EMPIRE REWRITTEN [Isekai ? Alt-History ? Strategy]

Chapter 72: Through the Hot Gates

Liberation of Zetouni

The approach to Zetouni was cautious but swift. Constantine dispatched advance scouts on horseback to probe the roads leading to the town. They found no organized resistance – only a few abandoned Ottoman outposts and watch fires still smoldering.

A surprising scene unfolded as the imperial army drew within sight of Zetouni's walls later that afternoon. Instead of facing arrows, the Byzantines saw the town gates already ajar and Greek townspeople crowding the battlements.

The flag of the Ottoman garrison had been lowered and was nowhere to be seen. In its place, locals had draped improvised banners bearing the cross and even a crude rendition of the Byzantine double-headed eagle hastily painted on cloth. When Constantine's gold and crimson banners came into view, a great cheer rose from the walls.

Townsfolk waved handkerchiefs, olive branches, and even icons held high in thanksgiving. It seemed the Ottoman soldiers had fled in the night, unwilling to face the advancing Byzantine army. The garrison's flight was so hasty that they left behind crates of arrows and half-cooked meals on their hearths. Many had thrown off their uniforms to mingle with fleeing refugees heading north.

Cautiously, Captain Andreas led a vanguard detachment through the open gate. They were met not with an ambush but with tearful laughter and outstretched hands. Greeks of Zetouni – men, women, and children – pressed forward to welcome their liberators.

A few Ottoman stragglers who hadn't escaped lay bound and disarmed in the streets, captives of the locals who had overpowered them once news spread that the Turks were abandoning the town. The Emperor entered on horseback, flanked by Thomas and George Sphrantzes, to the peal of the town's church bell ringing joyously.

One by one, soldiers removed their helmets, astonished and moved by the greeting. Elderly women approached to kiss Constantine's stirrup and the hem of his red cloak, thanking him through happy sobs. Young boys scampered alongside the horses, trying to touch the soldiers' spears as if in awe of heroes from legend.

Constantine dismounted in the central square, which a stone church and a modest old Roman-era fountain dominated. As his boots touched Greek soil, now free of Ottoman rule, he knelt and made the sign of the cross. The crowd hushed as the Emperor bowed his head in prayerful gratitude; the only sound was the crackle of a few torches and the distant call of a freed dove flying above.

Among those who stepped forward to greet the Emperor was the local priest of Zetouni, Father Nikolaos. Clutching a brass-handled cross to his chest, the priest's eyes brimmed with tears of joy. He offered Constantine a loaf of bread and salt in the traditional Greek welcome. "Your Imperial Majesty," Father Nikolaos said, voice trembling with emotion, "welcome to Zetouni, liberated by God's grace.

We have prayed for this day." Constantine rose and embraced the elderly priest, who smelled of incense and candlewax. "Father, we come as fellow Greeks and Christians, not as conquerors. We thank you for your welcome," the Emperor replied warmly. At that, more cheers echoed off the stone houses of the square.

As soldiers moved to secure the empty Turkish barracks and organize billets, Constantine drew Father Nikolaos and his top officers aside on the steps of the church. They spoke in low tones amid the jubilant chaos.

The priest, still catching his breath from excitement, relayed what he knew of the situation in the region. Neopatras, he explained, was ripe for liberation next. "My Emperor," Nikolaos said, pointing westward, "the fortress of Neopatra lies only a short march from here, in the hills beyond the Spercheios River.

The Ottoman garrison there is small and vulnerable. Not long ago, many of their soldiers were withdrawn north to Thessaly and Epirus. Rumor has it they were sent to reinforce against Albanian rebels or perhaps to bolster Larissa. Only a token force remains in Neopatras – two score of men or so – and they are demoralized." The priest's eyes shone as he added, "If you strike soon, they will surely flee or surrender as we saw here. The Turks are in disarray, fleeing before your banner."