1453: Revival of Byzantium

Chapter 154: You Reap What You Sow

"There was war in heaven, Saint Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon fought Saint Michael and his angels, and prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven"

- The Book of Revelation(12:7-12), by John the Revelator of Patrmos

Surprisingly Tancred did not get angry at Antonius' sarcastic words referring him as a demon, he is too busy trying to figure out any potential weakness in Antonius that he can exploit.

However, Antonius will not give him the chance to lunge forward for a surprised attack with that blade of his. He stopped in a distance of around forty meters away from this Norman man, and continued commenting in a flaming tone.

"What an inconvenience that I never bring a butcher's knife with me today"

"Why? Your profession is a butcher?"

"No, no, no." Antonius clapped loudly as he laughs cheerfully like he is chit chatting with an old friend. "I am saying, it is a pity that I never brought along a butcher's knife, so that I cannot butcher you like a filthy sordid animal and dispose your carcass onto the street to be stepped and spitted upon by all the innocent people you have slain Hahahaha."

The uneasy calmness within Tancred is shattered again by Antonius' provoking words as his veins came protruding out of his neck and hands from anger. Without any further thinking, Tancred raised his head roaring. "I shall kill you!" And charged forward towards Antonius.

However, the sudden instinct inside Tancred's martial head alarmed him of an impending threat, but it is already too late. Out of a sudden, the windows on the residential buildings came wide open with dozens of crossbows and a few strange bronze tubes reflecting the moon light on the metal plating shining into Tancred's eyes. Alarmed, Tancred hurriedly tried to take evasive actions.

But it is too late.

A burst of arrows are fired from the windows directly towards Tancred, mostly bouncing off his plate armour but still some bolts managed to find its way into a relatively weaker defended area on the armour forcing a penetration deep down into Tancred's skin tissues and muscles, the sheer elastic force of the bolt scrapped Tancred's muscles making him fall onto the ground uncontrollably.

Now he has to watch his own blood gushing out of his armour with him choking on the ground with his own blood in his throat.

But its not done yet.

The gunners finally finished loading the black powder in their swivel guns and lit the detonator, the burning fuse slowly became like a prolonged death sentence for Tancred as he continued waiting his incoming death in agony choking in his blood just like those town folks he has just massacred.

The Norman Crusaders at the back, recovered from the shock, are immediately enraged feeling that the commander of the Greeks just disrespected their honourable request for a duel. They roared battle cries and pushed towards Antonius and his formations. Just then, a series of loud banging sounds that are like rolling thunders covering over the roars of the Norman Crusaders, it is the swivel guns.

A few rounds of metallic round shots came soaring out of the black barrel straight towards Tancred smacking his plate armour and his bones, finally ending his breathe together with his sinful life.

Along with the swivel guns, the cannons placed on the ships anchored in the harbour also started firing. The Norman Crusaders tilts their heads while charging after hearing an ear defeating echo from the sea waters that sounds like the anguished angry cries of the God of sea, though they never saw God, instead the next second giant metal round shells came searing through the thin air, then before anyone realises what is going to happen next, the shells arrived smacking onto the charging Crusaders, appearing in a way that seems like it has just teleported its way through the void with God's speed.

The cannon balls, non explosive of course, smacked itself through the Crusader's head or torso without the victim feeling even a single inch of pain in their brain, if their brain is still there intact on the neck that is. Actually, even with the head gone, some Crusaders continued staggering for a few steps before finally collapsing on the ground freaking the hell out of their pals.

The round cannon balls did not just stop there, it continued to bounce and roll powered by the potential energy creating a few more victims in this process. The shelling became so terrifying that the charging Crusaders halted in their paths feeling that their souls have been just soaked out by the imaginable power of these bouncing mettalic shells. They have seen this sort of stuff, Canna as they call it in Latin, back in the battles and walls of cities and fortresses of Sicily, but they are certainly not expecting a round of cannon shot from the sea as according to common minds of simple town folks at this time, mounting such a weapon on a Galley with a slim wooden structure would crumble on itself. However, miracles happened for the Greeks, they some how managed to fire a round of cannon shots from their war galleys docked in the harbours at a superb distance that many found unbelievable, and still cause such an impact.

Antonius might have started a new era of naval warfare unintentional.

Seeing the impact of the shelling on the Crusaders creating such a wide spread panic that it creeped the freak out of the Norman rogues making them halt while charging, Antonius understood something. He once again had a greater recognition of Abdullah's advice; Recruit not only people who can fight wielding a blade, but also fancy specialised people who can read a script, write a scribble, hammer an iron, draw a diagram, design a building, farm more crops, innovate an invention. Although these people cannot be put into combat, but the things they contribute, is far more useful than a simple warrior.

The tide of Norman Crusaders slowly fell back, and Antonius walked forward stopping before what is remaining of Tancred and squatted down smiling.

"How does it feel now? You certainly did not expect you, a lord, noble and knight, will end up like this right? You know what, I did wonder that when you are riding around in your that pretty white horse spilling blood of men, women, kids, and elderlies, did you ever thought about yourself? I have a word of advice for you If you can still here it"

"You reap what you sow."