The Ottoman army manages to advance as Ţepeş institutes a policy of scorched earth, poisons the waters, and also creates marshes by diverting the waters of small rivers.

Traps are created by the digging of pits, and then covered with timber and leaves.

The population and animals are evacuated to the mountains and as Mehmed advances for seven days, his army suffers from fatigue.

Ţepeş adopts guerrilla tactics as his cavalry make several hit-and-run attacks.

He also sends ill people suffering from lethal diseases, such as leprosy, tuberculosis, syphilis —and in more significant numbers—those who suffer from the bubonic plague, to intermix with the Turks and infect them.

The bubonic plague manages to spread in the Ottoman army.

The Ottoman fleet launches a few minor attacks on Brăila and Chilia, but without being able to do much damage, as Ţepeş has destroyed most of the ports in Bulgaria.

Chalkokondyles writes that the Sultan managed to capture a Wallachian soldier and at first tried to bribe him for information; when that didn't work, he threatened him with torture, to no avail.

Mehmed was said to have commended the soldier by saying, "if your master had many soldiers like yourself, in a short time he could conquer the world!"

After failing to capture the fortress of Bucharest and...