In less than a day, the high-ranking officials of Theodoro in Mangup and Theodosia all learned that the Crimean Khanate had received assistance from the Ottoman Janissaries.
"What? Janissaries? From the Ottoman?" In the Mangup Palace, Alexius was stunned after receiving the relevant letter.
After a long while, he came back to his senses and muttered softly, "Did we just provoke someone formidable? Just in case, should I prepare a few ships to escape to Constantinople or Trabzon if absolutely necessary?"
After a moment of thought, he quickly sent someone to prepare a few ships that could depart for Trabzon at any time.
Meanwhile, in Theodosia, Barbara, who was temporarily acting as the city regent for Manuel, learned of the matter immediately.
After repeated confirmations, she sat blankly in her chair, recalling the siege of Constantinople in 1422 initiated by Ottoman Sultan Murad II.
That year, as a young child, she personally witnessed her father, the then-paralyzed Manuel II, his eyes dimming, the helpless expressions of her brothers, and the wails of the palace staff.
Fortunately, under internal and external pressure, Murad II, who had not achieved his expected results, eventually retreated.
But with the departure of the Ottoman army, several villages around Constantinople also vanished, as did Thessaloniki, which was sold to the Venetians the following year.
"Why are the Ottomans in Crimea?" She covered her face with her hands, forcing herself to calm down, not daring to imagine the worst and most terrifying possibility.
After a long time, having somewhat calmed down, she gathered several military and political officials stationed in Theodosia, instructing them to reinforce the city's defenses, "We absolutely cannot let the infidel army enter!" She gave this order with great seriousness.
Then she also sought out Badars, "Lord Badars, forgive my intrusion, but please tell me, does the Dark Department have informants in Anatolia and Thrace?"
"Indeed, but I apologize, Princess Barbara, without the direct order of the Crown Prince, I cannot directly initiate a targeted investigation."
Sensing Barbara's intention, Badars deliberately emphasized the words "Crown Prince."
"Indeed." Barbara pressed her forehead, realizing she was truly too anxious.
"Rest assured, if there is any urgent information, I will inform Your Highness immediately," Badars said with a smile.
"Then I trouble you, sir, I also do not wish for anything to go wrong with my husband."
This message reached several temporary military outposts in Northern Crimea a few days later, one of which, near the Tatar Isthmus, Manuel named Yanikapu after a place name from his previous life, and his troops were temporarily stationed there.
After confirming the matter, Tukharovsky was greatly alarmed and immediately dispatched scouts and messengers to contact Manuel, who had gone to the mainland.
Several more days passed, and in a village named Keziyar on the outskirts of the Kizlyar region, Manuel, who had just finished plundering the local area, was surprised to discover signs of suspected enemy troops from a scout.
"Investigate again and report back." After the scout left, feeling confident of victory, he smiled at his soldiers, "Don't worry, even if they really chased us, what then?
The Khanate can't send its main force, and even if they bring mounted archers, what can they do? With our strength, even if we can't win, we can retreat relatively unscathed.
This isn't the Ottoman Janissaries, how could it be..." Before he could finish, the messenger who had rushed from Northern Crimea to deliver the message finally arrived at Manuel's unit.
Upon learning of the arrival of the messenger carrying military intelligence, Manuel dismissed most people, leaving only a few trusted confidants to receive the military dispatch with him.
"Let me see," comparing the cipher, they read leisurely, "'May the Holy Mother bless us, reporting to Your Highness, all is well... only one matter is urgent: suspected Ottoman Janissary troops are assisting the Crimean Khanate... this matter is confirmed beyond doubt...' Ah?!"
After reading the letter, Manuel immediately felt a chill down his spine.
No wonder Crimea dared to declare independence as early as 1430, no wonder the Crimean Khanate could repeatedly win against the Golden Horde's army, no wonder Haji Giray had the courage to continue fighting the Golden Horde after the Lithuanian reinforcements withdrew...
It turned out that the Crimean Khanate had somehow enlisted the Ottoman Janissaries.
Was it a butterfly effect caused by his actions that made the Ottoman notice the northern shore of the Black Sea earlier, intending to intervene?
Or had the Ottoman already set its sights on Theodoro, intending to use the Crimean Khanate to kill the Principality with a borrowed knife?
Or had the Khanate colluded with the Ottoman decades in advance? These possibilities exploded in his mind, making him feel a chill from the bottom of his heart.
"Holy Mother above, are you kidding me? Janissaries?" Manuel muttered in a voice no one could hear, terrified, "It's okay, it's okay, the Janissaries haven't arrived yet, there's still time to retreat..."
Just as he was trying to calm himself, the scout who had gone ahead to gather information had already returned to report: "Reporting to Your Highness, the enemy is marching extremely fast, and may engage us in less than two hours.
Many of them are different from the usual Tatar light cavalry and mounted archers."
"Explain in detail!"
"Yes, Your Highness, loyalty!" The scout, seeing the situation, quickly reported, "They wear red wool felt in a Persian style, turbans on their heads, with something like a small wooden spoon on the brim of their hats.
Most soldiers' boots are red, while the leading generals' are yellow, but the armor they wear is very sturdy..."
As the scout's description continued, Manuel confirmed who the approaching force was, "It's over, it really is the Janissaries! Oh my god, no... No, we can't win, we must retreat!"
"I understand," at this point, Manuel had no choice but to force himself to calm down and respond, "Aidian, how long will it take for the entire army to retreat to Northern Crimea? Can we ensure we don't encounter the enemy?"
"Reporting to Your Highness, it took us over a week to come from Northern Crimea to Keziyar, but most of that time was spent plundering Tatar supply outposts along the way.
If we are simply retreating, we would only need less than two days at the fastest."
"However, our army has a large number of infantry, while the enemy is primarily cavalry.
Based on the current speed comparison between our two sides, if the enemy is determined to catch us, we will not be able to escape." Aidian pointed this out very seriously.
"Gentlemen, what do you think is the probability of the enemy persisting in pursuit?" Manuel, frantic with the enemy attack, quickly asked.
"Your Highness, I do not believe the enemy will persist in pursuit," Ioannis Seler stated confidently.
"Your Highness, let's just fight!" The burly, fierce-looking young man with brown hair, Staurakios Posadas, was rubbing his fists, eager for action.
After recovering from his injuries, he had gained Manuel's appreciation and was personally promoted to serve as the deputy general for this military operation.
If all went well, he might even be promoted into the new military department.
Manuel turned his head, a headache forming, to look at his most trusted deputy general, Aidian of the Filaka Legion, and seeing the urgent look in his Highness's eyes, he could only suggest, "Your Highness, if we face them head-on, in my humble opinion, the outcome is uncertain.
But if we retreat and are caught, then our army will surely be defeated."
"Damn it!" Manuel gritted his teeth fiercely.
Why did it have to be the Janissaries?! As a reincarnated person, Manuel knew how terrifying the so-called Janissary Corps was, and at this stage, he genuinely did not want to encounter such a terrible enemy.
After a while, he looked at a topographical map laid out before him and made his final decision: "For now, retreat to the west of these nearby waterways, then array the entire army and let those infidels taste the power of firearms."
"Yes, Your Highness! Loyalty!"