In the first week of December, the Crusader offensive began to noticeably decrease.
Every day, Laszlo would wake up in his tent to meet with envoys from various camps, dispatched to request a temporary halt to the siege operations.
The initial resistance to the long and brutal siege warfare among the Imperial Princes quickly spread, until all the armies in the allied forces responsible for attacking the southern section of the walls developed some reluctance towards a direct assault.
As some of them put it, they were not intimidated by the Ottomans, unwilling to approach the walls of Constantinople again; rather, they did not wish to continue squandering the strength of the Crusaders in battles that yielded minimal results for immense sacrifices.
However, some commanders still firmly supported Laszlo, such as King of Naples Fernando, and the commanders of the Austrian vassal armies; their stance was clearly much firmer than that of the Imperial Princes who were forced into action.
Although most army commanders had no objection to continuing the assault on Constantinople, the war-weariness among the lower ranks was gradually accumulating, a fact that could not be ignored.
Thus, on the first Sunday of December, Laszlo chose to convene a large-scale military meeting in the main camp.
Apart from the Italian Crusaders and auxiliary forces still in Galata on the north bank, awaiting instructions, all army commanders outside the theodosian walls were summoned to the Roman Emperor's tent.
"Gentlemen, I know that war is cruel, and heavy casualties are unavoidable," Laszlo's gaze swept over the generals with their varied expressions, "Fourty thousand volunteers from Hungary have suffered approximately a sixth in losses, and over a thousand brave warriors who traveled long distances from the Empire to the walls of Constantinople have left their lives on its ramparts.
And many devout believers from Northern Italy and the Balkans have also sacrificed their lives for this holy war."
The atmosphere in the tent gradually grew solemn, and this cruel topic immediately resonated with the generals.
"Your Majesty, they have gained glory in the holy war, their souls have been redeemed and have escaped the worldly degradation."
Cardinal Francesco, the spiritual guide of the Crusaders, then took the floor, intending to use this classic rhetoric to soothe the Roman Emperor's sentimental heart, and at the same time allow the army commanders to unburden themselves, fighting valiantly for the great goal of expelling the infidels.
"God will grant them eternal peace. And what we, the living, must do is not to betray their sacrifice."
Laszlo's tone shifted, and he tapped the table, urging the generals to perk up.
"In the continuous battles of the past few weeks, the strength of the Ottomans has been constantly depleted, and the walls have become increasingly fragile. We have captured Galata, allowing the fleet to enter the Golden Horn, continuously threatening the Ottomans' flank and rear.
Now Constantinople has completely become an isolated city, and the Ottoman defenders within are exhausted and unable to receive any reinforcements.
This means it is time for us to launch the final general offensive."
As soon as these words were uttered, a fierce discussion immediately broke out at the meeting, but these discussions quickly subsided.
Almost all the generals were not surprised by the Roman Emperor's decision, and they were well aware of the supply situation of their troops. Wintering outside the walls of Constantinople would undoubtedly be a huge challenge for the Crusaders.
Therefore, the wisest choice at the moment was to take advantage of the relatively ample time they still had and try every means to capture Constantinople.
As long as the city could be breached, all the previous sacrifices would be worth it.
Seeing that not a single person raised doubts or objections, Laszlo nodded with satisfaction.
Those who questioned his decision to continuously assault Constantinople were concerned that prolonged attrition would constantly deplete the strength of the Crusaders and their own forces.
They were not particularly averse to attempting a general offensive; on the contrary, this decision, which could very likely end the long torment, received the support of most generals, including themselves.
At this moment, a burst of cannon fire echoed outside the tent, like a death knell for Constantinople.
The artillery continued to destroy the walls and the defenders' will to resist, while also boosting the morale of the Crusaders.
"Three days from now, on December 12th, all armies must be ready to launch a full-scale assault on Constantinople at the appointed time. The northern section will be commanded by Paul, leading the Hungarian army, primarily attacking the blachernae walls. The central section will be personally commanded by me, attacking the vulnerable Gate of Charisius. The southern section will be commanded by King of Naples Fernando, to disperse and tie down as many of the defenders as possible.
