Chapter 485: Winter Has Descended

"إِذَا رَأَيْتَ نُيُوبَ ٱللَّيْثِ بَارِزَةً فَلَا تَظُنَّنَّ أَنَّ ٱللَّيْثَ يَبْتَسِمُ"
"When the lion bares his teeth, do not fancy that the lion shows to you a smile."
-        Abu at-Tayyib Ahmad ibn al-Husayn al-Mutanabbi al-Kindi, Arab poet
The three hundred plus cavalries kept up their pace to catch up with their leader, the men on the back fluently took out their bow, loaded it with an arrow and flung it right into the enemy formation, before the cavalries in the spear head came into a violent clash with the infantries.
Despite of the sudden arrow strike poured among the infantries by these mounted riders, these infantries who are mostly from the Balkans and Ruthenia demonstrated their level of discipline and tolerance as they did not move an inch and kept their spears upright. Nevertheless, the Ottomans still managed to successfully find a few holes in the defences they have just created with the arrows that they can exploit, and with their superior horse manoeuvring skills they focused their attack onto these weak spots.
This is a battle between steals contesting for time, the Ottoman cavalries have the utmost urgency of rushing out of the encirclement towards somewhere else for safety or else they would face a complete extermination from three different sides, while the troops led by the Moskva prince needs to prove themselves to the people watching them from the top that they are more than just the famed to be born warriors, they can also be even more professional soldiers than the local Romans.
Semseddin feels like his back is getting scorched as the hoorays and war cries of the Rumelian cavalries behind him getting closer and closer, with more and more of his own men shouting goodbye towards him as they turned their horses to face the enemies just to halt the enemies and buy a few more seconds for their comrades. The entire infantry formation is shaken backwards for a few inches by the sudden clash, but still somehow managed to hold themselves upright. Probably the only good thing is that the archers stepped down from the fear of shooting down their own men.
The Ottoman cavalries on the other side suffered a tremendous casualty rate just by one single clash along, charging against a fully defended infantry formation with spears reaching to around a man's height is never easy. But the Ottomans had to do it as the enemies from the flanks are still giving chase and shall be here at any time in this congested and narrow landscape. In a situation like this, both sides would have already been on the verge of mentally collapse due to the bloody scenes and high casualty rate. But the Ottomans and the volunteer crusaders held on, getting engaged in a contest of durability and perseverance.
Amidst the chaos Semseddin took a break to wipe the sweat and blood covering his view, when he saw something in a distance. It is a flag, sitting on a tower decorated with different flags right under the sun shine making it probably the most attention attracting thing than the others. Semseddin could have recognised the flag because it stands out more than the others, the flag of the crimson lion and white shade with a round of golden linings.
Semseddin and every other Ottoman commander were told that it is compulsory to remember a bunch of Rumelian flags and banners by heart before the war has started, he as a diligent student did his homework damn well as he recognises this flag clearly as the commanding flag of the Caesar, that is Antonius himself. His Sanjek told him multiple times before that according to their information, this flag is required to accompany the pirate thief wherever they go.

You are reading story 1453: Revival of Byzantium at novel35.com

So, that must mean that the head they wanted the most since years ago, is just seating his arse right high up there, thinking that he is a God or a divine being that enjoys overseeing the pitiful squabbles and struggles between ordinary human beings on the ground level.
Seeing this flag, Semseddin's spirit and zest is heightened again as his chest bulged up shouting to his men. "That pirate bastard Antonius is right in front of us boys! Come with me! Pierce through these infidels and claim our bounty!"
The Ottoman cavalries around him heard their leader's words, they cheered as they pulled back to a short distance away and charged towards the thinnest spot of the formation, now unprotected with shield and spears. The rest on the other hand, have another special test dedicated for them. They are now required to turn their horses towards the back, and charge towards the already dangerously close enemy cavalries. The short and slow Arravani horses the Rumelians have for the bulk of their cavalries they used to tease them about has now became an alarm bell for them, every bit of increase in the sound of their hooves signifies the aura of death coming to them a little more closer. And so, the half of the Ottoman cavalries, under the command of their vice commander, turned around to face the incoming enemies to save time for Semseddin's final attempt.
Semseddin has entered a state whereby he can only see the enemies before him still desperately trying to regroup, distracted by nothing else. He pulled the kneel in his hands, squeezed the abdomen of his horse and charged forward, without saying anything this time, with Semseddin himself forming the spearhead of the cavalries for he has probably the best armour out of the others giving him a higher chance of survival. He feels that in this moment, his heart has been connected to the battlefield through the horse's galloping hooves, flying through the winter plains covered in bodies of human and horses.
The last bit of existing cavalry force under Semseddin came to a violent clash with the soldiers from the distant land of Moskva. Semseddin stayed low on the horse back slashing his blade left and right while fending off the attacks coming from all three directions. His horse powered on crashing and knocking people away with its chest, those who fell from the impact are deemed to not have a decent ending as what comes next is the stampede by hooves of a bunch of creatures that is almost four times the weight of a grown man. In this process Semseddin's treasured Arabia horse received multiple slashes tainting its white mane brown in colour. While Semseddin himself did not end up in a good shape either, receiving multiple slashes on his shoulders, arms and leg.
Finally, after an entire three attempts since the start of this engagement, Semseddin broke through the barricades set up by the Slavs and with the expense of the majority of their pals who are back there getting surrounded in this confined terrain with no where to go and no where to hide. Semseddin and what remains of his army charged right into the roundabout before them, speeding past the walls under the full view of those men on the tower including Antonius himself. But different from what Semseddin has called out to his men just now, he did not even have the luxury to have a peek at his sworn enemy up in the tower, instead he had to continue getting on his run like a stranded animal, while his opponent is just standing up there occupying the high ground and gave the peck of people running for their lives with a glimpse.
Semseddin must say that this is the worst moment of his life. He made a reckless decision promising himself a mission impossible, he did not even have the sight of that supposedly Rumelian gun powder depot, he thrown almost all of the elite troops that is used to maintain the foundation of his rule is gone, his army is gone, his victory is gone, and now he is so close to be gone from this world too.
But at least he is still alive now still with a slim chance of survival as it seems, and it is no time for him with the duty of a leader to remorse and feel sorrowful about himself right now. Semseddin led his men further and further away from the Rumelian walls going all the way into the woods before him. He is familiar with this place, for he just played hide and seek with the Rumelians just a week plus ago.
Finally, after a whole twenty plus minutes of galloping and striding, his mount that accompanied him for an entire two years can no longer take it and collapsed right beside a stream, with her tongue sticking out of her mouth panting helplessly for fresh air as it is looking at her young master. Semseddin kneeled and looked into her eyes as well as he frantically squeezed water out of his waterskin that is already mixed with blood into the house's mouth.. But still, a line of tear slipped down the face of the horse, and then she closed her eyes forever, in the hugs of Semseddin.

You can find story with these keywords: 1453: Revival of Byzantium, Read 1453: Revival of Byzantium, 1453: Revival of Byzantium novel, 1453: Revival of Byzantium book, 1453: Revival of Byzantium story, 1453: Revival of Byzantium full, 1453: Revival of Byzantium Latest Chapter