1453: Revival of Byzantium

Chapter 320: The Economics Determines Outcome of War

"Even as the fingers of the two hands are equal, so are human beings equal to one another. No one has any right, nor any preference to claim over another. You are brothers."

-        The Great Prophet

However just as it seems that the situation shall not get any better drastic changes began to appear. 

First is that facing with severe economical failure and coinage deficit Sultan Orhan increased the tax rate of the people under his rule. But he definitely did not dare to collect taxes from those riches, land lords and regional influential figures fearing that they might rise up against his already fragile rule, and so most of the taxes became new burden on the shoulders of the peasants crippling their bitter lives. On top of that facing the increasing military activities, Sultan Orhan forced local villages to provide food and grains for his troops when ever they marched past this place, any one who does not comply shall be severely punished by the Sultan himself. 

Although Sultan Orhan might not have realised it, but after six rules of rule he has almost completely lost the heart and support of his own population. He who is born in a royal family with a golden spoon would have never knew how bitter the lives of people are and how vexatious his people feel being treated even worse than grass roots, their unseen fury is accumulating up day by day waiting for the perfect time to erupt suddenly like a volcano burying their pretender Sultan beneath. 

Zaganos Pasha, as a brilliant strategist too noticed this phenomenon going on within the people after interrogating a band of drafted peasants carrying supplies for Sultan Orhan, noticing this then he even dressed up as peasants going in to the mountain ranges with only a few guards beside him dispersing food with the surrounding villagers asking them gently and courteously on how do they think about the rule of Sultan, and indeed he got the answer that he expected, the rebellious mind of the people is already like a pot of boiling oil on the verge of getting inflamed. 

Keeping this piece of information in mind a plan started forming up in his mind. 

Zaganos Pasha dispatched a team of task force with almost no weapons in their hands but instead bags of coins, grains and other farming necessities in to the mountains finding the villagers and peasants trying to win their support with the things they have, and then marching off with half of his elite troops to the new Karamanid territory of Antalya, while half on stand by waiting in an approximate twenty one miles away from Antalya being able to reach the city in two day's times and join in any potential battle immediately after they arrive. 

Now the trap and the hunter are ready in position, it is now only the wait for the prey to bite the bait. 

Just as expected the Karamanids, busy with their own stand off with the Mamluk governor of Syria sent an urgent letter to Sultan Orhan almost ordering him to dispatch an army immediately to rescue his city. Orhan had no choice but to comply as his Sultanate now relies on these beys and pashas, if he don't agree his throne might again be unstable. And thus, he assembled his own army of thirty thousand troops, together with the levied forces from his subjects accounting for approximately forty thousand men marching off towards the city of Antalya along the mountains. 

Of course, Sultan Orhan kept his usual habit of allowing his troops to ransack the food of the passing by towns and villages for supplies with out any hesitation, with the total amount of looted goods this time getting even larger this time with the increase of combat troops things soon became even worse than any other times. Our dear Sultan Orhan did not realise any thing wrong about this, and neither did he realise the fume building up in these people's mind as they are whipped and slashed by the rogue solders while remaining utterly silent carrying on with their work. 

But Zaganos Pasha saw all of this inside his eyes, despite being hundreds of Roman miles away, and with the help of the people there is almost no fog of war before his eyes with the local rebellious people sending him information on the where abouts of the Sultan's army where ever they go. The people also used various techniques like dropping temporary poison in water bodies and upper streams, stealthily setting fire to the military tents, blowing horns in the middle of the night waking these tired soldiers up from their deep sleep, shooting one or two arrows, pushing down boulders and rocks when the troops of Sultan Orhan pass by these mountains. 

All of these greatly reduced the marching speed of Sultan Orhan's army making their speed drop from approximately ten plus Roman miles a day to an only six Roman miles per day, at the same time getting frustrated, famished and tired. Sultan Orhan too developed a pair of black eyes too from the assaults making him becoming even more frustrated towards these peasants, and hence unleashing his forces to prowl on to these men with even more cruel means of actions trying to scare them in to submission, but it only achieved the negative result forcing even more local people on to his opposite side starting to pass information to Zaganos Pasha, whom they see now as their liberator and savior through the continuous waves of propaganda war fare. 

Sultan Orhan did not know about this at all, no one ever told him. Though even if he knew about this he would not have made it like a big concern, because to an old noble like him, what can a bunch of peasants do to him? Raise up against him with some pitch forks and hoes? Ridiculous. 

Under the supervision of Zaganos Pasha the Sultan finally approached the front line to a distance less than fifteen Roman miles away from Zaganos, and with this Zaganos Pasha immediately laid off the siege on the city of Antalya giving the defenders a bit of breath turning to his back forming up in formations against the incoming threat, while sending waves of messengers to the various ambushing troops asking them to start acting immediately once the battle has began. 

The battle started on the twenty first of October, 1459 AD the battle that decides the future of Anatolia began, with Zaganos Pasha defending using only half of his troops initially against the full force of Sultan Orhan on all fronts, with the Karamanids still holding their defenses right behind Zaganos Pasha's position, making it seem like they have been encircled, surrounded and shall get eaten up piece by piece in to the stomach of the Sultan. 

However after two days the situation began to have an abrupt twist when the other segments of troops under Zaganos Pasha came out of their ambush spots, and under the guidance of local villagers they evaded the sight of Sultan Orhan's patrols striking right on to his supply route at the back blockading it off, while other segments moved out of the mountains blocking up major transit paths and roads preventing any reinforcements from arriving to aid the Pretender Sultan, who still has not a single clue on what has happened as all of these happened way too fast. 

It is only two days later when he received report on some thing might have been happening in the back, but when he sent scouts to have an organised patrol to find out it has already been way too late. Zaganos Pasha's forces, under the assistance of the locals and peasants, have fortified the area with simple barricades that are enough to hold off the reinforcements making a tough defensive stance. With horror Zaganos Pasha finally found out the hard truth that came striking down on to him like the rolling thunder of the mid summer, he has been surrounded. 

Thus the current situation is, the frontier troops of Zaganos Pasha surrounded the Karamanids in the city of Antalya, the reinforcement troops of Sultan Orhan surrounded the frontier troops of Zaganos Pasha, and then the ambush troops of Zaganos Pasha in turn surrounded the Sultan Orhan in the region by blockading major routes and paths. The entire battle field is like a massive sand which with enclaves and conclaves within each other. 

Being desperate after realizing the vital situation Sultan Orhan immediately ordered his troops to assault the surrounding foes wishing to break free of the death trap but are all to no avail with the barricades destroyed today repaired over night with the help of local villagers. After a few tries sticking here for a couple more days, Sultan Orhan knew that he has already been doomed being clue less on what the hell should he do next. 

His defeat is now inevitable, without any debate, only a matter of time.