When he killed Mehmed’s messengers, it was a message from Vlad Dracula that he would not pay his yearly dues anymore and it was clear that Vlad wanted a war against the Otoman Empire. Mehmed II sends Mara to coax Hungarian King Matthias Corvinus into an alliance. Vlad Dracula’s army was less than 30,000 men, but he invaded Bulgaria and started killing Mehmed’s men in 1462. He stole the Ottomans’ uniforms for his further attacks on the empire. Vlad also destroyed many ports that were under Sultan Mehmed II on the Danube.
Mehmed had to cross the Danube in order to reach the capital city of Târgoviște and defeat Vlad. The sultan faced the challenge of transporting 100,000 men across the river. Along with men, he had to transport cannons and horses too. The first unit to cross the river Danube included Mahmud Pasha, who was the most trusted man of Mehmed II. An epic battle along the Danube River looms, and Vlad has the upper hand.