Chapter 909

It is a sad thing that little Toulon, because of its geographical location closest to Corsica, was chosen as a landing ground. The French army actually made a serious mistake, that is, it did not have a clear estimate of the capacity of the Ming Dynasty. The army that was put into the European theater of operations, as many as 50 divisions, although it had the long-term operation of Egypt as a springboard and hoarded a large amount of military supplies, but with the current sea and land forces of the Ming army, there was no need to hide its actions at all. The advantage of taking that road is that it can greatly ease the logistical pressure. Why did Daming want to occupy the small town of Xijon, isn't it where coal is produced? Why choose Corsica as a second springboard, because it's close!

The reason is very simple, that is, because of the proximity, it is impossible for the Ming army to choose other places to land. Marseille is not impossible, but there are many mountainous coastlines over there, which are easy to defend and difficult to attack. The situation in Toulon was much better, where the French army invested less forces and more subjective judgment, throwing their forces into Marseille and the English Channel coast.

What is even more tragic is that the French army fighting on the ground was completely thrown out a few streets by the Ming army in terms of intelligence. How many troops the Ming army had, I don't know, how many ships, I don't know, how many artillery, I don't know. All in all, all kinds of don't know. But every move of the French army, the Ming army can know it well. For example, in Toulon, there are only 3,000 French troops guarding the town, what is the difference between sending it and sending it? The most tragic thing is that there is no heavy army group of the French army nearby, and in the eyes of the French army, after the landing of Toulon, you have to walk a lot to get to Paris, and this road is not a thoroughfare, it is not easy to walk. You're tired and half dead, what do you eat on the way? I'm half dead of hunger!

The problem is, there is a kind of person called a traitor! From Toulon to Paris, there are dozens of warehouses full of grain along the way. As soon as the Ming army drove over, these people immediately ran to welcome them. Tell the Ming army where the French army is and how much food I have prepared for Wang Shi. Finally, there is the problem of the great resentment of Louis XIV's reckless militarism during his time in France.

Let's put it this way, apart from the army, Louis XIV was now a traitor.

The battle of the three thousand French troops could not be counted as heroic. At the last moment, the soldiers even shouted Banzai France, fighting hand-to-hand with bayonets. It's a pity that their actions have no effect, and the shotguns equipped by the assault units of the Ming army teach them to be human beings in minutes. Melee? In fact, the Ming army is not bad at all, but the problems that can be solved with ammunition are solved with ammunition, which is the habit of the Ming army.

Valjean's luck was good, he was stunned during the shelling. Wake up and the battle is over. Three thousand French troops, one thousand eight hundred casualties, the rest surrendered. Not every French army was able to fight until the last moment, in fact, after the death of the last officer, the French army collapsed, ran part, and the rest did not run away and surrendered.

The landed Ming army advanced westward along the coastline, where a division of troops encountered 5,000 French troops. French soldiers marching to the beat of drums in neat squares. Unaware of their prowess pushing them into the grave. At this time, the French army still stubbornly adopted the tactics they were accustomed to, lined up to be shot. The tragedy in Spain did not teach them anything.

In the face of such an enemy, one of the vanguard regiments immediately retracted, after forming a simple position. Pushing the cannons, the French troops appeared in a line. The officer walked in the front, with a command knife in his hand, a hat with a special shape, and a unique style. Eye-catching color clothing. Undoubtedly, officers are the best targets for sharpshooters. The maximum firing range of the new rifle is 800 meters, and it is not possible to say that it can hit the target at the maximum firing range.

The first thing the heroic French troops were subjected to was heavy shelling, and in an instant the artillery they were still looking for positions was reduced to scrap metal. The high-pitched mortars fired quickly and sharply, and the continuous explosions set off a bloody storm among the crowd.

Although the number is only half of the opponent's, the firepower output of a vanguard group far exceeds that of the opponent, not to mention, the focus is on the advantage in distance. The Ming army, which was in full array, killed and wounded a large number of French troops with dense firepower, during which accurate marksmen killed officers. In less than an hour, the French retreated, and the Ming army launched a counterattack.

In the process of retreating, the 5,000 French troops really realized what it means to retreat than to attack. It is impossible to withdraw, and the Ming army behind cannot be thrown off at all. The small-caliber mortars were like demons in hell, chasing the French in the ass and stabbing them back and forth. A large number of French troops, without command, laid down their arms and surrendered on their knees, and the pursuit continued until dusk, and less than 500 of the 5,000 French troops eventually fled back to Marseille.

Marseille, which had not yet recovered from the last shelling, suffered heavy losses from the defenders, and the remnants fled overnight. The Ming army did not occupy Marseille and obtained a port with a huge throughput. After the occupation of Marseille, large quantities of supplies began to come ashore here, and the port of Toulon was small and far from being of much more importance than Marseille.

