At a time when global warming has not yet been affected by human industrial activity, even on the sunny Mediterranean coast of the Italian peninsula, the weather is still cold and dry in winter.

The nominal capital of the Kingdom of Sardinia is Cagliari, but in reality their real core stronghold is in the city of Turin. A city of great importance for all Italians.

After the Second Global War, the countries of Europa, which were suppressed by the Ming Empire, began to develop science and technology in order to regroup, and soon started the second industrial revolution.

The Germans discovered ammonia as a by-product during coking, which could be made into ammonium sulphate and used as nitrogen fertilizer, thus opening the era of synthetic fertilizers. At the same time, the Ming Empire was still relying on the huge nitrate mine in Chile to obtain raw materials. At that time, the complacent Ming Empire had begun to gradually slow down its progress.

With the large-scale popularization of synthetic fertilizers, the problem of food production that has plagued countries around the world has been solved in an instant. The Ming Empire, which had been constantly exploring new lands, was also attracted, so it turned its attention away from the desperate acquisition of land to the scientific and technological revolution, catching up with the last train of the second industrial revolution.

The popularization of chemical fertilizers has led to a significant increase in food production, and the most direct effect of food growth is the population explosion. And the most urgent thing about population growth is that it is forcing countries to seek new living space. The Ming Empire, which controlled the largest area of land in the world, naturally became the common goal of all countries. Hatred is secondary to everything, only interests are eternal.

In just a few decades, countries around the world have ushered in an era of population explosion. The Ming Empire is better, after all, it has a large number of colonies to live on. But some small countries, such as the Kingdom of Sardinia, are bad. In this era when there was no plan, the population of the tiny kingdom of Sardinia swelled from less than 500,000 to more than 4 million!

As the largest and most prosperous city in the kingdom, Turin has a population of more than one million people in the surrounding area. It is a veritable large city, and it is also the primary goal of the Daming Emperor's ** team this time.

"It's a terrible place." Zhang Cheng, who was sitting in the passenger seat of the four-wheeled truck, tightened the collar of his heavy military uniform, raised his hand and rubbed his cheeks, and complained depressedly.

It was already noon on February 1. At the moment when the ultimatum deadline arrived in the early hours of the morning, the Ming Empire chose to refuse without surprise. The Kingdom of Sardinia, which already had no choice, submitted a declaration of war to the Ming Empire. At the same time, a telegram was issued, calling on all Italians to resist the invasion of the Ming Empire.

And Zhang Cheng's department, which was stationed in the town of Waltri in the northwest direction, also received an order from Liu Yue, and the army set off for the port of Savona!

One morning, Zhang Cheng and his 3rd Regiment were struggling on a muddy, dilapidated coastal road that barely saw the prototype. Last night's winter rain completely scrapped the already rotten road.

Zhang Cheng, who had been wandering in the truck all morning, had a pale face, and he had been trying not to waste breakfast. This road is really so rotten that I have nothing to say. Not to mention Italy in modern time and space, even the road of the African brothers' homes is better than here.

The recruited mercenaries had no problem, and one by one they even yelled at them for being able to squeeze into trucks that were already full of supplies. Even Major Zhang Tao, who was driving next to Zhang Cheng and was regarded by Zhang Cheng as a model of office soldiers, had been driving a truck on the rugged road for a morning with a big belly and unchanged face, and he could light a cigarette for Zhang Cheng like no one else.

"At first glance, you are a person from a big city, and you have never suffered this kind of hardship." After putting on a heavy winter military uniform, Zhang Tao, who was like a polar bear, held a cigarette in his mouth, and pressed the horn with a smile to urge the truck in front to drive quickly.

"Nothing." Zhang Cheng's eyes froze, waved his hand and smiled, "I'm just not used to it." ”

Liu Yue's order to Zhang Cheng was to act alone, and attack the port of Savona under the guidance of a company of Milan garrisons led by Du Feng. There was a small fleet of Sardinians there.

To be honest, Zhang Cheng is not optimistic about the prospects of this war. The Ming Empire is too arrogant. The military strength of the Sardinians was greater than that of the Ming Empire's expeditionary force, which consisted of a part of the regular army and a large number of mercenaries. And they were wise on the defensive.

The regular army may be on par with the Sardinians, but the mercenaries who are the main force are a veritable rabble. How much of a role they can play in a battle of this scale, Zhang Cheng is not optimistic at all.

Hundreds of years of strength made the Ming Empire look down on any opponent. Liu Yue even formulated a battle plan to attack from multiple ways and encircle Turin City. and shouted the slogan of going to Turin and going home for the Spring Festival. Zhang Cheng was very worried that the expeditionary force would suffer a major setback. They are at a disadvantage in all aspects, and they are still thinking of a quick victory to besiege the enemy's capital. Where does this confidence come from? Graduates of the University of Luzhou are at this level?

