Meanwhile, the garrison left inside the fort still did not know the true intentions of their superiors. They naively believed the promises and rhetoric of their commanders, thinking that as long as they successfully detonated the primer and the remaining gunpowder to blow up all the enemies when the White Sheep Army arrived, they could safely retreat into the tunnel and escape unharmed.
Therefore, in the hours leading up to the enemy attack, they actively followed the tasks assigned to them by the two generals before their departure: simply repairing the remaining fortifications, continuing to shallowly bury the sugar-mixed black powder, cleaning and adjusting the few small cannons they had, and waiting for the White Sheep Army to arrive.
This included Peter, who had previously been rescued by friendly forces and narrowly escaped death. At this moment, while doing his work, he also casually chatted with his companions about their future prospects.
"We should be able to go back after holding off these Turks today. By the way, Peter, what do you want to do when you go back?" a thin, poorly equipped middle-aged soldier asked him.
"Won't we still have to fight the Turks when we go back?"
"Didn't you hear the generals say that as a reward for facing the Turks at the risk of our lives, they petitioned His Majesty to let us rest well after this and not participate in the upcoming war against the White Sheep? And if we agree, His Majesty will personally promote us to his direct farmer-soldiers." Upon hearing this, the young Peter jumped up in excitement.
"That sounds great, but the problem is how to survive…"
"It's okay, I will definitely survive. My newlywed wife is still waiting for me north of Pontus, and after this war is over, I can go back and see my child." Peter, wrapped in a torn cotton padded jacket, was full of longing and hope for the future, which made his compatriot close his mouth, avoiding accidentally hurting him with his words.
While the remaining Bosporus defenders were trying to make the best of a bad situation by chatting in the fort, in the White Sheep Army's position opposite them, White Sheep Sultan Kara Osman was riding his warhorse, personally inspecting the six thousand strong army dispatched for this battle.
During this time, the old Sultan glanced at the enemy's fort, which was built in the mountains, and noticed that the enemy defenders were unusually quiet today. He didn't know why, but he had a bad feeling about it.
After inspiring the entire army with his son and the accompanying Ulema, Kara Osman pulled his two good sons aside and cautiously warned them, "The enemy today is too quiet. Allah above, although I might be overly cautious, I still advise you not to directly charge into that fort. I don't know what troublesome little tricks the Romans, who are good at deception, might be up to again."
"Yes, Father," Hamza and Mahmoud bowed, repeatedly assenting.
About three or four hours later, after everything was ready, the six thousand strong White Sheep Army arrayed in formation and charged towards the fort that had obstructed them for so long. For this march, they still, as usual, had Turkmen Ghazi everywhere leading the way, clearing paths and scouting for them.
This operation was unexpectedly smooth. After sacrificing three or four hundred Turkic nomads to withstand the sparse artillery fire, the White Sheep Army successfully arrived in front of the fort. With a command from Mahmoud, who was leading the army, these six thousand White Sheep soldiers surrounded the fort from all accessible points. The Muslim soldiers looked tense, ready to face the desperate counterattack that the enemy was about to launch.
However, they did not encounter the expected large-scale counterattack; only occasional drops of Golden Juice and fired stone projectiles indicated that there were still defenders inside.
After a brief half-hour siege, even Hamza was bewildered, "Why is the intensity of the counterattack so low? They don't seem to have any intention of surrendering either? Allah above, what's wrong with these Roman soldiers?"
"For now, let's send people in to fight," Mahmoud finally decided, directly ordering several nomadic militiamen to board the already-built siege engines and charge into the fort first.
To their surprise again, although these nomadic militiamen, who were used as vanguards, were obstructed in their attack and all fell to their deaths, the resistance they encountered was surprisingly minimal. If not for the few cannons still firing, they would have already entered the fort.
Seeing this, the White Sheep Army was all excited. In less than a quarter of an hour, squad after squad of Turkic Ghazi requested permission to attack from the two Beys leading the army. Mahmoud and Hamza, seeing their eagerness and the enemy's weakness, no longer held them back, immediately promising land, status, and slaves as rewards to anyone, regardless of their rank, who could capture an enemy head inside the fort.
The general assault was launched in this manner, and the White Sheep Army was completely immersed in the joy of a holy war victory. The Turkmen Ghazi in the army even took the lead, attacking the fort from different directions, vowing to be the first to gain honor and land for themselves and their tribes, and never to fall behind those unruly nomadic ruffians.
This fervent atmosphere even ignited Hamza's heart. Seeing victory within reach, he gripped his scabbard, wanting to lead his personal guards into the fray as well.
But his movement was stopped by his third brother, "Remember Father's advice, it's better to be careful until the dust settles." Mahmoud held his second brother's right hand, cautiously reminding him.
Hamza frowned slightly upon hearing this. After a moment of thought, he nodded slightly, put away his scimitar, and, with his personal guards, retreated a few feet with his brother, placing the entire army in front of them.
Just as these two royals of the Aq Qoyunlu Dynasty completed their retreat, inside the fort, facing the surging tide of infidels, the remaining defenders were desperately holding on using the fort's terrain, hoping to draw in more enemies and buy time.
However, "It's almost too late, quickly notify Peter and them to act!" the officer leading them roared. Shortly after giving his final command to the messenger soldiers, he was immediately swallowed by the wave of White Sheep soldiers.
Without time to mourn their officer, these still-mobile messengers, following the layout they had memorized, contacted all the soldiers controlling the gunpowder primers within five minutes.
Upon receiving the message, Peter took a deep breath. "It's time," he said, turning to comfort the soldier who had delivered the message to him, "But you all should retreat first."
After confirming that his messenger had retreated towards the tunnel, Peter, with a pounding heart, activated the gunpowder primer, which was the "explosive" tube mentioned by the two generals. After lighting the fuse, he directly placed the burning item next to it.
"Alright, my mission is complete, now to retreat…" Just as Peter took a step with his right foot, a violent flash of fire immediately engulfed him.
And along with him, the few remaining support beams of the fort were also "swallowed."
Afterward, violent explosions and flames filled the entire dilapidated fort. The fortifications meticulously constructed by the defenders collapsed with a roar due to the explosion, and a part of the mountain connected to the fort also caved in.
On that day, the Aq Qoyunlu Dynasty suffered over three thousand casualties, and of the two hundred and fifty Bosporus defenders remaining in that fortification, none survived.