Waves surged on the Sea of Marmara, crashing against the shore and sending spray into the air, while the earth seemed to rumble with a dull roar as if shaken.
Upon closer listening, one would realize it wasn't the sound of waves hitting rocks, but the chaotic footsteps of fugitives.
Behind them were the swift Wallachian and Hungarian cavalry, who had been relentlessly hounding the Ottomans, until they once again engaged the Ottomans' dwindling rearguard in an open area near the Cape of Hersek.
The cavalry resumed their traditional nomadic tactics, continuously firing sharp arrows at the enemy ahead.
The sharp whistling of arrows piercing the air rose and fell, and Ottoman soldiers cried out as they fell to the ground, struck by arrows.
Although these Ottomans tried their best to escape the pursuit of the Gan Army, having been abandoned by the Sultan, they clearly had no such opportunity.
Two legs, after all, could not outrun four; cavalry continuously bypassed them from both sides of the road, and as they passed the fleeing stragglers, they didn't forget to turn and fire a few arrows, causing more casualties.
The cavalry that arrived shortly after charged with lances or swung sabers, directly breaking the formation of this last group of Ottoman stragglers, slaying every Ottoman who could still stand.
A small number of Ottomans, frantic and desperate, rushed madly into the low forest near the hills, narrowly escaping the pursuit, but survival remained a formidable challenge.
The wounded Ottomans, lying on the ground wailing and cursing, failed to attract the attention of these Gan Army cavalry; they were now relentlessly chasing forward, hoping to catch up with the Ottoman Sultan. As for the Ottomans lying on the ground, the units that arrived later would put them out of their misery.
Even Vlad the Great Duke, who usually enjoyed tormenting the Ottomans, had now abandoned his bloody hobby, personally leading almost all of the Crusader's light cavalry to follow the Ottoman Army.
If it weren't for this coastal road running east to west with no detours, and the fact that the Ottoman Sipahi Cavalry still retained some fighting power, Vlad would have probably led his cavalry to outflank and intercept the Ottomans long ago.
However, at the turning point of this main road, the Ottomans had two choices.
One was to turn directly southwest, cross a relatively uncomplicated hilly area, reach the west bank of Lake Iznik, and then continue fleeing for two days to reach Bursa.
The other was to continue west along the coastal road to an important port, then turn south along a gentle and straight road to the shore of Lake Iznik, and then flee to Bursa.
To shake off the persistent Crusaders, Mehmed II unhesitatingly chose the first path, plunging into the rolling hills.
This was a nightmarish decision, but Muhammad had no choice; he had to gamble that the enemy would not dare to pursue further.
The cavalry ran fast, and the Janissaries were also capable runners, but the stragglers behind them, as well as the logistics personnel and baggage mixed in with them, could not run at all.
If it weren't for the Janissaries, who, according to tradition, each company brought its own large bronze pot, they might not even have had anything to cook with.
In the darkness, the defeated Ottoman Army temporarily halted in a muddy forest.
The chainmail of the Janissaries was covered in dust and dried blood, and their once glorious white turbans were now filthy.
A group of men sat around the large pot, staring longingly at their "soup distributor" and company commander, their faces showing only numbness and despair.
The large pot in the middle of them was empty, and the fire underneath it was not lit.
Aside from some unpalatable rations mixed with grit and mold in the soldiers' pockets, they had nothing left to eat.
Even these supplies were plundered from villages along the way, for which they had received no small amount of curses. These warriors, renowned for their elite strength, were now all dejected, sharing blackened wheat cakes with their comrades.
They chewed mechanically with their heads down, the dry food sticking in their throats, difficult to swallow.
In the past, they were the Empire's sharpest sword, clearing all obstacles for the Sultan; in return, the Sultan would provide them with the best meals to ensure their combat effectiveness.
Due to the Ottoman Empire's exceptionally strong logistical organization, they almost always enjoyed delicious food for every meal.
Not to mention the most common soups, there were also ample supplies of flatbread and rice; the Janissaries even had dedicated herds of cattle and sheep as supplies—now all these things had become Crusader spoils of war.
