eastern european eagle

Chapter 254 Ansella

"Quickly, everyone get out of here. We must capture Ankara before the infidels do."

In the east of Ankara, an army is advancing rapidly westward. Their goal is Ankara, which was vacated after Suleiman's death.

Moussa was cruel and would not give up until Ankara was taken. He had had enough of being caught in the middle of the two brothers. Now that the eldest brother was finally gone, he naturally wanted to inherit his legacy.

But he heard that Rome also wanted this place, how could this work, so he asked the army to advance at full speed. As long as they entered the city of Ankara, they had no choice but to go back.

The continuous high-intensity march made the soldiers tired and thirsty, and Musa was also impatient and did not let the soldiers rest at all, which caused many soldiers to desert.

On the other hand, on the Roman side, Constantine's strategy of letting the cavalry go first was advisable.Because the infantry and artillery move slowly, if they want to take the upper hand, they must let the cavalry go first. Fortunately, the cavalry is also well trained.

"General, we are almost at Ancyra." A herald said to Woick.

"Order the soldiers to enter the city quickly. I think Osman will be here soon, so be ready."

"Yes"

Wojk only had 3000 cavalry under his command. They were all Cossacks recruited from the north. They were familiar with both mounted shooting and close combat. He hoped that they could withstand the Turks' attack.

Soon I saw the city wall of Ancyra. In order to resist the enemy, the city defense here was once impregnable. However, it was obvious that the Turks did not take good care of it after occupying it, and some places even fell off.

Some Ottoman soldiers who were still on duty looked from a distance and saw that they were actually Roman troops, instantly commanding the people to flee for their lives. After all, they were only a few hundred people and could not stop the opponent.

Soon, the news of the arrival of the Roman army spread throughout the city. All the people who were able to run gathered at the east gate. Those who were unable could only pray for Allah's blessing.Dozens of defenders still wanted to resist the Roman army, but they were quickly gone.Because these defenders had also suffered from opium, their bodies and bones had long since deteriorated.

The city gates were broken open and the people fled for their lives, but Woick had no time to search for loot. He first ordered the army to guard each city gate, and then controlled important public places to avoid the situation of internal and external cooperation.

"Get out of the way, out of the way."

"The general ordered that all residents are not allowed to go out, and those who violate it will be thrown into prison."

Although it is necessary to put up notices to calm the people when seizing the city, in this case it is better to impose martial law first.If Musa arrived at this time, there was still a chance to seize Ankara, but because he had been marching in a hurry for too long, he could only declare a day of rest, and it was this day that made him miss Ankara.

Before the enemy arrived, Wojke began to strengthen the city's defenses and sent a message to the rear, requesting more reinforcements.

The pagans entered the city, and the many Turkic immigrants stayed at home and did not dare to move.There are no people in the surrounding villages, and even if there are any, they have been moved to the city to prevent them from serving as guides for the enemy.They also collected food, demolished buildings outside the city, and blocked water sources. In short, they did everything they could.At this time, Musa was still resting. His men had just captured a few nomads and used their cattle and sheep as dry food. They also found several wells nearby, and they rested here.

"Your Highness, have some food."

"No, tell them to rest quickly. We will set off when the sun rises tomorrow."

Musa was so anxious that if it weren't for the fact that the soldiers needed food and rest, he would have driven them forward with a whip like an animal.At this moment, he just wanted the night to pass quickly. He tossed and turned in the tent several times without falling asleep, and could only look at the stars outside.

Finally, the sun's rays lit up from the east.Musa quickly ordered the soldiers to get up and march. They should be able to reach Ankara today.

However, due to the rush.Their drinking water reserves were insufficient, and the temperature that day was also high. It didn't take long for them to become thirsty and the water was quickly exhausted. However, they were still half a day away from their destination, so they had no choice but to move forward.

Ancyra's garrison was ready, with food, water storage, and weapons fully prepared.Woike also stood on the city wall with his son Yang and looked eastward, hoping to see enemy troops, but not yet.

But soon, the dust was flying in the distance, and the shadows of men and horses could be vaguely seen. Even closer, the pagan flags could be seen, and the enemy was coming.

"Finally here." Voick looked at the approaching enemy troops and immediately ordered the entire city to be on alert. They could only rely on 3000 troops to defend this city of 3000 people and wait for reinforcements to arrive.

Although Moussa was mentally prepared, the last thing he wanted to see happened.The infidel flags were raised on the walls of Ankara, and they had already gained ground.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!!!" Moussa shouted unwillingly. Since picking up the leaks can't work, let's attack by force instead. He felt that the opponent had just taken Ankara and had a weak foothold. As long as he attacked this place, he would definitely be able to get it. Down.

Musa drew his sword, pointed it at Ankara, and issued the order to attack. His 10000 soldiers swarmed forward, including many of his elder brother's soldiers, which was also a fighting force.

Because Woike's side joined the army quickly, they only had a hundred muskets and a small amount of gunpowder as firearms. However, there were still many bows and crossbows left in the city. They relied on bows and arrows to offset the huge crowds under the city.

Woick's cavalry also conveyed the news of the capture of Ancyra back to Kutasia. After receiving the exact news, Constantine immediately ordered the entire army to advance. They must arrive in the shortest possible time. One day late would mean that Ancyra The risk of pulling is just one more point.

Even if Constantine wanted quick support, the traffic and weather conditions in Anatolia's interior still made it difficult for them to move. Due to lack of maintenance and damage by nomads, most of the roads built during the Eastern Roman Empire had been destroyed. Now, He could only barely walk.In hot weather, the vanguard troops can only wait for the logistics troops to catch up after running out of water, unless they are willing to go without drinking water for more than 200 kilometers or can find a village.This is considered good, but the real trouble is the artillery unit. Heavy artillery has trouble transporting, so it was abandoned. Some light artillery requires more time to be transported to Ancyra by cattle, horses and manpower.This allowed the army, which had been suppressing firepower, to prepare for the first lack of firepower.

With the departure of the army, Anatolia, which had not been quiet for a long time, once again faced a reshuffle of territorial forces.In the collision between the cross and the crescent, the Orthodox Cross has the upper hand. The Latin Cross and the Crescent seem to be on the decline in the East, but their foundations are deeper than those of the Orthodox Church, and there is still a long way to go before they can gain a firm foothold.

(End of this chapter)