Louis XIV received the news of the fall of Marseille half a month later. General Tyrrenne was summoned to the palace again, and after some deliberation, Louis XIV, under the agitation of the Duke of Anjou and others, vetoed General Tyrrenne's proposal to resist repeatedly, block layer by layer, and finally fight a decisive battle. Decide to go on a personal expedition and decide your fate with a large battle. Louis XIV's idea was very good, and he judged that the Ming army would invest about 100,000 troops at most like the Spanish, and how long could it not be guaranteed to be replenished. His judgment proved to be not very wrong, and the Ming troops landed from Toulon and Marseille, that is, nine infantry divisions and one cavalry division. Together with the three independent artillery regiments, when the French army set off, the three independent artillery regiments were still unloading ships in Marseille.

The French army was divided into two parts, Tirrene left 100,000 French troops in front, and Louis XIV, who thought he was not bad, led 200,000 French troops behind. Keep a day's distance between the two and set off one after the other. After the Ming army occupying Marseille learned that the French army had taken the initiative to move south, it was judged that it would take at least half a month for the French army to reach Marseille. The Ming army headquarters made full use of this half a month to hoard military supplies and prepare for a decisive battle to defeat the French army and lay the foundation for France.

On February 25, 1693, the vanguard of the Ming and French armies encountered them in Avignon. After a short contact, the vanguard of the French army withdrew, and the main forces of both sides set up the battlefield, and three days later, on the 28th, the two armies were deployed, and a large conference broke out.

As a side with few people, the Ming army unexpectedly launched an active attack. On the left side there were three infantry divisions and a separate artillery regiment as auxiliary groups, and on the right side were the main forces. After the battle began, the 38th Division of the main Ming Army took the lead, and the intensive artillery fire stormed a French position in front. Under long-range artillery fire, the French suffered heavy casualties and could not sustain themselves. The 38th Division Chen launched a fierce attack and routed the division in one morning.

Tirrene urgently mobilized two divisions to block the Ming army, and fierce fighting broke out between the two sides, and the 38th Division, which was equipped with advanced equipment, was defeated by two French divisions with its own strength. A bold assault was then carried out by the 39th Division, which followed. The flanks of the French army were quickly shaken after a rapid blow.

At the critical moment, the French army reinforced in time and barely stabilized its position. Fierce fighting was fought within a radius of 20 kilometers, and the Ming army unilaterally launched a fierce attack, and the French army, as the defending side, was defeated in the face of the heavy blows of the Ming army. In the case of a large gap in equipment, the French army could not defend it if it wanted to, and it could not attack if it wanted to attack.

On the third day of the battle, the left corps of the Ming army broke through the French defensive line, the flank of the French army was exposed, and the whole line was in an emergency. The Ming army launched a full-scale frontal attack, and after a day and a night of fierce fighting, the French army was in danger of being surrounded by a small enemy force. The ambitious Louis XIV fled overnight, and General Tirrene commanded 200,000 French troops to support him for three days before finally surrendering because he ran out of ammunition and food. Louis XIV, who fled back to Paris, did not sit on the heat, and the French aristocracy staged a coup d'état.

More than 10,000 coup troops were launched overnight, and the Duke of Anjou, Louis XIV's most trusted spy leader, led his troops to capture Louis XIV and demand his abdication. After the unsuspecting Louis XIV refused to abdicate and was placed under house arrest, the French aristocracy urgently negotiated and decided to nominate the crown prince to succeed the emperor, and follow the Ming system, set up a parliament and set up a cabinet prime minister to take power.

The Duke of Anjou was elected prime minister of the first cabinet and personally intervened to negotiate with the Ming army.

The Ming army stopped after the victory and did not continue its march on Paris. It was not until the French had settled Louis XIV themselves that the two sides began peace talks. For France, the negotiation conditions of the Ming Dynasty were not harsh, and it could even be said to be tolerant. In addition to the return of the assets of the Ming citizens, there are also some personal compensations, and the state compensation is only 5 million Chinese yuan, which is really very lenient compared to other countries. Other conditions are the most-favored-nation status of both sides, the abandonment of the American colonies, and the resumption of economic and trade exchanges. The outcome of this negotiation is undoubtedly hailed as a great diplomatic victory. The Ming Dynasty did not even ask for a lease of an inch of land in France, the only excessive request was that the Ming people broke the law in France and handed it over to the embassy and consulate for adjudication. After the negotiations, the Ming army withdrew from France one after another, which lasted about half a year.

The Ming army performed very well in France, was highly disciplined, never disturbed the people, and acted generously. During their stationing in France, according to incomplete statistics, at least 30,000 soldiers solved the marriage problem. The following year, about 20,000 newborns were born without a father, which can show that the friendship between France and France is deep. The battle of Mingfa went smoothly, and no one expected it. After the start of the negotiations, a large number of military supplies and supplies continued to arrive in Marseille. These supplies became the most popular reason for the soldiers, and the enthusiastic French girls, some of whom were dozens of miles away, also had to go around the barracks around Marseille to see if there was a chance to marry the legendary heavenly Daming. The Maasai black market continued to flourish for a year, and a large number of military canned food, biscuits, and tents appeared on the black market. Some of these materials were obtained from the hands of the Ming army, and some were donated by the Ming army to the new French government.

The defeat of France sounded the alarm bell for the Holy Roman Empire, the defeated France did not hurt its vitality, and after the Ming army withdrew, the guns of the French were likely to be aimed at them. (To be continued.) )