The cannon fires

The heavy bronze cannon creeps along the gun platform, facing the towering walls of Constantinople, its gaping mouth appearing as dark as ink.

"This is truly magnificent," Mumoona said under the protection of her attendants, patting the cold barrels of these cannons, feeling the unique aesthetic of violence they possessed.

These terrifying giant cannons were Mumoona's secret weapon prepared to break through the walls of Constantinople. To create these cannons, she had spared no expense. Mumoona had hired genius engineers, invited countless craftsmen, and spent a fortune acquiring excellent ores. After months of arduous casting and numerous casualties, they finally produced these terrifying cannon barrels, weighing nearly twenty tons, with a barrel thickness of nearly one foot, and named them the Supreme Cannons.

Even transporting them required dozens of strong oxen to pull, a team of professional engineers to repair the gun carriages, hundreds of men to support them, and thousands of people to clear the way by felling trees.

Just transporting them took two months.

Although it consumed countless money, manpower, and resources, Mumoona believed it was all worth it.

The Supreme Cannons could fire half-ton projectiles up to two kilometers away!

Even the western walls of Constantinople couldn't withstand such a terrifying barrage!

"It's time to give the Normans a taste of the giant cannons," Mumoona said satisfied, retreating with her guards to a safe distance before giving the order to the gunners.

"Fire!"

In reality, the preparations for firing, such as cleaning the barrels, adjusting the elevation, and preparing the gunpowder, had started early in the morning but had not been completed until now.

"Sizzle, sizzle..."

The long fuse was lit, and the orange sparks slowly advanced, finally entering the black mouth of the Supreme Cannon...

"Boom!"

"Boom boom!"

"Boom boom boom!"

Dozens of cannons fired simultaneously, with deafening roars. In the glare of the flames, the black stone projectiles emitted deadly whistles, shaking the heavens and the earth!

Amidst the thunderous roar, the flying debris, and the earth-shaking vibrations, amidst the panic of the defenders—

The western wall of Constantinople, which had stood for over a thousand years, emitted a mournful cry for the first time!

The mottled stone walls turned to rubble, the defenders' armor was pierced like paper, and the towers collapsed like eggshells...

A section of the majestic city wall crumbled!

"The wall... the wall collapsed!?" The defenders watched in disbelief as the walls collapsed, stunned and at a loss.

Some soldiers even abandoned their posts, running around like headless flies.

The soldiers were plunged into panic.

The civilians were even worse off. The scene, like the end of the world, caused countless people to run wildly, collapsing to the ground.

Countless citizens despaired, rushing to the church in vain hope of divine salvation.

But amidst the chaos, there was someone with a different demeanor.

"Wow!" Shu Yichao arrived at the collapsed section of the wall, looking at the breach with interest.

"So, this is the Urban Cannon?"

"No wonder I always felt something was off before. So, it was because of this thing."

"It's so powerful, worthy of being the cannon that could break through the western walls of Constantinople in history."

"Come to think of it, I didn't see any arquebusiers before..."

Shu Yichao casually strolled along the city wall. The roar of the cannon fire, the flying debris, and the billowing smoke had no effect on him. He even kicked the rubble on the ground out of curiosity.

"What a production, truly remarkable!"

"This kind of conscientious production team is rare to find."

Shu Yichao looked back at the artillery position of the Esman Army. "I wonder if the opponents are just textures or something else—"

"Moreover, was this collapse predetermined or random?"

Seeing the Sacred King so relaxed, with no trace of fear on his face, the terrified soldiers gradually regained their composure.

Just then, the double-headed eagle flag approached rapidly, and it was none other than the fully-armored Emperor Constantine XI who arrived at the most dangerous spot.

After nodding slightly to Shu Yichao, he began to patrol the city wall, inspiring the soldiers.

"Norman warriors, gather your courage!"

"Perhaps now you are filled with fear and worry."

"But do not forget, we are Normans!"

"The last Normans in the world!"

"We guard the glorious legacy of Caesar, Augustus, and Trajan!"

"We defend the last land of the Normans!"

"Since ancient times, Normans have valued honor over life!"

"Even if we die on the battlefield, do not tarnish this, our common pride!"

Under the emperor's encouragement, the defending soldiers gradually regained their courage, starting to collect rubble, dismantle wood, and gather mud and mortar to repair the city walls alongside Emperor Constantine XI.

While the defenders rushed to repair the city amidst the booming cannon fire, the Esman army cheered jubilantly, their morale significantly boosted from the previous setbacks.

Watching her warriors under her command rallying and showing excitement, Mumoona finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ridiculous infidels," she scoffed, casting a disdainful glance at the dozen or so damaged sections of the western wall that had already appeared, a hint of a determined smile curling her lips.

Her next battle plan was already set in motion.

Utilize the supreme giant cannons to bombard the western walls of Constantinople, undermine the morale of the defending forces, wear down their strength, and deplete their resources.

Once the western wall had been breached in several places and the defenders exhausted, a force of two hundred thousand would pour in, overwhelming the city.

The Khitan warriors might pose a challenge, but their numbers were too few to contend with the Esman forces, who outnumbered them by hundreds of times.

Moreover, there was the possibility of capturing that young Khitan general.

After a slight gulp, Mumoona returned to her rear tent.

Two concubines, draped in translucent veils with delicate figures and smooth skin, immediately approached, their voices soft and gentle.

"Sultan..."

Mumoona waved her hand, indicating she was not in the mood for such activities at the moment, and dismissed them.

She was about to rest when new information arrived from outside.

And the content of this message...

"The people from Venezia and Genova want to see me?" Mumoona said blankly. "What do these profit-driven merchants want?"

If there were people in the world whose thought processes even the wise Sultan couldn't decipher, the commercial city-states born on the soil of Norma, Venezia, and Genova, would undoubtedly top the list.

For instance, during the siege of Constantinople, they were simultaneously organizing fleets to transport supplies to aid Norma, while feverishly selling information about Norma within the city's enclave to Mumoona.

On one hand, they were inflating prices within Constantinople, profiting from the war, and on the other hand, they were generously recruiting mercenaries to defend the coveted city of the world.

Meanwhile, they were also in Norma's southern enclave, Morea, inciting rebellion against Emperor Constantine XI's brothers, while also informing Emperor Constantine XI of the rebellion.

Hmm, they were both allies and enemies of Norma.

This maneuver was something Mumoona couldn't quite understand.

"Anyway, let's hear what new information they have," Mumoona said with waning interest, rising from her seat to meet the representatives of the commercial city-states.

And then, she received a surprising piece of news.

"What did you say?"

"The Khitan inside the city are planning to launch a night attack on us?"