The Khitan had co from the other end of the world, bringing his indomitable army with him.
This reminded Constantin XI about the prophesied Priest King, and the sight of the young man who looked so dashing that it didn’t seem humanly possible further reinforced his conjecture.
“Suna,” Constantin XI carefully asked. “You said that he’s a little out of it?”
The Augustus’ words were already euphemistic, as Shu Yichao looked like a thorough madman. Nevertheless, Constantin XI still invited him to the imperial palace, knowing that he could be the cornerstone of an important prophecy.
However, Shu Yichao’s behavior baffled the Romains.
He refused to walk properly on the road, opting instead to run and jump haphazardly. On top of that, he wouldn’t stop switching his weapons, swapping between his scimitar and bow at a rapid speed.
Any elevated platforms he saw along the way, he would leap onto it and brandish his sword around for god knows why.
Any objects he saw on the road, he would kick it while prancing about as if it was the most entertaining thing in the world…
Even at the banquet to welco him, he still leaped onto the table and pranced around, causing plates and cups to fall to the ground and shatter.
Who let this madman out?!
Constantin XI fell into a state of doubt.
“Your Majesty,” Madam Marti said, “he has been like this since I first saw him. It might be the Khitans’ culture.”
“…” Who are you kidding? Constantin XI doubted that.
In spite of Shu Yichao’s lack of respect, the Romain emperor didn’t lose his temper.
He knew that even though he was an emperor in na, he was actually a mayor that was on the verge of getting busted. There was no need for him to put on airs before his reinforcents.
It also helped that the ‘Khitans’ had been smashing money all over Constantinope.
The Grassland Horse Archers had been scattering money since entering the city, or more specifically, black pepper.
It was the black pepper, that was one of the few things worth more than gold!
Only the most high-end luxury stores sold such a commodity. Its sales were conducted behind closed doors, with appraisers carefully inspecting the commodity to check if there was anything wrong with the goods. That was how valuable it was!
Other than that, the ‘Khitans’ also brought silk, porcelan, salt… These were all top-tier goods!
Thanks to Shu Yichao, Constantin XI was able to fill their coffers and even compensate the rcenaries and the soldiers half a year's worth of salary, greatly boosting their morale.
Don’t hold back, insult us all you want with your money!
This was the stance the Romains had tacitly decided to take.
“How aningless.” Shu Yichao quickly lost his interest after prancing around Constantin XI’s palace.
He had no complaints about the production—the mod was highly lifelike and imrsive—but this final Roman emperor was dirt-poor.
The so-called imperial palace was shoddier than a third-rate villa.
Shu Yichao had found nothing of value in the entire palace. On top of that, their banquet used crude clay and wooden dishes and served bread stuffed with wooden shavings.
If this was how their banquets were, he shivered to imagine how the emperor spent his days.
As for the nobles and officials, they looked no different than countryside bumpkin. All of them looked to be on the verge of destitution.
“Let’s skip to the fights,” Shu Yichao mumbled as he pressed the fastforward button.
To others, it looked like the dashing Khitan youth was resting on the chair after venting his energy, so his guards, the Grassland Horse Archers, went to sleep too.
Till…
Clang clang clang!
It was barely daybreak, but urgent clangs reverberated throughout the city.
Countless Ottomain soldiers dressed in red were slowly marching across a vast grassland, heading in Constantinope’s direction. All of them wielded gleaming shamshirs and sharp spears.
Thousands of war steeds raked up clouds of dust.
The Ottomain’s army had begun to move under Sultana Momoana’s orders!
“Begin our defense deploynt right away.”
The Ottomain’s 200,000-n strong army was slow and bulky. It would be hours later before they were finally ready to begin their siege on Constantinope.
Constantin XI imdiately put their previously-discussed plans into action and began deploying their soldiers.
All able personnel had to contribute to the city’s defense in one way or another, whether it was reinforcing the city’s defenses, transporting essential resources, or forging equipnt.
Even so, the bulk of the pressure still fell on the 5000 to 6000-n strong army under Constantin XI’s command. This army mainly comprised Romains, rcenaries, and volunteers coming from different places.
The north of the western wall was a hilly terrain. He entrusted it to the rcenaries and the volunteers.
anwhile, Constantin XI personally supervised the defense of the center of the western wall, which was also the most important part of their defense strategy. As a mark of his determination, he raised the twin eagles flag there to declare that Romain’s Augustus would live and die with Constantinope.
While he was deploying the troops, Constantin XI suddenly noticed that sothing was amiss.
“Hmm…” He slowly looked across the room, eyeing each of his armored commanders. He failed to notice it earlier, but a group of people was conspicuously absent. “Where are the Khitans?”
This is an important military eting. They should at least send soone here even if they don’t understand our language.
“Uwa!”
“Ah!”
Shocked gasps suddenly echoed outside.
Seconds later, a ssenger drenched in cold sweat barged into the room. He tripped over his tongue multiple tis before he was finally able to utter sothing coherent.
“Your Majesty, those Khitans have l-l-left the city!”
“What?”
…
Outside Constantinope, Sultana Momoana galloped in front of the ferocious Ottomain army after her prayer, ready to make a rousing speech when Constantinope’s city gates suddenly opened.
It was such a bewildering turn of events that she didn’t know whether she should continue brandishing the shamshir in her hand or put it down.
What are the Romains doing? Are they surrendering?
Sultana Momoana was baffled.
A second later, an army of cavalryn galloped out of the city gates and ford a straight line, with their backs facing the city walls. It was baffling, but if one thing was clear, their enemies had no intention to surrender.
These arrogant pricks!
The Ottomain soldiers were dumbstruck, but soon, they trembled with fury. The heretics were being too arrogant!
They thought that those weaklings would be shivering behind their walls, fervently praying in vain for their fake god to protect them. Then, they, the warriors blessed by the real god, would siege their city, reap their lives, and plunder their fortune, trampling on their hopes with sneers.
Yet, those heretics dared to co out to confront them with so little people? Who do you think you are?!
Little did they know their enemies were more arrogant than they could have imagined.
After having his Grassland Horse Archers form a line against the wall, Shu Yichao galloped forward alone. Before the flabbergasted Ottomains and the horrified Romains, he arrogantly roared, “Terror cos! Quiver and quail!”
—
Starve’s Translation Notes:
Shu Yichao’s taunts co from fad ga characters in Romance of the Three Kingdoms. He’s fully imrsing himself into the role hahaha.
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