After the bombardment, the Turkish force quickly pressed forward in their siege formation.
About a few thousand disorganized soldiers crowded around three or four siege towers, slowly approaching the city wall.
These were the infamous Bashibazouk mercenaries, the most vicious criminals in the Anatolian Peninsula. They were desperadoes who fought only for plunder and were the cruelest bandits in the land. Whenever Bashibazouk soldiers captured a place, they would burn, kill, loot, and bring untold suffering upon the people. At the same time, they were the Sultan's beloved cannon fodder troops.
"Fire!"
The girl drew her long sword and swung it towards the enemy.
The towers, fortresses, and hidden gates of St. Peter's Gate revealed dark cannon muzzles.
The knights poured their anger and pent-up frustrations into the cannon fire, pouring it onto the enemy.
Shells splattered blood and flesh in the Turkish camp.
But the towering siege towers continued to approach the city walls step by step.
Finally, the siege towers neared the walls.
Bashibazouk soldiers cheered and lowered the gangplanks. They shouted strange slogans and surged towards the walls like a tide.
The girl and the heavily armored knights stood at the forefront of the city wall.
The girl raised her long sword and effortlessly pierced a Turkish soldier's chest.
Blood splattered on her fair face.
This was not her first battle, but it was her first time facing such a real and bloody battlefield.
There was no time for the girl to hesitate.
Soon, more Turkish soldiers rushed onto the walls from the ladders.
The girl was surrounded by four or five enemies.
The fierce cries of the Bashibazouks were trying to pierce the girl's body with their spears.
But those crude weapons couldn't even scratch the girl in her heavy armor.
Charlotte shouted loudly and swung her steel long sword like a sun disc.
The sword pierced through the enemy's throat, penetrated their chest, and beheaded them.
The girl fought fiercely amidst the oncoming crowd, stirring up a frenzy of blood dance.
More and more Turks rushed onto the walls.
They surrounded the Hospitaliers who were guarding the walls with a numerical advantage.
But the Hospitaliers were not at all disadvantaged.
This was because the Hospitaliers were equipped with the most expensive and sturdy armor, and each knight's body was almost completely wrapped in the toughest plate armor. Bashibazouk swords and swords almost couldn't harm them at all. In addition, Hospitaliers were warriors who had emerged from piles of dead bodies and had rich war experience, so the Bashibazouks had absolutely no advantage.
Therefore, the Hospitaliers confronted the Turkish army in a one-to-five situation.
Each one of them was like a steel meat grinder, harvesting the lives of the Turks.
The girl swung her sword horizontally, not knowing how many heads she had severed.
Seeing that all four Turkish siege vehicles had reached the city wall.
The girl swung her sword and broke the flag signaling the retreat.
Black copper pipes protruded from the shooting holes in the tower.
"Greek fire! It's Greek fire!"
This was a terrible weapon invented by the Byzantine Empire. The destructive flames it shot out helped the empire repeatedly defeat powerful enemies. The ancient Eastern Roman dynasty could last for a thousand years, and Greek fire played an indispensable role. This time, to express their apology for not being able to send troops to assist, the Byzantine emperor specifically sent people to deliver Greek fire to the Hospitaliers.The Turkish soldiers screamed in fear, tearing, pushing and trampling each other as they tried to retreat from the city wall to the attacking tower. But it was too late. The intense flames emitted from the bronze pipes had turned this section of the wall into a deadly purgatory. The flames sprayed onto the city wall and also onto the wooden attacking tower. Hundreds of Turkish soldiers crowded together, consumed by the wrathful flames, their agonizing cries filling the air as they struggled and eventually turned into charred corpses.
Witnessing this horrifying scene that resembled hell, the soldiers surrounding the attacking tower were terrified and immediately scattered like frightened animals. Seizing the opportunity, the knights brought out eight giant crossbows from the tower. The hooks fired from the crossbow mechanisms pierced accurately through the wooden structure of the attacking tower. The knights operating the mechanisms exerted all their strength to turn the wheels. With the efforts of over one hundred soldiers, the sharp hooks finally managed to destroy and dismantle the massive siege engine.
From the beginning, the retreat of the knights was planned. Their objective was clear: to permanently destroy this batch of siege engines. And so, the first Turkish assault was repelled. All the knights rejoiced from the bottom of their hearts. Some soldiers who had just entered the battlefield were even moved to tears, embracing each other tightly in excitement.
...
The girl walked on the city wall that had been blackened by Greek fire. Her body and face were covered in bloodstains and traces of smoke. Even the white cross emblem on her chest had been stained with blood, blending with the color of her battle cloak.
Here, the knights were organizing the citizens who came to support them in carrying away the burnt Turkish corpses. Some bodies had been burned beyond recognition, so it was a rough estimate that the Turks had lost at least around 800 soldiers in this battle. As for the Hospital Knights, not a single knight had perished. Including the losses of mercenaries, militia, and engineering teams, the total death toll was only slightly over thirty, with over twenty injured.
This should have been a great victory worthy of celebration, but the girl couldn't find any joy in it. These charred bodies were originally living human beings. Yet now, they emitted a similar odor to roasted cattle and sheep. Even though they were enemies, it was still an indescribable scene of hell.
"Grandfather... Did you also survive in such bloody battles time and time again?" The girl couldn't help but waver. Because she knew that this brutal war would continue for a long time, and she had to participate in it.
"Lord Angel... Can I really endure this any longer?" Charlotte tightly grasped the pendant on her chest, feeling somewhat powerless as she leaned against the city wall.
In the distance, the roar of cannons could be heard once again.