Our fleet has already completely surrounded Constantinople by sea, and they will also participate in this great decisive battle, alleviating our pressure."
Laszlo made the arrangements, then added after a moment of thought.
"According to ancient tradition, after the city falls, God's warriors are allowed three days of free plunder.
Convey my exact words to every soldier under your command. I swear in the name of God, our ancestors, and future generations, that all the wealth of Constantinople will be fairly distributed to every warrior who participates in this great battle, and all of us will share in this glory."
It is unclear who started it, but the generals applauded one after another, and some even let out a few cheers.
Since the Roman Emperor had made such a promise, the generals no longer procrastinated. They quickly returned to their respective camps, informed their soldiers of the news, and then demanded that they make the most complete preparations for the siege.
Upon hearing that they would have the opportunity to get rich after the city fell, there was a joyous uproar in all the camps. The soldiers praised the Roman Emperor's name and immediately threw themselves into siege preparations.
Some soldiers maintained vigilance at positions near the walls, constantly guarding against an Ottoman counterattack.
More soldiers remained in the siege camps, either building more effective siege engines under the direction of engineers, or sitting by their tents preparing their weapons and armor.
The Roman Emperor, surrounded by his guard knights, rode around inspecting the various siege camps, praising the great achievements of the Hungarian army in resisting the Ottomans over the past decades in their camp, and reminding the armies of the Balkan vassal states of their bitter past of being oppressed by the Ottomans, stirring up their anger.
To the brave warriors who had come from the Empire, Austria, and Naples, Laszlo highly praised their devout faith and promised them the honor, land, and wealth they craved after the holy war.
It must be said that Cardinal Francesco's speech was truly well-written; not to mention the uncultured soldiers, even Laszlo, the Roman Emperor, felt his heart surge after reading it.
It was no wonder that he had taught at several renowned universities in Northern Italy and was praised for his extensive knowledge.
With his assistance, Laszlo's pre-war mobilization was successfully completed.
Loud cheers and shouts echoed through the Crusader camps, audible even to the Ottomans inside the city.
In the past, they would shout "There is no god but Allah" outside the city to intimidate the Eastern Romans within. Now, the Crusaders shouted "Deus vult (In the name of God)," which also had a significant impact on the Ottoman defenders inside the city.
On the tower of the Gate of Charisius, Bayezid looked at the brightly lit Crusader camps outside the city, his heart heavy.
Recently, the frequency of Crusader attacks had decreased, and he had thought it was a sign that the Crusaders were unable to bear the heavy losses or had logistical problems, and would soon retreat. But now it seemed he had underestimated his opponents.
Just then, Ja'far rushed over, reporting a message with a worried expression.
"Your Highness, our guards on the Sea Walls of the Sea of Marmara have observed a large number of enemy ships sailing from the southeast. These ships are cruising in the waters near the Sea Walls, seemingly looking for opportunities to attack the walls at any time.
Now the defensive pressure on the Sea Walls has doubled, and the commander there is requesting reinforcements from you.
I believe the enemy's general offensive should arrive very soon."
"We now only have a little over ten thousand troops to defend the long theodosian walls, and the number of reserves has fallen to a dangerous level. We cannot disperse our forces any further."
Bayezid let out a helpless sigh.
Constantinople's geographical advantage meant that the city was almost impregnable when naval supremacy was maintained. However, once naval supremacy was lost, the defenders would be in great trouble.
Both the theodosian walls and the Golden Horn Sea Walls were over five kilometers long, and he felt that a force of over ten thousand men was barely enough to defend them.
Although the Sea Walls of the Sea of Marmara were more fortified, they stretched for nearly nine kilometers, and the two thousand weakest troops he had assigned there would find it difficult to achieve comprehensive defense.
If the Crusader Fleet had not launched a major offensive from that direction before, the Sea Walls might have already been breached.
