Ok. You understand, these people to send to the storm - it means destroying destiny. Therefore, their task will include siege work, in particular, the cordon of all approaches to the monastery. Just work on the forces, and the risk of dying a little with this outfit. Now a very important question is - do you have a plan for the monastery, the location of walls, towers, rooms and other things?
- There is, quite detailed, made up at the last repair, but why do you need it?
" In order to break down the walls less. "By the way, what kind of doors are there in the interior?
- Pine, because the lungs and rot are bad.
- Excellent. Will you help me with a dozen oak trunks? It is necessary to make small rams, so as not to interfere in the assault. I think the guys after breaking through the fortifications of the wall will start to keep the defenses in the inner chambers, where the ballista will not be able to use.
- Sound idea. There will be rams for you, we'll do it ourselves. How many people do?
- Six do small, four, three for eight, one for sixteen people.
CopyThen you can go to the port of Daphne, where they will place your ships with ship crews, and start the siege. Tomorrow we will receive the hegumen, whom we will appoint to command the militia. And get a card in the port, now it is not with you, and you can deliver it to your arrival.
Ok. Thank you for your help, Father. And, John, I'm glad that I have taken away my grief and come back to life. Eric smiled.
- Well, cunning. - The patriarch slapped him lightly on the shoulder and smiled with a kind look.
" And what, you want to watch how you dropped your hands after the fall of Constantinople? "No, it's beyond my strength. - Having said this, the prince again smiled with the most kind smile and, turning around, went towards the ships. There was a big deal to do - taking a fortified monastery.
In the evening, after Eric was placed in the courtyard, which the monks had allotted him, a patriarch, hegumen, and another clergyman arrived, who was well informed about the structure of the monastery, as he supervised repairs there. We settled for the map. It was necessary to plan the work of assault detachments - from the breakdown of the outer perimeter, to the sequential seizure of premises. Monks for the first time faced such a scrupulous elaboration of the details, and so they were surprised, but they did their best to help. They worked all night, at dawn, went to the site in order to assess the heights and compare the plan with the realities of the area. The prince spent about ten minutes silently examining the monastery in the telescope, after passing the pipe to the patriarch and offered to assess the level of equipment of the monks. John only groaned and gasped as he inspected the posts and patrols.
FROMEric, where did they get all this from?
- Apparently from the same place, where the instructions come from. Innocent has a very solid budget. Probably, it was supposed that I was going to crash here and start everything. Something tells me about the presence of even more curious surprises in this monastery.
"Do you think he's well prepared for the siege? "
'Certainly. Therefore, it must be taken by storm. Because if we delay, our beloved person from Rome can easily declare them illuminated by the light of the martyrs of God who are heroically dying from heretics. As a countermeasure, it is necessary to start distributing in the parishes a version that comrades blaspheme not only the patriarch, but also the pope and come up with some believable bike. But you need to invent something that will come Innocent on the callus and he will not be able to speak in their support.
" That's a good idea. "We will immediately proceed to implement it. When will you begin the assault?
" In two or three days. "We need to process these comrades. I heard that you have a vast farm in the monasteries, are there any leaves there last year, straw and chicken droppings?
- Of course, but why do you need it? The guys feel too sure of these strong walls. We need to remind them that their way to the infernal brazier will soon come to the finale. Why are you looking at me with such surprise? Eric smiled. - Chicken droppings are diluted with water, adding three servings of water to one portion of the litter. From last year's fallen leaves and straw we make here such balls. True they will have to be dragged down, so that they are more or less stable form. In the center of each ball we put a stone so that it can be thrown. After soaking the balls in a prepared solution and drying. You can dry it on a clay oven. Prepared in this way the balls are ignited and we throw on the territory of the monastery in large numbers.
And what will it do?
- The smoke. A lot of smoke. If you maintain a certain rate of shelling with such shells, then you can envelop the whole monastery with thick smoke and keep it at a level for a couple of days. This will greatly weaken the guys who have settled there. I almost forgot - in these balls still need to add a little wool for a puffing flavor.
- And how will you throw them there?
- Let's make a few small trebuches. Incidentally, Ignatius, "he said to the abbot leading over the militia of the monks," take me one hundred and twenty people, more fat. " You see that rock with a small plateau. They will be accommodated there, today bows will be delivered from ships, so that they can immediately begin shelling the monastery.
