If conventional methods were used, it would indeed be impossible to directly transport ships from the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov in time.
However, if the transport ships were gathered near the Tatar Isthmus, moved onto land, and then quickly transported across the Isthmus by land to the Sea of Azov, with oil applied to their bottoms to speed up efficiency and protect the hulls, wouldn't it be possible to transfer large numbers of transport ships within a single day?
This was the so-called "Land Boating" tactic employed by Manuel. The transport of galleys also utilized this tactic.
Once the transport issue was resolved, the rest became much simpler. In fact, from the second day of preparing to withdraw from Crimea, Theodoro began setting up an ambush. That night, after the ambush location was decided, Theodoro continuously transported ambush troops to the west of the Milk River Estuary, to ensure they could safely eliminate the remaining portion of the Crimean Army after most of them had crossed the river. For this purpose, Theodoro specifically transported a full fifteen hundred elite soldiers, hidden in the Kirilivka area. All of this was completed the day before the Crimean Army arrived at Kirilivka.
And what about those ships Klier was wary of? They were, of course, serving this ambush. The reason they didn't launch an attack earlier was, naturally, because there was no need to alert the enemy; taking out one or two thousand men was far more important than a small harassment.
Furthermore, to effectively prevent the Crimean Army on both sides of the river mouth from connecting, Manuel specifically equipped the galley sailors with sturdy and light armor to defend against the stray arrows shot by Tatar engineers, reducing interference.
With all of this in place, tonight, the Crimean Tatars of these small tribes, cut off to the west of the Milk River Estuary, were in for a terrible time.
Oh, and to reiterate, Theodoro's ambush troops were also fully armored, specifically targeting these Crimean Tatars.
After Theodoro's ambush troops launched their attack, the nearly two thousand Crimean Army soldiers on the Hesi side immediately fell into chaos; with no commander, few elites, and no preparation… these troops, originally meant to be a rearguard, now had no idea how to respond and were mostly at a loss in the face of the overwhelming Theodoro Army.
Of course, not all were so incompetent and helpless; a few small tribal chiefs gathered their tribal members, attempting to counterattack the surging Theodoro ambush troops. They mounted their warhorses, some drawing bows and notching arrows, others wielding scimitars, preparing for defense and counterattack.
"Allah above, warriors of the Tatar tribes, prepare yourselves, give those foolish Kafir a taste of…" A small tribal chief raised his scimitar, trying to motivate his tribal members, but before he could finish, a stray bullet fired by the enemy blew off his forehead.
Incidentally, the ambush troops prepared by Theodoro this time were comprehensive, with musketeers, archers, heavy infantry, light cavalry, and artillery, all deployed in appropriate proportions at Kirilivka, specifically targeting the elite Tatar horse archers.
As for the Crimean Army on the east side of the river? The Crimean Army's command center was at the very front, and it would take time for the message to reach there, and for orders to be fully disseminated back to the entire army, it would be at least until dawn. Only the limited number of troops commanded by Klier could respond in time.
In fact, Klier didn't know how many ambush troops the enemy had prepared, and seeing their overwhelming momentum, he didn't dare to rashly send support, fearing that he too might be annihilated. He could only order his troops on the east side of the river to draw bows and arrows and shoot at Theodoro's navy. But Theodoro's naval sailors were fully armored, making them not so easy to hit.
The result was a flurry of activity that seemed fierce, but in terms of effect, it was not significant; one might even say it was almost negligible.
Now, let's return to the area west of the Milk River Estuary. The collapse of the Crimean Army on the Hesi side began with the vanguard. Due to the fierce impact, there were numerous casualties, reaching a horrific extent, causing their morale to plummet almost completely before dawn. Those still resisting desperately were hoping for quick reinforcements from the east side of the river.
"Good, good, kill!" Posadas, the commanding general of Theodoro's ambush troops, roared, using his two-handed long saber to cut down one strong Crimean Tatar cavalryman after another.
"Damn it, why hasn't Girai Khan reacted yet?" Seeing the Hesi troops being slaughtered by the enemy, including even some of his own Janissaries, Klier, still on the east side of the river, was almost going mad with anxiety.
But honestly, even if Giray himself were present at this moment, it would be difficult to stop the enemy. Besides the enemy having the cover of night and the suppression of their navy, it was also because, although the Milk River Estuary had a slow and calm current, its width was sufficient, making it very suitable for coastal galley warfare.
Thus, under the obstruction of these galleys sent by Theodoro, all efforts by the eastern forces to rebuild temporary fortifications failed. And under the artillery suppression of Theodoro's navy and the interference of the night, the Crimean engineers simply couldn't build any fortifications across the river mouth, and could only watch, along with the other Crimean soldiers on the east side of the river, as the Hesi troops steadily marched towards complete annihilation.