The December night was terrifyingly cold, and darkness enveloped everything.
Even with torches lit, it was hard to see more than a few meters away. Archers couldn't draw their bows, matchlock fuses sputtered out, and infantry shivered, barely able to grip their weapons.
However, the current situation was that the Crusaders occupied the outer walls, while the Ottoman defenders held the inner walls. Only about twenty meters separated the two sides, making it impossible to stop and rest. The battle continued late into the night.
During this time, the morale of the Ottoman defenders steadily plummeted. They couldn't ascertain how many enemies had poured into the city from the sea walls, cutting off their retreat. Fighting had ceased in the direction of the Blachernae Palace to the north, and they had no idea what the situation was there.
They might even have to thank the Crusaders before them for keeping them constantly engaged in battle, which largely suppressed the spread of rumors. However, many already knew that the Crusaders had breached the walls from the Golden Horn.
The thought that their retreat might have already been cut off by Crusaders who had entered the city made some long to turn and flee.
But the Crusaders in front of them continuously erected ladders, attempting to scale the inner walls, posing an even greater threat.
The Ottoman defenders on the walls resisted desperately, while the Crusaders below had a clear objective.
Since they could no longer make out the situation on the walls, they began to try scaling the walls everywhere. Such actions were quite dangerous in the dark.
The command system had completely lost its effectiveness; instead, the junior officers and veterans became the core driving force for executing tactical objectives.
With the battle reaching this point, all Crusader warriors possessed a strong desire and determination to attack, not only because they believed they would receive generous rewards after the city fell, but also because they had already paid a huge price. If they stopped attacking now, they would have to abandon the outer walls they had already taken, and an entire day's effort and sacrifice would be in vain.
Victory was now within reach, and no one would willingly give up.
The exhaustion of a day of bloody fighting had been replaced by numbness. Driven by those around them, soldiers continuously climbed the ladders. Many Crusader warriors had already seized opportunities during the defenders' lapses in attention to climb onto the walls, securing precious footholds for their comrades behind them.
As night deepened, the shouts of battle on the walls were incessant. In the pitch-black world, one could still see many warriors holding torches in one hand and wielding weapons in the other.
Sometimes, even distinguishing between friend and foe became incredibly difficult.
Laszlo now somewhat regretted not having created a unified identifier for the Crusader warriors. A white surcoat with a red cross emblem, or even a simple white cloth strip tied to the arm—any of these methods would have worked, but now it was useless to talk about them.
Just as the battle reached a stalemate, by whose shrewd command it was unknown, a unit of Ottoman defenders stealthily slipped out through a small gate and swiftly launched a surprise attack on the outer walls, attempting to recapture one of the outer wall gates and flank the Crusaders from behind.
Initially, the surprise attack did achieve some effect; they almost recaptured the main gate of the outer wall directly opposite the St. Romanus Gate. However, the Crusader troops responsible for guard duty, who arrived shortly after, quickly repelled their assault.
The Crusader warriors fiercely pursued these Ottomans who were retreating into the city and, in one fell swoop, charged into the inner walls.
Fierce fighting erupted at the gate, and the numerically superior Crusaders eventually seized control of this small gate.
Subsequently, more Crusader warriors were called to this gate and poured into the city from there, completely unnoticed by the Ottomans.
Not only the Ottomans, but even Laszlo himself, who was fighting off weariness and constantly monitoring the battle, received no news and noticed no change in the situation.
He was now filled with some regret, worrying if he would lose all his troops here.
If such a sacrifice could indeed take Constantinople, it wouldn't be too bad a loss. But the greatest fear was that even with such a massive sacrifice, this formidable city might still not be taken.
Even though Laszlo knew that being indecisive was meaningless, the darkness before him made him feel lost, even causing his mind to go blank for a few moments.
From the firing slit of the tower, Laszlo could see almost nothing, except for the scattered torchlights on the opposite wall, and of course, the incessant roars, wails, and shouts.