"But they do not know how to shoot! "
" They will not go to the monastery? "They will be divided into three shifts for forty people. Each shift will shoot at the monastery on schedule - a third shoots, two-thirds rest. This will allow them to shoot around the clock. How much time do you need to recruit people?
"I think I manage for two hours. "
Excellent! As you gather people, push them to the port, they will be armed and loaded with ammunition. And we can only wait and continue to conduct preparatory siege events.
At midnight on the same day, monks with bows began a systematic and unhurried bombardment of the monastery. The distant cordon and external patrols were made by their brethren assigned to the hegumen Ignatius, and the immediate military shields were organized by the forces of the prince in the immediate vicinity of the monastery. And not just barriers, but fortified ones, with a palisade and observation towers, which were made of wood. On the morning of the third day, a couple of miniature trebuches were built, however, they could not prepare the smoke ammunition for them yet. Only in the evening of the fourth day they began firing smoke bombs. By morning the whole monastery was hidden in thick smoke. On the sixth day of this very simple and tedious methodological activity, disinfecting the territory, stopped casting smoke bombs. On the early morning of the seventh day, an assault was scheduled. All the troops of the prince were defeated in assault columns and knew not only all their tasks and the route, but also the plan of the monastery. And now, with the first rays of the sun on the gate earned ballista. On the fourth shot one of the doors lost contact with the hinges and collapsed into the yard. Immediately after that, the artillery moved the point of fire to a well-located tower outside the gate, where, most likely, there was a well-targeted fortress crossbow. And then not one. After the second volley through the tower, the soldiers moved into the gate, forming a dense column and shields. Neither on the walls, nor in the courtyard, no one resisted them, so they decided to proceed further according to plan. They acted quite simply. A group of warriors in brigantines took a hand ram and started to beat the gate. The remaining soldiers stood to the right and left of the gate. After knocking out this improvised obstacle, the battering ram group retreated back, giving way to the shield guardians, who covered themselves with large shields - the pavis first entered the interior of the room. They were followed by arrows with crossbows. In the inner chambers, resistance was nevertheless met, but very sluggish. These monks were absolutely awful - greenish faces, big black circles under the eyes, eyes yellow. Until the hand-to hand they did not finish, they had accurate and accurate shots from crossbows. At such a distance, they were not rescued by chain mail, helmets, or shields. The bolt that hit the face came out from the back of the helmet. The progress was slow enough, as literally every door was not only locked, but also backed from the back with a log. Often I had to resort to a large ram. However, by lunchtime the whole of the ground part of the monastery was taken, and the remaining defenders took shelter in the basements. There was organized the last line of defense with several heavy cross-country crossbows, which almost at point-blank punched for the flight of the armor that stood at the end of a small corridor. Having lost one sergeant, Eric decided to go the other way. From the trebuchet they brought clay camp vessels with alcohol. Having knocked down one of them and found that there remained a gram of two hundred, he stuffed a few dilapidated rags into it and, after waiting for the matter to soak up alcohol, set fire to it, and flung a hand from around the corner toward the crossbows that had settled. Judging by the cries, he achieved the desired effect. Therefore, he ordered three more sergeants to roll into the corridor with a roll and shoot from the floor in the calculation of the fortress crossbows. But it was unnecessary. Those who were dressed in their cassocks flamed like torches and did not pay attention to the enemy. They did not even spend bolts on them - breaking through their swords. Discharging dangerous toys, the troops began to move forward. Before them was, judging by the plan of the monastery, the last room, which has not yet been taken. Big hall. How many people there are unknown, like the presence of heavy crossbows. The door turned out to be very strong, we had to carry a large battering ram, however, it still succumbed. Behind her was a man of fifteen with spears, standing so that any incoming came under attack from several fighters. Among them were two men in expensive armor. After giving the necessary instructions, Eric watched as one after another fell monks, struck in the face of powerful crossbow from a short distance, in the end there were only these two. The prince himself came out to them and, catching their hands a synchronous blow to the chest, pressed their spears under their armpits. His people did not lose their heads and very quickly fell in and twisted these comrades. As expected - it was the rector Savvas and his assistant Meletios. They were awaited by the very terrible and fascinating fate of a long torture interrogation.