The cheers coming from Constantinople were like a loud slap on the face of Mahmud II, who had been sleepless outside the city all night, observing the battle situation.
The thoughts of the Ottoman high command varied, but no matter what they thought internally, they dared not show any emotion on their faces.
Last night's battle was virtually an all-out assault; the main force included not only the Janissaries, the elite troops, but also many of the Forbidden Guards whom Mahmud II had trained back when he was a governor in Anatolia.
Despite the ups and downs, the Greeks retreated steadily in the face of an overwhelming power disparity.
Just as the tide seemed to be turning, three ships from Rhodes Island entered the Golden Horn Bay, over a hundred Hospital Knights, and more than three hundred fresh Attendants landed as if divinely ordained, and astonishingly turned the tide of battle.
