Siege Warfare

Next, the two sides entered into a prolonged standoff.

Mahmud II had once ascended the throne before Murad II's death, but unfortunately, he had achieved very little. Many ministers had criticized him as impulsive and childish, incapable of governing the state.

Yet after ascending the throne for a second time, this young monarch who had grown up in Murad II's shadow seemed reborn from the ashes. He no longer rushed for quick success, instead patiently and methodically building his siege camp.

An endless stream of supplies flowed into the great camp, transformed into enormous siege engines that could be seen clearly even from the towering towers of the Theodosian Walls.

Countless conscripted laborers and pack animals praised the sacred fire as they hauled massive siege cannons, placing them in artillery positions under the engineers' command.

Meanwhile, the defenders atop the walls could only watch helplessly as the enemy grew stronger by the day. Their once-soaring morale began to decline with time.

"This man really is troublesome. He was clearly so incompetent during his first reign, yet only a few years later, he has completely transformed?"

Lothar muttered under his breath, his gaze seeming to cross several thousand meters of obstacles to see Mahmud II personally drafting plans inside his tent.

Though Constantinople had declined, that did not mean its importance had diminished. Looking west toward Europe and east toward Asia, commanding the Aegean Sea and the Black Sea—once the Ottomans took this place, it would not be long before she regained the splendor of the Empress of the Cities, becoming the head of a vast empire and a world-renowned center of wealth and taxation.

Setting aside those tangible practical benefits, taking Constantinople also represented tremendous prestige.

The prophet of Zoroastrianism had once foretold that the monarch who conquered Constantinople would