Forget roasted meat and bread; now, even a sip of hot soup was a luxury.
"We have fought for the Sultan for over ten years, and this is not the first time we've experienced something like this," an old veteran recalled sadly, "In Krujë, in Belgrade, in Varna, and now in Izmit, the Sultan's glory is gone, just like what was in our big pot…".
"Whether in the Empire or in the army, hasn't there always been someone who questioned whether the current Sultan is far inferior to his father? If the old Emperor were still here, we would never have fallen to this point."
Another person whispered in agreement.
Mehmed II's performance was truly far worse than that of his father, Murad II.
However, Murad II had also suffered a small setback in his confrontation with Albrecht II, the father of the current Roman Emperor. In that war, triggered by Murad II's premature abdication, the old Sultan failed to annex all of Serbia, only capturing the richest gold mining areas in southern Serbia.
Of course, all that wealth was later lost by Mehmed II.
He campaigned twice against Krujë, but was severely defeated by Skanderbeg, the most famous defector from the Janissaries, and returned in utter defeat.
He fiercely attacked Belgrade, but suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of a ragtag army led by the former Roman Emperor, and he himself nearly lost his life.
In Varna, the Sultan's army was again crushed by the White Knight, fleeing in disarray to Constantinople.
Thereafter, he was even so intimidated by the Roman Emperor that he moved the capital to Bursa, and he didn't even have the courage to personally defend Constantinople.
How many sacrifices did they make to capture this great city? Yet the Sultan handed it over to the distant Christians.
Now, the Sultan had led them to another crushing defeat, with so many muslims compatriots tragically pursued and massacred by the Crusaders, yet they were helpless to do anything about it.
Was such a Sultan truly worthy of their allegiance?
"It's a pity the old Emperor is no longer here, and it's impossible for us to re-elect a wise Sultan as before, so put away your dangerous little thoughts."
Although the company commander also clenched his fists in indignation, he ultimately did not dare to make the bold move of "overturning the pot."
In the past, there was a saying in the army that overturning the bronze pot meant breaking with the Sultan, and only when in extreme dissatisfaction would the usually loyal Janissaries do so.
But now, besides Sultan Mehmed II, who was leading them in their escape, there was no wise ruler who could lead them out of their predicament.
The eldest prince, Bayezid, known for his wisdom, was still in the Roman Emperor's prison, and the second prince, Mustafa, guarding the East, though hailed as a genius, was still young and far away in Konya, resisting the Karaman counterattack.
As for the Sultan's other relatives… Mehmed II's two most outstanding elder brothers were both killed by the White Knight, Hunyadi Janos, in previous battles, which is how he came to inherit the throne, and upon his ascension, he eliminated all his remaining brothers, now a lone figure.
The personal guards who, unable to tolerate Muhammad's arrogance, chose to rebel and bring back the old Sultan, had undergone a brutal purge after Mehmed II's second ascension, but the Janissaries of today still remembered that event vividly.
Their unit had already betrayed Muhammad once twenty years ago, and doing it again didn't seem impossible… But even if they killed Mehmed II, what could it change?
The Roman Emperor's army would not stop because of Muhammad's death; he would only use faster speed and more vigorous offensives to completely destroy the rule of the Ottoman Empire.
At that time, these elite imperial soldiers, who had served the Sultan diligently, would probably only be left to be buried with the Empire.
Thus, Mehmed II's law, which allowed the reigning Sultan to execute all his brothers, surprisingly, in a strange way, quelled an impromptu mutiny at this moment.
Although the personal guards were dissatisfied with the Sultan's poor military record and their current dire situation, they still held a positive view of the Ottoman dynasty's rule.
Over the past hundred years, six wise rulers had led the Ottoman Empire to glory through numerous difficulties and setbacks; they would not abandon their allegiance to the bloodline of Ottoman I because of Mehmed II's failures.
Just as the atmosphere fell into an eerie silence, a sound attracted their attention.
On the forest road not far away, two horsemen holding torches stood out conspicuously in the darkness.
