Bab 684: Why Can't I Take a Break?

Little did Sultan Mehmed know that he was ensnared in a web of deceit spun by Antonius. Contrary to the assurances given, the Romans had not enjoyed a bountiful harvest. In fact, their granaries were far from capable of supporting the starving masses of the Turks. In a desperate bid to fulfil their lofty promises, the Romans depleted nearly half of their own grain reserves and then began covertly purchasing additional supplies from the Mamluks, Hungarians, and Moldovans. The strategy devised in Constantinople was audacious yet clear: the Roman Empire was to ensure the delivery of grains to the Zaganos Turks at prices even lower than those of local Turkish produce, ostensibly to rescue the populace of their eastern neighbour from the clutches of famine.