But Ali then added, "We will detour east, to the eastern border where Trabzon and Erzurum meet, and attack the village we call Kaysiskoy."
At his decision, the Turkmens, who had been dejected by their fruitless return, cheered, and even his brother began shouting Ali's unofficial title, "Bey." Even Hamza took off his turban, revealing his slightly wrinkled forehead, and loudly declared, "Good, Allah is Greatest, Ali Bey!"
Seeing this, Ali breathed a sigh of relief. If he had truly announced a return without achievement, even if he wouldn't be deposed by his ambitious brother on the way back, his unruly Turkmen tribesmen would likely cause him considerable trouble. So, announcing that he had not been defeated, but was instead focusing on another target, was clearly the correct choice. Moreover, though the village they called Kaysiskoy was far less strategically important than Akçaabat, if it could be captured, it would greatly benefit the Aq Qoyunlu Dynasty's upcoming diplomatic actions.
"As for whether we should truly exert ourselves to help our cousin, Lord Alexander, seize the throne of Trabzon, we will leave that to father to decide." With this thought, Ali set a strategic retreat.
At dusk that day, Ali deliberately had his soldiers conspicuously wave the banners of the Aq Qoyunlu Dynasty, made the cooking fires and bonfires burn brightly, and even had the accompanying Armenian artisans transport and assemble catapults. The Turkmen soldiers sharpened their blades and spearheads, creating the illusion that they would launch a strong assault on Akçaabat's castle fortress that night or the next day, thereby misleading the Bosporus Army defenders.
Seeing the White Sheep Army's stance, Manuel, who had been observing the enemy from inside the castle, expressed skepticism, "This doesn't seem right. The commander of the White Sheep Army should be a cautious person. I've launched so many night raids and never gained an advantage, yet now they're going to launch a strong assault? It doesn't make sense. It can't be that they've lost their intelligence and gotten desperate because they haven't achieved anything for a week, can it? They are all shrewd people of this era, not flexible, intelligence-losing good-for-nothings from web novels of a previous life."
Considering this, Manuel boldly rejected Tukharovsky's suggestion to switch the entire army to a defensive state. Instead, he had Dungar, who possessed both courage and strategy, and his subordinates change into the light mountain gear worn by scouts. While ensuring good concealment, they were to flexibly probe the enemy's movements.
Of course, he wasn't entirely unprepared. At the very least, he ultimately mobilized nearly half of the taxi soldiers and laborers to act as defenders, guarding against enemy attacks.
Soon, night fell. When he realized there was no unusual activity from the White Sheep Army, but the war horns and drums were continuously sounding, Manuel, familiar with history, immediately became alert and wanted to dispatch a peasant soldier legion to attempt a pursuit. But under the 攔阻 of his generals, he had no choice but to continue to restrain his patience, waiting for Dungar to deliver accurate intelligence.
It wasn't until midnight that Dungar's unit returned with a report. Upon seeing Dungar for the first time, he immediately inquired about the White Sheep Army's movements.
"Unbelievable, Your Majesty," Dungar said, shaking his head in disbelief. "My Lord, these Turkmens, it seems they have retreated? Because when we risked checking those sounding war drums, we found that they were being beaten either by Christians who had been abducted in recent days or by livestock tied to trees."
Hearing this, Manuel instantly understood the situation. "All troops, pursue," he commanded with a grim face.
Leaving a thousand soldiers to ensure Akçaabat's garrison was sufficient for self-defense, Manuel personally led his army eastward. The reason he had previously stayed in Akçaabat and dared not sally forth was primarily due to Manuel's full understanding of his own military capabilities and his caution against the Turkmens' fighting strength, unwilling to act rashly. Now, not only was the terrain advantage on his side, but it was also a pursuit battle, so he had no such worries.
However, during the march, out of caution and apprehension towards the Turkmens, Manuel made some modifications to the original military formation while ensuring strict discipline: firstly, he temporarily ordered the abandonment of the square formation, which was disadvantageous for mountain travel. He lengthened and thinned the columns of the marching formation, ensuring they could pass through narrow mountain paths quickly. Otherwise, like classic mountain marches of this era, he concentrated the baggage in the central army, carefully protecting it; he had the cavalry dismount temporarily, and some infantry held long spears, forming two layers to protect the perimeter. The only exception was not felling trees along the way for efficiency.
This marching method not only accelerated the pace but also allowed for both offense and defense by relying on the terrain. As a result, by midnight, the taxi soldiers at the rear of the White Sheep Army were horrified to discover several torchlights appearing behind them, gradually growing brighter and more conspicuous.
Upon receiving this military intelligence, Ali immediately understood that their movements had been detected by the enemy. "If this were a flat plateau, I would directly charge on horseback with my Ghazi Warriors and kill you Christians," he thought, gritting his teeth, "Fortunately, I had anticipated this."
About half a quarter of an hour later, the vanguard of the Bosporus Army was surprised to find the Turkmen soldiers behind them constantly throwing something down. When they caught up and looked closer, they were immediately overjoyed.
"Saint Mary bless us," a thin militiaman immediately knelt down and then led the scramble, "They are all, all treasures!"
Indeed, what these Turkmens threw down were all supplies and materials that were cumbersome for them to carry. This act of discarding valuables to hinder the enemy was a classic medieval tactic, and it consistently proved effective.
But Manuel had also anticipated this situation. "I knew the Aq Qoyunlu Dynasty would take such countermeasures. But unfortunately, I anticipated your anticipation." After muttering to himself, he immediately summoned Aidian and Tukharovsky, telling them to inform all members of the Philaka Legion. He also took out a rolled paper megaphone and loudly ordered: "No picking up enemy discarded supplies before sunrise, violators will be dealt with by military law; also, for every head or pair of ears of a Turkmen captured, a reward of 150 ducats will be given."
Again, in less than a quarter of an hour, the most elite part of the Bosporus Army caught up with the rear of the White Sheep Army. This time, the White Sheep Turkmens had to tough it out.