ALL NOVEL
Chapter 63: The Ottomains’ Counterattack
“Fuck!” Shu Yichao cursed. “Where did all the Ottomains go?”
He thought that he could go on a massacre upon arriving at Anatolia, since the Ottomain occupied half the Anatolian soil. But barely after fighting two to three battles, he suddenly found that there was no one to fight anymore!
“…” Sophia, who had been following him, quietly turned her head away.
Esteemed Caesar, you call that barely fighting two to three battles?
The hours Shu Yichao had spent drifting on the sea had made him restless like a husky who had been locked away for days. His energy level surged beyond all measures when he finally arrived at Anatolia.
And the way he channeled the energy was like an unstoppable hellfire.
He slaughtered everyone from the port to the mainland, reaping away thousands of lives along the way.
No matter what the Ottomain nobles did, whether it was escaping into the forest to become cavemen or fleeing into the most impregnable fortress they could think of, they couldn’t escape the fate of benign dragged out and executed.
Many Ottomains stomped their feet in frustration. Left with no choice, they packed their luggage and tents and herded their livestock and horses toward the grasslands, abandoning the city they had lived in for many years…
They would rather go back to herding livestock on the grassland than to face this battle fanatic.
This benefited the local Romain population as they took over the empty fields and mansions.
“Caesar,” Sophia said after some thought, “there is a place where you can find Ottomains.”
“Mhm.” Shu Yichao nodded.
He had also noticed a place on the map where the red dots were highly concentrated. It was Bursa, one of the most prosperous cities in the Ottomain Empire.
“Caesar.”
Sophia couldn’t help but tremble in excitement. Who could have thought that they would be able to push that humongous empire to the brink of extinction in less than a year?
“The Ottomain Empire would be over once we take over that city. Perhaps it’s time to sweep them into the rubbish pile.”
…
A dry autumn wind blew across a barren desert, bringing about a frosty chill with it.
Yet, in the middle of Anatolia, there was a plateau where a stream trickled through, nourishing the dry land and granting it the ability to bear life. A city named Ankara was founded there.
An Ottomain army flying a new moon flag was camping in Ankara’s vicinity.
“Regent,” a military commander entered one of the military tents and reported a piece of good news to the Ottomain pasha inside, “the Bursa nobles replied. They said that they will welcome you as the sultan if you head to Bursa.”
The military commanders in the tent were excited, but the Ottomain Regent occupying the main seat fell into deep thought.
He hadn’t risen to his current position from the conferment of the Ottomain imperial family. Rather, he had fought hard for it when the chieftains raised their flags in rebellion and their enemies started invading their lands.
And what he currently grasped was the final lifeblood of the Ottomains, an army of 15,000 men.
This army was how the Ottomain Regent became the most powerful and influential person in the Ottomain Empire.
He did covet the throne, but…
“Don’t those fellows usually look down on military men like us?”
Despite him declaring himself as the regent, the lofty nobles and religious leaders living in Bursa, the heart of the Ottomain Empire, refused to recognize him. This resulted in his lack of legitimacy when collecting taxes from the lands he ruled. Often, he had to rely on slaughter and plunder to obtain military rations.
So, he suspected that something was amiss when the lofty nobles and proud religious leaders suddenly changed their minds.
“I heard the Khitans have reached Anatolia,” the military commander replied. “The nobles are unable to deal with the Khitans’ invasion by themselves, so they are hoping that our regent can come to their aid. As long as you push back the Khitans, you will be our new sultan!”
‘Ah…” The Ottomain Regent took a sharp inhalation of air.
The hurdle is tall here. I’ll have to carefully consider it, lest I lose my leverage and get nothing out of this.
However, the military commanders gathered in his tent didn’t share his prudence. They excitedly clamored among themselves as if victory was already in their grasp.
“Sultan! Sultan!”
“Our great Sultan!”
“Sultan, what are we waiting for? Please issue your order!”
Why are all of them so excited?
“…” The Ottomain Regent tried to probe their attitudes by remarking, “I heard that the Khitans are tough enemies.”
Quite a few soldiers had survived the encirclement of Constantinope half a year ago, and when these soldiers returned, they brought back with them intelligence for the local pashas and emirs. This helped the Ottomain Regent gain some insight into the Khitans.
Furthermore, the Ottomain Regent had been keeping an eye on the situation in the Balkans, so he was aware of the Khitan Caesar’s rampage there.
There was no doubt in his mind that the Khitan Caesar was a dangerous enemy.
“Ha?!”
The military commanders burst into laughter.
“How can you trust the words of mere deserters? They speak of the Khitans as if they are divine beings!
“No matter how strong the Khitans are, are they strong enough to simultaneously defeat two or three of our men?”
“We are an army of 15,000 men!”
“We can always flee if we aren’t a match for the Khitans.”
“That’s Bursa we’re talking about! It’s the ex-capital of our Ottomain Empire, a land filled with riches and luxury!”
Seeing his subordinates dreaming about their new life in Bursa made the Ottomain Regent realize that there was nothing he could say that would change their minds. His men were so intent on rising through the ranks that they would even topple him if he stood in their way.
Besides… their words seemed to make sense.
The deserters were bound to exaggerate their stories, whereas he and his army had been fighting for a long time now. With them outnumbering the Khitans, surely they could at least butt heads with them… right?
On top of that, Bursa had a huge amount of rations, wealth, workers, craftsmen, and so on, things that he needed right now.
Not to mention, he would be crowned sultan if he went there…
The thought of it sent adrenaline rushing into his head.
“Very well!” The Ottomain Regent stood up and shook his fist in excitement, the hesitation he had felt before vanquished without a trace. “We shall head to Bursa. As long as we win this war, the empire will be ours!”
…
Back in Thessaloniki…
“Fartbugs!
‘Poop in the trash!
“Useless worms!
“Pig heads!”
Constantin XI rolled his eyes as he put down the letter he was holding.
“How bored must they be to send a letter every day to insult us?”