Zhang Cheng, who has been educated by all kinds of information in modern time and space, will not understand how powerful their heartfelt pride is to live in a great country that has been showing off its power all over the world for hundreds of years.

It is true that the great strength of the Ming Empire is far beyond what the tiny Sardinia can contend with. But at this moment, on the battlefield, it is the expeditionary force of the Ming Empire that is at a disadvantage.

"I've heard that there are only a few gunboats in the port of Savona." Zhang Tao smoked a cigarette and chatted with Zhang Cheng, "Intelligence shows that there is no decent garrison force there, and it is not difficult." It seems that Liu Yue is not so obvious. ”

"Intelligence?" Zhang Cheng turned his head to look at the mercenaries carrying rifles and individual equipment on the side of the muddy road, struggling to move forward on the road, squinting his eyes, and whispering, "I doubt the intelligence ability of the Governor of Milan. It's been a few days since I arrived at the front, and I haven't even seen a single intelligence bulletin that really has a positive conclusion. It's all vague speculation and estimates, and even the approximate number of enemies is unclear. ”

"That's pretty good." Zhang Tao, who was smiling and as rich as Maitreya Buddha, said with a smile: "These intelligence officers sitting in the office are like this. ”

Zhang Cheng shook his head helplessly, and the important intelligence work was carried out by the officials of these colonies. Is it child's play?

"Boom!"

Zhang Cheng, who was chatting, was awakened by the sudden sound of an explosion in the distance, and raised his hand to touch the gun on his waist. And Zhang Tao didn't act like an army officer at all, and he killed the truck with one foot of the brake. Shove the door and roll straight down. He did roll and jump out of the car, not caring about the muddy water on the ground, and crawled into the pile of dead grass on the side of the road. His athletic skills were completely out of proportion to his size.

Zhang Cheng looked at Zhang Tao speechlessly behind the pile of dry grass on the side of the road, and pushed the car door helplessly and walked down.

"How did you get out of military school?" Zhang Cheng scolded in a low voice with a cold face: "Didn't you hear the sound of the shells far away?" So many soldiers are watching, is there a shame? Well? ”

In the middle of the road were convoys, lined with infantry with rifles. As the deputy of the regiment, Zhang Tao crawled into the haystack of dry grass, and a decent and beautiful military uniform suddenly became the biggest mockery.

"Hey, hey." Zhang Tao, who reacted, scratched his head and stood up, responding with a smile on his face, "Forget, forget." I've been in the office for too long and forgot. ”

Zhang Cheng glanced at him coldly, turned around and shouted, "He Laosan!" ”

"Here!" A figure jumped out of a truck behind him, carrying a Chicago typewriter and running over.

"Go to the front and see what's going on! Be quick! Zhang Cheng gave a loud order.

"Yes!" He Laosan quickly saluted, rushed to the side of the road, pulled a horse from the communication squad and turned over, and rushed forward with a shout.

"Get to the side of the road and don't block the road." Zhang Cheng untied his thick leather gloves, took out a cigarette and lit it, and instructed Zhang Tao, who was standing aside with an embarrassed face.

"Yes!" Surprised by the rapid change in Zhang Cheng's temperament and the hint of coercion, Zhang Tao hurriedly saluted and ran to the truck and drove the truck to the side of the road.

A series of vigorous movements and actions, coupled with Zhang Cheng, who was wearing a conspicuous colonel's uniform, stood tall on the side of the road, stepped on a large stone with one leg, and looked into the distance with a cigarette in his hand. Soon the soldiers around him forgot about Zhang Tao's clumsy performance before.

The road along the coast was full of his own soldiers, and the sound of weapons and equipment constantly colliding, and the sound of dense footsteps made Zhang Cheng's heart beat faster. Cloudy skies, cold weather, gunshots. There's nothing more exciting than that. Zhang Cheng slowly lowered his eyelids and whispered to himself, "Come on, come more violently!" ”

It didn't take long for Zhang Cheng to light the third cigarette, and He Laosan rushed back on horseback.

"Sir!" He Laosan, who turned over and dismounted, casually threw the reins to the soldiers on the side, and hurriedly ran to Zhang Cheng's side to report: "There is a blocking position of the Sardinians on the road leading to the town of Valazer ahead. Major Dufon said that there were artillery positions in the town of Varazze, and those Sardinias had at least two seventy-five-mm field guns. ”

"Hmm." Zhang Cheng nodded, looked at the military map that had already been spread out on the side, and looked at the location of Varazze Town. After a moment of deep silence, he commanded, "Send a telegram to the navy and ask them to destroy the artillery positions in the town of Varazze." ”

Because Zhang Cheng's troops were advancing along the coastal road, and they were going to attack the Savona military port. So he also got the heat that was being blocked. Support of naval warships in Naya Bay.

"But sir!" Zhang Tao on the side shouted in surprise: "There are a lot of civilians in that town." ”

"It's not a civilian of the Ming Dynasty!"