1453: Revival of Byzantium

Chapter 394: Purpose of War

"Where is my fourth heavy contingent!" 

"Here I am, Lord Mauro!" 

"How many men are there in your unit, tell me honestly." 

"A hundred and twenty fully abled men capable of wearing a mail weighing thirty plus libbre, hold a blade equal the weight and fight continuously for more than an hour! Please give us orders!" 

"Whoever that believes in your words must be a dumb fool, and to your disappointment I am not one of them." Mauro shook his head. "Because of your stupidity, your unit shall not get the chance of being on the main attack position, instead you shall get the left flank as proposed Now! Move your Sardinian arse to your combat location!"

"Aye sir!" The captain, who is also in his thirties, got reprimanded like a kid and scrambled to his designated offensive position with his hundred plus men. 

"How about you guys! Where are my Second heavy contingent!" 

"Here we are! Lord Mauro!" 

"How many men are there in your unit that is capable of fighting and breaking through?"

"One hundred and thirty four, Lord Mauro." The captain slammed his chest and answered at the top of his lungs. "Our men cannot wear a mail weighing thirty plus libber, but our men are still the most capable in high speed marches that can out match the speed of hooves!"

"Ridiculous, bull shit, what the hell are you even talking about my friend." Mauro did not give much liking in this man's words either. "How am I supposed to assign you, a cheap lying piss pot with such an important role? Will you come back to me lying that you have achieved your tactical missions but actually you have screwed it up? Never mind, you shall be taking the flank on the right Now Go!"

"Aye sir!" This captain totally did not expect his commander to shout back at him like this, as the kind of words he said just now is completely a norm in Giovanni's traditions as a way of elaborating their troop's capabilities. But still, higher ups being higher ups, and the captain too scrambled to his battle positions with his troops.

Finally, the main offensive positions went to the units that Mauro used to lead last time, the first contingent, and they are deemed to get the most amount of loots, highest amount of kill count and the highest level of prestige from the assault, which means that they are going to profit the most after wards both from this battle. This is, of course, an act of unfairness and mistreatment to the other units, but still a common practise used by war lords in this era to maintain the combat capabilities and morales of their own units. And in a desperate situation like this he can only use his most familiar and trusted unit for this mission and use this kind of biased trick to increase their morales.

Hamza Pasha too is aware of his troop's current situation and is able to have a clear information on the enemy's interior movements from his massive network of scouts through the studies of the commanding and signal flags. And judging by the situation it did not take long for Hamza Pasha, with the other beys and chieftains to assume that the Rumelians are now planning for a breakthrough out of the encirclement.

The beys and chieftains are split into two groups, with one side arguing that they ought to enlarge the encirclement to extinguish any hope of the Rumelians of leaving this place, and make this place their burial ground. While the others argued that they should not 'trap the beast in a wooden cage and drain all of its hope' as it would leave the Rumelians enter a menacing mode and tear any Ottomans apart just for the chance of survival, leaving a whole lot more casualties which cannot be tolerated at this moment with a bigger beast still waiting in the south. They argued instead of trapping the Rumelians, they ought to use the same old tactic of a chase and hit passed to them by their old transaxonion ancestors.

The tactic is fairly simple, the Ottomans shall use their supremacy in mounted agility and horse archery to constantly follow the Rumelians by their flanks, fronts and sides, constantly harassing[VS1]  the Rumelians at all times as they march with each raider getting assigned to two horses, flinging arrows and cutting down those Rumelians who are left behind. The Rumelians shall be forced to continue moving with no time to lay down their burdens to cook or to sleep. Within a day and a half, the Rumelian force shall cripple on its own, then the Ottomans can enjoy their sumptuous harvest and loot. This might seem slower but is more effective as proved in history, and also far more lucrative in the amount of look they are able to acquire.

However, when the final solution is being passed to Hamza Pasha, the elder pasha simply disregarded both battle plans. "Leave the pocket open." He spoke. "And let the Rumelians out of our encirclement, then send our boys to follow them closely from behind making sure that they leave our capital, going back to their nearest captured fortress before coming back But remember to never engage with them, any one who engages with the enemies on their own decision shall be severely dealt with, remember?"

"Why? Why honourable Pasha why? I do not understand!" An anxious bey could not control his itching desire to apprehend the invaders who took away his granted land, and questioned Hamza Pasha in a demanding tone as if he do not know that his action itself is already enough for him to be charged for insubordination. "Why the hell do we let these pricky invading brutes out of the encirclement, which we planned so much for it, at such a ease? Why are you allowing them to leave undamaged? Why are we allowing them to take away our land unpunished? Why can't we slaughter every single one of them, to let them compensate what they have done to us? Why are"

"Shush! Ali Bey! Quiet! Mind what you are talking!" The anxious bey's pals and colleagues got concerned at such insulting words just spitted by their friends, and desperately stepped forward trying to quieten him down by pulling him backwards and cover his mouth, but the later is still waving his hands frantically with his eyes bulging like a bell, still wanting to venge his complaints, rage and confusion to Hamza Pasha even further. Seeing this his pals quickly bowed down and beg for pardon. "Honourable Pasha, please forgive him, as he is merely a chieftain that grew up in the borders of Erzulum who was not taught on any things about courtesy! Please pardon him!"

Hamza Pasha stared at the ground all the time while this chieftain is venting his emotions, with his unclothed ashen grey hair and beard waving freely in the air, the wrinkles on the pasha's face did not relax by a bit, instead it seems like his face has became even more rugged, even though he has just acquired what can be called a grand victory. The old pasha, the last hope and light of the Ottoman Sultanate, simply stood there holding the scabbard of his Isfahan blade like a statue, unresponsive to both the angry words and the pleading words by his commanders.

Hamza Pasha is probably the only person left in the court of the Sultan who is prestigious enough to control these unruly war lords, even Angelic Mahammad Pasha had no such say within the army due to his relatively younger age and not being viewed as a 'true Ottoman' as he has Serbian blood. Thus, despite Hamza Pasha being merely standing there, the various war lords and military heads still dared not to utter any further words, standing there like a bunch of disciples getting reprimanded. Even the one who started it, Ali Bey, started behaving himself once he has recovered from his emotions and realised how inappropriate his words were.

The sound of blades and spears striking with one another, accompanied by people's shouts of agony came from a far again, which seemed to be some sort of trigger that reactivated Hamza Pasha from his deep trance mind of state, and responded. "Gentlemen, please allow me to address you as gentlemen instead of warriors. Let me ask you this question, what do you think is the purpose for us to fight this war? Or let me ask this, what is the purpose of all wars? Why do we need wars?"

The Ottoman commanders looked at one another in confusion, some answered to repel the Rumelian invaders, some replied that they wage wars for loots, lands, slaves and prestige, some replied that they fight wars to protect their loved ones, some said that they fight wars to prove their loyalty for their Sultan, but none of these seemed to be the true correct answer.

"Let me say this boys The only reason why we fight wars, is to serve politics.

[VS1]

THIS CHAPTER UPLOAD FIRST AT NOVELBIN.COM