Gradually and slowly we made our way westward over the next weeks, our scouts encountered no major enemy forces... suggesting that the Sultan had concentrated his forces in the north, leaving the interior of the country almost defenseless... and our march through Anatolia resembled a locust plague, we destroyed everything that could be destroyed, we robbed everything that had at least some value... I finally had to ban this practice so as not to burden the army with unnecessary loads.
So far, we have driven tens of thousands of people out of their homes, maybe even more than a hundred thousand... no one was counting it anymore, but one thing was for sure. After the war, the Ottoman Empire will be home to the largest percentage of the left-handed male population in the world. Probably even the next generations will feel the effects of this mutilation... agriculture, crafts, culture, everything will be in the hands of the cripples... well, one hand.
"Lord, our scouts have detected a large army of Ottomans." (Selim)
It was a surprise, I really thought his troops would be in the north... though on the other hand, Constantinople is not an easy city to conquer and may be supply in necessities by water, so the siege could be very long, although with the help of Spanish ships, one could try to block the port.
"How big is this army?" (MC)
"It's hard to say, but a lot, maybe even 70,000." (Selim)
If the army is 70,000, there are probably 10,000 worthless civilians, servants, cooks and the like... With over 200,000 Tatars and Cossacks at my disposal, the numerical superiority was on my side, which gave me some interesting opportunities... However, I needed better reconnaissance for that.
"Where is the Ottoman army located?" (MC)
"20 kilometers east of the city of Bursa." (Selim)
Bursa, the first capital of the Ottoman Empire, a large and wealthy city... having such a base, the Sultan does not have to fear shortages in supplies... We were now 30 kilometers east to Eskişehir, which is almost 200 kilometers to Bursa.
"New orders for scouts. They must try to catch some prisoners to interrogate them. We need to know more... and I also have new orders for the army. Instead of driving civilians out of their homes, they are now to be taken prisoner." (MC)
I was going to use them to build fortifications and as human shields, if there is a battle with the Ottomans, they will die first... unfortunately such a tactic could also be dangerous, it might weaken the morale of the Turks or strengthen them.
(Sultan Murad IV / Grand Vizier Tabanıyassi Mehmed Pasha POV)
"Our people noticed the Tatar reconnaissance in the distance." (Grand Vizier)
"So they are nearby. We will not attack them, we will wait until they attack us and we will fortify this place and Bursa will be our base." (Sultan Murad)
"Your Majesty, is it really a good idea?" (Grand Vizier)
"If something does not go our way, we can always retreat to the city, Tatars are cavalry, cavalry do not conquer cities... and Allah is with us." (Sultan Murad)
"We know from civilian prisoners that there is a large group of Cossacks with them, and that they are in command of the Polish Hetman." (Grand Vizier)
"Some Lah and a handful of Zaporozhian infantry pose no threat to our cannons and Janissaries." (Sultan Murad)
"This Lah in Austria is called the Bane of Kings, he defeated Khan Temir, Tsar, captured the Kings of Denmark and Sweden..." (Grand Vizier)
"...And his head will hang over the gate of my palace... now leave me alone. Allah is great." (Sultan Murad)
(End POV)
"You will always get dirty in this job... and I'll have to wash my clothes again, fuck... cut him off and let's go to my tent, the sight deprives me of my appetite." (MC)
Immediately two tarars cut the body of the dead man from the table to which he was bound and carried it out.
"Maybe he was lying?" (Saddat)
"He withstood a long time, but with a rat in his stomach, no one has lied yet. It didn't give us much, but at least we know that the sultan is fortifying at Bursa and is waiting for us." (MC)
"What are our future plans?" (Saddat)
"First we will build fortifications, reinforcements, trenches and other obstacles, then we will divide the army into three smaller ones. One army will position itself to the north of the Ottoman camp, the other to the south, and the rest under my command will stay in our camp and await their attack." (MC)
"What if they don't attack? Sultan Murad may be a drunk, but he's not a fool and only a fool will abandon a safe camp for an uncertain battle." (Saddat)
"I'll make him attack... but more on that later. I need to wash first, and there will be a conference in my tent tonight. Call all the commanders and officers." (MC)
After Saddata left, I called on two maids to help me wash up... my injured had only recently healed and I didn't want to take any chances.
In the evening, I explained the assumptions of my plan and appointed commanders. The army in the north was to be commanded by Khan's brother, Shahin Giray. Saddat would take command of the southern army, with Selim being his deputy. Each of the army numbered 50,000 people, and the remaining 100,000, along with all the Cossacks, were to be under my personal command.
"Remember. You are not to fight them, but provoke them. Fake attacks, do not let them sleep. Use only normal arrows at night, but during the day they may be burning. You will be issued a Greek fire for use." (MC)
"No, better surprise them with fire at night? When the whole camp is asleep." (Selim)
"Is fire more visible in the dark at night or in the bright day?" (MC)
"At night?" (Selim)
"Then why do you want to warn the enemy of the attack? The camp guards will see the fire and raise the alarm." (MC)
"Do you think this will force the Sultan to attack?" (Shahin Giray)
"Maybe, and if not, I still have civilian prisoners." (MC)