible to understand what they were thinking, the Eastern Roman Emperor in the city of Constantinople had issued a general mobilization order, and every able-bodied man, even a sturdy woman, was to do his part in strengthening the fortifications of the city. Urgently build all kinds of weapons, as well as hoard war supplies, and so on.

But no matter how much the poor emperor struggled to die, what could he change? According to reliable information from the Genoese in the Galata Concession, he had only three or four thousand rabbles of varying quality to defend his city, which was not enough to cover the walls.

Sultan Mehmed II, on the other hand, had a fleet of hundreds of ships, the most terrible artillery of all time, and a mighty army of 160,000 men on land and sea – a number far greater than the entire population of the Eastern Roman Emperor!

In the Sultan's opinion, in the face of such a disparity, the emperor had nothing to do but go into the church to pray to the emperor.

…… So...... O unfortunate pagan emperor! I'll take your crown and your city!"

Squinting at the majestic walls of Theosido in the distance, and the spires of buildings looming behind them, Sultan Mehmed II clenched his fists and smiled a smile of ambition.

The war that will decide the fate of the West is about to start! ……)

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