Inside the Sultan's court in Constantinople, Mehmed II listened grimly to Mahmud's report.
The devastating defeat outside Giurgiu had caused the Rumelia Corps to lose over twenty thousand troops before the decisive battle.
Even with Mahmud's best efforts to salvage the situation, gathering stragglers during the retreat and conscripting many able-bodied men along the way, the Rumelia Corps' strength was still greatly diminished, with only forty thousand soldiers remaining, and especially its main force, the cavalry, reduced to only a few thousand.
This completely nullified Mehmed II's original strategic plan of preemptively seizing Wallachia to force the Crusade into the Balkan Mountains.
He would now have to risk a major strategic confrontation with the main force of the Crusade.
It wasn't that he was afraid, but in this scenario, the Ottoman Empire would inevitably endure a fierce battle, and the empire, which had not yet recovered its vitality, would likely be further burdened.
At that point, the empire would have to slow its pace of expansion, which was unacceptable to the ambitious Sultan.
"I am willing to accept any punishment you deem fit, Your Majesty," Mahmud said, disheartened, his usually proud head bowed low. He had already foreseen his execution by the enraged Sultan.
The courtiers in the palace all held their breath for Mahmud. Mahmud, who had once achieved great merits, would now lose everything due to a major defeat.
Unexpectedly, Mehmed II remained calm and said indifferently, "Mahmud, you have brought me a great defeat, causing my army to lose men and suffer losses. I should have taken your life to comfort the souls of the fallen soldiers.
However, you once saved me at Belgrade and also saved the empire's army, so I spare you from death. Though you are spared from death, you cannot escape punishment. I hereby strip you of all your positions and appoint you as the commander of the Rumelia Corps. You shall continue to serve me under this burden of guilt until the day your sins and disgrace are washed away."
Mahmud's eyes widened. He hadn't expected that the magnanimous Sultan would still be willing to give him a chance to atone for his sins. He immediately replied with excitement and fervor, "Thank you for your clemency, Your Majesty! Thank you, Your Majesty! Next time, I will surely bring you victory!"
Mehmed II nodded slightly, then dismissed everyone and returned to the war room in the palace, stopping in thought before a large map.
Mahmud was a rare military talent. Replacing a commander on the eve of battle would undoubtedly shake morale, and for now, there was no better commander to lead the Rumelia Corps.
That Janos defeated Mahmud was another reason why Mehmed was not furious and did not execute Mahmud.
Like Mahmud, he had also failed to see through the trap Janos had set for the Ottoman army, rashly ordering a forced attack on Wallachia, which led to this disastrous defeat.
After news of the front-line defeat arrived, Mehmed II began to reflect on why he had repeatedly suffered setbacks at the hands of the veteran Janos.
Finally, Mehmed II concluded that the Ottoman Empire's national strength was still slightly insufficient. Facing the combined might of Austria and Hungary, although it held some advantages, it could not achieve a complete victory.
The Crusade was coming fiercely, and he had learned of their gathering in Hungary through his spies long ago.
The disastrous defeat at Giurgiu immediately made Mehmed II realize that these European enemies intended to march from Wallachia towards Constantinople.
The Crusade had two options for attacking the Ottoman Empire from Wallachia.
One was to advance towards Sofia, capture it, and then march east to attack Constantinople.
The second was to directly cross the Danube River and advance east to the Black Sea coast, then march south to attack Constantinople.
He immediately ruled out the first route. The reason was simple: this route had many strongholds, and some roads were rugged and difficult to travel. These Europeans would certainly seek a quick victory.
That left only the second possibility. On the second route, there were no heavily guarded fortresses, and the terrain was flat, suitable for large army movements.
Mehmed II's gaze was fixed on a certain point on the map, which was precisely on the Black Sea coast. It was the perfect burial ground he had chosen for the infidels.
However, there was still one pressing issue to resolve—the Anatolia Corps had been slow to transport to the European continent. Without the help of this elite corps, no matter how formidable he was, he couldn't withstand the massive Crusade.
Some infidel ships frequently came near the strait to spy. The Anatolia Corps was still assembling, and most of its troops had not yet crossed the strait, yet the threat of the infidel fleet to the strait was increasing daily.
After suffering a major defeat, Mehmed II could not accept the strait being cut off by the enemy. He had to ensure his army could fully assemble; only then would he have the leverage to engage the Crusade in the final decisive battle.
