Mehmed!
You leave tomorrow?
At first light.
The Ottomans are already on the march north.
How will all this end?
I don't know.
But there is no other way.
To remind you of me.
And that family is worth fighting for,
no matter the cost.
My Prince?
The men are ready to depart for Târgovişte.
There's been a change of plans.
Sultan,
I returned as quickly as I could.
Where's Princess Anastasia?
Where is she?
She is dead.
"She is dead"!
My orders were to bring her back unharmed!
She threw herself from the castle into the Argeş River.
Radu,
swear to me now that you did not let her escape
out of some misguided sentimentality for your brother.
Have I given you cause to question my loyalty?
As the Ottomans and Wallachians surge
towards the deciding battle outside of Târgovişte,
the walls are closing in on Vlad's operative in the imperial harem.
Meanwhile, after two weeks of chasing Vlad Dracula across Wallachia,
Mehmed the Conqueror and his exhausted Ottoman army
camp on the outskirts of Târgovişte.
Their attack on the capital is imminent.
But the man known to the Ottomans as the "Impaler Lord"
has turned the surrounding countryside into a chamber of horrors.
Raiding during the night,
sentries disappearing from the Ottoman camp,
being taken outside and being murdered by Wallachian raiders,
an exhausting day of marching followed by a night full of terrors,
but yet still, Mehmed begins to close on his prey.
What Mehmed succeeds in doing is
maintaining the solid core of his Janissaries as part of the army,
and then sending off
the regular troops to deal with the hit-and-run attacks,
while slowly moving forward, like a steamroller,
towards the Wallachian capital.
Now, just eight miles outside of Târgovişte,
a nervous energy courses through the Ottoman camp.
Vlad's beloved capital is almost within firing range of Mehmed's cannons.
Tomorrow, we will hit Târgovişte with the force of an earthquake
and finish this.
I've had enough of this child's game of hide-and-seek.
He should show himself and fight with honor.
Don't underestimate him.
You give him too much respect, Sultan.
He's no match for you.
Is there any word of the Hungarians?
Our man spotted a small reconnaissance team
just north of here and gave chase, but…
they escaped.
They're now probably sharing intelligence with the Wallachians,
or it could even be the lead elements of a larger force.
Should we send more akinji after them?
No. Keep the men close.
I don't know if King Matthias is being strategic or cowardly,
but Vlad has yet to play his last card.
Our coming victory depends on speed and stealth.
I will lead the initial unit disguised as Ottoman soldiers.
Once we are in position, I will signal for the attack.
By the time the Ottomans hear the blasts of our horns,
it will be too late.
Death will be upon them.
Vlad Dracula's got one last cast of the dice,
and what he chooses is a night attack.
Dimitrie, you'll attack with 5,000 men on the western side.
In the same time, Gales, you will take another 5,000 men
and hit them from the northeast.
There can be no delay.
Yes, Prince.
But he doesn't just set out to take more prisoners
or to murder at the edges of the camp.
He has a much bigger prize.
I want no Turks left alive.
Once the Ottomans are under attack from both sides,
I'll slip in the sultan's tent
and cut the head off the snake.
He sets out to kill the sultan.
Find and kill Mehmed, and thus, end the war,
and potentially end the Ottomans as a major power,
throwing them into civil war and strife once again.
This wasn't a wild gambit. This was an achievable aim.
Vlad the Impaler's strategy
for the night attack did not come out of nowhere.
Vlad applied the strategy used by Alexander the Great
in his battles against the Persians and Darius.
When Alexander Ill the Great, Alexander Megas, attacked Darius,
the focal point of the Battle of Gaugamela was the murder of Darius.
He knew that the moment he killed Darius,
the Persian army would fall apart.
With this night attack,
he was trying to kill the sultan that night.
The vengeance Vlad Dracula has sought
for ten long years is nearly at hand.
Your dagger, Prince.
And the other one.
The sultan and I are old friends, you know?
So close, and yet so very far.
You must be the great Zaganos Pasha, Mehmed's true right-hand.
Hmm.
I hear he values your counsel even above that of Halil Pasha.
The grand vizier and I both advised him against seeing you today,
but the sultan has a weakness for charity cases.
One of us is a prince,
and the other is a pig farmer masquerading as an aristocrat.
Don't forget to grovel.
It didn't work for your traitorous father, but looks like you had some practice.
Brother Vlad, I see you've met Zaganos Pasha.
-Worlds colliding. -Brother Mehmed.
Sultan.
-Little brother. -It's good to see you.
Mm-hmm.
My condolences for your loss.
Your father's wisdom will be sorely missed.
And his patience for those who disappointed him.
Mehmed.
Sultan, I've come seeking a few hundred soldiers
to help me take back my throne,
so that you may once again have a trusted ally in Wallachia.