Although the distance between them was still somewhat far, judging from the direction they appeared, they certainly weren't the Timar lords who were still accompanying the Sultan; they were most likely Hungarian scouts, relentlessly tracking them like hyenas.
Unfortunately, it was too dark now, and they didn't have much energy to expend, otherwise they would surely have drawn their bows and arrows to shoot down these annoying flies.
Having confirmed the location of the torchlight in the forest, the Crusader scouts did not linger recklessly, but immediately rode back to report the Ottomans' tracks to Vlad III.
The Port of Hersek, a coastal fortress that had previously fiercely resisted the surprise attack of the Crusader Fleet, quickly surrendered under the threat of the Crusader vanguard.
After all, the Sultan had fled, the previously dispatched garrison had withdrawn, and the city's residents all knew that continuing to fight would only lead to the destruction of the city and its people, a loss not worth it.
Vlad III and Paul Kinizsi, the two vanguard commanders, had now joined forces and were troubled about whether to continue the pursuit.
"Damn Muhammad, he can really run. If I lead the army southwest in pursuit, the terrain there is unfavorable for cavalry charges, with many hills and dense forests. If the Ottomans set up an ambush along the way, the consequences would be unimaginable."
Vlad III gnashed his teeth, regretting not being able to intercept the Ottomans.
Fortunately, apart from Mehmed II's last elite troops, the rest of the Ottoman Army had been completely routed, and the pursuing Crusaders gained a good deal of supplies and spoils, temporarily alleviating their minor logistical difficulties.
Now that the Port of Hersek was captured, the Crusader Fleet could make a round trip between here and Constantinople in a day and a night, making it an excellent logistical supply hub.
Although the city of Helenopolis, founded by Constantine the Great, was now only a ruin, the Ottomans had rebuilt a serviceable port next to it, which was convenient for the Crusaders to use.
This way, the Gan Army could confidently continue to pursue the Ottoman Sultan and his remaining defeated forces.
"Mehmed II, after all, has suffered so many defeats, his ability to save his own life is beyond question, otherwise he wouldn't be alive today.
But you say you're worried he might plan and organize an ambush to delay our advance or even defeat our forces? I don't believe he possesses such military talent."
Paul gave a sarcastic smile, responding to Vlad's concerns.
As a military commander, Paul knew very well that when fleeing, the commander must first save his own life, then try to stabilize the army's morale, and finally preserve as many effective forces as possible.
Mehmed certainly couldn't manage the third point; this relentless pursuit had directly shattered the Ottoman Army, leaving only the most well-trained few who could keep up with the Sultan.
For the second point, Paul did not believe that Muhammad, in his current predicament, still had the ability to stabilize morale; if this prerequisite could not be met, organizing a counterattack was mere fantasy.
Moreover, Vlad had been relentlessly hounding the Ottoman Army like a mad dog, giving them basically no respite. In such circumstances, how much will to fight could the Ottomans possibly have left?
"Cavalry entering such complex terrain is ultimately not a wise choice," Vlad, who was skilled in fighting in complex terrain, stared intently at the map laid out before them, then suddenly his eyes lit up and he said, "If I continue to march rapidly along the coast, and then make a circle to intercept the Ottomans at Lake Iznik, wouldn't Muhammad have no way to escape?"
"That sounds like a feasible plan, but what about Emperor Laszlo…?"
"Emperor Laszlo's demand is to capture Muhammad; if we just keep chasing behind them, we'll never catch him.
Tomorrow morning, you and I will lead our armies out together. You will lead your men to follow in pursuit, and I will personally lead the cavalry to outflank and cut off their path. If there are any problems, I will bear the responsibility."
"Let's do it then."
Seeing that Vlad had spoken to this extent, Paul no longer hesitated. The two immediately agreed and went to make their respective preparations.
On May 3, 1469, after eight days of continuous pursuit, both the Crusaders and the Ottoman army had reached their physical and mental limits.
To avoid being left too far behind by the Ottomans, Laszlo had directly ordered the abandonment of the baggage train several days prior, leading his men in pursuit at the fastest possible speed.
