Chapter 25 Attack
By March, the weather was suitable for sending troops. Following Mircea's order, the army set off from Fokshani and headed straight for Suceava, the capital of Moldova.
After announcing the casus belli to the world, Bogdan of Oneshti immediately opened the door to welcome Mircea.
"May God bless you, ruler of Wallachia."
Bogdan bowed to Mircea, and Mircea was very happy that he got here with less fighting. And the castle owner pointed out the fastest route to Suceava.
This made Mircea extremely happy, but he also doubted whether it was his delaying strategy, so he sent forwards to explore the way first. He arrived with Bogdan later.
Wallachia has invaded, this was the thought in the minds of some peasants on the border. Some people have hid their belongings to avoid being snatched away by these troops.
Mircea also controls the army. The most important thing now is time. Suceava must be captured in the shortest possible time, and a fight to the death with Roman must take place.
In fact, thanks to Moldova's slow development, 80% of its territory has not been enfeoffed. These lands, which were still nominally Grand Duke's, were actually defenseless. The main defenses were along the border, but Oneşti's surrender opened a hole in Moldova's defenses.
Peter's side set out a day later than Mircea, but the march was also very fast. This is the result of relying on sea routes.
After four days of advancing, Roman finally got the news.
"What did you say, say it again?"
"Your Highness, Wallachia has attacked."
Roman listened to the news in disbelief. He never expected that Wallachia would have such courage.
"Quick, everyone will go back immediately tomorrow. We must not let them get to Suceava."
Roman was anxious. If some nobles in the country recognized Mircea, his position as Grand Duke would be in jeopardy.
By this time, Mircea's army had already arrived in Bacau, less than a hundred kilometers away from Iasi, and Suceava was only five days away. Even if Roman moves forward at full speed at this time, he will not be able to return to Moldova for a week.
Roman also understood that it was impossible to rely on himself, so he sent people to Krakow and asked Vasdivav II to send troops to help Moldova.
But before that, someone had already come to him and presented him with gifts.
"May God bless you, King of Poland. I come by order of the ruler of Wallachia to offer you gifts and my most sincere blessings."
Mircea brought 5,000 ducats to Vasdivav, and Peter knew this number and felt it was too little. So he sent someone to Krakow and added ten thousand to himself, making a total of fifteen thousand to present to His Majesty the King.
These gold coins are not small for a country of 500,000 people. Vasdivav was also very surprised. He was short of money, and this was coming.
However, he still looked embarrassed.
"I already know your request, but the protection of Moldova is also established under the witness of God. If it is violated, where is the country's credibility?"
"Your Majesty, the Grand Duke of our country understands your thoughts. But do you want to see the Teutonic Knights occupy Samogitia? Do you want to see Lithuania be ruled by others?"
Sure enough, when it came to Lithuania and the Teutonic Knights, Wladyslaw's expression was a little different.
He was the Grand Duke of Lithuania, and he later co-ruled Poland because of his marriage to Queen Jadwiga of Poland. Although he was baptized and converted to Catholicism, his heart still turned to Lithuania.
"Your Majesty, if the Teutons occupy Samogitia, you will have no choice but to say goodbye to Lithuania."
"The Grand Duke admires you very much. You only need to make one decision, and you will gain more than before."
Under the persuasion of the messenger, Vasdivav's heart gradually changed. In addition to his hatred of the Teutons, there was also the benefit Wallachia had promised him - 30,000 gold coins.
In fact, they were unable to protect Moldova. Compared with the dangers they encountered, the Teutonic Knights were at a higher level.
Moreover, the Grand Duke of Moldova supported his cousin's enemies, which was intolerable. I originally thought of finding an opportunity to drive him away, but it seemed that he didn't need to take action.
Vasdivov decided to stand still and wait for Wallachia to occupy Moldova. The messenger also said that the gold coins would be presented immediately after the event was completed.
After leaving the Polish palace, the envoy wiped the sweat from his head. If Broga's lord wants to give him another 10,000 and 30,000 gold coins, the king may not agree.
After stabilizing Poland, the next step is Wallachia's home court. Peter also came to Ackerman Fortress with the recruits he trained.
Some soldiers on the fortress looked at it from a distance, and they saw that everything was full of troops. Some people were frightened.
Ackerman was one of the few places under the direct jurisdiction of the Grand Duke, and the nobleman stationed here at this time was named Aron. Facing the army outside the city, he didn't know where the army came from until he saw a white flag. (available in the comment section)
"It's Dobroga's army, they're coming to attack us."
"Sir, what should I do?" a subordinate asked.
"Don't panic, this place is impregnable and it's not easy to break in."
As usual, Peter first sent a letter ordering him to surrender. But was rejected by the other party. And the reply means: We can guard this wall until we die. (looks a bit familiar)
In that case, let's fight. The siege equipment transported along the sea route has also arrived, and craftsmen and laborers are busy building trebuchets.
Peter was also thinking about how to minimize the price he paid, so he tried blasting it with a cannon a few times.
Although there are many guns in hand, it is suitable for only one large siege gun in siege warfare. The diameter exceeds 400 mm, the weight is as high as 600 kilograms, and it requires the labor of more than a hundred people to move it.
At this time, the production of European siege artillery was that the larger the caliber, the better, so that it would be most powerful. The famous Urban cannon has a caliber of an astonishing 1000 mm and weighs over one ton. And because it needs to be filled with gunpowder when launched, the range must be close. In fact, when attacking Constantinople. This cannon doesn't have much effect, it's more of a deterrent.
Of course, you can also try those cast iron cannons, after all, the data is true. Once you get the data, you can make improvements based on the current situation.