Now is not the time for small skirmishes, Prince Vlad.
War with the Romans is on the horizon, and I intend to take Constantinople.
-Mehmed. -You're speaking to the sultan.
Know your place.
When I left this palace,
you swore to come to my aid should I ever need it.
-I need it now! -Show the sultan respect!
I'm no longer a prisoner here, and you are certainly not my keeper.
But you are in my court asking for my help.
-We will help you after-- -"We"?
Leave us!
Everyone!
Brother.
Brother, just… just show me some patience and loyalty, Vlad.
Come fight with me against the Romans,
who've grown fat and greedy behind their walls.
I promise.
Once I have Constantinople,
you will have the men and weapons you need.
I have no interest in being your sword-for-hire.
My birthright is all I have in this world.
I must take the throne now or risk losing it forever.
Mehmed, I ask you as a brother--
I have generously given you
the chance to rejoin your family here in Edirne.
I will not make the offer again.
Many have met their end
at the walls of Constantinople.
Sultan,
I wish you luck with your endeavors.
Just outside of Târgovişte, final preparations for the Ottoman siege
of the capital city pick up in intensity.
-We've found one of Vlad's spies. -Bring him to me alive.
So too do rumors of spies and assassins in the sultan's camp.
It's not just possible that Vlad had spies in the Ottoman camp.
It's almost certain.
There was precedent for this.
In 1389, Sultan Murad I,
having just defeated a Crusader army,
is assassinated in his camp by an enemy army.
They don't suspect anything.
Dinner for Sultana Gulbahar.
Mara Hatun, I've brought Sultana Gulbahar's dinner.
Her favorite, podliczschan.
Aren't you thoughtful, my dear?
Unfortunately, she won't be taking her meal tonight.
Is something wrong?
Poor thing, it seems someone broke into her bedchamber several nights ago
and gave her a terrible fright.
She hasn't had much of an appetite since.
That's terrible.
Hopefully, her ladyship's appetite returns tomorrow.
Please sit, my dear.
I insist.
If there's one, there are likely others among us.
We shall see what he knows.
We caught him disguised as one of our soldiers
trying to destroy a cannon.
He also stabbed one of our men.
Hasn't said a word.
Hmm.
A bit of dirty work for Prince Vlad, eh?
Or perhaps,
you just want a closer look at our big, beautiful guns
before they turn Târgovişte into rubble.
Sultan, let us behead him.
Hmm.
Are there any other spies in the camp?
Where's Vlad Dracula?
You don't understand a word I'm saying…
or do you?
-Radu. -Sultan.
Tell the Wallachian if he tells me where Vlad is hiding
and gives up any other spies,
I will give him more silver than he's seen in his entire lifetime.
It's a shame for this beautiful feast to go to waste.
Please eat.
I'm not hungry, Princess.
I have my chores to finish.
Where are you from…?
-Elena. -…Elena?
Bulgaria.
A bit further north, perhaps.
Wallachia?
Princess, I really must go.
Where is Prince Vlad?
If you tell us,
the Sultan will give you more silver than you've ever seen in your lifetime.
Fuck you, traitor!
Tell me now, or I can't help you.
Ask him again, but this time,
tell him if he doesn't tell me what I want to know,
I will have him sawn in half and feed his guts to the ravens.
Does he pay you?
Or is he holding someone you love?
Where is Prince Vlad?
If you don't tell us,
the Sultan will have you sawn in half and your guts fed to the ravens.
This is a waste of time.
-Take him away. -Wait!
You are poor and a woman.
In this world, that leaves you at the mercy of jackals.
It is clear you had no choice in the matter, dear.
Thank you, Princess Mara.
Let me try once more.
I am Prince Vlad's brother.
I want to help him…
but I need to get a message to him.
Can you help me?
Leave your message under the water trough at the far end of the stables.
We have someone there who will get it to Prince Vlad.
Good.
Now, spit in my face,
and call me a fucking traitor.
Fucking traitor!
He said to shove the silver up your ass.
Nevertheless, you chose the wrong side.
But… but Princess, I just…
The Wallachian's loyalty is admirable.
But I will give you one final choice.
How you die.
Execute him.
Brother! Brother, wait!
There is nothing to be said.
Stay here with us, please!
And do what? Huh?
Grovel for the sultan's approval?
Brother, we are your family!
You are my family, not Mehmed.
Vlad.
What?
I want the three of us to be together again,
like when we were boys.
Little brother, that time is long past. The world has changed.
But…
Mehmed has promised to help you once he takes Constantinople.
Open your eyes, Radu.
Be wary of what the sultan promises you in exchange for your loyalty.
I received word.
