The war agains the turks
The Athenian army marsched to Macedonia witch it laid under siege. Soon a turkisha rmy approached. Spies told Antonio that Murad II himself led the turksih army. Antonio began to wonder if his troops would stand against the turks as Murad was known as a skillfull commander and feared as an opponent. Luckily the Antonios army outnumbered Murads and had also the advantage to have much more cavalry. Murad was defeated and reatreated to Smyrna and Antonio thanked God and believed that this indead must be a sign from God that he would grant him victory over the heathens. How ever, the siege was not allowed to continue for long as Murad soon gathered a much stronger army and marsched towards Macedonia once again. This time Murad shatered the Athenian lines and broke the siege. The Athenians reatreated hastily to Athen and begun to dig in, prepareing them self to defend their city against Murads forces, but Murad didnt follow the beaten army but instead turned his army north to Bulgaria where the Wallachians had started siegeing Sofia.
Murad drow the Wallachians away from Bulgaria and seemed to stay put there. Antonio send his army once again into Macedonia and sieged its fortress. Meanwhile Moldovian forced had entered the province of Dobrudja and Wallachia made futil attempts to attack Bulgaria and Murads forces there. Then, in a cold winter morning, news reached Antoino that Byzans had declared war upon the turks aswell. This couldnt have come more convinient, as Murad now turned his forces towards the Emperor as the Emperor laid siege on Smyrna.
In may 1423 Macedonia was conquered and Antonio send parts of his army to Bulgaria while to other part stays put in Macedonia. In Bulgaria a battle occur between Antonios forces and a small dispatchment of turks. The turks defeats the athenians who are retreating to Rumelia, wich they siege instead.
As the Byzantine and the turks forces meets in battles several times, it seems like the Emperor is the one gaining the over hand soon Smyrna falls into the hand of the Emperor and the Moldovians also manage to capture Dobrudja. The war takes heavey tools on Athen and the costs is more then the Duchy can bear, therefore Antonio is forced to take a loan later that year of 1423. From Minor Asia news reaches Antonio that the Emirate of Karaman have annexed Dulkadir also the Knights of St John and Cyprus have landed forces in Minor Asia and are batteling the forces of the Ottoman sultan. Antonio had missed that the knights and Cyprus had attacked the turks but are not less gratefull for that they did. The campaign had gone better then expected.
Antoino tries an attack upon the Sultans own capital but is defeated. It demands a second try before the athenians can lay the city under siege. Meanwhile combined forces of Wallachians and Byzantines have driven out the turkish forces in Bulgaria. With just a few troops left in Angora, the turks seems to have been beaten. Soon Anatolia is in Antonios hands as Bulgaria is in the Emperors hands, but the Sultan still refuses to agree to a peace. Not until Byzantine troops eliminate the last turkish forces in Angora and lay the city under siege does the Sultan agree to peace. Athen recieves Macedonia and Moldavia recives Dobrudja. Antonio thanks God for his victory and give orders to prepare for some great feasts that now will be held in Athen. Antonio do how ever watch closely how the war between the Emperor and the Sultan proceeds...