Mehmed II was not a rigid person; on the contrary, his mind was flexible. To achieve his goals, he didn't mind using any means.
Just then, a Attendant reported that the Sultan's diplomat had successfully returned from the West and was now requesting an audience with the Sultan.
Soon, an Ottoman diplomat from Serbia came before Mehmed II.
"How did the negotiations go?"
"The Venetians are very satisfied with this deal. They urgently hope that the Emperor in Vienna suffers a terrible defeat on the battlefield, preferably dying there, so they promised that as long as they get Thessaloniki, and the safety of Athens and Negroponte is guaranteed, along with the trade privileges we grant, they will absolutely not go to war with us."
"Very good, you may leave."
After the diplomat left, Mehmed II finally let out a sigh of relief, the heavy pressure in his chest finally easing somewhat.
Inside the Doge's Palace in Venice, Doge Francesca and the members of the Council of Ten were discussing the Crusade.
Originally, the Venetians, who would not rise early without profit, did not want to get involved in this boring holy war. They preferred to watch their two powerful arch-enemies, Austria and the Ottoman, fight like dogs, ideally both suffering heavy losses, so Venice could seize the opportunity to gain more benefits.
Later, the war with Milan became a stalemate. Just then, the Pope, on condition that Venice join the Crusade, agreed to intervene in negotiations to help Venice gain more benefits.
Francesca agreed to this deal.
However, that damned young Emperor in Vienna suddenly intervened, and the Pope and the Emperor, balancing each other, both withdrew from the negotiations. In subsequent negotiations, the Duchy of Milan regained Brescia and Bergamo.
This incident made Francesca hate Laszlo to the extreme and intended to withdraw from the Crusade.
At this point, the Pope again offered him great benefits, promising that once victory was achieved, large tracts of Greek land would be given to Venice, and also bribed the Venetians with large sums of money, finally convincing Venice to send its fleet to assist the Crusade.
However, not long ago, they also signed a secret treaty with the Ottomans in Athens.
Since the Ottomans broke through the Venetian-defended Thessaloniki in 1430 and massacred its inhabitants, the two nations had been arch-enemies for many years. Yet this time, these two arch-enemies had, against all odds, united.
Mehmed II needed to ensure maritime safety so that the Ottoman Empire could exert its maximum strength against the infidel invasion.
Francesca, on the other hand, worried that after the Ottoman Empire's defeat, the Holy Roman Empire would no longer be restrained, thereby threatening Venice's independence and security. So he planned to let the Ottomans concentrate all their strength to fight the Emperor. Regardless of who won or lost, it would be a profitable deal for Venice.
Moreover, Venice could seize this excellent opportunity to extort the Ottomans. The excellent port of Thessaloniki was the Ottomans's payment to them. Without doing anything, Venice recovered the territory lost decades ago—the East Roman Emperor had entrusted the Venetians to help defend this city, and they had tried their best to protect Thessaloniki, but ultimately failed to hold it.
Now the Eastern Roman Empire had been destroyed, yet they had, as if in a joke, recovered the city.
"The Portuguese fleet has reached the Adriatic Sea. Are we really going to abide by the secret treaty with the Ottomans?" A voice of doubt emerged from the Council of Ten.
"Of course! We absolutely must not let the young Emperor in Vienna easily win the Crusade," Francesca replied decisively.
"Let the two young men fight and kill each other," one Council of Ten member said. "We will continue to make huge profits by utilizing the Eastern trade privileges!"
Another laughed, "Who would have thought that the combined age of two people who decide the fate of the continent is less than that of any adult here? If they were a bit more mature, they wouldn't be so foolish as to try to end everything with war."
Of course, some also looked worried: "If the Emperor truly wins this war, what will become of us as betrayers?"
Someone retorted, "We and the one in Vienna have been mortal enemies from the beginning, so how can there be any talk of betrayers?"
Francesca looked relaxed. Seeing him being mysterious, everyone couldn't help but ask, "Does the Doge perhaps have a way to deal with the Empire's threat?"
Francesca smiled slightly and answered their doubts, "The French King's envoy sought me out not long ago, hoping to conclude a long-term military alliance with our country. They promised that if the Emperor's army sets foot on Venetian territory, they will immediately send troops to support our country."
These words made the few worried members of the Council of Ten also relax their expressions, joining the others in celebrating this great diplomatic victory.