After the evening prayers, the sultan will be in his tent.
Alone and unguarded.
We must be fast.
Does your spy know about your attack?
He knows enough.
My Prince,
the area will be crawling with Janissaries.
They will be distracted…
and I'll get to Mehmed.
As the sun sinks over the Carpathians,
Vlad's men ready themselves
for a massive surprise attack on the Ottoman camp.
The 10,000 or so men that are left are also the most battle-tested.
Now, there was this wild idea in the Romanian historiography,
which is still, uh, really loved by some older nationalistic historians,
that the Romanian voivodes brought their peasants to the fight,
which of course is… such a nonsense.
Even if you arm the peasants, they couldn't fight in a pitched battle,
because if one janissary comes in front of ten Romanian peasants
armed with whatever you want, those ten wouldn't last for five minutes.
Just a few miles away, all is quiet in the Ottoman camp.
After sundown,
the sultan orders most of his army confined to their tents for the night.
By this point, the Ottoman army was quite on edge.
They were very used to being ambushed constantly,
and that creates panic.
What Mehmed tries to do is to maintain discipline within the camp
by making sure that after sundown,
his soldiers go into their tents and don't come out.
There are units that are posted for security.
But otherwise, movement in the camp at night is kept to an absolute minimum.
Sultan, the soldiers are in their tents,
save for those on watches, as you commanded.
Mahmud Pasha.
Yes, Sultan?
One of your poems before you go…
to remind us that there is still some beauty left in this corrupted world.
I…
I would be honored, Sultan.
I fell to bits because of the rose
What should I do with the rose garden?
Without you, oh, my beloved
What should I do with life and the world?
If anyone else in the two worlds Has sight of your face
And in that moment my eyes fill with blood
What should I do?
In remembrance of your lips, beloved
Now and again I sip, but…
What should I do with crimson wine While there is blood in my heart?
What is a tulip in the desert?
Scented rose of the coquettish garden?
If your shining face weren't there
What should I do With the moon in the heavens?
I will sacrifice my life to hunt the heart
And call like the nightingale In remembrance of you
Good night, Mahmud Pasha.
Vlad, it's Wallachian.
We're your family now.
Your hatred blinds you, Vlad.
This is madness. Why are you doing this?
Father, how can you do this?
You destroyed my family.
No, I protected you!
One more time, Hamza Bey. I must avenge myself.
-You always have my friendship. -Lies!
Brother Vlad.
Brother Mehmed.
Mehmed,
forget that boy who showed up on our doorstep all those years ago.
No more!
He no longer exists.
Just… just show me some patience and loyalty.
Mehmed, I ask you as a brother.
I have generously given you the chance to rejoin your family here in Edirne.
Face me, Mehmed.
Wallachia will be your grave.
You look more like an Ottoman than the sultan himself.
Ha.
Beneath these Ottoman rags,
beats the heart of a Wallachian lord of war.
I could tell you about God,
but you already have God in your souls.
I could tell you about honor,
but you have already honored Wallachia when you answered my call for battle.
From Argeş, Giurgiu, Brăila,
Slănic, Bucureşti, and Târgovişte.
Now,
we stand on the threshold of a great victory.
The greatest the world has ever known.
Those who are not prepared to die…
leave now.
Because tonight, we deliver the wrath of God
down upon the man who dares call himself the new Caesar!
Victorie!
Victorie! Victorie!
Victorie!
Sultan, do you require anything else tonight?
No. That will be all.
God, forgive me…
for what I must do.
In the distance beyond the Ottoman camp,
thousands of torches pierce the darkness.
Death is on the march.
The action was actually well-planned.
We see how Vlad again is dressing his men in Ottoman equipment.
They are using mares and not stallions to ride
because they will not neigh during the approach on the Ottoman camp.
-Dimitrie? -Yes, my Prince.
I'll see you at the sultan's tent.
All is quiet in the Ottoman camp…
Whoa.
…until the Wallachian army explodes out of the darkness.
-Alarm! Alarm!
It was a brilliant military strike
issued by Vlad the Impaler,
who equipped his soldiers with Turkish uniforms,
and under the roar of horns, attacked the Ottoman encampment that night.
The torches set fire to everything you can reach,
and then a lot of the Wallachians switched very rapidly to the bow,
charging backwards and forwards across the camp.
The stunned Ottoman troops rush out of their tents
and into the hellish chaos erupting all around them,
unable to discern the disguised Wallachian attackers from their own men.
And they get out, and they see Turks killing Turks,
so everybody starts killing each other.
In the midst of the chaos, a lone figure slips through the camp.
Don't let them regroup!
Where the hell is Gales?
Push the attack!
Come on! We're under attack!
I'll be there.
Hey, you! Stop!
Hello, brother.