On the banks of the Kyzyl River, the city of Zgat.

"Lord Duke, there is a detachment from outside the city, led by Colonel Alessandro."

Duke Daman raised his eyes and asked, "How many are there?" ”

"About one hundred and fifty."

"Are they armed with them?"

"No weapons."

"There are no weapons...... Did he escape from Constantinople? ”

"Colonel Alessandro said that the Orientals did not embarrass them and directly let them go."

"Put? How can it be? ”

Duke Daman frowned and pondered for a long time before he said, "Let Alessandro come in, and the rest of the people will wait outside the city for the time being." ”

"Yes!"

"Also, search carefully and be careful that he carries a weapon."

A short time later, four guards escorted Alessandro into the city and into the council chamber.

"Lord Duke!"

Alessandro got down on one knee and put his right hand on his chest in a knightly salute.

"Aren't you staying in Constantinople, what's going on?"

Dammam stared at each other cautiously, for fear of some surprise.

The Orientals are too cunning, who knows what kind of intrigues they are engaged in.

Alessandro said: "The Orientals occupied Constantinople, His Majesty the King died in the battle, and more than half of the soldiers defending the city were killed and wounded, but we survived. ”

"How did you escape?"

"We didn't run away, it was the Orientals who took the initiative to let us go."

"How is that possible?"

"Lord Duke, I have brought more than a hundred soldiers, you can ask them and swear in the name of God that what I say is true."

The Duke of Dammam was still skeptical, and asked, "Of course I will ask them, but tell me first, what is going on?" ”

Alessandro was already ready to speak: "While everyone was waiting for the judgment of fate, the Oriental suddenly called us together, and then gave each soldier five gold coins, saying that it was a settling-in fee, and many people went home with the gold coins, and I began to think that the Oriental people were playing some tricks, but after we left, they did nothing, and we knew that it was true." ”

"I see, this is a means for Orientals to buy people's hearts."

Duke Dammam is worthy of being an old fritter, with a relatively open mind, and he immediately thinks of political games.

The Easterners have already captured Constantinople and will certainly not give up easily, they will take root in this land until they grow into a towering tree.

However, before the trees can grow, they need a relatively stable environment.

Buying hearts and minds is the most effective means, and a few gold coins can make the Ottomans surrender willingly, which is really a good deal.

The most infuriating thing is that these gold coins are the wealth of the Ottoman Empire, and the Orientals are too ruthless, robbing your house, taking your money, and then giving you alms to make you surrender willingly......

It's crazy!

"Why are you here when you're free?"

In the face of Duke Daman's questioning, Alessandro was prepared: "We are willing to fight the Orientals together with the Duke, they are jackals who have forcibly occupied our homeland, and we can't swallow this breath!" ”

The Duke of Daman asked incredulously, "How did you come to an agreement with more than a hundred of you, under the surveillance of the Orientals?" ”

"There was no agreement in advance, but most of the people took the money and went home, and we didn't want to go, so someone proposed to come to the duke, and then came."

"It's as simple as that?"

"yes, it's that simple."

"Hmmm......"

Duke Daman pondered for a moment and said, "In this way, your people will be temporarily assigned to the reserve battalion, and in addition to daily training, they will only be responsible for logistics and supplies. ”

"Thank you Lord Duke for your trust, my subordinates will do their best!"

Alessandro was respectful on his lips, but he secretly scolded in his heart, to put it nicely, it's called logistics supply, isn't it just coolies?

It's all thankless work, and to put it bluntly, it's distrust.

Turning around, an imperceptible smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, because this arrangement had been planned!

Two days later, the city of Zgat welcomed another team.

The situation is similar to Alessandro, who was unwilling to go home after being dismissed by the Ming army and came to join the army.

Duke Dammam inquired as usual, but did not find anything abnormal, but confirmed the authenticity of Alessandro's coming here from the side, which made him feel more at ease.

Within half a month, more than 500 people came one after another, all of them regular troops from Constantinople and its periphery.

The Duke of Daman had 200,000 men in his hands, but counting the people who pushed carts, the men who cooked, and the horsemen who raised horses, the real combat force was only 25,000 people.

Therefore, the five hundred regular troops were still very useful, and after investigation, they were dismantled and supplemented into the battalions.

The purpose of this is simple, if these 500 people come with a mission, spread them apart, even if they want to do something, as long as they can't get together, they can't pose a threat.

After arranging all this, we are waiting for the decisive battle of the Ming army.

Although he knew the strength of the Ming army, the Duke of Daman believed that his army was by no means inferior to the other party under the conditions of occupying the right time and place.

The reason for the defeat of Constantinople was that the Ming army was taken by surprise, and it was not clear the true strength and tactical tactics of the other side.

Even if the Ming army wins, they will have to pay the price.

This place is too far away from the Ming Dynasty, and the Ming army has one less person for every battle loss, and one less for every ammunition consumed, and he can gather new troops and make new weapons at any time.

Alessandro's surrender is a good example of this, the Ottomans would not give in easily!

Night fell again, and the soldiers in the barracks had eaten dinner and were chatting in groups.

"Are you serious? Orientals still send money? ”

"Of course!"

"Brag, whoever captures the captives and pays them!"

"Believe it or not!"

The man who spoke was a little anxious, and in order to prove that what he said was true, he immediately reached out and grabbed a handful of yellow gold coins from his pocket.

The eyes of the people around him are straight, it's really a gold coin!

"I'm telling you, this is called severance pay, and everyone has paid it."

"Since I've sent you money, why do you want to join the army?"

"Do you think you're stupid, how bitter it is here, and it's life-threatening, isn't it good to take the money home and farm?"

"With so many gold coins, it's enough to buy land and build a house, and if you marry a wife, how comfortable is your small life?"

"I think you're stupid!"

The man first looked around, then lowered his voice and said, "If you fight again, as long as you don't resist and surrender obediently, won't you earn an extra severance pay?" ”

As soon as these words came out, strange looks flashed in everyone's eyes.

(End of chapter)