Now, the situation was very different.
All Crusader ships had departed from their temporary anchorage, and the raiding of the Asia Minor coast had been called off. All ships serving the Crusaders, whether large or small, were required to carry siege ladders and deploy in the Golden Horn and across the Sea of Marmara, attempting to land and attack the walls at any possible location.
Even though this plan had previously been proven difficult to execute, Laszlo still chose to settle for a secondary option, using a large number of ships in a feint attack to tie down as many Ottoman defenders as possible on the Sea Walls, thereby minimizing the obstacles his army would face when attacking the theodosian walls.
"Dispatch another thousand men from the Golden Horn to reinforce the Sea Walls of the Sea of Marmara. We absolutely cannot afford any lapses in our rear."
"At this point, that's all we can do."
Ja'far immediately set off to carry out this decision.
They had already conscripted all able-bodied men in the city who could assist in its defense into the army, but Constantinople's population was already dwindling, and the previous relocation of the capital had caused a large number of people who had originally moved there to be taken to Bursa on the opposite bank. So now they had no reserves left.
With Constantinople's meager population of around forty thousand, coupled with the Jihad warriors gathered from various parts of the Ottoman Empire, it was already quite remarkable that they had held out for over two months against a land and sea siege by an army of one hundred thousand.
At this point, they could only hope that the Crusaders would suffer setbacks in the upcoming battle, then retreat in disarray, lifting the siege of Constantinople.
Otherwise, the city's fate was almost certainly sealed.
Thinking of this, Bayezid's gaze involuntarily turned eastward. His father had lost the courage to confront the Roman Emperor directly, pushing him to bear all this. It was truly shameful.
In any case, Mehmed II had done his utmost to strengthen Constantinople's defenses, but unfortunately, the current Ottoman Empire, while in decline, also faced pressure from multiple directions, making its situation extremely difficult.
Bayezid could understand his father's hardships, but that did not prevent him from hating his father.
As night fell, the young Prince quickly put away his chaotic thoughts.
He looked at the distant Crusader camps, where torches were planted everywhere, illuminating the camp as if it were daytime.
The defenders on the walls initially thought a fire had broken out in the siege camps outside the city. They gathered, intending to watch the tragic spectacle of the fire, but when they truly realized the actual situation, many began to tremble, feeling despair.
The Crusader warriors were not celebrating all night; they were racing against time to make their final siege preparations.
Bayezid immediately ordered the soldiers to light torches on the walls as well. Some units were organized to repair the walls damaged by artillery during the day, and other defenders were arranged to set up more obstacles and dig a trench outside the walls.
Since it was confirmed that the Crusaders were about to launch a general offensive, he certainly could not sit idly by.
Even if Constantinople was destined to fall, he would make the Roman Emperor and the Crusaders pay a heavy price.
The greater the losses the Crusaders suffered here, the smaller the chance of invasion in Anatolia.
Bayezid knew the true state of the Ottoman Empire better than anyone. Once Constantinople fell, the only forces left to defend Asia Minor would be his father's elite Janissaries and some auxiliary troops.
Speaking of the Janissaries, Bayezid's gaze turned to the unit stationed near his command post that had not yet entered the battle.
His younger brother, Mustafa, had received a Janissary battle group called the "Wolves of Konya" after the Battle of Konya, while he, Bayezid, had gained the allegiance of the Twenty-Fourth Battle Group even earlier, a group now named "Bayezid's Left Hand."
This elite force of over a thousand men was his last trump card, and Bayezid would not use them lightly until the final moment arrived.
Amidst the fervent preparations of both sides, time slowly passed.
On the morning of the 12th, after two hours and a total of five rounds of artillery preparation, the heavy horns began to drift over the Crusader camps, formally announcing the start of an unprecedented decisive battle.
In the past few months, even on the most urgent day of the Crusader attack, the forces Laszlo mobilized never exceeded 20,000.
