Chapter 905

Winter is coming, France breathes a sigh of relief, the Mediterranean region of this season, clearly unsuitable for combat. The warm and rainy winter is really a fatal thing for the march and war. As for the sea area facing the Atlantic Ocean, it is even more reassuring when winter comes, and the weather is foggy at every turn, the wind is high and the waves are urgent, and few people will attack from the sea in this season.

The Ming army, stationed in Spain, was now the most real threat to France. Fortunately, thanks to the danger of the Pyrenees, the French army seized the main mountain pass, and was sure to deal a head-on blow to the enemy who might be attacking.

Of course, this is an internal French statement, and in fact the French military scoffs at this view. What if the Pyrenees were a natural hazard? Without a strong navy and a solid coastal defense, the French army could only passively meet the French army if they landed wherever they landed on the terrain of France. As for climate, this thing has never been the key to winning or losing a war. (The Russians and Napoleon said they could not agree.) ）

Condé's crushing defeat in Spain dealt too much of a blow to the French army. Under the absolute superiority of forces, the Ming army was just a counterattack, and the entire coalition army collapsed. Among them, there are many experiences worth summing up, and it is certain that the equipment and tactics of the Ming Army have comprehensively surpassed this era. In particular, the quality of its army is not comparable to the most powerful army in Europe in this era.

This pessimism naturally reached Louis XIV's ears. The despotic monarch was so distressed by this that he sought Pierre several times to seek the possibility of peace talks. Pierre told Louis XIV that there might be something other countries could talk about, but the French Empire was having a hard time. This was the price of betrayal, which Pierre had repeatedly persuaded at the beginning. Louis XIV didn't listen. insisted on arguing with the Ming Dynasty, and even once thought that the combat effectiveness of the French army had caught up with the Ming Dynasty. Now, it seems, is a joke.

Tyrrenne, a famous French general, was summoned to the palace to inquire about the direction of the war. Faced with the emperor's questioning, Tirrena could only express bitterly. Try to try to negotiate peace with the Ming Dynasty. Even if it is good to buy an extra day, if war is inevitable. The only chance to win is to strike the hardest blow when the enemy lands. But now this tactic is difficult to implement, because it is not known where the enemy will land from. Taking into account the actual situation of the French army, the safe way was to concentrate a heavy group, in a suitable position, and wait for the landing of the Ming army. Then there will be a decisive battle on the mainland, and being deployed everywhere is equivalent to being defenseless. The reason for this is simple, the Ming army is too strong. The small number of troops does not make any difference.

As far as the current situation is concerned, Tyrrenne advocates that the main force should be concentrated in central France, and the direction of the Pyrenees does not need too many troops. Because of the terrain, it is impossible for the Ming army to send a large army to attack that direction, because there will definitely be problems with logistics supply, after all, it is not the era of cold weapons, and the current Ming army has obvious characteristics in its operations, and it is very dependent on logistics. This. If you look at the Ming army after landing in Spain, you can understand that it took them a long time to prepare for war. Tirrena also noted. This tactic of making careful preparations in front of the station, not moving is enough, and if you move, you will strike a thunderous blow, which fully embodies the Ming army's operational thinking. At the same time, it was also pointed out that after the observation of intelligence officers, it was found that the military discipline and soldier quality of the Ming army. Far more than any other country in Europe today. They may not be physically as strong as the European soldiers, but their organizational discipline is top-notch.

There is no doubt that this is the result of a long period of persistence in training, or rather, the more professional of the Ming army.

Tirrena has a basis for saying this. The equipment used in France now is all guns purchased by the Ming Dynasty and copied by France. Even the infantry drill code came from the Daming cottage. Of course, it is impossible to say where this infantry drill code came from. All in all, the French army was able to run rampant in Europe, mainly relying on the advanced equipment of the Ming Dynasty and tactical copycats. Linear queues, queue shooting tactics, centralized use of artillery, etc., are all leftovers of the Ming army's play, and the French army has learned it.

These learnings are done during the friendly period and through various relationships. At that time, the Ming Dynasty's restraints on France were not so strict, and even the rifled Mini rifles were bought back by France. If it weren't for the rifling, because the quality of the steel was not good, it would be difficult to meet the requirements, and the French army would even have to be equipped with Mini rifles on a large scale. (If the steel does not meet the requirements, the rifling will be scrapped after dozens of shots)

Louis XIV took Tirrena's advice and assembled a heavy army of up to 300,000 troops, while at the same time setting up posts and preparing men to deliver information in areas along the coast where landing was readily available. The problem is, he left these things to the Duke of Anjou to do. Tactically, because of the terrain of France, it was difficult to do so. Because I really don't know when the enemy will land, I can only wait patiently.

