Just as Kerch was successfully relieved, the situation in the west became a tangled mess.
While the Genoa Army launched attacks on Yuzhne and Kerch, Carlo Merlo personally led over 2,500 elite soldiers to attack Olstyn, attempting to capture it as a bridgehead for besieging Crimea.
Yesterday, after the battle plan was formulated, according to Merlo's idea, Olstyn was the priority target, while the attack on Yuzhne was mainly a probe, and the attack on Kerch was second in priority.
If the probing attack failed, then these temporarily defeated troops would be allowed to support him as reinforcements, with his permission, and only if they still possessed fighting capability, or if they had an advantage, or if the battle was in a stalemate.
Simply put, Carlo Merlo's mercenary taxi soldiers were the strongest and most numerous in the entire mercenary group, and his attitude towards capturing Olstyn was one of absolute determination.
This put immense pressure on Theodoro's defenders; even though the various militia regiments stationed nearby quickly arrived to help Olstyn's defenders, the first line of defense was swiftly breached.
This process was so fast that they didn't even hold out until Mangup's elite regiments arrived.
By the time Army Commander Patniko personally led Mangup's elite regiments to Olstyn, the Genoa Army, led by Carlo, had already established a firm foothold on land.
Even so, Theodoro still had a chance to turn the tide.
After analyzing the situation, Patniko decisively ordered an attack, and the elite soldiers, led by Olgierdovich's Rus Heavy Axemen, under the cover of crossbowmen and firearms, indeed checked the Genoa Army's offensive.
Coupled with Theodoro's stable supply, as long as they could maintain a stable defense and hold the front line, dragging out the Genoa's explosive offensive until it weakened, then temporarily repelling the enemy was not impossible.
But the problem was that the Genoa Army was not isolated.
Upon learning that his younger brother Alberto Merlo had temporarily retreated, and that the Kerch offensive was proceeding relatively smoothly, Carlo Merlo quickly dispatched a messenger, instructing Alberto to lead most of his forces to support him.
By the afternoon, Patniko noticed that the enemy's offensive had slowed considerably and felt a sense of relief: "It seems we've weathered this storm; it looks like both sides are at the end of their ropes."
Ivan X3 and Peter X3, the Russian adjutants, who had relaxed slightly, also eased up upon seeing this.
Ivan even smiled at his colleague, saying, "When this war is won, I'll go back to my hometown to inherit my fief."
"Great, be sure to invite me to your home as a guest then."
Just then, Alberto Merlo arrived with nearly a thousand soldiers from Tana and Matrega to reinforce his brother.
After a brief rest, the reinforcements immediately plunged into the battlefield.
His arrival instantly changed the situation on the field; the nearly exhausted Theodoro Army was finally overrun by the Genoa Army, which had received reinforcements, and could no longer hold them back.
The two sides fought fiercely until dusk, ultimately ending with Theodoro abandoning over two thousand corpses and retreating in disarray.
The Genoa Army successfully occupied Olstyn and began to plunder and pillage under the command of Carlo Merlo.
The news of Olstyn's fall quickly reached Kaffa and Kerch, striking Manuel, who was in the palace rejoicing over today's beheading and capture of over 1,800 enemy soldiers, like a thunderbolt, almost causing him to crash.
He slowly came to his senses only after Badars and Barbara shook him.
"Olstyn has fallen. How could I have such a nightmare?" Manuel felt a strong sense of despondency, for he knew that if the Genoese were not out of their minds and marched directly to Mangup, Theodoro would be utterly finished.
Thinking further, today's casualty ratio wasn't good either; at least Manuel's Theodoro Army paid a total of nearly 2,000 casualties for those 1,800 enemy heads today.
If Tukharovsky hadn't led those Tatar cavalry into the fray, they might not have won.
Since the defeat at Olstyn was so severe, the battle losses at Mangup must be even more serious.
However, Manuel was not the only one in a bad mood; at the Olstyn barracks, Carlo Merlo read the reports from Alberto and Vargas, his forehead throbbing with visible veins.
"Vargas, are you saying that you not only failed in your attack on Kerch but also lost the lives of over 1,500 soldiers?"
"Yes, General," Vargas's face was covered in cold sweat.
"And you, Alberto. I thought the reason this time's reinforcements weren't as many as I expected was because you had allocated more to support Vargas, but it turns out... they were lost?"
"Brother, I'm sorry." Alberto trembled under his gaze.
"Because of you two, one lost over 300 men, and the other actually lost over 1,500 men! Together, nearly 1,800 men were lost, plus the over 800 soldiers lost in the fierce battle here with Theodoro, our offensive will be forced to slow down!"
Carlo Merlo's beard bristled with anger.
"Now we can only wait for those 2,000 reserve soldiers to arrive before continuing the offensive.
Damn Goth Principality, to what extent have they prepared?"
Speaking of this, he seemed to remember something.
"Oh, right, and what were those strange hollow iron tubes they used when fighting us, like a culverin, but are cannon barrels that thin? Is it a new weapon developed by Venice? How strange."
Inside Mangup City—
"Your Majesty, these are our casualty figures..."
"Just tell me, Patniko." Alexius's face was filled with weariness.
"Yes, Your Majesty.
However, there's good news and bad news here; which would you like to hear first?" Patniko tried to put on a dignified smile.
"Tell me the good news first."
"His Highness Manuel, at the cost of nearly 2,000 casualties, not only beheaded over 1,800 enemy soldiers but also held the passage between Kaffa and Kerch, as well as Kerch City."
"Good, the Principality has an heir!" Alexius felt like he was about to cry from emotion because of this great son.
"And the bad news?"
"We not only lost Olstyn Fortress but also suffered nearly 2,000 casualties, only beheading 800 to 900 enemy soldiers."
Patniko blurted it out, and then he heard a loud "thud."
He looked closely and was instantly shocked.
"Ah, ah, ah, help! Call a physician quickly! His Majesty has fainted!"