This was partly limited by the width of the battlefield, and partly to distribute the offensive tasks more scientifically, allowing the Crusaders to rest fully while the defenders inside the city were constantly exhausted.
However, in this attack, almost all active Crusader warriors, from emperors to laborers, participated.
A large number of auxiliary soldiers were pushed onto the battlefield as the first wave of consumables; no one expected them to break through the defenders' lines. The main purpose of these auxiliary troops was to deplete the defenders' strength and stamina.
At this pre-arranged moment, a spectacular sight of a thousand sails racing was unfolding on the sea outside Constantinople.
The Ottomans who were constantly stationed by the strait to observe the situation were greatly frightened by the massive fleet.
They could only see the iconic red cross emblem and white sails of the Genoese, with several imposing carracks at the core, surrounded by numerous smaller boats that had arrived upon hearing the news, forming a vast naval battle group.
These ships were laden with sailors, volunteers, and even pirates eager to make a fortune, all wanting a share in the siege of Constantinople.
In the southeastern part of Constantinople, in the middle section of the Sea Walls of the Sea of Marmara, Doria was leading over a dozen Genoese main warships with dozens of accompanying light warships, cruising in the nearby waters.
The attack on the Golden Horn was jointly carried out by the Austrians and the Portuguese, while he was assigned to attack the Sea Walls of the Sea of Marmara with Naples and other maritime forces.
This long stretch of walls, in Doria's view, was full of vulnerabilities. The Ottomans simply did not have enough troops to defend its eight-kilometer length.
At the northeastern corner of Constantinople, where the two sea walls met, was the focus of the Ottoman defense.
On the other side, near the theodosian walls, there were also many defenders guarding against threats from the land to the west.
This made the long middle section of the sea walls inevitably appear somewhat empty.
After a quick reconnaissance and assessment, Doria quickly selected an attack point.
"Give the signal! All ships full speed ahead towards land! The enemy's defense here is very weak. Take the walls before they realize what's happening!"
Doria urged frantically. The sailors immediately hoisted full sails, using the cloudy sea breeze to slowly guide the warships towards the sea walls.
Seeing this, the surrounding warships followed suit, and some faster, more agile ships even approached the shore ahead of them.
The Sea Walls of the Sea of Marmara were built close to the coastline, so the ships were subjected to long-range attacks before they even got close to the walls. Fortunately, this caused no casualties.
As the ships docked, the sailors and warriors from the smaller boats carried pre-prepared siege ladders and crept towards the nearby walls.
Meanwhile, on the docked carracks, brave men strained to lay heavy, thick wooden planks onto the edge of the walls, forming a bridge between the masts and the walls.
Then, Doria drew his sword, let out a battle cry, and led his officers and soldiers to charge at the scattered resistance of the defenders on the walls.
Enemy reinforcements would arrive soon. Before that, they had to take this section of the walls and secure this foothold; the subsequent battle would be much easier.
As the Crusader soldiers swarmed onto the walls, the surprised Ottomans were quickly overwhelmed and retreated from the sea walls. Simultaneously, more and more ships began to dock nearby, and a large number of warriors climbed the walls through various means, engaging in fierce combat with the Ottoman defenders who soon arrived as reinforcements.
A similar scene unfolded at the Golden Horn Sea Walls. After prolonged bombardment, many sections of the sea walls had suffered irreparable damage.
Under such favorable conditions, the Italian army stationed in Galata and the reinforcements sent by the Emperor, aboard the Crusader Fleet's ships, began to land at the previously selected locations.
Unlike the Sea Walls of the Sea of Marmara, where initial resistance was weak, Bayezid had deployed a considerable number of troops here. Therefore, the Crusaders met extremely stubborn resistance as soon as they landed.
The Crusader ships near the shore began to suppress the walls with artillery and various other siege weapons mounted on the vessels, hoping to reduce casualties for the assault troops.
The distance of several tens of meters from the shore to the walls seemed short but was fraught with danger.
The Ottoman defenders had set up numerous obstacles below the sea walls, and many archers and musketeers guarded the walls, firing fiercely from above at the Crusaders rushing towards the walls.
