1453: Revival of Byzantium

Chapter 282: Trust On Human

Outside the tent of the Grand Vizier, the pashas and beys of the Sultanate clustered together in a group hugging themselves in the cold environment after being rejected by the Janissaries from entrance.

"We cannot stagnate over here any longer." The official in charge of quarter masters and the storage stomped his foot in the damp soil and urged the other lords around him. "With only half of Rumelia and Bulgaria in our control we cannot be here feeding hundreds of thousands of people for too long, it will suffocate us after one month!"

Abbas Pasha lowered his head staring at the ground too, hiding his facial expression from the others, and turned to the Grand Vizier's son asking. "Candarli Ibrahim Pasha, do you know what is your father thinking? I believe that he must has some valid reason for us to disappear for so long."

"Don't ask me I don't know." Candarli Halil Pasha returned a stare to Abbas Pasha and sighed powerlessly. "Even I am denied entry by his own guards, how am I supposed to know what he is thinking with out getting the chance to talk to him?" 

The Ottoman lords remained silent after these words, either looking on the ground or looking up at the sky, hoping that the God and the Imams residing in this area can offer them some answer. 

"You know what, lords." Abbas Pasha said looking back at the tent with a pair of red eyes. "In times like this we need to be responsible for the entire army, and first we need to know the current statues of your leader I am going in to have a look at the Grand Vzier and question him myself, who is with me?"

"I am with you! Abbas Pasha!" 

"We need answers, lets go!"

"We need to check on the honourable Grand Vizier's personal safeties!"

The group of pashas and beys claimed their support for Abbas Pasha's idea as they prepared themselves to push away the loyal Janissaries and is about to enter the Grand Vizier's tent. But then the son of the Grand Vizier rushed forward blocking the door with his own body stopping the group of prestigious lords from entering. "No! Please, calm down lords, we all know that it is illegal to enter the Grand Vizier's tent without seeking permission from" 

"Shut up Candarli Ibrahim Pasha!" Abbas Pasha tried to push the man before him too but he stays unmoved. "Let me tell you what, in times of this tied with the existence and survival of the Sultanate, we must make sure that our over lord is in a safe and sound state, actually, you are the first one to be suspected, Candarli Ibrahim Pasha"

"What? Suspected?" The son of the Grand Vizier could not believe what he has just heard. "Mind your mouth! How dare you discriminate my faith towards my father, retrieve those scummy words of yours!" 

"If you want me to hold back my words, clear the path for us!" Abbas Pasha refused to back off. 

The two men stood face to face the two high ranking pashas stared at each other like two fighter ox ready for some hardcore actions right in the political center of the Sultanate. But surprisingly to them the door of the tent opened by itself, revealing the rugged face of the true supreme ruler of the Sultanate Candarli Halil Pasha. 

The group of lords stared at their Grand Vizier; The face is still that familiar face they can remember in their memories, but the overall image is vastly different. The Grand Vizier is covered in two thick blankets made from cotton wool, instead of wearing a turban his silverfish aging hair is dispersed around messily around his neck, accompanied with the slightly benched back and the pale face their Grand Vizier gave them an overall image looking like a patient, not that majestic chief in command vowing to take a toll on the Rumelian when they just set off from Edirne. 

"What is with all these rowdiness?" the Grand Vizier swept his eagle sharp eyes across the pashas and beys beneath him. "Don't be paranoid, I am perfectly fine, just taking a nap because I have slept too late last night making plans for the coming siege."

"My utmost prestigious and respected Grand Vizier." The quarter master pasha said to the Grand Vizier in almost a pleading voice. "Please, listen to me Grand Vizier, we need to launch our offensive very soon I am already receiving reports of peasants collapsing on the winter lands transporting grains here, and our grain stock pile in the entire nation might not last us" 

"Need not to care about those filthy peasants." The Grand Vizier waved hands and interrupted impatiently. "These peasants are just a bunch of reusable resources, why do you even care so much about them?"

Abbas Pasha dared not go against the Grand Vizier's word and nodded silently in agreement. 

"As for the attacks" The Grand Vizier raised his head up taking a look at the pale sun hanging right above his head. "Wait until tomorrow morning, when the fog and mist reappear, divide our troops in to divisions of five thousand strong and lay siege to the forts relentlessly under the cover of fogs, Then after we defeat the Rumelian in these forts, dissemble the conscripts asking them to go home preserving our food supplies, and continue our siege with only routine troops."

Hearing that they no longer have to wait here and rot away the Ottoman Beys and pashas cheered and thanked the Grand Vizier, trying to persuade Candarli Halil Pasha to let their troops be the first batch to attack as if the Rumelian inside the city are no more than a bunch of weaklings that can be eliminated in a single offensive. However, the Grand Vizier gave them a despising look and went back in to his tent. 

The moment he brought the door behind him, there is no more chilling wind in the surrounding, replaced by a sudden change of temperature from the heat generated by the burning fire stove in the center of the tent. The Grand Vizier suddenly felt dizziness evolving in his head and his whole body broke in to a series of cold sweat with every hair on his skin popping out, together with a violently shivering body he bite his teeth trudging a few steps forward towards the bed, but his trembling legs could no longer take it and he fell forward on to the ground. 

Hearing a loud thump inside a maiden hurriedly came inside through another door for the servants and went forward supporting the Grand Vizier up carefully making him seat on the bed, putting a tower dampened in hot water and wiped the cold sweat on his face clean making him recover from the dizziness getting used to the temperature around. 

However, as the Grand Vizier regained his consciousness and saw the maiden kneeling before him dampening the towel inside the water basin, he is instantly filled with fear again as he screamed out. "Guards! Janissaries! Where are you?"

Two Janissaries standing duty at the door step rushed in to the tent kneeling down on one knee and reported. "Wha is your order, honourable Grand Vizier?" 

Candarli Halil Pasha pointed at this poor maiden with a trembling index finger and ordered the two Janissaries. "Quick! Take this woman out of my tent, and chop down her head, for she tried to steal confidential information from me to support our foreign enemies!" 

The maiden, still there dampening the towel, is completely startled in the process when her master uttered that piece of order. It is only when the two Janissaries came forward to pull her by her arms did she finally start to resist, screaming and shrieking begging for mercy trying to clench her feet and toes to the carpet, kicking on to the wooden water basin in the process splashing all the water on to the carpet. But all of these efforts are to no avail as she is still dragged out of the Grand Vizier's tent continuing to scream in the process attracting the attention of every one along the road, and finally after a swift swooping axe on to her neck by the Janissary, then did the world go back to its original quiet state once more. 

Feeling tired the Grand Vizier laid back on to his bed staring at the ceiling hoping to get some rest and recover soon. He has been the supreme leader for way too long, with no one able to compete his power in the Sultan's court of Edirne. He has made up his mind; From now onwards any person who ever saw an image of him being weak might leak the information out to others, and thus that person must be executed immediately on the spot to prevent potential threats. 

Being overly paranoid the Grand Vizier has long lost his trust on any human beings, not even him self occasionally. 

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