The soldiers had not removed their armor for days, or had discarded cumbersome armor altogether, and even their rations were almost depleted in the last two days.
If not for daily reports from the vanguard of their skirmishes with the Ottomans, Laszlo might have given up himself.
Fortunately, the Ottomans were also human; they couldn't run faster or longer than the Crusaders. On the contrary, Laszlo had recently taken in more and more Ottoman stragglers who had collapsed from hunger by the roadside.
Unfortunately, Laszlo had nothing to feed them. If they could endure, they would wait until the supply convoy caught up. Those who couldn't endure, out of humanitarianism, Laszlo would order their execution.
As for a certain general's suggestion about making "special military rations" from prisoners, Laszlo rejected it without a second thought.
Everyone was hungry for now, but they still had some strength left for fighting; it hadn't reached such a desperate point.
Moreover, the supply wagons were right behind them; though slower, they would eventually catch up.
Now, Laszlo could only place all his hope on Vlad, who was taking a detour to intercept the Ottomans.
Although the path he chose was about a quarter longer than the one the Ottomans took, compared to the difficult march through the hills, the other path consisted of two almost straight and flat sections, making it much easier to travel, especially for cavalry.
Taking the long way around was precisely Vlad's chosen shortcut.
He just wondered which of him and his childhood playmate, Muhammad, would reach the finish line first.
While Laszlo was still leading the main Crusader force struggling over mountains, the race between Vlad and Muhammad, the old rivals, had already concluded.
It proved that four legs running on flat ground are faster than two legs traversing mountains.
Vlad not only arrived at the road junction by Lake Iznik a full half-day before Muhammad but also sent men to capture the ferry crossing on the lake shore, scuttling all the boats docked there to prevent Mehmed II from suddenly deciding to cross to Nicaea alone by boat.
Although this possibility was remote, Vlad no longer wanted any more mishaps.
Whenever he recalled the various humiliations he suffered in the Sultan's court during his childhood, and Mehmed II's betrayal, Vlad wished he could immediately inflict the cruellest punishment on the once arrogant Sultan.
If... if Muhammad had agreed to lend a hand when Vlad was first driven out of Wallachia by Hunyadi Janos, it would be hard to say which side Vlad would be on now.
Unfortunately, Muhammad had shown him no respect or courtesy from beginning to end. Not long ago, he even sent his younger brother, Radu, who completely groveled to the Sultan and was willing to be a good dog, to secretly infiltrate Wallachia and instigate a rebellion, which thoroughly disgusted Vlad.
In contrast, the magnanimous Emperor Laszlo was clearly superior.
Initially, to secure the position of Duke, Vlad had suppressed his desire for revenge for his father's death and sought help from the White Knight Hunyadi, though he still harbored some resentment.
However, the young Emperor ultimately extended his aid and offered generous terms, which gradually eased Vlad's resentment and made him willing to show respect to the Emperor.
Later, when Hunyadi Laszlo rebelled, the Emperor also stood up for him.
Although, for some well-known reasons, the Emperor did not allow him to raze several German cities on the Hungarian border that harbored ill will towards him, he still helped him vent his anger.
Over the years, the Emperor had not demanded tribute, had not forced religious conversion, and had never actively interfered in the internal affairs of Wallachia and Moldavia. Such a suzerain was far better than the Ottomans, who only continuously exploited people and money.
However, considering that the number of countries under the Emperor's rule could not be counted on one hand, Vlad was convinced that the Emperor allowed him and his cousin Stephen to develop freely because he lacked the extra energy.
In any case, both he and Stephen owed military obligations to the Emperor; this was their only burden, and failing to perform well to repay the Emperor would not do.
It was a pity that Stephen was currently fending off Crimean Tatar incursions and thus could not participate in this Crusade, otherwise Mehmed II would certainly have suffered an even more disastrous defeat.
After all, his renowned cousin had never suffered a defeat since leading his army from Sofia.
Collecting his scattered thoughts, Vlad couldn't help but lament that he was getting old, as he was starting to feel melancholic about these things.
