Chapter 299: 294: Edge of Table

"All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved."

-        Sun Tzu, Art of War

After a final attack on the next day with the Rumelians backing off from the defensive positions, the Ottomans finally pulled down those anathematized walls which caused them so much pain and distress praying to their God almost every single day hoping that their unit will not be called upon by their commanders for the next batch of assault. They cheered and rushed through the muddy winter ground leaping over the fallen fence and fancied themselves by doing Yazidi styled dancing on the ruins stepping their boots on the remains of the wall, the thing they definitely hated the most. 

Hearing this piece of news Ibrahim Pasha jumped in delight knocking his little toe against the side of the table, but he could not care more or less and immediately rode towards the third wall inspecting the situation. When he realised that this is true he wrote and sent a letter to the Grand Vizier at once bragging about his achievement reassuring to his boss that they shall touch the walls of Thessaloniki before the end of Dhu al-Hijjah Islamic month, year 858. In the letter he pushed all the credits to the Grand Vizier claiming that if it is not for his prior efforts, he would not have conquered this wall so easily.

However, after Ibrahim Pasha calmed down from his excitement as he patrolled around the premise with his Janissaries and realised one suspicious thing; There is not a single body of the Rumelian, only the bodies of Ottomans that can be found lying around decaying in the winter land for months. Noticing this he immediately called upon the commander in charge for today's offensive Suleyman bey and questioned.

"Bey, tell me, how many enemies did you face today? How many men did you lose today?"

The bey staggered and looked around in a thrifty eyes, after a while he replied in a murmuring tone. "Honourable Pasha, we…. We faced no enemies today; it seems like the Rumelians have retreated the night before the offensive as fast as hares that we did not even grip its tail!" 

Being an intrigue master like an elusive shadow in the Ottoman court Ibrahim Pasha immediately comprehended that he has been tricked. Though he is not angry, at all, only finding it ridiculously laughable as usually he is the one who will go around tricking other people in to submission, and this is one of the very few moments that he is being tricked by others with such a simple plot. It feels just like a bee keeper getting bitten by his own hornet, or a snake manipulator getting hissed by his own snake. 

With a cold snigger Ibrahim Pasha approached the front line commander Mahmud Pasha Angelović and remarked in an ordering tone, for the first time he has assumed office. "Pasha, I must say that I am deeply dissatisfied with your work over here, and thus in the future I shall be here with you stationing my head quarters in the direct front line for the purpose of better supervision and also as a preventive measure towards all similar things in the future… This is an order, not a request." 

Mahummad Pasha Angelovic bit his teeth and nodded with much dismay in his mind. Although he knows that it is his responsibility for realizing the Greek plays by the cunning Rumelians, but that is definitely not a valid reason for Ibrahim Pasha to break the traditional hidden rules of the Sultanate that a pasha of the same rank and honor can directly impose his influence and order on the troops and properties of another Pasha. 

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Ibrahim Pasha can move his headquarters in to his camp first, then before he knows it his own beys, officers and captains will fall to Ibrahim Pasha and joining their allegiance under his banner making Mahumad Pasha Angelovic a commander with on one to command in no time. However, that 'This is an order' in the end of Ibrahim Pasha's statement broke all of his thoughts of going against the man's will, as Mahumad Pasha Angelovic realized that the man behind Ibrahim is the Grand Vizier. 

Thus, he conceded to the order and nodded his head with much hardship towards Ibrahim Pasha. The later nodded his head enjoying the moment of him being the victor and walked off towards his mount, leaving Mahumad Angelovic behind there staring at his back with a pair of blazing eyes that look like he is going to eat the man alive. From this day onwards the gap on the already fragile relationship between the two highest ranking men in the Ottoman army has widened beyond repair. 

'The Rumelians has been weakened to a state that they are incapable of defending their walls." Mahumad Pasha Angelovic assumed with a frustrated head. "The Rumelians must be bed driven and exhausted from the entire night of activity, pass my message to all troops, this shall be the last offensive that we are going to carry out, and the largest one so far, with the aim to utterly destroy the Rumelian defenses before they master enough energy to resist! Come! I shall lead the charge!" 

The commanders around him dared not to say any thing else and yelled their acknowledgement loud and clear hoping not to further anger their general, though they all knows the simple fact that their troops are too exhausted never getting a good night's sleep due to the ear blundering noises banging their ear drums for the entire night, making them wake up multiple times thinking of the possibility that the Rumelians have rushed out of their turtle shells coming for a surprise attack taking advantage of the night.

Just like what these captains have speculated, today's assault ended too in another atrocious failure, throwing in another three hundred bodies and a few decade horses under the walls. Though to Ibrahim Pasha these chain of names and numbers recorded on the list is merely another bunch of statistics that is to be recorders on sheet and sent back to Edirne in their daily report, as he has gotten used to having such high amount of casualties every single day. 

However having a verbal description of the battle field and reading the paper on the overall loss has a total different effect than being here on the spot receiving the impact of the direct visual view of the monstrosity, standing on a movable commanding platform and looking at countless men wearing little or no protection charging to the walls, getting bombarded by Rumelian arrows and shells blasting through their chests and head, falling in to the intensifying pool of blood accompanying their pals, or trying to make a return to the back howling in agony hugging their lost limb, and getting their throats lifted by the supervising cavalries at the back waiting for them. 

Seeing this scene Ibrahim Pasha puked, right on the platform with Mahumad Angelovic by his side watching this de jure chief commander with his eyes filled with sentiments of despise and disrespect. But still he got up supporting Ibrahim giving him a pat on the back trying to make him feel better by a bit. It is really surprising that Ibrahim Pasha having so many years in military service still reacted violently to this scene looking like a recruit, but what they do not know is that Ibrahim has never went through any siege battles except for the one in Constantinople, and siege warfare is doubtlessly the cruellest, the most bloody kind of warfare through out the history of man kind. 

The war over the fourth wall dragged on for another three days, with minor changes going on every single day like how some one managed to climb on to the three meter plus tall Rumelian walls but got pushed down eventually, or some one managed to shoot right in to the bull's eye plunging his arrow in to the vital spot of a Rumelian captain, or some one managed to blast a hole on the Rumelian walls with the limited artillery they have. However, all of these changes are far from causing any change on the balance of strength, as lost defenders can be replaced, captains can be promoted right on the spot, and walls can be repaired with the abundant wood supply over night. 

Two weeks has passed and Ibrahim Pasha can see with his naked eyes that the morales of his men has plunged in to an ice hole vastly different from when he took over the command a week earlier, and yet he has already received two letters from the Grand Vizier hurrying him by asking him on the exact date when can he break through the fourth wall, all of these adds up to the level of stress in his mind, making him miss the old days beside Zaganos Pasha where by he only need to give ideas leaving the executing part to Zaganos. 

Now he understands that Zaganos is right, a decent advisor cannot definitely be made in to a brilliant commander, and an outstanding commander might find it hard taking up he role as an advisor.

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