1453: Revival of Byzantium - Chapter 490

“Vana quoque ad veros accessit fama timores.”

“Idle rumours were also added to well-founded apprehensions.”

–        Marcus Annaeus Lucanus, Roman poet during Nero’s reign

The Sanjek left his post on the tower and began parading across the army.

He needs to show himself in front of every single soldier here, to show that he is perfectly fine and healthy, to make them actually believe that the rumour is indeed a rumour. The Sanjek knows that there must be some thing fishy in the army when he heard reports of the gossips turning into a widespread rumour in such a short period of time, but he has no time and mood to sort it now. Though he can still use the chance to make speeches everywhere and increase his men’s morales.

However, the Sanjek forgot about one thing, that is by leaving that makeshift tower it also means that he has left his central command, as the signallers and commanders over there cannot be running around with him too on a chariot. This means that the highest peak of the chain of command, the seat coordinating the various movements and instructions of different armies, are now left vacant. The Sanjek do trust that each and respective regiment under his can perform their roles without making any trouble with him leaving his place only temporarily, but he do have forgotten the fact that there are a lot of hidden tides beneath the calm surface in the army.

The battle at the front is slowly coming to an end, the situation soon escalated after each side repeatedly threw in troops to reinforce the infantries ahead and occupy strategic grounds, especially that patch of hill and elevated high ground that can be used as a base for archers. Before noon it has already been evolved into a massive operation involving multiple regiments from both sides adding up to eight thousand men. But now the Ottomans are finally showing signs that they are unable to hold their grounds anymore, when the sudden increase of troops have not been converted into a sustainable battle force, but instead brought backwards by the troops that have already collapsed on the frontline. In order to prevent a total collapse, the Ottoman commander in charge of the formation sent orders for his men to make a slow and orderly retreat, and anyone who disrupts the formation at the front while making a retreat shall be persecuted.

Julian would not miss this opportunity; he waved the flag in his hands sending his command over to the entire frontline. The entire Roman army started marching forward with their banners of war, roaring in multiple languages but all meaning the same thing. In the end they became unified and started crying out the phrase “Deus Vult”.

In the name of God.

A phrase that immediately gives any Christian troops a buff instantly when they say it, knowing that whatever they do here is to not only serve the God they worship, but also to secure a place in Haven to spend a comfortable life after death, and wash away their own sins when they are still in the living. While the other side usually needs to shout their own quote of war too praising the Mighty Allah.

But they can’t.

Because it is apparent that most of the people forming up the Ottoman army under the Sanjek, are of the same people of the enemies they are fighting against, speaking the same language, following the same culture and worshipping the same religion. In fact, only a handful of men under the Sanjek’s command are comprised of ‘true Ottomans’. They are like a bunch of forgotten soldiers, forgotten offspring that are thousands of miles away from their true home, with all connections lost form their motherland fighting a war they would not win, dying in a place that they hesitate whether it can be truly called home.

Thus, the Ottoman army kept still and silent, while their commanders started urging them to prepare to engage the enemies. The soldiers followed their orders despite of the inner thoughts in their minds, raising their spears and blades going forward slowly in preparation for the impending contact following their commanding flag.

The commanding officer of the Rumelian regiment in charge of the rear, Adrianos Chronoulis, observed the entire situation before him with a cold pair of eyes. He has decided on what to do today, and there is nothing that can change his determination today as he has already communicated with his respective officers regarding his plans, promising them of the rewards and luxury after all of this is over. There is already no way back for him, he is like a serpent hidden in the dark waiting for his opportunity, and when he saw the flag representing the Sanjek started leaving his post, he knows that his time has arrived.

The massive Ottoman army moved forward and forward pace by pace almost coming face to face with the Rumelians. But there is a strange feeling in the mind of Süleyman in the central army making him anxious over the entire battlefield, a feeling that rarely came to him which made him tilt his head and turn around to observe the situation. And to his horror, he found out that the formation that is supposed to be covering their arse, the Rumelian regiment, is not moving alone with the entire army at all.

“You! Go! Go tell that Rumelian man named Adrianos! Tell him to keep his troops inline and coordinated with the entire operation!” Suleyman frantically grabbed a messenger and threw the order at him, then kicked him off to deliver the messenger without even caring if the poor soul even understood his words or not. He is anxious, he is nervous, he is frustrated over the performance of his inferior colleague, as he knows very clearly that if the rare does not keep up with the movements of the entire formation, the Rumelian cavalries can charge in through the wide gap left in the middle and poke their arse, piercing through the most fragile part of the entire Ottoman army.

Of course, one messenger is far from enough for this kind of situation, and so Suleyman bey called out for a few more messengers kicking them to the Adrianos, and then reported the situation to the Sanjek who is all the way at the front, cheering his soldiers up on a chariot as the fight has already began. The Romans and the Ottomans have started engaging each other on this massive front line measuring to a staggering two Roman miles in width, with multiple formations and regiments battling each other, their commanders trying their best to use all the tricks and tactics that they have learnt from the past. At this point of time all personnel bravery, muscular strength or martial techniques of an individual has gone completely useless, the war is now dependant on the collective effort of every single person on each side.

None of the messengers came back reporting their duty, the Sanjek is told of this incident too and he immediately realised that something is wrong over here. He too started charging back to his post on a chariot as fast as possible and kept on sending out messengers on horse to the rear commander Adrianos, ordering him to advance or else he shall face the persecution of martial laws.

But still, the rear failed to respond, and stayed in the same position.

Two entire regiments, consisting to a total of eight thousand men, has gone rogue. The Sanjek knows what this means. He instantly responded by ordering the entire army to change from a diamond formation to a hollow formation, with the central army now forming up the new rear in defence of the rogue troops, for the Sanjek is still unclear whether it is just the commanders of the army that wants to rebel or is it the entire two drafted Rumelian regiment. If it is just the commanders then things shall be a lot simpler, the soldiers would be confused if they receive an order asking them to attack friendly troops. But if it is the later, then they are done here no matter what they do.

“Should we send out any more messengers, honourable Sanjek?”

“No, its useless, I bet that those messengers have been kept prisoner by Adrianos.” The Sanjek replied with a dimmed face. “I need to go there myself, call my guards. I shall go there to question Adrianos myself on his intentions, and pull him back from his develish inner thoughts.”

“You can’t! Honourable Sanjek!” Suleyman cried out pulling his liege to one side. “We have no idea on the real situation over there, the entire army might have been controlled by the rebels! You cannot risk yourself going in there and if you get captured by them, then we are screwed! Please, honourable Sanjek, we cannot afford a gamble right now! We can still win!”

The Sanjek halted his footsteps and started hesitating.