1453: Revival of Byzantium

Chapter 247: Again

"They came on in the same old way, and we sent them back in the same old way."

-        Napoleon and Wellington, Roberts, Andrew

With the Varangians of Antonius suddenly joining in to the battle, the Ottomans who previously still can hold their defenses met a force they cannot with stand. The entire Ottoman army organisation and chains of command is entirely shattered under the iron fist of Antonius, breaking them in to numerous smaller portions giving them a taste of what Julian endured through getting surrounded and encircled by massive number of enemies. And judging from their shouts ins desperate and agony, that definitely does not taste good. 

The five hundred strong Varangians rushed in to this small fortress slaughtering every single Ottoman defender who dares to resist with their battle axes seizing control of the gates, while a thousand armed sailors got overboard and landed on the port side rushing in to the city of Thessaloniki taking control of the walls and posterns, and the last five hundred armed sailors laid siege to the final Ottoman outpost of Acropole and Heptagyrgion. Feeling desperate that after so long not a single reinforcement has arrived, the remaining defenders now knows that they have been abandoned by their lords, and thus willingly surrendered with the request that they can go back to Edirne after handling over the remaining fortress. 

Antonius agreed. 

And finally, on the twenty first of July, year 1454, for the very first time Antonius expanded his forces on to the main land Balkans acquiring a valuable foot hold on the seas, officially joining in the messy political situation in the ancient lands of Greece.

Antonius waited outside the city taking care of the situation first, making sure that there are no more huss and hustles on going inside these walls restoring peace and orders, he knows that in this kind of mess all evil thoughts in the minds are now released with their hearts gone completely rogue. Thefts and robbery are only the minimal these rogues with out the grip of laws are capable of doing, smashing and vandalizing is now a norm, and the extreme ones goes committing murder. 

"Calvaries, go in to the city, if you see any one committing any acts of robbing, murdering, and vandalizing, do not hesitate with your blade." 

"Yes, admiral." 

Hearing this Alexios went up and asked feeling worried about this piece of order. "Admiral, isn't this order a little bit harsh? I mean, for murderers of course we need to deal with them on the spot, but for robbers and vandals Isn't killing them a little too much?" 

"You don't understand, Alexios." Anjelo answered on Antonius' behalf. "It is just like what happens after a flood, or a rogue tidal wave, or a great fire Have you experienced these things before?" 

"Nope." 

"These natural disasters only form the first wave of damage which is usually minimal as people have all ran away. Usually, it is the after effects that forms the most amount of defacement to the society, with maggots, rats, fleas and cats crawling around spreading diseases, eating men's crops deforming the entire place killing countless people in the years to come, just like these people."

"Anjelo is right." Antonius nodded on horse back and continued. "They are like a bunch of tumor, if we do not pluck them out and remove them now, they shall become the rats and cats of the society for years to come causing a generation of destruction and a deep scar in the history of this city, and instead of spending our valuable Ducats maintaining a high law enforcement force in the city in the future, we find out who they are now, and we deal with them like a barber surgeon."

"I see." Alexios nodded thinking about some thing in his head."

"Admiral!" Yuri came shouting towards Antonius from a far. "The city is ready for you to enter!"

Antonius smirked tilting his head to the pals on his back. "Lets go, we got to have our grand price in our supreme image."

"Yes! Admiral!" The rest of the men giggled and followed, riding in to the still fuming city.

Before entering Antonius scrutinised these marbled walls and fortress defences, feeling the city's toughness and long run of history with his hands as he touched the rough surfaces of these bricks, and awed standing right below these walls. "This is almost just like another Constantinople!" He exclaimed in shock. "I did not see it clear enough just now, and it is only with the sun light I can take a full examination of these defences, indeed a majestic creation by those Greek architects of the antiquity."

"We would have never or take a severe amount of casualty if we are to lay siege to this city by direct confrontation." Anjelo too remarked with a stern face."

"But now, it is ours, admiral." Alexios rolled his eyes and applauded for Antonius grinning. "With your superb intelligence we managed to capture it with out any difficulties, and now it is time for our enemies to have a taste of the city's toughness. If, that is, they can ever approach this city with that puny army they have."

Antonius laughed out loud and continued riding his mount forward.

Anjelo followed behind bypassing Alexios and murmured emotionlessly. "Flattering coax."

Alexios startled for a moment, then quickly he clenched his bridles with his vein popping up, though on his face he kept that flattering grin.

Just as Antonius approached the gate of the city, he halted and asked. "I remember that according to the laws set by Basileus Justinian, that when an imperial subject enters the Basileus' possessions like Thessaloniki, Anthenia, and Constantinople, it is a must for the subject to get off his mount and walk right?"

Alexios replied in a dismissive manner. "Yes, admiral, but I don't think you need to care about this law, Basileus Justinian won't jump out of his coffin in the Church of the Holy Apostles coming over and find you even if you breach it, further more, you are the true ruler of this city, not that Basileus seating in Constantinople."

"We need to." Antonius jumped down his horse massaging his mount's manes. "Since we are pretending to be the Basileus' army coming here to supposedly liberate them from the Ottoman rule embracing them back in to the empire, we better behave like one to be more convincing Anjelo, tell the men to fly the flag of double headed eagle and the Basileus' purple banner, and take the cross of Chi Rho out of the ware house, remember to wipe it clean of the dust making it appear like new." 

"Yes, admiral." Anjelo rode off with the servants back to the ships docked at the port side to find these things among the spider cob webs in the storage that they never touched for almost an entire year.

Antonius followed the ancient traditions and laws a Roman general is supposed to do, in front of the eyes of the citizens from Thessaloniki waiting in lines in front of the city, the admiral first got off the horse, took off his helmet wearing the purple cloak given by the Basileus. Behind him flies the flags of the Double headed Eagle and the yellow flag representing the Orthodox church. With a face of solemn Antonius walked straight towards the gate of Romania, in a distance away his sailors blowing the goat horns of war giving this entire scenery a scared feeling.

The army of Antonius marched through the gate in to the main street, with Antonius and sixteen riders who alighted from their horses too in front forming a triangle, the towering strapping Varangian Leviathans parading behind carrying their signature axes, marines behind holding their round shields and Kilij swords, followed closely by the archers and crossbow shooters donning Roman colours, and lastly the plain sailors waving their cutlass poking the arse of the sky and clamouring out their old pirate rhythms.

The admiral Antonius smiled and waved at the people standing at the side of the streets, but strangely though not a lot of people cheered and clapped for him this time unlike the other old Roman cites he have taken. Feeling puzzled Antonius took a glance around the crowd, and there he found a bold senior citizen, most probably in the early sixties of age, squatting there weeping and trying to cleanse the corner of his eyes with his sleeves.

Being puzzled and curios Antonius walked towards the senior citizen and enquired in a tone as soothing as possible. "Hey mister, why are you shedding your tears? Aren't this day a day of rejoice? Did my man do any thing wrong?"

"You did nothing wrong sir." The senior forced a smile on his face. "It is just that I have not seen Roman colours and Basileus' flag flying in the city ever since thirty years ago, and when I think about my parents, brothers, and my sons who are either enslaved or killed by the Ottomans, I simply could not control my emotions"

" It is so good to see the double headed eagle flag hanging in the city again."