Arrows and bullets rained down like a storm on the beach crowded with Crusader landing forces, mercilessly harvesting the lives of the attackers.
However, this did not dampen the enthusiasm of the attacking forces. More and more sailors and auxiliary soldiers charged forward, one after another, towards the single-layered sea walls, which appeared to be the weakest point of defense.
At the junction of the Golden Horn Sea Walls and the blachernae walls, the main force of the northern Crusaders landed.
William, the commander of the Italian Crusaders, personally led the charge, leaping from a galley carrying dozens of soldiers. Dressed in conspicuous armor, he shouted loudly, encouraging his soldiers to climb the walls.
Driven by hatred for infidels and a desire for wealth, honor, and status, soldiers from all corners of the world launched a fearless assault on the walls.
Just a few hundred meters away, on the other side, where the blachernae walls connected with the theodosian walls, Paul Kinizsi commanded the Hungarian army to launch a new wave of assault on the already breached walls.
Vizier Ja'far Pasha, who was personally leading the defense of the northern section of the walls, had just commanded his troops to repel the fierce initial assault of the auxiliary soldiers and was about to order his men to gather materials to repair the sections of the walls destroyed by artillery when another round of horn calls from outside the city suddenly interrupted him.
He saw another large wave of Hungarians charging towards the blachernae walls, which stood on the hillside.
As this wave of troops approached, Ja'far recognized their banners: they were the elite Buda Legion of the Kingdom of Hungary, which had left a deep impression on Ja'far during their encounters over the past few months.
With these few thousand troops at its core, supplemented by a large number of frenzied auxiliary soldiers, another offensive quickly arrived.
At the famous breach, where it was said the Fourth Crusade and the Ottoman army had once broken through the defenders' lines, the Hungarian general Bátori personally came to the front line, leading his most elite troops to repeatedly contend with the Ottomans at the breach.
This was the most intense area of combat. Outside the ancient imperial palace of the Eastern Roman Empire, the main forces of both Christians and Muslims were concentrated here, making their final contest for the city's ultimate fate.
Bátori knocked down a Turk who was trying to ambush him from behind with a short spear, and seeing his head shatter like a melon, he couldn't help but let out a roar full of battle passion.
Inspired by this scene, the surrounding guards also burst forth with greater passion, constantly charging into the third layer of walls.
They could already glimpse the spire of the Blachernae Palace, which made them even more excited.
These professional soldiers from Hungary, along with the auxiliary troops accompanying them, imagined that the ancient palace contained vast treasures for them to plunder.
These imagined, illusory treasures seemed to awaken the primal nomadic desire for urban wealth in their Magyar blood.
Just like the Turks who desperately tried to break through Constantinople back then, they too were deceived by the shiny appearance of this "Red Apple."
To a large extent, the city they imagined as overflowing with riches did not actually exist.
Its interior had long since rotted away, and the immensely wealthy Constantinople described by the Emperor had been plundered by the Crusaders two and a half centuries earlier.
Its mythical wealth and various rare treasures were lost in the catastrophe of 1204; a portion went to the Norman knights, and another portion was taken by the Venetians.
After another round of scavenging and plundering by the Ottomans, Constantinople became even more impoverished. Its most valuable asset was its populace, half of whom were Christians and the other half Muslims who had later settled there. Many others were voluntarily or involuntarily relocated to Asia Minor to avoid the impending siege.
However, these circumstances were unknown to the Crusader soldiers who were launching wave after wave of fierce attacks on the walls.
Their only thought now was to break through the damned Ottoman defenses, kill them all, and then rush into the city to enjoy the glory and rewards befitting victors.
As Bátori and his men reached the fourth, and final, wall of Blachernae, they saw some oddly dressed Ottoman soldiers.
They wore hats similar to those often worn by Islamic dervishes, and some soldiers even had small wooden spoons attached to the front of their hat brims. These men wore thick woolen garments, paired with armor covering parts of their bodies, looking distinctly Persian.
