Half a month later, the Ming fleet entered the Persian Gulf in a mighty manner.
At this time, the Ottomans on the coast of the Persian Gulf had not received any news of enemy attacks. They only knew that Duke Taoglu had taken away all the navy, and the battle ahead was going smoothly.
Suddenly, the frightening Easterners appeared, and countless soldiers and horses boarded the land and launched a fierce offensive.
The huge cannons were roaring, and wherever the Ming army passed, only ruins and scorched earth were left.
The northwest end of the Persian Gulf, the city of Baghdad.
This was once the birthplace of the Ottoman Empire, and it is now the empire's strongest barrier in the Persian Gulf.
The defenders of the border towns ahead abandoned their positions and fled to the city of Baghdad to seek refuge.
They rushed to tell their stories. Those Easterners were devils from hell. Their cannons were witchcrafted and could easily blast through any city wall...
Duke Holly, who was guarding Baghdad, didn't believe it at first. However, as more and more defenders fled, he couldn't help but not believe it.
He didn't understand this, because just a few months ago, Duke Taoglu had just captured a Ming army fleet. The appearance, size of the ships, weapons and equipment of those Easterners were the same...
…
Why did the Orientals suddenly become monsters with three heads and six arms in the eyes of these defeated armies?
Although he was very confident about the fortifications of Baghdad, for the sake of safety, he still sent a letter to King Muhad in Constantinople.
A month later, Muhad received a letter and immediately became alert.
The fact that the Easterners landed on the Ottoman mainland quietly showed that they had broken through Duke Taoglu's maritime defense line.
The matter seemed to be serious, and soon the princes and nobles in the city were summoned to discuss important matters.
Hafez Pasha was the first to say: "Your Majesty, don't be nervous. The Easterners are too arrogant. The walls of Baghdad are very high and they cannot defeat them."
The pasha's status in the Ottoman Empire was equivalent to the official positions of prime minister, prince or governor of the Central Plains Dynasty. He had great power and was the second-in-command of the empire.
Hafez had stayed with Muhad to make plans since the time of his northern campaign against Eastern Rome. He was very good at using troops. After hearing this, everyone agreed.
To take a step back, even if the Ming army captured Baghdad and wanted to march to the gates of Constantinople, it would not happen overnight.
Muhad nodded slowly, but was still a little worried and said: "The people from the East are coming fiercely, and we are not prepared. We may suffer a loss in the war."
"Your Majesty the King, please rest assured. It is precisely because the Easterners go to sea to fight, thousands of miles away from the mainland, that their supplies are the biggest problem. I estimate that if they persist for three months at most, they will retreat in despair."
Hafiz Pasha had very rich experience in war. Large-scale battles were actually about supplies. Whoever had sufficient supplies would be able to persist until the end.
The Ming army came thousands of miles away, and they would never be able to survive with the palm-sized land of Ceylon Island as their backing.
At this time, a noble said: "Our country is bordered by the Ming Dynasty in the east on land. Be careful of them attacking from both land and water directions."
"Then there's no need to worry!"
Hafiz Pasha said with a smile: "Coming from land, you need to cross the endless desert. The difficulties are a hundred times more terrible than fighting. Even if they can overcome it, more than half of the soldiers will be lost, and this process requires
It takes a lot of time and cannot be completed in a year and a half.”
Everyone present knew the reason why the Ming army suddenly launched an attack. They were trying to rob someone else’s fleet!
However, the robbery of the fleet and the seizure of the crew only happened a few months ago. The Ming army's surprise attack from the sea was surprising enough. There could not be any troops on land.
Even if there were, it would be impossible to cross the desert known as the Sea of Death.
Even if they successfully cross the desert, it will still take a long time, which means that they cannot form an encirclement with the Ming army in front of them.
Since they cannot form an encirclement, what is the significance of this army?
After thinking about these issues clearly, we can conclude that there is no possibility of enemy attacks on land!
King Muhad also understood this truth, nodded, and asked: "What I can't figure out is how these Easterners broke through the defense line at sea. Duke Taoglu took away all the navy of the empire. It is impossible not to have
Discover this fleet."
Everyone fell into deep thought, and they didn't understand this problem very much.
Of course, they would never have thought that Duke Taoglu had been completely wiped out.
After a while, Hafez Pasha said: "Duke Taoglu once wrote that he had occupied the Tik Kingdom and was still moving deeper to the north. It may be that the strategic focus has shifted and the sea defense line has been slackened."
After King Muhad listened carefully, he thought to himself that this seemed to be the truth.
Only this explanation is more reasonable and easier for everyone to accept.
According to the letter from Duke Taolu, the Tik Kingdom is only a small piece of land at the southernmost tip of the continent. There is a large amount of land to the north and even a wide plain, which is very suitable for human habitation.
As for the people currently living in that area...
It’s simple. If you kill them all, won’t they be gone?
Seeing that everyone agreed with his point of view, Hafez Pasha continued: "It is extremely bad for the Ming army to break through the defense line deployed by Duke Taoglu on the sea. Their commander is probably a complete fool."
King Muhad asked: "Why?"
Hafiz Pasha shook his head with a smile and said: "If Duke Taoglu returns at this time, won't it mean that the Ming army will be blocked in the Persian Gulf? They Easterners have a saying: close the door and beat the dog, and now the Persian Gulf is the door
, Orientals are dogs!”
Everyone couldn't help but laugh, as if victory was already in sight.
King Muhad was still more cautious and said: "In any case, since the Ming army dares to take the initiative to attack, we must not underestimate it. Duke of Damman, I will give you 50,000 troops to support the city of Baghdad."
The Duke of Damman was a veteran general who was the first to capture Constantinople and had a very high prestige in the army.
King Muhad decided to appoint the Duke of Damman, which shows that he attaches great importance to those Easterners.
Duke Daman immediately put his hand on his left chest, leaned over and said: "Your Majesty, please rest assured, I will definitely be able to drive those witchcraft Easterners out of our land!"
"Okay then, you go down and count the troops..."
"Your Majesty the King, urgent report, urgent report..."
King Muhad was suddenly interrupted mid-sentence.
This person is the commander of the palace guards. He usually fulfills his duties and would never easily disturb His Majesty the King's meetings. However, today he completely ignored the palace etiquette and gasped loudly while talking.
------------------
PS: I came back late today, so I will update one chapter first, everyone should go to bed early~~