Chapter 354 Reversal
(Outrageous, unprecedentedly outrageous)
The atmosphere in Trebizond has been very tense recently. In addition to Alexios launching a coup to seize the throne, there is also the impact of declaring war on Rome. They feel that they are just trying to beat Rome with eggs and stones, and they are looking for death.
Moreover, there are only a few months left before the coup, and the whole place is about to attack Rome before the whole place is stable. This is also unsafe.
"Well, let me tell you, do you feel that life is getting more and more difficult now?"
"It doesn't matter what you think. Taxes have increased again, and many people have been arrested and sent to fight. How can this be okay?"
"Yes, life is getting harder and harder now."
The two soldiers of Trebizond were talking secretly. As Alexios conquered the whole territory, their life became more and more difficult. There are also a lot fewer merchant ships coming here. You can see idle porters at the port. The market only sells basic food and almost nothing else.
"Look, is there a ship coming?"
The soldier pointed ahead for his colleagues to see, and the outline of a ship became increasingly clear.
"Ah yes, there seems to be something behind..."
One, two, three, a large number of ships appeared in their field of vision, and the porters on the dock also saw it. This must be the merchant fleet coming. They all cheered up and wanted to make money to support their families.
"Great, we finally have business."
The port director was also very excited. Finally, a fleet has arrived in these days. There must be oil and water to be fished out, so I looked forward to it at the dock and tried to complete the operation as quickly as possible.
However, the closer they got, the less simple this fleet felt. Judging from the flag, it was Roman, but it was larger than an average merchant ship. As they got closer and closer, the dark muzzle of the ship's gun was aimed at the city wall.
"Yes, Roman army, run!"
As soon as he finished speaking, cannonballs were fired into the port of Trebizond. Not only the workers waiting to work, but also some of the defenders ran away. The Roman fleet docked at the city's docks without any hindrance.
Mihai came down from the deck and looked at this important port city in Anatolia. It was far away from Constantinople.
"Solve the battle in one day!"
The army dispersed and began to take control of Trebizond. In fact, within a day, most of the defenders surrendered upon meeting. Except for some resistance from the defenders in the castle, everything else was successfully received.
Mihai walked into the castle, where the coat of arms of the Komnenos family and previous furnishings were still preserved. Out of respect for the three emperors who restored Rome, the place was not destroyed immediately. But by occupying this place, Georgia's support will be cut off. Let's see how Alexios responds.
The battlefields on the southern and northern fronts went smoothly. The main battlefield of Anserra was not captured by Muhammad despite many attacks. They had been here for a full month, and the army was beginning to disband.
Muhammad was racking his brains in the camp, thinking about how to capture the city. He wanted to completely destroy it. But one wave after another, he got a piece of bad news: Caesar of the Roman Empire led an army to Ancyra.
In the past few years, the administrative construction in Anatolia has initially achieved results. The original 60,000 soldiers were not only overfulfilled, but also reinforcements from Morea arrived. Including the troops assigned to him by the emperor, Peter had a total of 90,000 troops at his disposal. This also includes a cavalry force of 10,000 established.
At this time, Peter had led his army to Ancyra. When Muhammad heard the news, he immediately moved his position to the west, leaving 20,000 people to continue the attack on the city.
From mobile warfare to positional warfare, Muhammad made frequent mistakes. At this time, he was not as high-spirited as before, and just wanted to use this victory to regain his prestige.
But faced with this situation, these people still did not learn their lesson, and digging trenches was not their specialty. The progress of the project is dragging on like this.
The next day's battle began when two cavalry met. The Ottoman cavalry initially overwhelmed the Roman cavalry, but Theodore, the Despot, quickly led his army to support. The Ottoman army gradually became unable to hold on and retreated to the rear. Fierce fighting ensued in the nearby village of Andrepov.
“Kill, Allahu Akbar”
The Ottoman soldiers charged at the enemy with scimitars, but the Roman army directly bombarded them with small artillery. Moreover, dozens of artillery came together, which was a dimensionality-reducing blow to the Ottomans.
The situation of the cavalry is not much better. Their fighting on horseback can be compared with that of the Mongolian cavalry. Not only can they fight in close combat, they can also draw bows and arrows on horses. But they were still lost in front of the artillery.
During this expedition, Peter brought a full 300 artillery pieces. It was enough to destroy their army, and under fire, they gradually withdrew from the village of Andrepov.
"Let Ibrahim take the army and take this village back, or don't come to see me."
Muhammad roared an order to his men that the army must not retreat. Once he retreated, everything would be over for him. But the facts had to force him to make a choice.
"Brother, look, the Ottoman army is about to run away."
The youngest brother Stefan excitedly told his eldest brother Peter everything he saw, and Peter and others also listened to his words with interest.
"Okay Stefan, you leave here first, and the elder brother will bring you a gift."
"oh"
As Stefan left, Peter also ordered a general attack. Tens of thousands of soldiers launched an overwhelming attack on the Ottomans. They chanted the slogan "For God" and attacked these infidels. What followed was the collapse of Ottoman morale.
The Roman army broke through the Ottoman defensive line in one go. The soldiers who were fighting saw the emperor's Caesar and the prince coming to fight together, and their morale was greatly increased. The pace of advancement began to increase.
Muhammad's camp was in chaos, and various news of the frontline's defeat troubled him. With the advice of various generals, he decided to "retreat in an orderly manner."
"Hurry up, don't want any of this, let's go!"
At the Sultan's urging, the core army fled with him and the Ottoman flag. The remaining Ottoman troops either continued to resist or surrendered immediately. Six hours later, the battlefield had fallen silent.
In this battle, the Ottomans suffered 30,000 casualties in the siege, 20,000 died in the battle, and 70,000 prisoners. So much so that some civilians transporting supplies joined the team to capture prisoners. The prisoners ranged from 60-year-olds to teenagers. It can be seen that the Ottoman domestic military reserves have been drained.
"Your Highness, this belongs to Muhammad."
Peter looked at these supplies made of gold and thought that nomads would still enjoy them. Unlike them, they had to think about how to get farmers to produce more food. They can just grab it.