The Eagle of Eastern Europe

The Christian army waited for 20 days, but there was still no sign of Bayezid. However, true to his usual swift style, Bayezid suddenly appeared with his army outside the city of Skopje. According to the intelligence obtained by Sigismund, Bayezid's army numbered 200,000. Sigismund knew his enemies well. He knew that they were well-trained, disciplined, and more mobile than the Crusaders. They were no ordinary people. He asked the Christian armies to work together carefully.

An experienced French knight named Decoucy encountered an advance guard of the Turks during his reconnaissance. His soldiers defeated the Turks at the pass, chanting "Blessed Mother! For Monsignor Decoucy!" The victory in this battle made other French knights jealous and accused Decoucy of going to battle out of vanity. Sigismund tried to persuade them to take a defensive position, first using Hungarian infantry to resist the first round of attacks, and then using knights and mercenary cavalry to form a second line of defense, which could be attacked or defended. Upon hearing this proposal, the French knights were furious, believing that the Hungarian king's arrangement was to steal "the highest honor of victory." They demanded that they take the lead.

With the support of everyone, the French Count of Iyo refused to obey Sigismund. The count called his flag officer: "In the name of God and Saint George, order the army to advance, let them see what kind of person I am." Knight!” So, under the “Banner of the Virgin,” they charged at the despicable pagans without hesitation, confident that they could defeat them.

The knights charging up the hillside caught Bayezid's outpost unawares. After scattering the Turkish cavalry, the knights dismounted and charged at the infantry. While charging, they pulled out the wooden stakes on the ground used to cover the infantry, and then routed the Turkish infantry. Blood splattered from the knights' swords. They were very confident that victory on this day would belong to them. After rushing to the top of the mountain, they encountered the main force of the Sudanese army.

Bayezid gathered all the troops, whether they were the defeated army that had just come down, the Anatolian troops, or the defenders of the Balkan cities, a total of 25,000 troops were regrouped.

As usual, Bayezid adopted a tactic that Sigismund was already very familiar with: placing motley troops with little training and serving as cannon fodder at the front, using them to drain the enemy's physical strength. Then "Bayezid's cavalry, main body, and chariots came upon them in battle formation, like a crescent moon." The dismounted knights were exhausted from the heavy armor, unable to fight, and suffered a rout. Their horses ran back to the camp on their own. The best knights in Europe died in the fields of Skopje or became prisoners of the Turks.

By the standards of the day, the Crusaders were actually amateur warriors who fought in the old ways and in a romantic spirit. They knew nothing of the evolution of the professional art of warfare over the centuries, nor the fighting skills of the Turks, nor their superior discipline, training, intelligence systems, and tactics. More importantly, they did not understand the mobility of lightly armed infantry and archers on horseback. Sigismund and his Hungarians learned this gradually through battle after battle. He directed his troops to charge with the Crusaders, but he knew in his heart that the battle was lost the moment his advice was abandoned by the knights. "If they can believe me," he said, "we have enough men to deal with the enemy." He boasted of their abundant strength before the battle: "Even if the sky falls, our army will have enough spears to hold it down." withstand."

But now, he can only escape to Belgrade with the Grand Master of the Knights Hospitallers. Some of the soldiers and knights who were lucky enough to escape from the Ottomans also escaped on these ships, and thousands of others crossed the Carpathian Mountains despite hardships. The day after the battle, Bayezid, who inspected the battlefield to assess the losses, ordered all prisoners of war to be executed. However, in order to obtain a generous ransom, Bayezid spared the count of Nevers and his staff, as well as some richly dressed knights. But he ordered them to stand beside him and watched helplessly as his comrades kneeling on the ground were tied together and then their heads fell to the ground.

----Dividing line----

The Battle of Skopje and the Treaty of Derekoy became the plus points and minus points for the Ottomans, one plus and one minus, exactly zero. (How can it be)

Due to the loss of Sofia and Nis, the Ottoman expansion to the north could only be temporarily stopped, so Bayezid set his sights on Greece and Anatolia in the south.

Bayezid designated some Serbian areas as direct jurisdiction and increased the collection of blood taxes. Although there was no compensation, Bayezid was prepared to train an army in the shortest possible time to avenge his previous revenge.

Of course, Bayezid's transfer of troops to the Balkans could not be hidden from Karaman. The ruler realized that this was a good opportunity and sent troops to capture some places. Bayezid had no choice but to continue leading the army.

As a spectator, Peter opened the door for them. Allowed to repair at Niš for a few days, and holding off the pursuit of the Ottoman army, they could finally catch their breath.

The cook complained to Peter that these people were going to eat up all the grain in Nis, but Peter just ordered to continue buying grain. And Sigismund’s dishes are naturally the best.

Looking at the dishes in front of him and recalling the previous fiasco, Sigismund shed tears. At this moment, he hated himself and the French soldiers who did not listen to their advice.

It's fine now. If I go back, those nobles will definitely get beaten up again. This king might as well be inappropriate.

Back then, he had no desire for power. He just wanted to obtain a fiefdom and spend his life honestly. But helplessly, power hit him on the head again and again.

First the Margrave of Brandenburg, then the King of Hungary. If nothing else, Bohemia and the Emperor of the Shinra are also in his pocket, but the big nobles in the country will not make it easy for him. More importantly, he has no heirs. The legacy of the Luxembourg family is about to end.

Sigismund did not expect that Wallachia would lend him a helping hand, which also made him a little ashamed. He originally wanted to beat them. He must thank Wallachia properly.