Chapter 66 Unexpected Failure

The Christian army waited for 20 days, but there was still no sign of Bayezid. However, true to his usual swift style, Bayezid suddenly appeared with his army outside the city of Skopje. According to the intelligence obtained by Sigismund, Bayezid's army numbered 200,000. Sigismund knew his enemies well. He knew that they were well-trained, disciplined, and more mobile than the Crusaders. They were no ordinary people. He asked the Christian armies to work together carefully.

An experienced French knight named Decoucy encountered an advance guard of the Turks during his reconnaissance. His soldiers defeated the Turks at the pass, chanting "Blessed Virgin! For Monsieur de Courcy!" The victory in this battle made other French knights jealous and accused Decoucy of going to battle out of vanity. Sigismund tried to persuade them to go on the defensive, first using Hungarian infantry to resist the first round of attacks, and then using knights and mercenary cavalry to form a second line of defense, which could be attacked or defended. Upon hearing this proposal, the French knights were furious, believing that the Hungarian king's arrangement was to steal "the highest honor of victory." They demanded that they take the lead.

With the support of everyone, the French Count of Iyo refused to obey Sigismund. The count called his flag officer: "In the name of God and Saint George, order the army to advance, let them see what kind of person I am." Knights!" So, under the "banner of the Virgin," they charged at the despicable pagans without hesitation, confident that they could defeat them.

The knights charging up the hillside caught Bayezid's outpost unawares. After scattering the Turkish cavalry, the knights dismounted and charged at the infantry. While charging, they pulled out the wooden stakes on the ground used to cover the infantry, and then routed the Turkish infantry. Blood splattered from the knights' swords. They were very confident that victory on this day would belong to them. After rushing to the top of the mountain, they encountered the main force of the Sudanese army.

Bayezid gathered all the troops, whether they were the defeated army that had just come down, the Anatolian troops, or the defenders of the Balkan cities, a total of 25,000 troops were regrouped.

As usual, Bayezid adopted a tactic that Sigismund was already very familiar with: placing motley troops with little training and serving as cannon fodder at the front, using them to drain the enemy's physical strength. Then, "Bayezid's cavalry, main body, and chariots came upon them in battle formation, like a crescent moon." The dismounted knights were exhausted from the heavy armor, unable to fight, and suffered a rout. Their horses ran back to the camp on their own. The best knights in Europe died in the fields of Skopje or became prisoners of the Turks.

By the standards of the day, the Crusaders were actually amateur warriors who fought in ancient ways and in a romantic spirit. They knew nothing of the evolution of the professional art of warfare over the centuries, nor of the fighting techniques of the Turks, nor of their superior discipline, training, intelligence systems, and tactics. More importantly, they did not understand the mobility of lightly armed infantry and archers on horseback. Sigismund and his Hungarians learned this gradually through battle after battle. He directed his troops to charge with the Crusaders, but he knew in his heart that the battle was lost the moment his advice was abandoned by the knights. "If they can believe me," he said, "we have enough men to deal with the enemy." He boasted of their abundant strength before the battle: "Even if the sky falls, our army will have enough spears to hold it down." withstand."

Now, he could only escape to Belgrade with the Grand Master of the Knights Hospitallers. Some of the soldiers and knights who were lucky enough to escape from the Ottomans also escaped on these ships, and thousands of others crossed the Carpathian Mountains despite hardships. The day after the battle, Bayezid, who inspected the battlefield to assess the losses, ordered all prisoners of war to be executed. However, in order to obtain a generous ransom, Bayezid spared the Count of Nevers and his staff, as well as some richly dressed knights. But he ordered them to stand beside him and watched helplessly as his comrades kneeling on the ground were tied together and then their heads fell to the ground.

----Dividing line----

The Battle of Skopje and the Treaty of Derekoy became the plus points and minus points for the Ottomans, one plus and one minus, exactly zero. (How can it be)

Due to the loss of Sofia and Nis, the Ottoman expansion to the north could only be temporarily stopped, so Bayezid set his sights on Greece and Anatolia in the south.

Bayezid designated some Serbian areas as direct jurisdiction and increased the collection of blood taxes. Although there was no compensation, Bayezid was prepared to train an army in the shortest possible time to avenge his previous revenge.

Of course, Bayezid's transfer of troops to the Balkans could not be hidden from Karaman. The ruler realized that this was a good opportunity and sent troops to capture some places. Bayezid had no choice but to continue leading the army.

As a spectator, Peter opened the door for them. Allowed to repair at Niš for a few days, and holding off the pursuit of the Ottoman army, they could finally catch their breath.

The cook complained to Peter that these people were going to eat up all the grain in Niš, but Peter just ordered to continue buying grain. And Sigismund’s dishes are naturally the best.

Looking at the dishes in front of him and recalling the previous defeat, Sigismund shed tears. At this moment, he hated himself and the French army who did not listen to his advice.

Now, if he goes back, those nobles will definitely beat him again. It would be better not to be the king.

Thinking back to the beginning, he had no desire for power, but just wanted to get a fiefdom and live his life honestly. But helplessly, power fell on his head again and again.

First, he was the Marquis of Brandenburg, and then the King of Hungary. If nothing unexpected happens, Bohemia and the Holy Roman Emperor will also be in his pocket, but the great nobles in the country will not let him have an easy time. More importantly, he has no heirs. The inheritance of the Luxembourg family will be broken.

Sigismund did not expect Wallachia to lend him a hand, which made him a little ashamed. He originally wanted to beat them. He must thank Wallachia well.