He decided to stop looking and instead began pacing back and forth in the narrow space. It was then that he noticed the Cardinal beside him, trembling all over, eyes closed, muttering to himself.
Cardinal Francesco's voice was very soft, so much so that Laszlo couldn't quite hear what he was muttering about, probably something from the Bible.
"Francesco, are you afraid?"
Laszlo chuckled and asked casually.
"I am merely invigorated, esteemed Emperor, to think that I can enjoy such an honor, witnessing this historic moment with you."
The Cardinal's tone barely concealed his excitement, clearly showing his deep trust in the power of the Crusaders, a trust that perhaps even surpassed Laszlo's.
"A historic moment... Indeed," Laszlo nodded slightly, "As long as Constantinople is taken, the power of the infidels will be completely driven from the continent, and I will not have failed my mission."
The Ottomans were fierce and tenacious enemies, and their leader, Mehmed II, possessed an extraordinary ambition to establish a world empire, both secular and religious.
He had declared long ago that there could only be one empire, one faith, and one monarch in the world.
Regrettably, this empire would not be the Ottoman Empire, nor would this faith be Islam, because Laszlo shared almost the same ideals as him.
However, Laszlo's vision was much broader than Mehmed's; he knew the world was vast, with many unexplored lands beyond Europe.
Therefore, the world empire he wished to realize was a true world empire, not merely confined to the Mediterranean and Rome.
But he still held the title of Roman Emperor; if he could restore the former glory of Rome, that would be quite good.
All of this would begin with the recovery of Constantinople.
"I believe that you and the Crusaders are blessed by Christ and will surely achieve ultimate victory. Before that, please allow me to pray for you and your brave warriors."
After speaking, Francesco returned to his previous state.
In the past sixty years, this Cardinal had also experienced years of war; his native Genoa was a country plagued by misfortune, often coveted by foreign monarchs.
But none of the wars he had experienced were as thrilling and grand in scale as this holy war.
This even inspired the respected Cardinal to consider writing a chronicle.
If his friend Doukas were still alive, Cardinal Francesco would have preferred to entrust that professional chronicler to write a work. The conquest that led to the fall of the Eastern Roman Empire was described very well by Doukas; although he did not personally experience that war, many details he described were utterly convincing.
Alas, a few years ago, after a Genoese stronghold was captured by the Ottomans, Doukas suffered a terrible fate along with the city's defenders.
The Ottomans had promised not to behead those who surrendered, so after the defenders surrendered, the Ottomans cut these poor fellows in half at the waist, which could be said to be keeping their word.
Fortunately, Doukas's abruptly ended posthumous work was found and published by the Venetians, and people thus learned the specific circumstances of the Eastern Roman Empire's destruction.
Francesco wanted to emulate his writing style and produce another chronicle, to record this campaign of reconquering Constantinople and to document the decline of the Ottoman Empire.
The "Turks," once regarded as cruel adversaries, would likely no longer have the opportunity to threaten Christendom after this battle.
From this perspective, everyone should thank the Emperor.
"The Ottoman resistance is still very stubborn. That St. Romanus Gate... has it been opened?"
Laszlo stared dumbfounded as the nearby gate creaked open, then slowly swung open to the expectant gazes of the Crusader warriors outside.
With a loud shout from the leading knight, a large number of Crusaders poured through the gate, breaching the heavily fortified inner walls.
They were ferocious, cutting down all enemies who stood in their way.
By the time Prince Bayezid, who was leading his personal guards to resist the Crusader siege, realized what was happening, the St. Romanus Gate and the Fifth Military Gate had both been forcibly opened. Now, even some Crusaders were attempting to open the Gate of Charisius and attack the main Ottoman defensive camp there.
Another great fire, accompanied by the commotion created by fighting within the city not far away, completely shattered the already exhausted Ottoman defenders, plunging them into chaos.
Many fled the walls under the cover of night, running through the streets into the city, seeking refuge in villages, monasteries, or mosques along the way, but most were refused.
