After Manuel decided to march on Constantinople, he immediately began to deploy his forces:
For the army, Tukharovsky would first lead three Tauris legions to continue guarding the Bosporus's occupied territories in Anatolia, while the Pontus legions would concentrate at Chalcedon across from Constantinople. As for Caesar himself, he would lead the entire Philaka Legion as the vanguard.
For the navy, an immediate order was sent to Admiral Falero to detach half of his fleet to assist their landing south of Constantinople.
Before this, he would secretly inform his informants and inside agents within Constantinople to meet his troops and guide them to the city gates. This way, even if the Golden Horn between Constantinople's main city and Galata still had a sea chain barrier, it would not prevent him from secretly crossing the Sea of Marmara coast south of the city.
As for the specific landing location, after weighing the pros and cons based on intelligence, Manuel ultimately chose to land on the Sea of Marmara coast south of Constantinople, as mentioned above, rather than the Golden Horn coast. Firstly, due to the existence of the sea chain barrier; secondly, he believed the Genoese would absolutely not cooperate with him on this matter; and thirdly, out of personal considerations, he was not in a hurry to rescue Lucas Notaras and his mother-in-law, Helena.
However, this also put his wife and eldest son, who were in Blachernae Palace, in a difficult position. If it weren't for the pressing circumstances, he wouldn't have wanted his crucial family members to face such risks.
But since he had made this decision, he was also prepared to pay the necessary price. If the worst happened, to protect his wife and children, he would activate his hidden contingency plans within Constantinople to ensure both mother and son survived unharmed.
While Manuel was deciding to intervene in Constantinople with force, in Blachernae Palace in Constantinople, his wife Barbara was doing her best to comfort her mother, who had fled there.
"I never thought things would turn out this way. Your brothers were so kind and loving to each other back then, both determined to revive this ancient country, but Holy Mother Mary, why has Dimitrios become like this? He should know that the Turks are the enemies of all Romans and even Christians..." Helena Dragases spoke to her daughter with a heavy heart, pouring out her inner bitterness. Her younger son Dimitrios's sudden rebellion was completely unexpected. Although their relationship had already fractured due to her previous obstruction of his ascension, her younger son's merciless coup still left her utterly disheartened.
Barbara felt the same. Even after many years of marriage, she still remembered that her brother Dimitrios was no gentler than her brother Constantine back then, but now, his appearance, unwilling to give up until Blachernae Palace was taken, completely defied her impression.
All she could do now, besides comforting those around her, was to continue maintaining secret contact with her husband, hoping he could quickly send troops to resolve everything.
On the other side, in the Constantinople Grand Palace, Dimitrios, who had launched the coup just two days prior, was holding a seemingly proper "imperial council," as if he had already been crowned Basileus.
"Your Majesty, as of now, our side has controlled the entire acropolis within the ancient Byzantine city walls, and five large districts on the north side. We have successfully gained control of the southern sea chain barrier and are confronting the old remnants in Blachernae Palace..." Dimitrios's most trusted follower, Nikephoros Doukas Kantakouzenos of the Kantakouzenos family, whom he had appointed as the new "Foreign Affairs Director," was reporting the current progress to him.
"Excellent. By the way, what do the Genoese of Pera across the Golden Horn say?" Dimitrios was still very much looking forward to the defection of the Galata region to help him completely control the sea chain barrier. Moreover, gaining support from the Latins would also help him accelerate his control over Constantinople.
"Your Majesty," Nikephoros shook his head, "the Genoese in Galata have an ambiguous attitude, and all their replies are vague. Clearly, these shrewd Latins are unwilling to cooperate with us when the future is uncertain."
"A bunch of profiteers!" Upon hearing this, Dimitrios was furious. Even if he lacked talent in governance, he knew that in these few days, relying solely on his followers and the Ottoman spies within the city would not be enough to quickly gain overall control.
However, he quickly forced himself to calm down. "Forget it, let's not talk about these profiteers for now. Tell me something else, how many noble families have chosen to side with us now?" Since his attempt to seize the throne two years ago was thwarted, nearly half of his original followers had been exiled or expelled by his brother Constantine XI after his ascension. The remaining followers who could stay in the city were either deeply rooted or fence-sitters. So, after controlling the acropolis by surprise, he, who considered himself about to become Basileus, awkwardly found that he had almost no capable people at his disposal...
Facing Dimitrios's questioning, his "Foreign Affairs Director" replied with an awkward laugh: "Your Majesty, the number of nobles who have pledged allegiance to us is negligible, and they are all opportunistic individuals from declining families."
"Moreover, those ignorant citizens are vehemently opposing Your Majesty. They believe Your Majesty deliberately colluded with the Ottoman, betraying the Empire's interests, and are constantly causing trouble in the streets."
"A bunch of fools!" Upon hearing this, Dimitrios couldn't help but curse, "Don't they understand that neither adhering to old traditions nor turning to the West can save Rome!? The only way to save Rome is to cooperate with the Turks!"
"By the way, what about that old man Lucas Notaras? I remember him saying, 'I'd rather have the Sultan's white turban than the Pope's triple tiara,' didn't he?"
"That's what he said, but Your Majesty, when I communicated with the Prime Minister yesterday, he directly accused you of rebellion and stated that he would never tolerate it..."
"That old geezer!" Dimitrios cursed. He had initially thought that someone as hostile to the Catholic world as the Prime Minister would eagerly switch sides as soon as he was courted. How could he have known that the old man's true beliefs were very different from what he expected.
Regarding Dimitrios's actions, the leader of the Ottoman spies who had rescued him two days ago, a Greek Muslim named Yahya, or John, couldn't help but subtly shake his head and sigh: He only controlled the acropolis and a few northern districts, yet he was sitting here fantasizing about officially ascending as Basileus. Had the Sultan become desperate?
Moreover, Dimitrios's methods of winning people over were not clever. How could he simultaneously show favor to the Catholic Latins while also using conservative slogans to side with the Ottoman?
Feeling that things were developing too absurdly, he had no choice but to step forward and, on behalf of the Ottoman, correct the usurper he was supporting. "Your Majesty, I want to remind you that the most urgent task is not to deploy your limited armed forces to control the city gates, but not to throw them into Blachernae Palace to quibble with those old men who will soon lose their value..."
Before he finished speaking, Dimitrios interrupted, "As long as I wipe out my brother's old faction, control of the city gates will be within easy reach. I was born and raised in Constantinople; no one understands the underlying logic of this city better than I do!"
"Will nothing really go wrong...?" Looking at Dimitrios's confident demeanor, Yahya only felt that the other party's thinking was unbelievably bizarre.
While Dimitrios and his party were still in the Grand Palace, painting an optimistic picture for various uncertain prospects and dreaming unattainable dreams, on the north shore of the Sea of Marmara, outside Constantinople, west of the Marble Tower in the southern part of the city, a fleet of fast oar-sailing ships disguised as merchant vessels was rapidly approaching the area...