Veterans familiar with the Ottoman military system almost immediately recognized these men as the Janissaries.
Just as the Hungarians outside the city were preparing to set up ladders to attack the final obstacle, the Janissaries on the walls picked up their muskets and crossbows. They precisely picked off Hungarian soldiers approaching the walls; people were constantly hit and fell, some still able to let out painful wails, but most were killed with a single shot.
Even though he knew in his heart that their chances of breaking through the fourth wall were slim, Bátori still decided to push forward regardless.
After all, they had already reached the foot of the famous Palace of the Porphyrogenitus; how could they easily give up just because a formidable enemy stood in their way?
While a bloody battle raged at Blachernae, an intense decisive battle was also unfolding on the middle section of the walls near the St. Romanus Gate.
"In the name of Christ, kill these infidels and reclaim what is ours!"
By the filled-in moat, Laszlo, clad in exquisite plate armor crafted by Milanese masters, brandished his longsword, surrounded by his guards, shouting to encourage the soldiers who were constantly rushing past him towards the breach in the walls, urging them to fight bravely.
The double-headed eagle banner, symbolizing the Emperor's majesty, along with a series of various other banners, stood firm less than a hundred meters from the walls, making every Crusader warrior who saw these banners and the Emperor himself on the front line feel their blood boil.
Everywhere on the outer wall, fierce fighting had broken out. Some soldiers climbed the wall, only a few meters high, using ladders, then engaged in close combat with the defenders. Other soldiers climbed through the breaches blasted open by artillery, attempting to pour into the outer wall. The Ottomans naturally tried every means to prevent the Crusaders from breaking through their defenses.
"Your Majesty, it's too dangerous here. Please return to the main camp."
The Cardinal and the Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller, who were accompanying the Emperor, both advised him with lingering fear. Just now, several cannonballs fired from the inner wall had landed near them; if the trajectory had been slightly off, perhaps all of them would be lying on the ground by now.
"Let me stand with my soldiers until the final victory."
According to his usual custom, Laszlo should have readily agreed at this point, but this time he shook his head, refusing the request to withdraw to a safe area.
His two most elite armies, the Austro-Hungarian Army and Bohemia, had already been committed to the battle. Even the laborers assigned as logistics personnel had been distributed weapons and some simple armor and brought to the battlefield.
Instead of staying in an empty camp, he preferred to personally come to the front line to supervise the battle.
The Ottomans had clearly noticed his presence, and thus had been continuously targeting him with ranged weapons since earlier.
However, the outer wall had now become a scene of close-quarters combat, and the Ottoman archers on the inner wall, due to the long distance, could hardly pose any substantial threat to him and those around him, which gradually emboldened him.
Seeing that they could not persuade the Emperor, his companions could only helplessly choose to continue following him, while the guards held up sturdy shields, doing their best to protect the Emperor's safety.
On the outer wall, the brutal slaughter continued. Several greatswordsmen, covered by their comrades, struggled to break into the tower above the St. Romanus Gate.
They swung their longswords, parrying the short spears and sharp blades constantly thrusting at them, looking for opportunities when the enemy exposed weaknesses due to fatigue, and with one strike could end the lives of one or even several enemies.
Blood soaked their armor, but these professionally trained sword masters were oblivious, covering their flag-bearing comrades as they fought their way to the top of the tower.
As the crescent banner was pulled down and casually thrown from the battlements, a war banner—half Austrian red and white stripes, the other half Hungarian Árpád red and green stripes—was planted on the top of the outer wall's tower.
The defenders of the inner wall immediately opened a side gate and sallied forth to try and reclaim the tower captured by the Crusaders. However, they soon encountered resistance from more Crusader warriors. Before they could reclaim the tower, three more towers were also adorned with the Emperor's banner.
This immediately greatly boosted the morale of the Crusaders, who had been in a bitter struggle, and they gradually gained the upper hand during several hours of fierce fighting.