They could only continue running deeper into the city, crossing the Walls of Constantine, then the Walls of Byzantium, returning to the "prosperous city" that had not yet been engulfed by war.
Those confused defenders who remained around the walls suffered a brutal blow. Within minutes, thousands poured into the inner walls. They climbed the gatehouses, engaging in fierce combat with the defenders on the walls and in the towers.
In the pitch-black night, people constantly met their tragic end by sword. Only a crescent moon in the sky illuminated the burning city of Constantinople.
In the midst of the chaos, whether attacker or defender, there was no longer any possibility of coordination between different units. Everyone focused on the immediate enemy, the stronghold, taking a brief breath after one battle, then immediately plunging into the next.
Unaware of how many comrades they had lost, and seeing only gate after gate and tower after tower being captured, the morale of the Crusader warriors was even higher than in the evening. They firmly believed that victory was at hand, and indeed it was.
No one had expected that the blachernae walls, initially thought to be breached first, would hold out the longest. Although the Crusaders had committed nearly fifty thousand troops here, the Ottoman defenders on the Theodosian Walls had also concentrated more than half of their forces there, ultimately creating a stalemate.
However, other parts of the walls, due to insufficient troops, had defensive gaps, and now the central section of the walls was nearing complete collapse.
When the morning sun rose the next day, Laszlo looked up and saw the double-headed eagle flags planted atop a dozen nearby towers.
Although they were all the yellow-backed black double-headed eagles of the Holy Roman Empire, their placement here was undeniably fitting.
Not far south of the St. Romanus Gate, there was a permanently sealed Second Military Gate. The Eastern Roman Emperor of that time, having heard a prophecy that the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I, "Red Beard," would enter Constantinople through that gate, ordered it sealed.
Later, the gate was unsealed, but during the Ottoman siege, it was again permanently sealed and has not been reopened since.
Laszlo planned to have that gate opened after everything settled. He would enter Constantinople through there, and then rename the city. "Imperial Gate" would do nicely.
As Laszlo was still lost in thought, Giovanni, the Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller, covered in dust and blood, rushed to the Emperor's side.
"Your Majesty, the Ottoman defenders on the inner walls have scattered. They are now retreating into the city. There are still several thousand enemy troops on the northern section of the walls, and they also seem to intend to withdraw into the city. However, the Hungarian army has launched a new round of attacks on the blachernae walls, and the enemy is now in a dilemma."
"Hmm, how are the warriors?" Laszlo asked.
"Most of the warriors are very tired now; they are unable to pursue the enemy. However, a portion of the warriors who did not participate in the night battle still retain ample fighting strength." Giovanni had guarded outside the tower for a night with dozens of Knights Hospitaller, repelling Ottoman surprise attacks alongside the Emperor's guards, and was now also exhausted.
Nevertheless, he faithfully carried out his duties, acting as an advisor and assisting the Emperor in commanding the army.
He hoped he had shown enough sincerity to the Emperor, so that it would be easier to advocate for the interests of the Knights Hospitaller in the future.
"Organize the warriors who can still fight and send them to the northern section of the walls to help the Hungarian army breach the blachernae walls and occupy the Blachernae Palace. The rest of the troops will rest in place, then advance into the city," Laszlo ordered.
"Yes, Emperor."
As the Crusaders began to move, the Ottoman defenders did not sit idly by.
After confirming the failure of the counterattack on the Golden Horn sea walls, Bayezid immediately dispatched messengers to the Blachernae Palace to recall Ja'far Khan and his troops.
The Theodosian Walls had fallen; continuing to defend the walls would be tantamount to suicide.
After taking stock of his forces, Bayezid found that he had only a few hundred men left by his side, so he led them directly eastward.
There lay the main city of Constantinople, protected by the ancient Byzantine Walls.
The only forces he could still contact were those organizing defenses in the direction of the sea walls and those still holding out beyond the Blachernae Palace. Although these two forces still retained considerable strength, facing the overwhelming Crusader army, Bayezid held no hope for their fate.