After the ambush ended, Manuel slowly descended from the cliff where he had been hiding and began to assess the results of the battle.
To decisively defeat this Ottoman main force, he had specifically arranged for the bribed Turk nomads to create a false impression of an attack on Adapazarı, and cautiously led his army to hide in the local mountains.
However, the Ottoman's swift reaction to the deception exceeded his expectations; fortunately, Manuel was a step ahead.
After timely reconnaissance of enemy movements, he had preemptively repositioned his troops to ambush the cliff area, which resulted in such a brilliant ambush.
From the results, the outcome of this battle far exceeded his expectations: the Ottoman General was instantly killed by a cannon he had ambushed, and subsequent examination of his body confirmed that he was Murad II's son-in-law, Mahmud Pasha.
After the General's death, the Ottoman's formation quickly collapsed, and they began to flee towards Izmit, only to be caught by the Bosporus ambushers who had arrived at the mountain pass ahead.
Finally, caught in a three-sided pincer attack from front, back, and above, they were either killed or captured, with almost the entire army annihilated.
Of course, the Bosporus also paid a price.
To ensure that virtually no one escaped, Manuel mobilized all his main forces for the encirclement, even deploying the Monaspa Legion from his Georgian vassals.
Even so, this ambush and annihilation battle lasted until the early hours of the next day, resulting in nearly two thousand casualties on his side, with elite peasant soldiers and legionnaires accounting for almost one-third of them.
This forced Manuel to admit that the Ottoman Army was indeed a top-tier force of that era; even when in a state of chaotic distress, their fierce struggle proved troublesome.
Fortunately, this time they were completely finished.
Thinking of this, the Caesar dismounted and let out a long sigh.
After settling the gains and losses of this battle, he began to ponder the next question:
"The question now is, what should be done next?"
After a moment of thought, Manuel raised his head without hesitation, suppressing his excitement, and ordered, "Westward then eastward, prepare to retake Izmit…" He paused, shook his head, and corrected himself, "No, it should be,
"Liberate Nicomedia."
After deciding on the next short-term goal, the Caesar summoned the Generals and commanders of the Bosporus Army to discuss how to capture Izmit.
"Dungar, you speak first." After briefly outlining the current situation, Manuel gestured for his Pontus Army Commander to speak.
"Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, our army should directly attack and swiftly capture Izmit—no, Nicomedia, and then control Kocaeli." Dungar stood up and responded, offering his view.
"But Lord Dungar, according to the confessions of the Ottoman prisoners, the Ottoman General Mahmud Pasha had already made thorough defensive preparations within Nicomedia before leaving the city.
Moreover, the city has historically been a difficult fortress to conquer; even if affected by the holy fire disease and not as formidable as before, taking the city by force will still not be easy." Tukharovsky, the Tauris Army Commander and Dungar's colleague, frowned and stepped forward to offer his opinion.
"But Lord Tukharovsky, time is now on our side; our army should be the one with time and resources.
In other words," when he mentioned this, the Western European General laughed loudly:
"I can do this all day!"
Thinking of the difficult enemies within the walls of Izmit, Dungar confidently declared this in one of his native languages, causing the Caesar, who had dismounted and stood beside him, to glance sideways.
However, the other party's gaze seemed to be a half-smile, which made the British-Irish mixed-race Army Commander laugh awkwardly.
Listening to his subordinate speak, Manuel, after a sideways glance, then smiled helplessly, "Let's not do that."
"I am not the legendary king of attrition."
At the Caesar's words, the awkward smile on Dungar's face completely vanished.
But his monarch did not make it difficult for him, but waved his hand for him to silently step back, to prevent him from dwelling on the matter.
After that, some other plans were briefly discussed, but none of them satisfied the Caesar.
At the end of the discussion, Manuel simply synthesized their views and devised a method that would be absolutely unexpected by the enemy.
"Didn't our army capture a large number of Ottoman soldiers and even several officers? Now is the time to use them." As he spoke of them, a cunning smile appeared on the Caesar's face.
At midnight the day after Adapazarı ended, a group of Ottomans, having abandoned their armor and with tattered clothes, arrived at the foot of Izmit and begged the defenders to open the city gates and let them in.
They also claimed to have critical information to report to the Sultan, stating that there was no time to lose.
However, the defenders did not easily grant passage; before Mahmud Pasha left the city, he had warned them not to trust others easily and open the city gates.
Therefore, the defenders did not believe them at this time, but demanded that the routed soldiers below first report their unit affiliation and the secret code.
Facing the defenders' questions, the "routed soldiers" below immediately reported their unit affiliation and the corresponding secret code.
But even so, the defenders did not easily believe them, stating that they needed to return to the city to confirm.
In response to the defenders' reply, the "routed soldiers" below visibly grew agitated; those at the front could not help but shout at the city wall, begging for passage:
"The Bosporus Army is right behind us; they have captured the towns along the way and defeated the Pasha's forces, and are now rushing towards this city.
Allah above, our fellow brothers, quickly let us in, otherwise these treacherous Romans will seize this vital hub."
His words clearly touched a nerve with the defenders, and more soldiers advised their commander, asking to let these friendly forces with combat experience in, to withstand the infidels' fierce assault on this critical town, which concerned all of Kocaeli and even Western Asia Minor.
But the cautious commander still did not dare to easily let them into the city, until an incredibly familiar deep voice came from below the city.
"The enemy counterattack is imminent, but there is still room for recovery.
What crime is it to miss a military opportunity? For Allah, for the Sultan, open the gates!"
Listening to this loud yet deep voice and such an unquestionable tone, the commander almost fainted, "It's Mahmud Pasha, quickly open the city gates and let them in!"
Since even the commander said so, the defenders naturally obeyed without hesitation.
Soon, the Izmit city gates opened, and the commander, filled with trepidation, rode ahead, fearing to displease the Pasha.
After all, Mahmud Pasha was the Sultan's son-in-law, not someone he could anger.
When he dismounted and met the "Pasha" lurking in the night, the other party merely waved a hand, indicating that he had important matters to discuss with them.
The commander naturally approached with excitement, fearing to displease the other party.
However, upon getting closer, the commander unexpectedly discovered that these "routed soldiers" only had tattered uniforms, but their armor and weapons were all as sharp as ever, which made him feel somewhat strange.
"Well done." Before he could react, the "Pasha" in front of him sneered, drew his scimitar, and cut off the commander's head with a single stroke.
And the "routed soldiers" behind him immediately swarmed forward, beginning to slaughter the miscalculating defenders and rushing to climb the city wall to seize control of the city gates.
On October 20, 1444, Manuel disguised the Filakas Legion as Ottoman routed soldiers, mixing in captured enemy soldiers.
That night, the Filakas officer, the Turk Adian, impersonated Mahmud Pasha to trick open the city gates, and at midnight, together with the main Bosporus Army that arrived as reinforcements, they took control of the main gate.
The next morning, Izmit was breached, and after more than a hundred years, the Romans recaptured Nicomedia, this ancient and important town named after Media.