While the French army was waiting helplessly, something happened that the Ottoman Turkish Empire had not expected. The Afrika Korps of the Ming Empire launched a landing operation targeting the important city of Istanbul.

Because of the terrain, this time the Ming army did not have the slightest intention of standing in front of the front to cover up. The fleet swaggered into the waters near the Dardanelles, and a sampan sank on the surface of the sea. Three days later, a flotilla of ships appeared on the sea, a total of three infantry divisions, under the cover of naval warships, carrying out landing operations.

Why not go land? The reason is simple, the problem of logistical supply cannot be solved. It's not that Daming can't produce it, but how can you get it by land? It is impossible to leave the Mediterranean Sea without it and go to land transportation. This is the Ming and Qing dynasties, and there is no need to go through the sea by sea. Speaking of Caoyun, it is not that I don't know that shipping is good, but that Caoyun is too involved. The relationship of interests is too complicated to be said here.

The landing site of the Ming army was chosen in Canakkale, which faced the Mediterranean Sea and had a port of its own. The landing went extremely smoothly, and the troops of the Ottoman Turkish Empire put up stubborn resistance, but under the bombardment of naval guns, the resistance lasted only one day before crumbling. After the landing, the Ming army advanced along the strait and completely controlled the Dardanelles, and the cruiser fleet passed through the strait and entered the Sea of Marmara, where the enemy ships and fleets entrenched were destroyed and sunk without surrendering. But in this area, the navy unexpectedly did not capture a single larger ship, and despite the backward equipment of the Turks and the fact that the ships were garbage, they kept fighting. A week later, the landing Ming army routed 30,000 Turkish troops at Bander Ma, clearing the way forward.

With a cigarette in his mouth, Zhang Guangde squinted his eyes, stood on the deck of the battleship, pointed to the city on the coast and said: "Do you see, that is Istanbul, Europeans prefer to call it Constantinople." Once a military powerhouse of the Eastern Roman Empire, the city has seen many fierce battles throughout its history. During the Crusades, every corner of the city was soaked in blood. ”

Chen Ping did not speak, but looked at the city silently. The geographical location of the city is too important, no wonder the father's directive to the Afrika Korps was clear, to occupy it, and for a long time. This sea area is clearly pointed out in the geography book published by the Ming Dynasty, the golden waterway!

Today, it was the capital of the Ottoman Turkish Empire, and the occupation of it would make it a mortal feud between the two countries. Chen Ping doesn't mind this, Zhang Guangde doesn't mind, and no one in Daming seems to mind this so-called great empire across Europe and Asia. The current thinking of Da Ming is that the good place should be snatched over. It's weird logic, but everyone thinks it's supposed to be like this.

The battleship trembled violently, and it was difficult to withstand the roar of the loud bang even when it covered its ears on the deck. The Ming army did not hide the purpose of the battle, and the defense of the Turkish army was also very clear. It is to hold the city and let the blood of the enemy be drained.

"I heard that the Afrika Korps gave an order that the gendarmes would not show up for three days after the city was broken." Chen Ping said very calmly, but Zhang Guangde nodded very heavily: "Yes, it's cruel!" But this is also something that makes no sense, and in order to hold the city, the Turkish army gathered at least 300,000 men. The cavalry and infantry of our army combined, that is, 150,000 people. With so many troops, logistical supply can only be solved on the spot as much as possible. ”

The artillery fire turned the landing beach into a sea of fire, and all military targets along the coast were baptized by artillery fire. For this battle, the Ming army invested sixteen new-style cruisers, fifty old-style sail warships, and thousands of transport ships. More than half of them have recently been looted from ports in the Mediterranean.

"I wonder how the French would feel when they knew that we landed in the Balkans?" Zhang Guangde was a little depressed, originally he hoped to fight France first, but after careful planning in front of the station, he still decided to fight Istanbul first. After occupying this place, force the Ottoman Turks to surrender, and next year it is not too late to clean up France.

All in all, this war will last at least two years. At that time, the whole of Europe will grovel in front of the bayonets of the Ming Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty will usher in a most glorious period.

The landed boats docked, the artillery fire stopped, and the assault soldiers ran to the shore with their equipment on their backs. Boom, boom, sporadic artillery fire, this is the Ottoman Turkish army is still fighting. It is a pity that the weapons of these armies were too backward, and the remaining cannons were quickly knocked out with cannons by the sailing fleets that fired progressively.

After landing, the troops immediately expanded in all directions to establish a solid line of occupation. On the transport ship on the sea, piece after piece of prefabricated parts was dropped, and a simple trestle took shape in the skillful busyness of the sappers. With so many troops, the ammunition consumed alone is an incredible number. Definitely not without a pier.

"It seems that we only need to stay on the ship for three days, and when the city is broken, we will go into the palace and drink." (To be continued.) )