Chapter Seventy-Six: The Beginning of the Invasion of Australia The Great War in the West is imminent

The snow and ice in the north have not yet melted, but the south does not have this problem. Shi Xiu led a set of teams, cooperated with Fan Song and Lu Qi, and after becoming familiar with the situation in the south, he quickly stabilized the situation in the Nanyang Islands. The local natives of the Nanyang Islands do not have much culture, and as long as they are subjugated by force, it is still easy to rule. However, Shi Xiu was not satisfied with the status quo, he freed his hands and began to send troops to the Australian islands. First it occupied Sulawesi to the east of Borneo (Kalimantan) and then moved on to the island to the east. Since the distance was not very long, they completed these operations with the help of sailboats. The troops stationed on the island of Java also began to advance to the east of the islands. The indigenous people of the island could not resist their attack at all, but Shixiu's people encountered fierce resistance from the Toracha who hunted heads in Sulawesi, but the result could only be that after many of the Toracha were killed, the rest fled into the mountains.

In order to march to Australia, Li Zicheng's army also began to be transported to Borneo (Kalimantan). They also couldn't wait for the big ship of Yaogang, so they started to move using the sailboat.

When Yaogang's fleet was concentrated in the port of Brunei in Borneo, Shi Xiu completely handed over the affairs of the Nanyang Islands to Fan Song and Lu Qi, and the fleet took the Taishan, the largest ship in Yaogang, as the flagship, and led a 5,000-ton warship, two 1,800-ton warships, two 1,500-ton warships, two 20,000-ton transport ships, four 5,000-ton transport ships, and eight 1,500-ton transport ships, and set off for Australia in a mighty manner. This time the ship carried a mountain and jungle division, as well as Li Zicheng and their army of 15,000 men. Liu Fangliang went with Shi Xiu this time.

Shi Xiu's fleet was fully prepared for their march into Australia, and their team, using all the information they could gather, studied the situation in Australia, and they decided to land in the southeast of Australia, which was also the place where Zhang Zhimu suggested that they land. Zhang Zhimu didn't say it directly, but he knew that the Murray River and the Darling River were the best places in Australia. The land there is fertile and very suitable for agricultural development.

According to the situation there, Shi Xiu brought a lot of agricultural experts, as well as various craftsmen and other technical experts, various crop seeds, and a lot of agricultural machinery. Of course, I also brought a lot of fuels such as gasoline, diesel, kerosene, and diesel generators. There are even many poultry and animals such as chickens, ducks, cows, pigs, sheep, etc. Shi Xiu knew that they had no problem occupying there at all, that the natives there were no match for them at all, and that their biggest problem was to survive there and find a new suitable place for the Chinese to survive. Before the fleet set off in Brunei, it brought with it several crew members who had been to Australia recommended by the Sultan of Brunei to Shi Xiu. This allows the voyage to avoid many detours. However, the newly built ships in Yaogang have underwater acoustic detectors and radio detectors, and they can explore the path with underwater acoustic detectors when driving slowly on unfamiliar waterways, and they will not run aground.

At the same time as Shi Xiu, there was also a trading fleet that set off for Mexico in the Americas, and they continued to trade galleons. However, the kiln people also knew that Mexico was occupied by the Francis, so they also sent a 1,800-ton and a 1,500-ton warship to accompany a 5,000-ton freighter to Mexico. The preparation of the kiln men was to blast open their gates with cannons if the owners of the place closed their doors and did not accept customers. Zhang Zhimu also gave them a task, that is, to find an island in Hawaii in the Great Eastern Ocean (Pacific Ocean), Zhang Zhimu only knew a general location on the map, let them find this island, mark it first, and build a radio navigation station there in the future. Fortunately, the crew who had followed the galleon to Mexico before said that they had seen many islands in that location, one of which was very large, but the wild people there were not very friendly, and they had never landed on the island. The fleet that went to Mexico this time also brought a few crew members who had been to Mexico and were familiar with the sea routes.

This time, the 5,000-ton cargo ship was full of goods, all of which were introduced by the old sailors on the original route and sold very fast in Mexico, plus the newly produced goods in Yaogang. They were thinking more than just a shipload of goods, if this trade route was opened, it would be completely different from the original galleon trade, which could run several times a year. Originally, considering the direction of the wind, it was only possible to make one round trip a year.

Now the trade in the Western Regions is so hot that everyone didn't expect it. Just after the New Year, the trucks sent by Yang Jing from Hami to the western route were booked, and there were still many goods that could not be transported. Whether it is the trade of the Ula Pass on the Ula Pass, or the trade with Persia and the Ottoman Empire on the Caspian Sea, it is simply very hot. Because on the Silk Road, there was a kiln gang army to catch robbers at any time, and the merchants who came and went basically did not have to worry about safety. And because the trade to the West by sea has basically stopped, the trade to the West on this side of the road has naturally come alive. On the two trade routes leading to the west in the north and south, the guests who came and went, stepping on the unmelted snow, began to act early. It turns out that merchants from Tashkent, Samarkand, Tashkurgan, Mali, Bukhara, Shache and other places are very active, and they have always had a tradition of traveling far away to do business, and they will not give up such an opportunity, and there are many inns and restaurants along the way. The Silk Road has brought many tangible benefits to the people along the route.

The Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empire also seemed to have a tacit understanding, and before the heavy snow could talk, the armies on both sides began to move. This time the Ottomans attacked the Russian Empire from the east and west. The armies of the Western Front crossed the Greater Caucasus Mountains and plunged straight in the direction of Moscow. This was the main force of the Ottoman Empire.

Although the Russian Empire appeared to be passive, it also had a geographical advantage, and their army did not wait, but came out. They judged very accurately and knew that the Western Front was the main force of the Ottoman Empire. So their main force is also here.

Before the Ottoman Sultan set out on the expedition, he said to the generals: "This time, I will go out with everyone, if I can't defeat the Russians, I will not have the face to come back, and you will bury me on the battlefield." ”

The reason why the Sultan is like this is that he thinks that he should be able to defeat the Russians this time, and they have a combined army of 1.5 million on the Eastern and Western Fronts. The Sultan gave the lords of all regions a death order, asking them to concentrate all their forces and fight a decisive battle against the Russians, who had humiliated the Ottoman Empire. The lords knew that if they hid any more treachery now, the Sultan would not be able to spare them. Besides, if the hateful Russian Empire is not defeated, their lordship will not be guaranteed. The Russian Empire must have counterattacked the Ottoman Empire, and it will definitely not let them go. So the lords are sent out to finally be able to mobilize forces. This time, the lord's army added up to more than 600,000 people, plus the elite Janicha Guards of the Ottoman Empire, more than 100,000 people of the West Passi Guards, tens of thousands of Serbian surprise soldiers, and more than 200,000 miscellaneous mercenaries, which has exceeded one million. However, what gave the Sultan confidence was that he formed a musketeer corps mainly with the Guards, and there were already 30,000 people, including more than 8,000 muskets from the kiln gang, and the rest were all with their own improved muskets, and they were organized in a way that was still a soldier with a kiln musket and two soldiers with other muskets, so that the army of 1,000 people was a team. Twenty-four musket teams were formed.

The Ottoman Empire also put a lot of thought into the cars that were bought at a huge cost. They felt that the front windshield of the car was too fragile, so they added a wooden shield in front of them, and put iron sheets on the bread to leave a small window for the driver, so that although it affected the driver's vision, it was much safer. They also installed spear blades on the car that could be loaded and detached, and these sharp blades were mounted on the car and protruded from the car for a long time, and the enemy cavalry would also be stabbed by these sharp blades when they rushed over. They raised the carriage with planks and left a firing port for the musketeers on the carriage to fire. Originally, the roof of the car was also ready to install a cannon, but the gun carriage made of wood, the two guns fell apart, and the iron gun carriage was used to fight too hard, and when the cannon was too heavy, I was worried that the car would be damaged, so I had no choice but to replace it with a large-caliber musket carrying a shotgun. Such a musket was twice the caliber of the musket used by Ottoman soldiers today, and it was very suitable for loading shotguns against a large area of the enemy. It's just that the charge costs time. But the Sultan thought that fifty of these carts would rush towards the enemy, and at any moment there would be a car to shoot at the enemy, and even the most powerful enemy would be able to break through.

The Russian Empire is also unambiguous, claiming to be a million-strong army, and it is going to have a decisive battle with the Ottoman Empire.

In fact, the Russian army mobilized by the Tsar of the Russian Empire, that is, more than 600,000 people, as well as more than 100,000 Cossack cavalry, plus more than 100,000 mercenaries and miscellaneous armies of various kinds. In this era, there was a group of people in Europe who lived entirely on war, they were professional mercenaries, who gave money to fight for whom, and sometimes, whoever gave food to fight the war when the business was not good. Because when fighting, you can burn and loot by the way. So there were quite a few such armies in the Russian Empire and the Ottoman armies.

Similarly, the Russian Empire used the car as its own trump card on the battlefield. They also modified the car. However, they have a unique condition, they have a good relationship with Jiang Ting. Jiang Ji secretly sent a few sappers who knew how to weld for the Russian imperial army. It's much easier for them to modify cars with these things. Several welders were enshrined by the soldiers of the Russian Empire like their ancestors. A few sappers who eat and drink well, accompanied by Russian beauties every day, are not embarrassed not to do their best. They literally welded the car like a chariot. The cars they rebuilt were not at all on the same level as those of the Ottoman Empire that the skilled craftsmen were hammering and remodeling.

In this regard, the Russians are much smarter than the Ottoman Empire, or rather, they know the Ming Dynasty better. However, in this way, Alex, the Tsar of the Russian Empire, felt that between the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empire, it seemed that the kiln people of the Ming Dynasty were still very inclined to their Russian Empire.

The Tsar of the Russian Empire, like the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, told the soldiers before the expedition that this was a decisive battle with the Ottoman Empire. It was also clear to the Russian Empire that this was really the last stand. The nobles from all over the country also consciously sent many people to support the battle.

It is in such an atmosphere that the armies of the two countries tacitly advance toward each other!