1453: Revival of Byzantium

Chapter 389: Recruits Doing Push Ups

Honestly speaking, it is already hard for a squadron consisting of hundreds of people to move forward as one is already a job hard enough for most people even if they are well trained. It would be even harder for some one to command a few hundred terrified soldiers with more than half being recruits to go backwards with out turning their heads engaging the enemies in front. One can try to walk back wards with his eyes covered and see how hard it is. In a regimental like this any one who makes a few wrong moves, like going back wards too fast and trips, can cause a devastating effect to the entire regiment, as the bigger sorrows are always caused by the smaller misdeeds before hand. 

Constantine eyes at the Ottoman cavalries with nervousness and also a little bit of envy in his eyes. No one knows how hard has he been trying to have a piece of mounted troops under his own command, like allocating a special area within the walls of Theodosia just for breeding horses, purchasing horses from the northern Kieven states and the Kipchak hordes through his personnel ties with the Genoese in Galata. But the more resources he throws in to cavalries the more hopeless he becomes, as the building of a cavalry troop is like a black hole sucking all of his funds with out showing much progress. That is why he has always envied the Ottomans for being able to possess such a strategic force with such little price to pay. 

The Ottoman cavalries reached the front of the Romans like a swirl of wind totally ignoring the jungle of spikes and spears targeting at them. They reached a point blank distance to the Roman formation, then made an abrupt turn singing their weird cries and war chores, flanging their heavy arrows right on to the Roman formation sweeping almost fifty men down instantly, creating a series of disturbance and commotions within the Romans that Constantine had to come out and shout to every one again, motivating them to abandon all their fears and continue standing here. 

"My sons! Have you forgotten what we are here for? My sons! Have you forgotten the pain and sufferings we sustained on this journey! My sons! Have you forgotten the amount of honour and goods we have carried on us travelling this far? If you have not forgotten about all of these, then hold! Hold still! Hold with me!" 

The speech by Constantine indeed served its purpose in soothing the minds of his troopers, making those who already have the mind set of fleeing for their lives stay put in their position. However, this speech certainly did not make the threat and pressure they are facing lesser, instead it made the Ottomans notice Constantine who is there shouting the loudest, making him the most obvious person in the formation. Although Constantine was not wearing any exquisite robes or fancy emperor's costumes, that unique sense of being the top tier of a leadership for too long still makes him stand out easily as a contrast to others. The Ottoman cavalries took a deep look at this man and galloped back ready to continue their next step of the operation. 

"Your majesty! Your majesty! Honourable Basileus!" Taking opportunity of this period of peace, the emperor's guards finally managed to squeeze by their comrades back to the emperor's side and urged their sovereign. "Your majesty! Please, leave this place with us! As a commander you should not be this close to the front line! If in the most unwelcomed situation when you are injured, killed or even captured by the infidels, it would still be a massive defeat for us despite the fact that we have ventured so far and reclaimed so many lost lands! Please! Evacuate to safety with us! Your majesty! I urge you!" 

Constantine hesitated for a moment wanting to act cool and say words like he shall stay here with his men and fight till the very end. But the sanity and reason within him told him not to say childish words like this. So, he nodded his head slightly and muttered yes, before he has finished his words, his faithful guards are already dragging their emperor through the corridor they have just created towards the back. The surrounding soldiers too complied and obediently left a corridor being opened within their formations, watching their emperor leave in a complicated emotion. 

But certainly, the time is not frozen for the Ottomans as the emperor takes his moves. Just as the emperor is leaving half way through the crowd of infantries, the ground started shaking again with the Ottomans galloping closer and closer, appearing from a cluster of smaller black dots to a herd of wild cantering horses with their spears and horse blades drawn out towards them in a spear like formation, obviously having no more patience in wasting their time and energy flinging arrows at their opponents, they have decided that now is the time for their last hammering strike. 

The Roman defensive formation became a little unstable again facing the pressure being asserted on to them by the almost a thousand creatures twice the size of them covered in leader coming for them. Constantine felt the Earth shaking beneath his feet too and hesitated a bit again, wanting to increase the morales of his men by using the same old methods. His guards too knew what their sovereign is thinking about as they are simply way too familiar with him. They did not give their emperor in doing any of what he wanted, and straight away continued pulling him out of here despite knowing that this is already an act of insubordination.

The Ottomans came closer and closer, with what it seems the leader of the Ottoman cavalries going head first carrying a lance, wearing a silver helmet with a purple cloak behind his back, and a violet flag being flew upside down. The cloak might not be obvious enough to the people as it is way too far, but the flag must have appeared to be the most familiar to any Roman soldiers here who are older than the age of forty, as this flag used to belong to the previous basileus John VIII, the elder brother of the current reigning emperor Constantine, still carrying the previous Basileus' personnel insignia together with that familiar double headed eagle. How did it end up in the hands of the Ottomans, being hang in such a disrespected way, ought to be the most obvious to every one here.

Enraged by this kind of horrible action showing mockery and defiance towards their national pride and good upright old emperor, the older generation of troopers temporarily laid down the increasing amount of fear laid to them through their nature instinct, and chose to stay griping hard the blades and spears in their hands, letting out one after another battle roars or uttering songs of praises to Christ hoping that they shall be blessed later against these gigantic creatures.

The approaching Ottoman commander at two hundred meters away sensed that the Rumelians are not moved by their usual tactic of frightens and fears, moved on to the next phase as he rose up the flag in his left hand. The Ottoman cavalries fluently separated in to two surges led by their respective chieftains and continued charging on to the Rumelian formation through their weaker spots, and with the armoured mounted riders heading first the massive Ottoman cavalry force, the largest force being still capable of being assembled by the sultanate directly charged in totally not giving a damn by the spears and shields of the Rumelians that are supposedly used to counter them.

"What are the Ottomans thinking!" A recruit muttered to his mentor feeling it hard to belief. "It is clearly stated on the board when we are briefed about how effective are the spears against the horse riders since the first day preparing to combat the Ottomans, does those pricks over there not know about this?"

His mentor replied. "I don't feel like it A jungle of spears by a well disciplined and organised troopers against cavalries May be, but you guys' bunch of recruits? Not so quite, look, you cannot even hold the spear in your hands properly with strength! Speak no more, embrace the impact!"

The Ottomans flung one more round of arrows, this time they chose their unique short ranged arrows armed with an enhanced arrow head aiming to penetrate through any forms of armoured protection and pin down the target as soon as the arrow hits them with out giving them any additional chance of standing still unlike the normal ones. The arrows disrupted the normal organisation and disciplines of the Roman formation, creating multiple gaps and holes within their lines of defences creating a well achieved opportunities for the Ottomans.

And with that, the Ottomans decided that it is now the time for their decisive moment.