Hours earlier, on the morning of that same day, Manuel was assigning tasks to a special operations unit at the Theodoro Army's encampment, approximately 50 pule rong southwest of the Tatar Isthmus.
"In short, the objective for both of you and the 500-man team you lead is to do your best to lure the majority of the garrison from the Isthmus fortress to abandon their defenses and attack. At that point, abandon the supplies you're carrying and tie them down for as long as possible," he instructed, looking at the two recommended individuals with eyes full of anticipation.
"Yes, Your Highness, loyalty!" The first to step forward, puffing out his chest, was the Greek strongman, Staurakios Posadas. Though he was just a young commoner, his upbringing of farm work, hunting, and street brawling, perhaps combined with a bit of genetic predisposition, made him exceptionally robust and healthy, a full head taller than Manuel.
"According to Tukharovsky, Posadas is skilled in combat, was once a hunter, and possesses formidable physical prowess and individual fighting ability, brave enough to take on ten men. However, he seems particularly bloodthirsty, with a history of choking a fellow soldier to death after an argument. If not for Tukharovsky's appreciation, this fellow would already be in heaven or hell," Manuel thought, looking at Posadas, who was full of enthusiasm for the upcoming battle and his monarch. He still found it hard to accept the farmer's belligerent nature, adding internally, "His physique is so similar to a certain blonde vampire I saw in a certain anime in my previous life. Thankfully, Posadas isn't blonde, otherwise, I'd really be hallucinating."
"Yes, loyalty," Suleiman, the Turk with a Crescent Sect-style beard, replied straightforwardly. This made Manuel turn his head to look at him. "Suleiman, the Turk, his specific origin is unknown, possibly a muslim, but he hasn't confirmed it himself. He speaks exceptionally well; he was discovered when arguing with Tukharovsky about military arrangements. He doesn't seem like an ordinary person. If he returns alive this time, I'll have to investigate him thoroughly."
Manuel did not know at this time that the Turk named Suleiman standing before him today was none other than Suleiman Karamanoglu, the Karaman Prince who had been exiled in Theodosia some time ago, earning ducats by serving as a militiaman. As Manuel observed Suleiman, Suleiman also observed Manuel, lamenting inwardly, "This is the Crown Prince of the Theodoro Principality. He looks quite delicate and charming, but his demeanor and temperament give off the impression of a standard autocratic monarch. If only I had known that the Rus' man was a General of the Principality, I wouldn't have spoken so freely in the tavern, otherwise, I wouldn't have been dragged into attacking my own kin. Never mind, for my Bey position, a few Tatar herdsmen are nothing; Allah will understand me. Besides, the Crimean Khanate has put a bounty on my uncle's head, so it's perfectly reasonable for me to target them in return."
As Suleiman tried to convince himself, the 500-man decoy squad, disguised as a logistics team, had already set off, their destination naturally being the Tatar Isthmus. By midday, they had successfully and slowly reached their objective as planned.
Upon arrival, they deliberately slowed their pace, each employing various methods to lure the Crimean Army's defenders from the fortress. Posadas was the most outrageous among them; not only did he single-handedly ride and kill several enemy scouts who were eager to engage the unit, but he also cursed the Mongol-Tatars and Crescent Sect saints, from Genghis Khan to Jochi, then from Jochi to Tuqa Timur, and then from Tuqa Timur to Haji Giray himself. After tiring of cursing and seeing no reaction from the enemy, he took a drink of water and began to curse the Holy Father and even the Four Caliphs. Then, at Suleiman's suggestion, he turned to insult Maturidi, his insults echoing incessantly, making Suleiman deeply regret teaching him Crescent Sect knowledge.
Hours later, seeing that the enemy defenders remained unmoved, Posadas decided to employ his "final trump card." He called for someone to retrieve a large banner printed with verses from the Quran from the pile of supplies, and specifically in front of the Tatars on the fortress's watchtower, he burned it to ashes.
As mentioned earlier, the Crimean Army's defenders were thoroughly enraged. As they swarmed forward, Suleiman, seeing the unfavorable situation, immediately dropped the supplies and baggage as planned, mounted a packhorse, and fled with most of the men. But just as he tried to tell Posadas to also make a quick escape, Posadas merely chuckled, "I'll cover the rear. I'd like to see if the Tatars' combat strength is really as strong as most people imagine."
"Are you throwing your life away?" Suleiman was greatly shocked, but since the other party had said so, he immediately took the majority of the men and slipped away. After all, good words are hard to persuade a doomed man, and he silently prayed that the Tatars would send this Kafir who blasphemed Allah to heaven.
When the nearly 300 men led by Suleiman successfully returned and reported the situation, Manuel, after confirming the circumstances, did not linger to mourn for Posadas and his men. He immediately made a decisive move, leading the main army at a furious pace towards the Tatar Isthmus.
On the march, he encountered Posadas, who, despite being struck by several arrows, was still full of vigor.
"Reporting, Your Highness, the Tatars are probably still looting the supplies. Also, *hiss*... their horse archers truly live up to their reputation," Posadas reported, enduring the pain.
"Oh, Great Holy Father, what a true warrior! Quickly send him to the rear and have the military doctor treat him. If you recover, how about serving as a General under me?" Manuel praised Posadas profusely, speaking as if in a rapid divine pronouncement.
"By the Holy Mother, thank you, Your Highness!" Posadas said, filled with trepidation.
Manuel nodded, and after making arrangements within two or three minutes, he continued to rush towards the Isthmus.
What followed was what had been described earlier.
What happened next was simple: seeing the Theodoro Army approaching, Duoduo was greatly alarmed and hastily tried to rally the entire army to return to the fortress and defend, but few were willing to obey. These Tatars, due to their terrible traditions and mediocre military discipline, no one was willing to give up the spoils they had already embraced. Even those willing to resist the enemy wanted to ensure they could take their supplies with them. How could such an ordinary Tatar army exert their original strength and repel the Theodoro Army? Even the most skilled horse archers could hardly draw their bows and shoot effectively while under pressure from a large army and trying to protect their spoils. Moreover, Theodoro had specifically prepared several teams of musketeers and 10 medium-sized grape-shot cannons to counter the horse archers.
Soon, under the combined overwhelming force of the enemy's numbers, discipline, and quality, the Crimean Army swiftly and decisively collapsed. In the chaos, Ahmed Duoduo, seeing that the tide had turned and wanting to save his life, was forced to surrender to the Theodoro side after the decline had become evident. The General's surrender led to a further sharp drop in the morale of more Tatar soldiers. As a result, about an hour after the battle began, the Crimean Army's garrison, which originally numbered over 900 men, was either killed, wounded, or captured, with the entire army annihilated.
Finally, with the General surrendering and the vast majority of forces annihilated or captured, the defensive fortifications of the Tatar Isthmus, guarded by only 50 remaining men, crumbled like a fragile sheet of paper at the slightest touch. Subsequently, the Theodoro Army effortlessly wiped out the remaining 50 stragglers in the defense line and took control of the Isthmus.