Chapter 302: 297: Own Way

"Look like the innocent flower. But be the serpent under it."

-        Macbeth

"So, the Ottomans took no actions?" 

"Aye, they just sat there in their camps watching our Mamluk cavalries moving around." 

On the tower Antonius and Abdullah looked at a far at the Ottoman encampment observing their movements, but after seeing that the Ottomans put up no further actions ever withdrawing their troops from the front line, Antonius' felt like his anticipation has been thrown in to the Aegean sea returning with nothing. "Did I expect too much from that Grand Vizier? Maybe he is just another coward? Or maybe he never even thought about the mist of the previous day, and believed that our reinforcement is real?" 

"There might be such a possibility." Giggled Abdullah sitting on a crate. "However, from my understanding of this Grand Vizier, it might be because of another factor… It might be because our old friend is now unable to further hold his grip on those ambitious beys and lords, with probably his failure as the commander and the strategic mistake he made since the start of this war. Thus, even if he saw through our plans, he probably will not have the grip on those pasha and beys to start another attack."

"What a pity." Antonius slammed his own thigh and groaned. "It took me a while to think of such a plan, and after so much waiting the Ottomans refused to fall in to it." 

Abdullah shook his head and comforted. "Not all tactics will work exactly like they are planned to be, especially the more sophisticated the plan is the more likely there will be some unexpected event going on in the process… But generally speaking, these intrigues are never the main part of a battle, what makes the war decisive is still the overall power of the entire state backing the army, its discipline, supplies, manpower, popularity, production efficiency… Not a bunch of dirty tricks or intrigues. 

Seeing Abdullah is getting in to the lecturer mood again Antonius hastily made the conclusion walking down the platform. "No matter what although we did not achieve our main goal but at least it managed to fulfill some of our sub goals… Abdullah, since we have successfully screwed up the morale of our enemies, it is now time to gather all of our staff and captains for the final counter attack!"

"My brother! All of them?" 

"Yes, call every one, Julian, Abraham, Khalid, all of them… Abdullah my brother I shall give you the full right on how to execute the plan with all of my trust, just do what ever you have in mind with out having the need to bother me. I need to get some sleep at the back, oh God you cannot imagine how dizzy I am now waiting over the night for this stupid operation which ended up fooling ourselves instead."

Meanwhile back in the Ottoman encampments, the atmosphere is even denser than the last day, with all the troops retreating back with out achieving any thing, and the commanders gathering up in Ibrahim Pasha's tent for their usual meeting, but since the moment they stepped in to the tent an hour and half ago no one here has uttered a single word; Mahumad Angelovic is there gulping down wine from his flask, Suleyman Bey is there drawing some thing on the table and Ibrahim Pasha is facing them with his back.

Knowing that there are some commotions going on within the commanders the surrounding Janissary guards dared not move by a single bit, fearing that by next moment tey know they shall be tied up by some furious noble and pushed to the outside to have their head chopped down. Finally after an incalculable amount of time Ibrahim Pasha coughed turning back and said to the lords biting his lips. "Let me stay here as the rear guard, I shall take up the responsibility as I have promised earlier on." 

The tent went back to silence again after Ibrahim Pasha finished his words, with only the sound of Mahumad Angelovic gulping down his wine can be heard. If it is in usual times he would have been reprimanded by others for breaking the rules set in the All Holy Qu'ran drinking Khamar, but honestly speaking in times like this no one in the mood of caring about matters like this any more.

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"Have you done all the necessary checks and preparations just in case if… if the worst kind of things happens?" A minute later Mahumad Pasha Angelovic burped and asked.

"I have cleared up the camp in the front, if the Rumelians decide to sneak upon us they would find out that our front camp is completely empty and thus we will be able to surround and encircle them…"

"What about that cavalry force of the Rumelians?" Another bey interrupted. "What if they master their cavalries and charge upon us right in to our camps?"

"That will not happen, I promise." Ibrahim Pasha answered with great sincerity. "Our camp is way too near to their walls, if they are to master their huge cavalry force outside the walls it would take hours and the movements they make will definitely not escape the eyes of our front line troops, thus if they are not that stupid they would not think of using their petite and inefficient cavalry against us."

"Good… Good… No cavalries… No cavalries."

"The only thing you can rely on in preventing the Rumelians from counter attacking is this camp." Mahumad Angelovic stopped drinking and opened his mouth. "But when that old bastard was building this camp he certainly did not foresee that we will end up in this pathetic state, the walls are almost like fences, and the roads connecting the different parts of the camp is way too wide that even calvaries can charge and gallop on it in large groups… Tell me, Ibrahim, how many men do you need?"

"At least twenty thousand." Replied Ibrahim Pasha. "I still need that numerical advantage against our enemies."

"Then we shall give you twenty thousand men, and the rest are to be led away and dispersed back to their homes. But we need the retreat to be done orderly with out chaos." Mahumad Angelovic made a series of orders towards Ibrahim Pasha naturally as if their roles of command have reverted. "After we have left this place our supply route will be vastly shortened and we shall be out of our dilemma, then our morales will slowly recover. We also need to start building solid boulder fortresses in vital spots near the mountains and cities to keep the Rumelian expansion under control, acting as the second layer of defence, and if we can last until the next year the Rumelians shall too lose their capabilities to start new offensives."

"I swear to the Mighty Allah that I, Ibrahim, shall keep the Rumelians under control in Thessaloniki." Ibrahim Pasha came to the centre of the tent and kneeled down facing the direction of Mecca. "I shall drain the last drop of my blood for the well being and the future of our Sultanate."

However, his vow only made the beys and Pashas sneer and joke sarcastically, with Suleyman bey commenting shaking his head. "We don't believe in your vow, Ibrahim, those who believed your vow last time has all went in to their graves, do you still remember how Alim bey died? We know what happened behind his death, just that we don't say it out…"

"… But don't need to worry about us, for we are not that kind of person like you who will stab people in the back and grin watching them blee to death. We knows from the teaching of the Great Prophet that in times of disturbance we need to be brothers and defend our land against our common enemies instead of further diminishing our strength in these in fighting… Ibrahim, if you can keep up to your words, we swear that we shall not lay a finger on your demesne, properties and peasants."

Ibrahim Pasha just kneeled on the ground with his head lowered choosing not to respond to the chain of words by Suleyman pasha.

"After this war, help me pass the message to that old bastard in Edirne." With a smirk Mahumad Angelovic kicked his boots and ordered to the little man kneeling down. "That I, Mahumad Angelovic, is only loyal to the Sultan but not him, and after this war I shall bring my men back to my demesne in Moesia, and if he knows what is going on he better not come to disturb my peace, for I shall give him no troubles too guarding against those Hungarians and watching over Wallachia. I need a rest, and my men too needs a rest."

This is almost like a declaration of independence, but judging from the current situation, who will even care whether another lord in the distant border regions of the Sultanate goes for full autonomy. Honestly speaking for those over lords in Edirne, it is fine for them as long as they don't rebel openly or join forces with the pretender Orhan.

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