According to frontline reports, Attica Legion is only six miles away from Karak Fortress, and the scout troops from both sides are entangled.
At this time, Mamluk noticed the movement of the Eastern Roman Empire's army and was hastily adjusting its formation.
Romanus asked the messenger, "Where are the enemy's New Army, cavalry, and artillery?"
The messenger gasped from exhaustion and said intermittently, "I don't know, the situation outside Karak Fortress is chaotic, with dust and mist raised by horses running everywhere. When I left, the enemy's artillery had not yet completed its deployment."
At the end of lunch time, Romanus led the main force to Karak Fortress.
At one o'clock in the afternoon, the moment the marching column passed through a creek and stepped onto the land on the southeast bank, the atmosphere suddenly became solemn, and the roar of artillery in the distance could be vaguely heard.
Attica Legion once again sent a messenger. They took advantage of the enemy's chaotic dispatch and stormed the hilly area northeast of Karak Fortress. The battle went smoothly.
"Is this going to start a fight?"
Romanus ordered the entire army to spread out in formation and advance slowly through the harvested wheat fields. The autumn day was high, the breeze was blowing, and many small gray-yellow debris was raised in the air.
After the Mamluk army arrived, the local residents fled and all the nearby wheat fields were harvested by soldiers sent by Sultan.
The soldiers' harvesting techniques were very rough, and the height of the wheat stubble was uneven. Some wheat straws were up to the ankles, and short ones were almost touching the ground. Some wheat straws were simply uprooted and turned over on the ridges with dry clods of soil. The wheat ears were scattered everywhere, glowing dimly golden in the sun. Suddenly, Romanus saw a group of cavalry running past in the distance. The formation was scattered, as if they had lost a battle.
Judging from the plate and chain armor they were uniformly equipped with, these were the headquarters cavalry of Mamluk, not the conscripted troops from the Levant region.
He pointed the telescope to the south and could see Karak Fortress and Outwork two hundred steps away.
On the west side of the fortress is a large low-lying area with soft soil, covered with a lot of newly harvested wheat straw, and three temporary roads were temporarily laid. If you look carefully, you can also see a gun truck stuck in the mud.
On the east side of the fortress are rolling hills, which are currently in a state of tension. Attica Legion is attacking a certain hill, trying to reach the south of the hill and attack the enemy's rear camp.
"Where is Sultan?"
Romanus has been observing for a long time, but has never found the flag of Sultan himself. Moreover, the intensity of the enemy's resistance is very low. It is said to be a hundred thousand troops, but it can't do anything to one Attica Legion and four thousand auxiliary troops.
Could it be said that the enemy's main force is ambushing in a certain position, waiting for an opportunity to launch a surprise attack?
Romanus chose a relatively safe method, sending cavalry to cover the rear of the Attica Legion, while the remaining troops attacked the enemy camp on the north side of the fortress.
What confused him even more was that the camp on the north side of the fortress was poorly defended and fell in less than half an hour.
"There is no ambush here. Where is the enemy's main force?"
... The trench on the north side of the fortress is shallow, with only two Parallel Trench, which are used to prevent the defenders from escaping.
Amid the cheers of the Karak Fortress defenders, Romanus led a group of officers past these Parallel Trench and successfully entered the interior of the fortress.
He climbed the stone steps to the top of the city wall. The space here was wide enough for two four-wheeled carriages to pass side by side.
Soon, Romanus arrived at the southern city wall, which was continuously bombarded by artillery. Many battlements were destroyed, and dark red blood stains remained in some areas.
Looking out across the battlements, the southern suburbs of Karak Fortress are covered with trenches. Three Parallel Trenchs are connected to each other through numerous tortuous traffic trenches from near to far.
Six hundred steps away, the enemy dug more than 30 artillery positions. The calibers of the artillery were uniform, and they were all standard Siege Cannon produced by Venice.
Further away is the enemy camp. Mamluk is shrinking its troops and there are signs of withdrawal.
"The enemy wants to withdraw?"
Romanus wanted to send troops to pursue them, but there were trenches outside the city, making it difficult for the cavalry to pass. Moreover, there were more than thirty artillery pieces set up in the distance. As long as troops went out of the city to assemble, they would definitely incur their concentrated fire.
Reluctantly, Romanus sent troops to attack the hilly area on the east side. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Sultan fled with the New Army and most of the cavalry. Before leaving, he set fire to the southern suburbs camp.
"Why are you running so fast?"
Romanus is very clear that the enemy has also built fortifications on the border. After this battle, Sultan's main force has withdrawn to the southern border and can hold on for a long time. He is a little reluctant, but the realistic pressure is in front of him. Even if Roman Legion breaks through the border defense line, the enemy can continue to retreat and resist layer by layer.
The enemy has control of the sea and can easily obtain grain from Egypt.
In contrast, Eastern Roman Empire can only rely on land transportation for food, and the loss is too high.
In the military education Romanus received, logistics occupied a large space. When Cilicia was attacked, Vitus deliberately sent him to the logistics department to familiarize himself with this aspect of work.
According to his speculation, in the absence of sea transportation, the expedition force that we can maintain does not exceed 20,000.
Hearing the crown prince's soliloquy, an officer from Karak Fortress whispered, "The coastal area of Levant is suitable for farming. The army can collect food along the way, which can alleviate some of the logistical pressure."
Romanus: "Mamluk's military discipline is lax. Going north from Sinai Peninsula, we must give priority to collecting food and livestock from the areas along the way. The enemy has searched it in advance, how could he leave food to us?"
Without food, everything is impossible, and this border conflict will most likely be over.
After the war, Romanus compiled information from various ministries and reported the news to Constantinople.
At the end of the report, Romanus asked to stay at Anatolia for a while. If the border war subsides, he plans to go to the coastal areas to eliminate the mercenaries who are looting everywhere, hoping to accumulate some combat experience.
September 20, Blachernae Palace, Cabinet. Minister of the Navy is reciting the memorial of Fabius, which is a request to take the initiative to fight in the winter.
After a year of entanglement, Fabius became familiar with the details of the enemy. In fact, the gap in naval strength between the two sides was not as big as imagined.
In winter, the sea conditions in the Mediterranean Sea are harsh, and severe weather such as storms and heavy rains occur frequently, which is not conducive to the navigation of small and medium-sized ships.
The freeboard of the Venice Galleass battleship is low, sea water can easily surge onto the deck, and its wind and wave resistance is obviously not as good as Double-Deck Warship and Cruiser. Their Galleass ship will be seriously affected when fighting in bad weather.
Fabius requested ten main warships. If the circumstances were right, he planned to launch a decisive naval battle to regain the entire Aegean Sea.
Venice has a long supply line and occupies many islands in the Aegean Sea. As long as Fabius leads the fleet out, Venice people must take the initiative to attack, without any room for retreat.