He had experienced too many conflicts and betrayals; now was the time to end it all—capture Muhammad and hand him over to the Emperor. This would both quell his own hatred and repay the Emperor's favor.
Before long, the cavalry sent out for reconnaissance returned with a report, stating that the Ottoman vanguard had appeared in the valley two miles away and would soon reach the lake shore plain where they were located.
Upon hearing the news, Vlad immediately mounted his horse, ordered someone to ride quickly to notify the two cavalry units already ambushed near the valley, and then led his thousand-plus light cavalry towards the Ottomans.
The soldiers had just been resting for half a day, holding their horses and sitting on the ground, having consumed the last of their water and food. At this moment, they all looked barely energetic.
Thinking of the impending final battle with the Ottomans, although they said little, there was a faint excitement in their expressions.
"Warriors of Christ, our comrades are right behind the Ottomans. As long as we trap them in this valley, not a single one will escape.
However, a cornered beast will fight back. These Ottomans will surely retaliate fiercely to save their lives. Are you willing to let the Ottoman Sultan, who has slaughtered countless of our compatriots, escape?"
Outside the valley, Vlad rode past the cavalry, who were already divided into four waves and arrayed in formation, asking the warriors.
"He must not escape again!"
"We must capture the Sultan alive!"
The soldiers were enraged, each eager to capture Mehmed II with their own hands.
They all came from eastern Hungary and Wallachia, areas that had suffered from Ottoman depredations for many years. Thus, these warriors were arguably the most hostile towards the Ottoman Empire among the entire Crusade.
Now, with an opportunity for revenge and advancement before them, they were determined not to miss it.
Vlad nodded with satisfaction before the formation, drew his precious sword, and shouted, "Then show your courage, hold back the Ottomans firmly, and let not a single one escape!"
"Not a single one escapes!"
The impassioned war cry echoed through the empty valley, instantly turning Mehmed II's face ashen as he fled with fewer than six thousand broken troops.
When the scout cavalry returned to report that the Crusaders had blocked the way ahead, the Sultan, who had long shed his opulent robes and was covered in dust, turned to look at his dejected and weak personal guards, opened his mouth with some difficulty, and finally uttered only one sentence: "We will break through."
The cavalry at the front no longer cared about formation; horse archers in front, heavy cavalry in chainmail behind, they charged out of the valley.
Muhammad remained with his personal guards, moving forward under the escort of a small number of Janissaries who still possessed some fighting ability.
The remaining Janissaries, with little fighting strength left, could not even maintain basic battle formations, advancing in a loose array.
The reason they were still willing to move forward was that not long ago, they had been entangled by the pursuing Crusaders and had suffered considerable sacrifices to escape. Therefore, everyone knew they had no way back.
The Crusader cavalry, who had been tailing them for days, now appeared abruptly before them like divine soldiers, not from one direction, but three.
Those swift cavalry adopted a loose formation, continuously showering arrows into the crowded Ottoman ranks.
Due to terrain limitations, the Janissaries could not spread out their formation, becoming walking targets, precisely shot down by the cavalry who came close.
Some Janissaries pulled out bows to counterattack, but their strength had been exhausted during days of flight, posing no threat to the swift light cavalry.
And the firearms equipped by nearly a quarter of the Janissary personal guards had by now mostly become mere sticks.
Battle group commanders roared, hoping to reorganize their armies, but all was in vain.
The cavalry who charged out first were also defeated in a direct engagement with the cavalry personally led by Vlad; those light cavalry recruited from herdsmen almost collapsed at the first touch, scattering and fleeing.
The Timar lords likely knew they couldn't escape, and with the few retainers still with them, they were directly routed by the Crusader cavalry.
The battlefield was in utter chaos, thousands of people crammed into a narrow triangular area, engaging in disorganized slaughter.
These Crusader cavalry had already received Vlad's instructions not to directly charge the Janissary formations, but to circle and shoot wildly, with Ottomans constantly falling from arrows.
Some mentally broken Ottoman soldiers who left their formation attempting to flee were quickly decapitated by swift scimitars.
