"Your Majesty, a troop of troops has arrived from outside the city, led by Colonel Alessandro."
Duke Damman raised his eyes and asked: "How many people are there?"
"About one hundred and fifty people."
"Are they carrying weapons?"
"No weapons."
"Without weapons...could he have escaped from Constantinople?"
"Colonel Alejandro said that the Orientals did not give them any trouble and just let them go."
"Let go? How is that possible?"
Duke Damen frowned and thought for a long time, then said: "Let Alejandro come in, and the rest of the people will wait outside the city for now."
"yes!"
"Also, search carefully and be careful that he has weapons on him."
Not long after, four personal guards escorted Alejandro into the city and came to the meeting hall.
"Your Majesty the Duke!"
Alessandro knelt on one knee, put his right hand on his chest, and performed the knight's salute.
"Aren't you guarding Constantinople? What's going on?"
Daman stared at the other party cautiously, fearing something unexpected would happen.
Orientals are so cunning, who knows what other conspiracies they are up to.
Alessandro said: "The Easterners occupied Constantinople, His Majesty the King died in the war, and more than half of the soldiers defending the city were killed or injured. We were lucky enough to survive."
"How did you escape?"
"We didn't escape, it was the Easterners who took the initiative to let us go."
"How can it be?"
"Your Excellency, I have brought more than a hundred soldiers. You can ask them. I swear in the name of God that what I say is true."
Duke Damen was still hesitant and asked: "Of course I will ask them, please tell me first, what is going on?"
Alejandro had already prepared his words: "While everyone was waiting for the fate to be judged, the Easterners suddenly called us together, and then gave each soldier five gold coins, saying it was resettlement allowance. Many people took gold coins
When we got home, I began to think that the Orientals were playing some trick, but after we left, they didn't do anything, so we knew it was true."
"I understand, this is a way for Easterners to win people's hearts."
The Duke of Damen is indeed a veteran, with a relatively broad mind, and he immediately thought of political games.
The Easterners have captured Constantinople and will certainly not give up easily. They will take root in this land until it grows into a towering tree.
However, before big trees can grow, they need a relatively stable environment.
Buying people's hearts is the most effective method. Just a few gold coins can make the Ottomans willing to surrender. It is really a good deal.
The most annoying thing is that these gold coins are the wealth of the Ottoman Empire. The Easterners are so cruel. They robbed your house, took your money, and then gave it to you to make you willingly surrender...
This operation is simply insane!
"Why do you still come here now that you are free?"
Faced with the question from the Duke of Damman, Alejandro was well prepared: "We are willing to fight with the Duke against the Easterners. They are jackals and have taken over our homeland. This breath cannot be swallowed!"
The Duke of Damen asked doubtfully: "How did you, more than a hundred people, reach an agreement under the surveillance of the Orientals?"
"It wasn't agreed in advance. Most of the people took the money and went home. We didn't want to leave. Someone suggested coming to join the Duke, and then we came."
"It's that simple?"
"Yeah, it's that simple."
"Um……"
Duke Daman pondered for a moment and said: "Let's do this. Your people will be temporarily organized into the reserve camp. In addition to daily training, they will only be responsible for logistical supplies."
"Thank you, Your Majesty the Duke, for your trust. I will do my best!"
Alejandro said he was respectful, but secretly cursed in his heart, "It sounds like logistics, but isn't it just hard work?"
They are all thankless tasks, and to put it bluntly, they are distrustful.
Turning around, an imperceptible smile appeared on his lips, because this arrangement was already planned!
Two days later, Zigat City welcomed another team.
The situation is similar to that of Alessandro, who was dismissed by the Ming army and refused to go home, so he came to join the army.
The Duke of Damen made inquiries as usual and found nothing unusual. On the contrary, it confirmed the authenticity of Alessandro's visit, which made him feel more at ease.
Within half a month, more than 500 people arrived one after another, all regular troops from Constantinople and its surrounding areas.
The Duke of Damen had 200,000 men at his disposal, but including the men pushing carts, the cooks, the grooms raising horses, etc., the actual combat force was only 25,000 men.
Therefore, these 500 regular troops were still very useful. After inspection, they were broken up and then replenished into each battalion.
The purpose of this is simple. If these five hundred people come with a mission, disperse them. Even if they want to cause trouble, as long as they cannot get together, they cannot pose a threat.
After arranging all this, we are waiting for the decisive battle of the Ming army.
Although he knew how powerful the Ming army was, the Duke of Damen believed that given the favorable time and place, his army would never be inferior to his opponent's.
The reason for the failure of Constantinople was that the Ming army was caught off guard and did not know the opponent's true strength and tactics. If the two sides squared off and fought, it is not certain who would lose and who would win!
Even if the Ming army wins, they still have to pay the price.
This place is too far away from the mainland of the Ming Dynasty. Every time the Ming army loses one person in battle, there is one less person. Every time a round of ammunition is consumed, there is one less round. And you can summon new troops and make new weapons at any time.
Alejandro's surrender is a good example. The Ottomans will not give in easily!
Night fell again, and the soldiers in each barracks had dinner and were chatting in small groups.
"Are you serious? Orientals still give out money?"
"certainly!"
"Bragging, whoever captured the prisoner paid him!"
"If you don't believe it, just look at it!"
The person who spoke was a little anxious. In order to prove that what he said was true, he immediately reached out and grabbed a handful of golden coins from his pocket.
The eyes of the people around me were all wide-eyed. It was really a gold coin!
"I'm telling you, this is called severance pay, and everyone has been paid it."
"Since I've given you money, why do you still want to join the army?"
"Are you stupid? It's so hard here and your life is in danger. Wouldn't it be better to take the money and go home to farm?"
"With so many gold coins, you can buy land and build a house. How comfortable will your life be if you marry a wife?"
"I think you are stupid!"
The man looked around first, then lowered his voice and said, "If we fight again, as long as we don't resist and surrender obediently, wouldn't we earn an extra severance package?"
As soon as these words came out, strange looks flashed in everyone's eyes.