The Ottoman Empire, which originated from Turkic tribes, had in over a hundred years of development abandoned its cavalry advantage, instead relying on powerful mobilization capabilities to gather more infantry to crush enemies.
In the current era, with the Ottoman feudal system gradually collapsing, assembling a force of excellent Sipahi Cavalry had become difficult.
However, countries like Hungary and Wallachia, which had fought the Ottomans for many years, gradually learned their essence from the Turkish cavalry. Wallachian cavalry and Hungarian cavalry had always enjoyed a high reputation in the European mercenary industry.
Not to mention, among these Crusader cavalry were the Székely people living in Transylvania, who still lived a nomadic life, similar in habits to the Cossacks living in the Ukrainian region.
They were originally a branch of the Magyars, stationed in border regions for military needs, thus separated from their Hungarian compatriots.
After several centuries of development, they demonstrated the original customs of the Magyars in the now "assimilated" Kingdom of Hungary.
However, modern Hungarians had developed a psychological burden, unwilling to recognize these rough nomads as their compatriots, thus viewing them as foreigners.
Although these herdsmen were less "civilized" than their compatriots living on the Hungarian Great Plain, their military strength was absolutely far superior to those "domesticated" Hungarian Magyars.
Relying on their equestrian archery skills, honed since childhood, they made the miserably fleeing Ottomans suffer greatly.
Mehmed II soon realized they could not sit idly by, so he commanded his troops to advance, attempting to leave the valley first, and then find a way to shake off the Crusaders' entanglement.
Unfortunately, time waited for no one. During the standoff, Paul had already arrived with three Hungarian legions close behind.
Dust billowed in the valley, battle cries shook the heavens, and large numbers of Hungarian soldiers attacked from the rear, engaging in a fierce battle with the Ottomans trapped and unable to move.
Two other forces found paths to bypass the sides of the ridges, raining stones and arrows upon the Ottomans.
Helpless and exasperated, Mehmed II could only repeatedly urge the Janissaries to charge forward, but his personal guards, already exhausted, could no longer run. Most of them had secretly shed the armor beneath their outer robes during the escape, yet even so, they were powerless to run.
Arrows easily pierced their bodies, taking their lives.
The Sultan's most trusted battle group, the Scythe of Fatih, escorted Muhammad out of the valley, but the forces behind had no time to catch up before they were directly cut off by the cavalry led by Vlad.
The Janissaries trapped in the valley, unable to get out, fell into despair as they saw more and more Crusaders inside the valley.
It turned out that the imperial allied forces and other units following behind had also arrived, but even the Hungarians couldn't spread out, so they had no way to join the fray. They could only cheer from behind, letting the Hungarians know that their comrades were right behind them and they just needed to charge forward.
Under immense pressure and fear, and at the persuasion of the Crusader warriors, the Janissary personal guards, with no escape route, began to lay down their weapons in organized units and surrender to the Emperor, who had already reached the front lines of the battlefield.
Not many of them were Ottomans; the vast majority of warriors came from Balkan Christian families. However, after years of training and indoctrination, they had developed extreme resilience, capable of performing well in difficult environments and maintaining high loyalty.
But even with such pressure resistance, humans ultimately have limits, and now they had reached the brink of collapse.
After accepting the surrendered soldiers and executing all resistors, Laszlo finally met his long-sought rival, the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II.
The Sultan was carried before him. Coincidentally, much like his encounter in the Battle of Belgrade, he had been struck by an arrow in the leg during the recent battle and subsequently captured by several Wallachian cavalry. His personal guards, however, had fought to the last man.
Looking at his old rival, Laszlo was filled with emotion.
Both sides leading their armies personally was quite Roman in style, but Muhammad's luck seemed poor. It was unlikely this staunch admirer of Rome would ever have the chance to covet the throne of the Roman Emperor.
Laszlo, however, could proudly say, "I am the Roman Emperor! And, the Emperor of two Romes!"
However, the anticipated conversation did not occur. Laszlo merely instructed the military doctor to treat Muhammad well, and then commanded his army to set up camp by Lake Iznik.